I was missing a monkey boot in my collection, and I knew I wanted one with green accents, so when I saw the overdyed Badalassi Carlo Oliva leather being offered on Onderhoud's page I had to jump on it immediately as I thought it would be a a perfect leather to age with green stitching. A Norwegian stormwelt construction was chosen so as to further accentuate the stitching.
I went with the maker's suggestion and it fit perfectly. I had previously purchased a pair of boots from Onderhoud, and after giving him my sizes in other brands (Red Wing, RM Williams, Cheaneys, other Indo makers), as well as feet measurements and Brannock, he had me sized at 39D which worked for both the Buteo X and Vulture lasts.
Onderhoud's page via Instagram. Rizky is an absolute delight to work with and was happy to take on any requests I had.
Daily walking on concrete/asphalt, park trails at least once a week, exploration of abandoned stormwater drains once a month, and a 5 day trip hiking through the Australian Outback.
Breaking in was tough on the instep and the rolled edges chafed my calves a bit, however, being a monkey boot the instep issue was gone within a few days of wear. The edges took a little longer to ease up but I found the leather to be more pliable than other veg-tans I own. I brushed these every second day or after a day of heavy wear and have conditioned them once after a particularly wet slog through the drains. I had expected these to age into a green-brown but they have evolved into shades of burgundy which was unexpected but a pleasant surprise, as the depth of color is absolutely gorgeous. I am unsure if this is because of the exposure to elements within drains or the red sands of the Australian Desert, but the green stitching certainly makes this a unique-looking pair in my collection.
The last fits great on my feet with either thin or medium-cushioned socks and within a month they were well broken in and perfectly snug on the foot. Vulture is a slimmer last than Buteo X and I would not wear thick socks in this last, or would size up if need be. There isn't alot of arch support and the toe box and instep is relatively small.
Impeccable and just enough chonk to suit my needs.
The grip is great for just about anything bar extreme off terrain and possibly snow. They held up great through rain and drains, but traction struggled slightly in the rocky desert. Very easy to clean however, while they do not seem as durable as Raw Cord, Dainite or Vibram's 430/700, I consider them more comfortable.