Nicks
LTT BuilderPro Shrunken Bison - Classic Configuration
Nicks Handmade Boots
Used almost exclusively for work in a refinery these past 6 months. They've been all around the plant, in and out of vessels, and handled all the weather here pretty well.
The bison leather itself overall didn't need to break in much. It's surprisingly durable and soft right out of the box and held up very well. It's patina is a little more subtle than other leathers but is gorgeous nonetheless.
The Thurman last is a step in the right direction. I've been trying to get a near perfect fit, and this pair has been the closest. I'm all about foot health, so while the Thurman is a major improvement over say, the regular 55 last, there needs to be more width in the toe box still. Nonetheless, I was able to wear these the past 6 months without a most of the pain and damage I've had from other pairs.
Nothing really to complain about besides some nit-picks about cosmetics perhaps. The heel counter on one side is slightly longer on one boot for example. Nick's is known for the durability and construction; these definitely hold to that. These can take a beating and there will hardly be a scratch.
These I feel like have held up better than I expected and are noticeably more comfortable the the regular vibram 100 soles. Also, better grip in on ice and they have been really nice to use on the concrete and even piping I've been working on.
I like the aesthetics of the logger heel. Not necessarily as relevant to my work environment. It has it's pros in cons.
I would definitely recommend a pair of boots similar to these if you're hard on boots. I have to admit, there has been issues in my experience with Nick's QC or sending my boots out with wrong specs a couple times, but they work very, very hard at improvement and they've done a good job with that, and they are always happy to make things right.