I wear these mostly on soft ground, more than concrete. In a vehicle with them a lot, which might as well be an office considering how little they get scuffed in there. They’ve gotten thoroughly soaked quite a bit, have been through three snows, and gotten muddy a lot. I am wearing them daily and brushing them daily for the first 6 months of wear, and lightly oiling once per month for the first 6 months too.
Since this leather is so packed with oils, it’s fairly waterproof without any wax. It scuffs easily and the scuffs buff out easily. I started seeing the teacore show through after about a month but brushing moved the oils around enough for it to go away for almost three months. Now the teacore is showing through permanently. I might use some saphir black oiled leather after the first six months of wear.
High toebox, possibly because I have a toecap. Toe length feels almost perfect but I think going down another half size would be too much. Pinky toe is not getting squished, which is a huge relief. The heel is very roomy though. I wish I could make the heel area a C width and keep the toebox D width. That’s just specific to me though. I think a Thurman HNW last in C width might fix this issue for me.
The boots feel solid. They’re going to last a long time. Looking directly down at them, the toe of the left boot is shaped slightly more like a U and the right boot is shaped slightly more like a V. I assumed this was just an unavoidable reality with handmade boots until Nicks accidentally made and sent a duplicate pair of my order. Before I let them know about the duplicate mistake and sent it back, I looked at the duplicate pair and the toe shapes of both boots were perfectly symmetrical. I kind of wish I received the second pair instead the original one. On my original pair, they decided the give me an angled heel counter like they have on their tactical line of boots. The duplicate pair I received by accident had the correct regular curved heel counter. Not sure why this change was made on my pair.
Amazing traction on the Sierra outsole but I’m not sold on the foam midsole. The outsole actually started separating from the foam after the first month of wear. I bought some shoe cement and clamps to repair it myself but I think I’d want the Vibram Olympia outsole when it’s time to resole. Olympia is basically the Sierra but with a heel. Just as much traction but allows me to eliminate the foam midsole. I wish Nicks offered the Olympia as a standard option on the website.
Heel and rest of outsole is one piece. Same thoughts on the heel as the rest of the outsole.
Overall, good boots. I would recommend then. I love supporting an American company that makes a boot with 100% US-sourced materials. Not many of those out there. It also fit all my job requirements and just looks good.