Week days consisted of office work and nighttime activities. Some weeks involved travel and field tests. Weekends are very diverse from hiking to house repairs to concerts and long walks. SoCal also received significant amount of rain this year, several times the boots were completely saturated. All of this led to a relatively even darkening of the uppers.
The leather is completely unique. Straight out of the box it was extremely soft, thus break-in was mainly on the sole. The upper also had a somewhat dry feel to it. After a rain soaking about 1 month in I let the boots dry out and then applied Bick 4. This process was repeated 2 more times at months 3 and 5. Brushing occurred about every other day. The leather is currently still very soft with more of a waxy feel as use and care has caused oils and waxes in the leather to move to the surface. I can honestly say I think the leather has improved tremendously with use.
This is my first pair with significant arch support and it’s pretty great. Overall I’m really enjoying the 5050 last. Great arch support hiding in a very aesthetically pleasing shape.
These boots are extremely solid. The finishing is in line with style and aesthetic of the boots. These are casual but rugged boots.
Excellent durability and traction. I love the half sole design. The lugs also look great on these boots pushing them away from dressy and toward ruggedness.
This Thunderdome flew by and a good part of that was due to these boots. They are just so easy to wear. When you have a pair that fits well, feels great and works well with your style, you tend to forget to rotate them. Post dome, I don’t imagine that is going to change.