Historical fun, while being practical and quirky.

I've worn these boots a large portion of the days since getting them, and while they may seem impractical due to the old world steel hobnail and cleat soles, they are not as bad as expected. I have very little prior experience with hobnails, but I knew to walk "stronger" than you do with leather or rubber soles, and I haven't had a problem yet. The boots have tons of grip off-road in the woods, so I can see why hobnails are still enjoyed by certain outdoorsmen.

On day one of owning the boots I applied The Mail's Shoe Co Black Cream to dye and condition them to help expedite the break in process. Many people who get these will follow the main advice for breaking in these boots, which involves filling them with water, letting them sit for a minute or so, dumping out the water, and then wearing them for the rest of the day. I may still do this, as well.

The leather has tea cored quite heavily, and I may apply another coat of The Mail's Shoe Co Black Cream in the next few weeks. The RO portion of the boot is definitely holding onto the black dye better than the smooth portions of the boot, as expected.

The fit on these is actually pretty great, with a firm, snug passthrough—which is impressive for a cheaper ready-to-wear boot. They are made in Mexico by a cowboy boot maker, and it shows. They have lemon pegged waists, like the originals. There is a slight need for some padding underneath the heel, so I will be putting in a 1/2 length leather liner to cover the nails.

These are made exactly like the originals, with steel hobnails and heel cleats, and the hobnails are even two-pronged like the way they were issued. No complaints and no failures!

The soles are performing much better than expected, especially for off-road usage, as they are less heavy and easier to clean than lugged rubber soles. They also have better grip than the rubber counterparts, which shocks me. I'm loving the experience.

While this is certainly not the boot for everyone, and it is very old-world in design and aesthetics, as the original design is from 1866, they are a very fun boot to wear. I highly recommend this to other boot nerds looking for a footwear experience that is out-of-the-box.