Sturdy work boots that feel like sneakers

nedbassover 1 year ago
Sagara ValiantConceria Cloe Crust Shell Cordovan
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Use & wear

Office Work
Physical Work
Outdoor Activities
Travel
Wet Conditions

I wore these every day for work and play. I work in an office with a casual dress culture. They cleaned horse stalls while my wife and kids rode. They went on muddy dog walks and spent countless hours in the tan bark at the playground. They walked for miles at Disneyland. I never got that feeling of desperately wanting to take them off at the end of the day. So I didn’t. They usually stayed on until bedtime.

Leather

Conceria Cloe Crust Shell Cordovan
Patina Process
Break-In
Care Routine
Color Change

It’s held up beautifully. It turned from its pale raw state to a deep terra cotta reddish brown. It has developed some nice rolls where my foot naturally bends, but no unsightly creases. There was really no break in required, although the leather gradually became more pliant with wear. Because they’d been in storage for a long time they really needed some conditioning early on. I still waited a month before conditioning and found the leather was acquiring water spots very easily. After the first conditioning those disappeared. After that I just wiped them with a damp cloth to clean them and applied VSC when they started looking dry, every 6 weeks or so.

Fit

Arch
Toe Box
Comfort
Length Feels Right
Volume Feels Right
Ball Feels Right
Satisfied with the Fit

These are probably the most comfortable boots I’ve owned. I have wide feet with high arches. The Morgan last is a perfect fit with ample room in the toe box. The lace to toe-like makeup provided a custom fit experience. I appreciated the arch support in these boots. Soft yet supportive. I didn’t need inserts like I do with many of my other boots. I was able to wear these all day and night without discomfort.

Craftsmanship

Sagara Valiant
Construction
Stitching
Lining

Outstanding. Not a stitch out of place. I expect these to last a lifetime. The lining give these a glove-like fit.

Sole & heel

Comfort
Durability
Traction

They’ve been very comfortable and durable. I’m glad they didn’t discolor like other white outsoles I’ve had. They had good traction on slick surfaces. It’s a versatile sole that works well for urban, outdoor, and ranch settings.

Final thoughts

Would Recommend

I learned a lot about my footwear preferences in this contest. I had some physical challenges in the last six months including back pain and a broken finger from falling off a skateboard. These weren’t the easiest pair of boots to lace with those things going on. My loafers and Chelseas were calling to me at times, but I mostly resisted. From a style point of view these are pretty squarely in the work boot category. That’s not a bad thing but not always the look I’m going for. I might choose something like a service boot if I ‘dome again. That would provide more versatility in terms of dressing them up or down. But I love these boots and plan to keep these in rotation for years to come!

Written by nedbass
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