Not much to it really, I saw some pairs in this leather on Frank's IG and had to have a pair
As stated in the review, I was instructed to size half down from my 55 size, but that is NOT a 1:1 sizing comparison in my experience
It's a pleasure calling a Frank's crew to place an order
I'm a wood flooring contractor so these get sat on quite a bit while kneeling, and I walk behind a drum sander a lot. It's not exactly the torture that a lot of guys on job sites put their boots through, but still requires a quality pair of footwear.
I had the leather choice down to English bridle chestnut or oiled Latigo chestnut, and felt that I couldn't go wrong with either one. Ultimately I went with the EB chestnut because I didn't have any boots in that shade, and figured that after the oiled Latigo in that color aged it would end up just looking like any other brown boot. I later found an amazing pair in this leather from last year's dome that just solidified my choice. It seems plenty durable for me, scratches and scuffs reveal a lighter orange color underneath, and after oiling them they've mellowed to a nice almost burgundy hue. Frank's lines all of their non work leathers so it's plenty stiff even after a few months of wear. All in all I'm quite happy with the selection.
My journey with PNW sizing is not recommended. It's the “keep buying boots until you think you've got the right size” method. When I put in the order for my first new pair with White's, I did half size down from brannock(10C), and kept the same width, so 9.5C. In the subsequent weeks I got the idea in my head that I needed to change the order to go a full size down from brannock, but one width up to 9D. My heart sank when they were delivered and I saw 9C on the box. Now I NEVER trust a phone conversation and always ask for a followup email to confirm what was said. However, while I can wear a 9D on the 55 last, these 9Cs fit perfectly. For quite a while I thought that was my PNW size. This is the part that hurts. Frank's recommends going half size down from your 55 last size. Instead of just being patient and sending in a fit sheet, I trusted the plan and went with the recommended 8.5C on these. And while I can wear them and most of the time not have any trouble, the arch is waaaay to far rearward and my toes bump the front quite a bit. My conclusion from this experience is that while going half a size down from your 55 last size might work for 99% of people, it's not a direct 1:1. My toes NEVER hit the front of any of my 9C/D 55 last boots. So the half size down for the 1977 last thing simply isn't as universal as most believe
I have no complaints, all the makers have their occasional issues. This particular pair was perfect apart from the sizing issue which is just one of those things. I blame myself for not sending in a fit sheet.
My first experience with the Vibram 2332 half sole was on a pair of White's MPs. That pair had a very soft and sort of springy/squishy feel to it, almost like a wedge sole. I like the look of how thin it is from the side profile, and of course the uninterrupted leather in the heel stack you get with a half sole is hard to beat. Compared to the 430, which I'm not a huge fan of, this sole was a must have for this pair. The Cuban/dogger heel was a first for me. I had it in my mind that it was more like a packer heel but it's not nearly as pitched inward. After initially ordering a more typical scooped logger heel, I'm glad I changed it to this profile. It's easier to sand down to touch up the edges and has a little more refined look to my eye.
It's a great pair of boots made by a great company with great components, and I made a mistake on the sizing, what else is there to say?