These have been my go to after hours boots. Weekends spent riding motorcycle in the fall, visiting friends, dancing and stompin the floor in the dixieland band. They have seen all kinds of weather but have not been soaked through. I take care of my boots.
The natural cxl was pretty soft in these to begin with. The roll across the arch top got more pronounced as time went on. I used a bit of Bick 4 at the start to condition them, cleaned and brushed them once a week. At 3 months I did another light conditioning. Just at the start of month 5 something got splashed on them in a bar. I had to lift that out with a bit of 99% alcohol and recondition. Last conditioning was just before final photos. The patina has grown darker as time has progressed which is belied in the photo progression as they constantly look different in different light. They are well made, super comfy and breathable, have a snug heel and shaft tighter than a western boot. These engineers will be with me a long time. First pair I've ever had. Love em!
These were sized by Wesco based on my foot tracings. A perfect fit with insoles. I wear a 13.5D on the left and 13D/E on the right foot. I have to say, they are nice and light as boots go. A bit long on my right foot but all my boots are like this. They are a bit more volume in the ankle than Im used to but the heel grips well and the arch is snug so they do not slip at all. I wear wrangler summer weight boot socks in them, even in winter. The upper strap is adjusted and left alone as is the arch strap. They are comfortable with my insoles and roomy but not sloppy without.
These are well made boots. I am not sure about the roll in the tops of them though. Leather will do what it does, but they may have rushed the lasting process or clicked the leather for the vamps from a stretchier bit of the hide. I asked about it, but didn't get much of an answer. For the pricepoint, I expected more of a response. The finishing and detail are very nice otherwise.
The soles are my go to in any of my MTO boots. These were not MTO boots, but I was lucky on them. Dr. Sole for the win.
Dr. Sole for the win.
Over all Id rate this pair as an 8/10 for two reasons. 1, the vamp rolls are unusual in these boots from the examples ive seen. Im not unhappy about it, just perplexed. 2, the wait time for them was 10 months because of the sizing at 13D. The boots are pretty basic in costruction. Nothing fancy or overstated so not sure why they took so long to produce.