Nicks
MTO
Nicks Handmade Boots
Last year began my journey into the world of fine footwear. I purchased my first pair of Nicks in the early part of 2023 and right away I knew I needed a second pair. My first pair was a ready to ship pair of Robert’s in horween predator, and although I loved them I knew I wanted a sturdier work boot that I wouldn’t be afraid scuff up on weekend adventures and work around the house. I decided I should make a boot that would fit my needs in style and functionality. Believe it or not, I found out about the Thunderdome while I was waiting for this pair of boots to be made, so when they arrived and there was only a couple days before the Dome began I knew I had to enter. For the leather I wanted a rough out or something similar. The tan waxed flesh offered sweet looks that could sustain abuse and keep on trucking while simultaneously developing a rich patina. The dogger heel was simply a preference in looks over the logger heel for me. The Honey sole was a no brainer both because of its color and because I was planning on mostly using these in the yard or on dirt rather than concrete so I figured they would hold up quite a while. One of my hobbies is bonsai and collecting trees to make bonsai with, so a nice long boot fit the bill for ankle protection while out in the field. Even though I wasn’t going to use these for my day job I knew I would get some hard wear out of them so I decided to enter the work dome and just try to keep up with the other guys.
Nicks has a great guide for fitting boots online. I followed their recommendations and did some Reddit research to determine my size.
After figuring out what all the options are and which one for my needs the best the ordering process was rather simple. I did ask on the nicks subReddit if the tan waxed flesh was durable enough for a work boot and I got a reply from either Shyler or one of the cobblers assuring me that I was a solid choice for a work boot.
These boots became my after work and weekend boots that I regretfully didn’t get to wear everyday. Being in a clinic setting for work I felt I couldn’t pull these off with scrubs so I tried to wear them as often as possible and I knew I had a lot of work ahead of me if I wanted to have any contention in the work dome. During my off time I like to be outside and doing more physical work in general because it offers a bit of release from the mental fatigue of my profession. These boots served me well during various tasks and I feel like they’re just getting good. Some of the activities included splitting wood for barbecue and the fireplace, hiking into the wilderness to collect yamadori for bonsai, splitting and shaping staves of Osage orange in order to make hunting bows and just general yard work. They saw wind, rain, sand, mud, rocks, and wood. The only thing missing was fire.
This dang leather was slow to wear. Being a waxed flesh I figured it would show patina rather quickly but I feel like that wasn’t the case. The break in wasn’t horrible because the leather is rather supple and form fitting from the beginning and the honey sole made it even easier. The 67 last was a little different than what I was used to and it took a while for my foot to adjust. Once some wear started to show I knew these boots were going to be killer eventually with the lighter colored wear spots and the faint crocking. I conditioned them at 3 months and occasionally brushed them to remove sand from the high wear areas.
The high arch was initially a bit uncomfortable because my feet are somewhat flat and I could feel the pressure on my tendons but this eventually faded once the leather broke in and my feet were conditioned to it. The only other slight complaint I have is that I could feel my right pinky toe rub from time to time.
In my limited capacity to critique this section I feel the quality and finishing was as expected for a boot of this price and there wasn’t anything I felt needed improvement. One thing that has happened in literally the last week is the footbed liner has started to roll up on the right foot but that probably has more to do with how I take the boot off.
Sole has held up great and it offers increased cushion which is a plus. Also good traction on Rocky surfaces
These boots have handled everything I’ve thrown at them and are just now getting good. That’s partly to do with the awesome leather put out by horween but it also speakers to the quality craftsmanship of Nicks boots in putting together a solid pair of boots. I’m excited to see these continue to evolve and get even better with time!