I wore these boots rain or shine, even experienced some snow! These were my day to day lifestyle boots. I did not baby them whatsoever. If I had a project going on at home I had these on my feet. I built a 70’ fence in these. I cut firewood in these. I took these to the grocery store. I went to birthday parties in these. I hiked. I traveled out of state with them. They essentially became apart of me.
The tochigi leather was a little stiff at first, but had a very familiar break in which was a breeze. One of my favorite leathers is the Oro legacy leather from the classic Red Wing 875. I did plenty of research on how a leather would age and patina and that was the color I was hoping for at the end. They started off natural and yellow of course and now they’ve morphed between an orange and brown color which I love. My care routine was very simple. I brushed them daily if not every other day. Spot conditioned in those thirsty areas. If there was any major dirt or grime I would take a damp rag to them and simply wipe them off. Overall I love the quality leather I chose.
At first, these boots felt a little roomy in the toe box. I had an extra leather footbed from Red Wing that I added to take up some room. However, after breaking them in they molded to my feet perfectly. They have an unstructured toe which helped with that. They’re one of my best fitting and comfortable boots I own. Though they are a similar build to whites Lace to toe, they do not offer a high arch. I am a big fan of the high arch, but I could also wear these boots all day without that arch support.
These are up there with one of my favorite boots based on the aesthetic and the way the patina developed. The leather is still holding up great and it’s only getting better. One of the small details that I appreciate is the small grove that the stitching sits in on the bottom of the sole. It's a small detail but that stitch is still in great condition. The unstructured toe gives it a timeless look in my opinion.
I only seen the Dr. Sole soles online from other boot enthusiasts so I decided to give them a try since I was going with a MTO custom boot. I wanted to go for a minimal/timeless look that wasn’t rugged but something I could still beat up if I needed to. These soles did not disappoint at all. In fact, I will be resoling some of my other boots with these soles some day. They were lightweight, very “sticky” when it came to slick surfaces. I think the cork also helped a lot with my “bounce” while walking. Definitely recommend these soles.
I am very pleased overall with my boots. I fell in love with the brand. I was a little skeptical at first ordering boots from the other side of the world, but those Indonesian boot makers know their stuff. At least this Brand delivered. I will be a returning customer in the very near future.