The chukkas that eventually earned my trust.

I had big expectations for the Chandler chukka boots and planned to wear them for almost anything. But this pair fit differently than my other Allen Edmonds boots built using the same 1757 last. Something about these chukkas tortured my toes, creating painful blisters on the top of a couple toes. I bruised a toenail which eventually fell off. I had to limit the days that I wore these initially because they were just too painful. After a while I decided to try something. I jammed the left shoe tree into the right boot, and vice versa. This seemed to help, and finally allowed me to wear them more often. I wore these quite a bit for casual wear. They got a lot of dog-walking miles, but not as much hard wear as what I had originally planned. They also got to see the snow a few times and were worn for some light yard work once the weather warmed.

The antique hickory leather has a darker brown finish that has worn, creating an interesting lighter color patina underneath. The leather is easy to care for — just wipe with a damp cloth and brush. I applied Venetian Shoe Cream once or twice during the last six months.

I have multiple pairs of boots built on the 1757 last and I’ve always had a great fit — until now. There is something about this pair that caused a lot of discomfort. The toe box really irradiated the top of my toes. It improved as the boots broke in but these never became as comfortable as any of my other pairs on this same last. I also had a partial tear of my plantar fascia about 1-2 months before the patina Thunderdome. Because of this, my foot was more sensitive to issues related to arch support and I felt like these did not have quite the sturdy arch support that my foot needed at times.

The design of these chukkas is awesome. Chukkas are super flexible in their use, working for casual use and business. I bought my pair as a “factory second.” There were no flaws that I noticed with the construction of the chukkas and the stitching looked really good. They were also well-finished from the factory. I eventually determined that they were probably considered second-quality due to some flaws in the leather which have created some rough speckles of lighter color on the vamp.

Dainite soles are super durable. Some people complain that they are not as comfortable but because of a light layer of firm foam on the the insole, these are pretty comfortable. Dainite soles can be slick if you step onto a smooth polished surface with wet soles, like coming inside on a rainy day and stepping onto smooth tile.

In summary, the Dainite soles have great durability. On these chukkas, they are comfortable but can be slick in certain situations.

It took longer than usual for this particular pair to become comfortable. I don’t think it’s a flaw of the design. There was just something that I was never able to identify that made these different from other pairs of boots I have that were made on the same last. I love the design and the versatility of these chukkas. They are a good value — especially since they can be purchased in a large combination of length and width. I would definitely recommend checking out the Chandler chukka. A slightly taller boot built on this same last is the Patton, which has a cap toe design. (I also recommend the Patton.)