chelsea boots: BB or RM Williams?

[greyinla]

So will the current sale, BB chelsea boots w/ tax are about $330. RM Williams Craftsman, w/ shipping from Australia, about $235, much cheaper, but longer to ship and harder to return. Qualitywise, any reason to prefer one over the other?

 

[JustinW]

No contest on quality - RMWs are extremely well made. CTs are also excellent.

 

[Dewey]

The RM Williams boots are great & a steal right now with the exchange rate. Try them first. I'd only order the BB if I was very risk-averse and not willing to guess my RM Williams size.

 

[grimslade]

They're both well-made boots. The advantage of the BB is the ease/expense of return. Whether that's worth $100 is for you to decide. I tried four different pairs of RMWs at least before I settled on a size that worked.

 

[Razele]

RM Williams boots are a steal. Read Sator's excellent article. There are like four heels, six soles, twenty lasts and 7 different types of leather with different colours for each.

On top of that, nungar is an absolute legend. One of the best retailers I've dealt with. He can help you with sizing if you don't have a store nearby. It's best to call him, as he is a one man store.

They also do an insole as well, if you want. With so much flexibilty, I'll be getting four to five pairs, especially since they do a danite type over sole.

So yes, I think you'd be hardpressed to find better value for money. I'm going to find out if they could do a brown suede chukka and a light tan jhodpur.

 

[epic]

There are great deals to be had on eBay. I just picked up a BNWT pair of Craftsman Yearling shipped for $190!! They seem to have alot size choices too!!

 

[TheWraith]

I'd say there's another option for you - the Henry Baxter Classic from Baxter Boots in Goulburn, NSW, Australia. I think you'll find they're the equal--or close to it--to an R.M. Williams Craftsman boot, albeit with far less variety of styles and colours. Still, the quality is excellent, the Henry Baxter Classic is made by hand in their Goulburn factory, it's a whole cut boot, like the Craftsman, making it very rare indeed, with a Goodyear welted sole. Check 'em out at their site, they've been making boots since 1850 (pretty bare bones site, but some good info on their company and their boots):

http://www.baxterfootwear.com.au

They have plenty of other styles of boots, many of which are made in Asia, however. But, the Henry Baxter Classic is a fine alternative to a R.M. Williams Craftsman and cheaper as well. You can buy them either here or here. Thanks

Frank Dirscherl
www.frankdirscherl.com

 

[Tarmac]

You can easily sell new RM williams for $200-225 if they don't fit. Not exactly a refund but close.

 

[lefty]

Originally Posted by grimslade

They're both well-made boots. The advantage of the BB is the ease/expense of return. Whether that's worth $100 is for you to decide. I tried four different pairs of RMWs at least before I settled on a size that worked.
That's funny. I'm considering one last kick at the RMW can and it would also be my 4th size. What size did you end up with relative to what you consider your "regular" US size? lefty P.S. those Baxters look nice.

 

[TheWraith]

Originally Posted by lefty

P.S. those Baxters look nice.

I ordered mine online from Boots Australia. They arrived last week and fit perfectly (I'm a size 10.5). I can highly recommend the boots and the service from BA. I'm surprised more people here don't seem to know of Baxter Boots.

 

[Grayland]

Originally Posted by lefty

That's funny. I'm considering one last kick at the RMW can and it would also be my 4th size.

What size did you end up with relative to what you consider your "regular" US size?

lefty

P.S. those Baxters look nice.

Lefty,
I'm a "long" 10.5 D. I'm close to NYC and I tried on RM Williams in 9.5 G (too short) and 10 G (too loose). With advice from Sator, I settled on 10 F (slightly narrow). My foot isn't narrow, but RM Williams seem to run a little wide anyway. It actually seemed a little loose until I put in some Dr. Scholl-type heel pads. In addition to making the boot much more comfortable, it provided perfect fit.

 

[Jumbie]

Originally Posted by TheWraith

I ordered mine online from Boots Australia. They arrived last week and fit perfectly (I'm a size 10.5). I can highly recommend the boots and the service from BA. I'm surprised more people here don't seem to know of Baxter Boots.

Given that all of your posts have been sbout these boots, me neither.

 

[Spatlese]

Originally Posted by Jumbie

Given that all of your posts have been sbout these boots, me neither.

The truth will set you free.

 

[Jack2000]

Originally Posted by TheWraith

I ordered mine online from Boots Australia. They arrived last week and fit perfectly (I'm a size 10.5). I can highly recommend the boots and the service from BA. I'm surprised more people here don't seem to know of Baxter Boots.

subtlety is your strong suit.

 

[TheWraith]

Originally Posted by Jack2000

subtlety is your strong suit.

???

I haven't seen any posts about Baxter boots here, apart from my own. They're a fine, small Australian company that produces superb quality boots. They deserve people's business as much as R.M. Williams.