These boots have been an alternate for my main pair. They still got plenty of wear in the hospital as well as out and about in the city or in local parks. They even went on a hike or two and handled it well!
These boots are made of a local Chinese cowhide and I honestly didn’t know what to expect when ordering them. I was pleasantly surprised with the results! The leather isn’t unbelievably thick or stiff but doesn’t feel flimsy or cheap either. Right out of the box it felt smooth and had quite nice pull up. It has just enough body to have a good amount of stand up in an engineer boot (I can’t stand when the shafts flop over constantly). The dark brown is a beautiful color and I felt it picked up so much character over the months. I loved the way every scuff and scrape revealed the light under tone. The leather does definitely crease more than roll which is something to consider. In terms of care, I really didn’t do much. I brushed them probably less than once a week and wiped them down with a damp rag when they got muddy or salty during the winter. I didn’t condition them throughout the dome and I didn’t feel they even needed it in that time frame.
The design is definitely not for everyone. It may feel a little chunky for a lot of people but honestly that’s part of what attracted me to them. Not every engineer boot has to be a narrow collapsed toe. I like the bit of bulbousness with the structured toe and I like the bit of toe spring. I loved the placement and width of the instep strap. I will say that the heel could be a bit more sculpted and the midsole sanding leaves a lot to be desired. I wish that the midsole didn’t stick out as much from the back of the boot as it looks a bit like a spur shelf as it stands. That ties into finishing/QC as I don’t believe this was meant to be the look and I feel that the sanding/sculpting was just overlooked a bit. They still feel great but aesthetically there could be more here. The stitching around the welt is also a bit wonky and isn’t always perfectly parallel or perfectly spaced but it feels sturdy all the same and I have no concerns about construction quality or durability. Overall I expected this boot to be a bit more of a beater and I feel the design and fit/finish fit into that use just fine.
Overall, I took a chance on Crush on Retro’s engineer boot and I’ve had fun wearing them and experiencing a different design/brand! They were great value and now I have a beautiful beater boot in a style I wouldn’t normally otherwise go for. I love how the scuffs and scrapes show on this leather and I can’t wait to put more wear on these boots and see how they continue to develop.