Custom White's Boots ... Thoughts?

[brokeassp]

Yeah I think somebody else mentioned on here or elsewhere that 15 is the biggest they make. Give them a call

CXL stretches a lot

 

[planetarium]

Yeah, for anything other than cosmetic purposes I would advise against chromexcel. I have some Quoddys made with green cxl and it's a great soft leather for a little shoe that molds to your foot, but I wouldn't rely on it for a boot. I sold off my cxl boots after they stretched beyond comfort.

 

[Whacky]

Yeah I assumed the chromexcel would stretch.
I however, still went with the same sizing as the last pair of SD boots I ordered because they fit so well.
Plus, I hand't planned on using them for intense purposes. Mostly style. That Natural Chromexcel just looks so amazing.

I'm hoping the leather lining and celastic toe box will prevent the leather from stretching so much that the boot is unusable ever.


The only other picture of natural chromexcel Whites, besides the Hollows Leather boots, are on Baker's Facebook page.
He has two other boots made with Natural Chromexcel aside from the aforementioned boot.
Looks promising for a future patina.


Anyone have any thoughts about the leather liner, celastic toe and the chromexcel leather stretching excessively?

 

[fuzzyearlobes]

i dont think it will stretch excessively. and if it does, just send them back to have them re lasted. Its great leather. Its not work boot leather though. I went no leather liner, single celastic toe, and an happy with that build. no celastic like Hollowsleathers's boots looks great also. I think the liner comes down to preference.

 

[linafelt]

Can anyone else testify to Chromexcel NOT stretching? There's a fair amount of criticism of it, but it also seems like many people have gotten it. Is the stretching overstated?

In other news, White's has told me that it is possible to lower the heel by 1/2" without affecting the balance. I may do that; I am a low heel kinda guy. Also, they offered to send me samples of the three leathers I am thinking about (Chromexcel, Smooth, Dress), which is awful nice.

Slowly, I am getting my configuration figured out I think. Still, if anyone can post pictures of Black Smooth or Black Dress, it would be appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[brokeassp]

^ did you add the vibram on top of a single leather? afaik height on lowered (vibram + single leather) = single leather standard heel height

 

[fuzzyearlobes]

all leather stretches, regardless. CXL does not stretch excessively, but it will stretch. I would not in any shape or form, try to size down with the inevitable stretch in mind.

 

[MarioImpemba]

all leather stretches, regardless. CXL does not stretch excessively, but it will stretch. I would not in any shape or form, try to size down with the inevitable stretch in mind.

This.

I have Wolverine CXL 1K's and 721's in shell; wear them both a lot. The CXL's do not have a perceivable size-fit difference than the shell or from when new.

 

[Crane's]

CXL doesn't stretch excessively as long as the boots are properly sized. As pointed out these aren't jeans and you don't size down. Oh and whoever said CXL is a lousy leather for boots plain and simply doesn't know what they are talking about at all. About the only leathers that beat it for durability would be shell or kangaroo.

 

[Addahn]

^ Ummm Shell, Kangaroo, pig, bison, elephant, ostrich, shark, lizard and about a million others are all tougher...
I can testify personally to the durability boot-wise, but in all honesty you arent gonna be touring on a bike for a few years or discovering ruins in the Amazon or anything so they should be a damn fine boot for normal wear.

 

[Crane's]



^ Ummm Shell, Kangaroo, pig, bison, elephant, ostrich, shark, lizard and about a million others are all tougher... I can testify personally to the durability boot-wise, but in all honesty you arent gonna be touring on a bike for a few years or discovering ruins in the Amazon or anything so they should be a damn fine boot for normal wear.

Some of those leathers you mentioned aren't more durable, at least as far as footwear is concerned. I've ridden bikes for better than 3 decades and my antics while wearing 1K boots in both CXL and shell are well documented on this board.

 

[mudderfudder77]

For anyone that this might benefit - I called Bakers and they confirmed that they are able to make boots up to size 16. During the Build-a-Boot order process you just need to put in a note that you want/need a size 16.

Again - I appreciate all of the feedback in this thread. There are so many choices for these boots and this thread has been a terrific resource.

 

[linafelt]

^ did you add the vibram on top of a single leather? afaik height on lowered (vibram + single leather) = single leather standard heel height

I can't quite puzzle out what you mean by this post, but it seems important. Can you restate?

Thanks.

 

[fuzzyearlobes]

For anyone that this might benefit - I called Bakers and they confirmed that they are able to make boots up to size 16. During the Build-a-Boot order process you just need to put in a note that you want/need a size 16.

Again - I appreciate all of the feedback in this thread. There are so many choices for these boots and this thread has been a terrific resource.

i strongly suggest you follow the whites fitting method, by tracing and measuring.

 

[mudderfudder77]

Forgive me if this is outside your scope - but am I better off going through Bakershoe or Whites themselves? Whites return policy seems pretty nebulous, while Bakershoe has 100% satisfaction return - even on the special orders. For a boot I won't be trying on until it arrives on my doorstep - the ability to return it is pretty important to me.