My Mister Lous! These boots are up for anything! After over two years of waiting to receive the Mister Lous, I have been motivated to wear them daily. This has primarily been in an office environment, but they do just as well on a hike, or shoveling snow, as kicking rocks under my desk. I've learned to love pull-on boots for their convenience. If I'm running to the store, working in the yard, or heading into the office... These were the easiest boots to throw on.
This leather is wild. I hardly remember it looking like my day 1 pictures. The leather is a different color on every part of the boot. From dark black, to deep green, to almost white in the highest wear spots. These have more character than any other boot I've worn. The leather has held up supremely well. There are no places that feel like they are thinning or wearing through. The leather looks well-loved, but has still got a full life ahead of them.
I've always struggled with the fit of Engineers, so I decided to opt for a custom last on these. They are the first engineers I've worn that don't feel like I'm at risk of stepping out of the boot with every stride. My only issue is that after about three months of breaking them in, they got too loose in the instep. But, after punching a new hole in both straps, they were good as new
I'm not the most sensitive to stitches out of place or scuffs in the leather... But to my untrained eye, these boots have been perfect in build quality and durability. My only place of disappointment is that the leather is void of any interesting grain. I've seen some pairs of these with a wild grain pattern.
These have held up to the demands of a Minnesota winter well. The heel hardly looks like it's been used. As winter came to a close, the traction has started to decrease with wear.
After three years of the Dome, these are my favorite boots I've brought through the contest. They look like my platonic ideal of a well-worn pair of dark engineer boots. With the hundreds of incredible pairs in the Dome... I have no expectations of winning a prize. But these boots are a prize in themselves. Thanks for another great year!