Well worth the wait

I've worn these as my "go anywhere, do anything" boots over the past 6 months. If I walked out of the house in pants, these boots were on my feet. They were primarily worn in the office, on job sites, and around the urban jungle of Los Angeles. They weren't solely held to office duty - they also saw some home renovation projects, hikes on dirt trails, and some snow.

This leather is substantial. When new W&C Oiled Latigo was fairly stiff with a slightly waxy feel to them. As a comparison, I’d say they were slightly less stiff than Horween Cypress. As a result they took me around 2-3 weeks of wear before feeling like the uppers had started to break in. Even now, after 6 months of wear, the leather is still relatively stiff in the mornings, but quickly becomes pliable within a few minutes of wear as the leather warms. The chestnut color is a burgundy with some tan undertones that show through in the pull up. Over the past 6 months the color has lightened slightly and developed some highlights in the rolls at the ankles and other flexed points. The leather is packed with oils and waxes so most scuffs and scratches work themselves out quickly and more significant ones filled in by rubbing with my fingers or using a horse hair brush.

Andres and Bordon nailed the last shape and sizing on these boots. They feel like the last was made custom for my feet. The width at the ball of my foot is perfect, snug without feeling tight. Same goes for the toe box, my toes have just enough room to wiggle around, but not so much that it feels sloppy. One thing I was surprised about was the relatively low toe volume despite the boots appearance, I could feel the top of the boot with my toes at all times. It wasn’t an issue, I just was expecting more volume given the profile.

These boots are extremely well made, stitching is even and consistent across the pair. When they first arrived I couldn’t find anything out of place. These boots punch well above their weight.

I really like the vibram 430 (& 2724 half-sole variant) for my life mostly in the city it makes for a sleek looking boot with still a good amount of grip when needed.

Honestly, I wanted to dislike these boots after they took 16 months to arrive (projected lead time was 6 months), but I couldn’t hate them. in fact, I think they are my favorite pair of boots I own. They are incredibly well made, the best fitting, and go with almost everything I own. I’ll likely be buying another pair in the future and just crossing my fingers that Bordon has figured out how to more accurately project their lead times. I’ll be wearing them frequently.