Lifelong Friends

I primarily used this pair at work in a welding manufacturing shop. Lots of miles walking on polished concrete, kneeling down, climbing ladders, etc. I also wore them for some walks around town, doing yard work, and working on the family cars.

The 1964 Brown leather is amazing. After two days of all-day wear the uppers we’re already starting to get pretty soft and I had good ankle mobility, but also with plenty if support. The color changes prettt quickly too, and starts to darken up and show some great character after a week or so of full-time wear. I spent a little time in life rain or getting sprayed by the lawn sprinklers, but once the boots dried off and I buffed them with a brush real quick, they were back to their usual selfs and didn’t seem any worse iff for it. I tried to brush them at least once a week and added a little grease 3 times over the 6 month period, and I think the leather is looking better than ever. I’m excited to see what it looks like with years of wear going forward.

Having to wear steel toes for work has always been a bummer to me. Having such a hard time structure makes it hard to get any pair of boots to truly feel formed completely to your foot. That being said, of all the steel toe boots I’ve worn over the years Nicks are by far the most comfortable and off some great wiggle room. I don’t know how they do it, but I experienced way less toe pinch or rubbing in these than in any steel toe boots I have had to date. The HNW last with the lower heal is great for working in a shop. I think I could have benefited from a bit more arch support, but I also think that the HNW last is a little more versatile and let’s your feet move a little more in the boot (in a good way) if you are doing a lot of work crawling around equipment and doing more confined space work.

Nicks boots are a work of art and a shining example of PNW boots. They are tanks, and will get you were you need to go, all day long, with no issues. The construction is solid. Can’t beat it. I’ve had no issues with the nailed down areas. The stitches are all still holding strong. I only had a couple threads come a loose, but I’m sure it was only the terminations of the stitches that had wiggles their way out, a little lighter melted and you are good to go again, they never came loose again. The finishing was great. The edge dressing was even and well brushed. The eyes and hooks are all evenly spaced and have never let me down.

It’s not my favorite. I’ll be honest. For my application of mostly walking on polished concrete all day, it was too hard and I did get some knee fatigue. If I was walking around the woods or a different type of work, it would be amazing. It’s super durable and will last a long time. I think for me I need something with a little more give though.

I loved buying something that I can not only get resoled, but also completely rebuilt. With how tough this pair seems to be I could probably go for years before ever remotely needing to get them rebuilt, but when that time comes I know they will be back to new again. These are truly a lifelong purchase it you take good care of them. And at least for me, they really don’t take that much care aside from just brushing them off now and then. They don’t complain. And they won’t let you down. I can’t wait to see what they look like in another 6 months and in another 6 years!