Custom White's Boots ... Thoughts?

[knucks]



White's boots are basically built for professions like yours. I sometimes wish I had a job where I spent more time on my feet so I could use my White's how they were intended. If I were on my feet on concrete as much as you, I would literally wear no other shoes/boots but my White's.

honestly, i may have to disagree. i like my white's, they sure are comfortable, but sometimes my feet hurt from the arch/steel shank and heel. sometimes i am much more comfortable in my new balances

every person is different

 

[Art89b]

if you're going to be standing around for 10-12 hours per day i would HIGHLY suggest a custom made pair with the Vibram Honey 100 lug soles. i have plenty of boot's, from half soles, to full soles to fire soles and honey vibrams take the cake. honeys are meant for all day concrete workload

 

[linafelt]

I know a couple of guys have talked about not liking the commando mini-lug half sole, that it marks floors, etc. But I am curious, has anyone been satisfied with that sole? I really like the looks of it, and am wondering if it is perhaps not a lost cause... Thanks.

 

[daveinsweethome]

I don't have a ton of time with the sole but I haven't found it to leave mark. I have it on a snuff suede alden so not a heavy boot . this winter here in Oregon will answer a lot of questions for me. it just looks great to me with this specific shoe

 

[FeloniousMonk12]

Thanks all, I was actually considering going with a Vibram 700 or 430. I realize these may not be the softest soles, but I like the durability and I won't need a heavy lug indoors. Would these be too unforgiving?

 

[andy b.]



Thanks all, I was actually considering going with a Vibram 700 or 430. I realize these may not be the softest soles, but I like the durability and I won't need a heavy lug indoors. Would these be too unforgiving?

The 700 and 430 are both good indoor soles. The 700 can start getting slippery in the snow and ice when it wears down. I can't say a heavy lug sole is "more forgiving" than a non-lugged sole.

My Bounty Hunters have red dog and bullhide uppers. The bullhide needs a lining because it isn't as stiff as some of the other leathers, but it seems as durable. Plus I like the texture of the bullhide.

 

[FeloniousMonk12]

Yes, the texture of the bullhide is what draws me to it. It seems as though the texture might help to hide abrasions or nicks.

My line of thinking with regards to the lug soles being more forgiving was that the thicker rubber might provide more cushioning. I prefer the aesthetic of the thinner rubber of the 700 or 430 though.

 

[EastWestApparel]

The bullhide is tough and won't show scuffs etc as much, it comes lined and with a celastic toe will hold up very well.

The 430 sole would also be a good choice, quite thick but looks slim from the side, has some bounce due to the lugs so doesn't feel hard underfoot. The lugs will wear down over time but for your purposes I would say ideal.

If sized right and when broken in the arch ease/ leather shank will give you the support you need for a long day on your feet. I am biased but that's why they are my preferred boot overall.

 

[FeloniousMonk12]

Thanks everybody for your help. I'll be placing my order with Baker's this Monday. Now begins the wait...

 

[stfugbtw]

So, I've been waiting to post an update until I had all my information together...

The back story is that I ordered a pair of brown oil tanned Bounty Hunters last fall, which were delivered in November. The boots were essentially perfect in every way when they arrived, primarily as a result of Kyle's effort in making sure I got the right fit. Started wearing the boots immediately and life was good.

Fast forward to February... One day, the left boot started squeaking. Something had broken loose in the mid sole and I could feel it slipping backward and making the noise when I'd walk. This started as I was travelling one day, so I got a whole weekend of traipsing through airports listening to it, and was really ready for that to be fixed by the time I got home. I contacted Kyle who said White's would need to look at them to resolve the issue. So I packed the boots up and sent them out. This part of the process was pretty frustrating... The boots left, Kyle sent them to Whites, and then Whites didn't do much. A few weeks went by and we hadn't heard anything. I was starting to get impatient, as it had now been a month for what amounted to a resole. Finally Whites shipped the boots back and when I received them, I was pretty disappointed to find that the boots had been sloppily resoled, the heel stack had been damaged, AND THE SQUEAK HADN'T BEEN FIXED!

I have to admit that at this point, I lost my patience. I contacted Kyle and was, let's say "adamant" that they were going to resolve the issue. And to Kyle's and White's credit, that's exactly what happened. Kyle acknowledged that what was happening was completely unacceptable and offered the ultimate solution. Send the boots back and he'd work out whatever I wanted to do. New Whites, new something else, whatever it would take to ensure I was satisfied with the purchase. After going back and forth through several options, I decided to give Whites another chance.

This all unfolded right at a time when I really needed the boots, so Kyle and White's put the request on hold until the snow had started to melt here. Once it started looking like spring, I got back in touch with Kyle who got the ball rolling on the new boots. Kyle contacted one of the lead builders at Whites to ensure that he'd receive the request and follow through on making sure the boots were made carefully, correctly, and in a timely fashion. I don't recall exactly what the build time was, but it was pretty quick... And when the boots arrived, I inspected them and tried them on, but it was the summer, so once I did that, they went back in the box where they sat until last week. That's when I brought them out again to oil them up and get them ready for wear.

Not having looked at them for a few months, I was again struck by how beautifully made they are. There's nothing fancy about them, and it's not different than the first pair which were also very well made and fit perfectly. I have them on my feet for the first time today, and they're outstanding. Obviously, the oil tanned leather requires a little break in, but the fit is right there. I didn't find the first pair to be particularly uncomfortable (all things considered) and these are the same.

The main point that I want to make in this post is how impressed I was with Kyle's willingness to stick with the issue until it was resolved, and the good relationships he has with Whites staff that allowed him to contact the right people to make sure they followed through. I can't imagine I would have had this kind of success representing myself in this process. So, Whites - thank you for following through on your commitment to build these boots the right way. And Kyle, if you're reading this, thank you very, very much for your assistance. I really appreciate it.

 

[Bakershoe]

Glad they worked out! I wish situations like this didn't happen, but I'm glad it all worked out in the end. We appreciate all of our customers - we wouldn't be in business without you! THANK YOU! Happy Friday to all and cheers!

 

[spurs61]

haha, sorry man.

Both are Chromexcel leathers. the brown engineers are actually natural chromexcel, but with the obenaufs treatment they got a little darker, and they will continue to get darker. thanks

 

[debasercl]

Hi again!

My one month old babies!

I'm here to update my initial impressions after 1 month of use (4 days a week more or less), working, dancing, hiking, etc.
First I think that never before I had received compliments for any shoe... the first week with my White´s I received at least 5 compliments including completely strangers in the elevator, that was a funny change!

I'm still amazed how confortable they are even if I have small heel slip on the right boot and how robust they feel, now I can walk normally with them and almost didn't have any pain during the breaking period, I really like the special "glow" that CXL has, really nice, soft and durable leather, is true that is extremely easy to scratch but at the same time is easy to "repair" and make it look nice again, also the marks only add more character to it, I really feel that is gonna last a long long time in beautiful shape, I'm happy with my mix of CXL and Dress leather and I would love to see a boot made only of Black Dress or brown CXL in my future.

I already have some noticeable creasing but nothing special (using shoe trees, the light on the pictures makes them look worst than they really are) and I´m trying to brush them after every use, today I did my second good cleaning and I took some pictures to show how they look like after 1 month of good wearing, I work in the Film Industry (camera crew) so they have had some close encounters with a lot sharp and heavy metal cases, stands and tripods.

And before the photos I would like to share the way I've been lacing my boots the last couple of days making a big difference in how comfortable they feel around my high instep, now I can tie them really strong without pain in that area:


Before the cleaning (but after some light brushing)





The wearing in the CXL:





And in the Dress black:



And after some Venetian Cream and Black Saphir Black Polish + brushing.









I love how well they heal and look (specially after loosing some of the brushing shine)


Lasty and my only concern so far is a little squeak and sole separation on both shoes, is this normal?!




Thanks and best regards!


pd: is there anything similar for women?

 

[Kahlua]

I thought I'd share my method of lacing in the tongue protector. First, I cut off the pointy patern on the bottom, then I cut additional slots on the sides a short distance above the lacing holes. The following pictures should illustrate.

I think this method hides the tongue protector pretty well, and it stays in place.

 

[TH3515]

I got these today:

Semi-Dress, unlined British Tan leather, Celastic toe, standard heel, Vibram 700

I bought them through Whitesriver (White's Ebay outlet) to find out which size I need for my planned MTO semi dress, as the reduced price would reduce the sizing risk. These were exactly the size that I expected I would need: 12.5C. Based on the first impressions, the size is spot on.
With shipping (90$!!) and import/customs duties (100$) this is still an expensive pair of boots, but beautiful and flawlessly built.