Shinki Shell = Black Magic

I wore these for walking to office work, teaching on my feet, and I took them for a few trips to Boston and even Nashville during the January Ice-pocalypse. The soles gripped well, and the leather developed nicely. I had heard stories about people who babied their Shell cordovan to keep it from getting splotchy or unevenly worn, but this Shinki Shell seemed to love the wet, and would develop more character in the elements without losing its sheen. I’ve worn these with charcoal wool suits, denim, fatigues, and they fit in wherever they go.

When I first got these, the early break-in period involved a bit of crinkling on the right toe box that didn’t roll the way I expected Shell to roll. I asked around on the Stitchdown discord, and a few people said stuff like “Shinki Shell is magic, just go with it,” and I did. The leather started pretty soft, and it developed these rolls quickly in the first month. The rolls have deepened a bit, but the real longer-term development has been in the reinforced toe and in the color development. The early rolls concentrated in the ball area, due to the extra layer of leather reinforcing under the toe directing the force to the ball area. I feared that this would lead to uneven rolls, but by month two, divots in the toe tips started to come in, and by month three there were subtle rolls in the reinforced toe area that have only deepened. I love the rolls inside the top of the instep. The real surprise for me on this leather has been the sheen and color change. I had never seen Shinki Shell before, but I expected something more like the shell I’ve seen on old Aldens and Florsheims, with that lacquered look. These were totally different. Almost matte and porous, with a good bit of the pore side still present on the top, leaving a slightly prickly feel when rubbed against the grain. This meant that it took Bick 4 easily, and it handled rugged use extremely well, without scuffing hard. I found that it needed care more than I expected, developing a little more of a matte finish after long contact with rain, mud, or snow that wouldn’t brush or buff out easily. I found myself using Bick 4 about monthly to restore shine and sheen. I had read a few shell care tips recommending a deer bone or spoon to get conditioning cream into the leather, and describing the need for long exposure to conditioner before it sinks in, but I think this is more applicable to lacquered Shell cordovan, not this Shinki. I didn’t have a deer bone and I found a spoon unwieldy, but I had a deer antler that had rubbed off in my yard last year. I would apply the Bock 4 directly to the leather and then massage it into the rolls with the antler. Worked like a charm! About three or four months in, I noticed that the heel sections shone almost purple in bright sun, and I began to wonder if this Shell had a teacore. I had noticed some black dye coming off on my antler when conditioning, on the rag I used to dry them after coming in from the rain or snow, and on my hands when I would rub them hard to heat them up or quick polish them in a pinch. I tried to take the final photos in the sun to let some of the teacore undertones shine through, but the only places where it fully came to the surface was on the pull tab edges, and a little at the top of the ankle area of the right boot. With another year of wear, I think these will be teacore patina monsters, which I’m really looking forward to.

These are perfect for me at half down from Brannock

It’s absolutely insane that Thursday offers these Shinki Shell Chelseas for $525. There has to be some sort of secret magic portal they use in the space-time cross-border trade continuum from Leon, MX to the US. That said, the finishing is really where Thursday seems to makeup some of the materials costs to get these down to this price point. The midsoles and outsoles felt fine: nailed down half sole rubber under the toe, grippy heel outsole, but it isn’t as durable as a Vibram or Dr. Soles would be. The midsoles were typical Goodyear welt veg tan, with the edges dyed black, but the black rubbed off easily in snow and rain, leaving a bright light veg tan shining through from underneath. I re-applied some Kiwi black shoe polish that I then covered with Sno Seal and heated up to protect the edges and generate a more balanced patina. That said, the heels and outsoles barely wore down during the six months of doming, so Thursday is doing something right with these off-brand materials. The finishing in the edges is rough, just sanded down until the layers match, and it gives the boots a more rugged, rough-and-ready look that is more work boot than refined Shell cordovan look, but they are versatile enough that it works.

The proprietary soles are softer than typical Vibram or Dr. Soles, but it doesn’t seem to compromise the durability. They grip well in snow, rain, and even a little ice. They also provided a little bit of shock absorption

Overall, these boots are an incredible value for Shell Cordovan, and the pattern is great for letting the rolls flow.