Custom White's Boots ... Thoughts?

[brandonboot]

I like him, he seems a nice guy.

But he did cause a bit of a storm on here, didn't he?

Wait Carl came to SF? What happened? I linked one of his videos a couple weeks ago about that toe cap scandal but that’s not what you’re referring to is it?

 

[Jimk4003]

Wait Carl came to SF? What happened? I linked one of his videos a couple weeks ago about that toe cap scandal but that’s not what you’re referring to is it?

It was the same video.

Basically, someone from White's took issue with the video claim that there was cork filler in the MP boot, but Carl Murawski then provided some pretty irrefutable photos of cork in the boot he'd cut apart. In the end White's walked it back, and said there was cork filler in the MP boot, but it was a recent change and only added to prevent squeaking.

They also complained that it wasn't a fair comparison between the MP and the Nick's Americana, despite them being pretty much equivalent products from their respective companies (i.e. casual, low block heel, six-inch service boots).

They also explained that Carl's complaint about two of the rows of cap-toe stitching being decorative had been addressed, and all four rows of stitching now connected the cap-toe to the vamp.

It was basically a lot of nothing , but it was a slightly messy bit of PR that they probably could have avoided if they'd just said nothing at all. Which is possibly why we haven't heard from them on here since.

 

[chicagoan2016]

It would definitely stop us troublemakers getting up to no good.

Mind you, they've not been on here since that time they tried to refute a Carl Murawski YouTube video, and that ended up with them having to walk back pretty much everything they said and post a clarification. So maybe they've got better things to do than get down in the mud with us lot.

So Carl Murawski's video!!! my personal pet peeves with that video and I might be forgetting some stuff , really don't to re-watch it, I remember you and I had a private chat here how he avoided to answer my question (I posted in comments section of his video).

My "issues" with that video

1) He never showed cutting apart White's boots, someone please correct me if I am wrong? if I am correct he picked an older White's boots when White's used cork in midsole (just to make White's boots appear inferior?)
The question I asked and I have posted pics on this thread, was about some black material in Nick's midsole (no, not the outsole). He never addressed it (He doesn't have to lol)

2) Carl Murawski had a collaboration with Nick's a couple months later.

Now nothing wrong with either points, like I say these are my thoughts and I felt he tried to pass that video as a third party impartial review.
I would consider that video as 'Infomercial'.

Well, it's free country and Carl Murawski is a YouTube star but I have been buying White's ever since.

 

[Jimk4003]

So Carl Murawski's video!!! my personal pet peeves with that video and I might be forgetting some stuff , really don't to re-watch it, I remember you and I had a private chat here how he avoided to answer my question (I posted in comments section of his video).

My "issues" with that video

1) He never showed cutting apart White's boots, someone please correct me if I am wrong? if I am correct he picked an older White's boots when White's used cork in midsole (just to make White's boots appear inferior?)
The question I asked and I have posted pics on this thread, was about some black material in Nick's midsole (no, not the outsole). He never addressed it (He doesn't have to lol)

2) Carl Murawski had a collaboration with Nick's a couple months later.

Now nothing wrong with either points, like I say these are my thoughts and I felt he tried to pass that video as a third party impartial review.
I would consider that video as 'Infomercial'.

Well, it's free country and Carl Murawski is a YouTube star but I have been buying White's ever since.

I think he generally really likes White's. He's done a few reviews of White's products, and always seems to rate them highly. Even in that comparison video, he makes the point that the differences aren't 'better' or 'worse' type differences, and that some people will legitimately prefer one approach over the other. The whole 'cork=bad' thing didn't even originate from his video; it's never even mentioned in the audio, and it's only even visible as a blink-and-you'll-miss-it label on a piece of B-roll footage. It was really on here that the whole thing got a bit giddy.

He certainly seems to like White's enough that I can't see why he'd want to rig a video to make them look bad, and there are certainly easier ways of making a company look bad than giving them positive reviews before surreptitiously manipulating a boot tear-down off-camera, only to then blow over the issue with barely a mention.

He definitely likes his Nick's too, but he's also spoken very highly of Wesco (even relative to his beloved Nick's), and he's always saying how his favourite pair are his Kreosote boots (who he also had a collab with), so he seems happy to give credit where it's due.

Also, in case you're still wondering, the black material in the Nick's is a rubber squeak pad; it stops the midsole and insole rubbing together and squeaking. You can see it being fitted during most of the build videos on Nick's YouTube channel.

 

[ThatDudeOrion]

So for a slightly different perspective on the price increase, I think it is worth considering that White’s top end of the heritage lines have always been hand-welted, where as I don’t think Wesco nor Viberg ever has been, and Nicks quietly switched their construction methods to default everything to what they used to call their ‘Contender’ aka Stitchdown. I think Nick’s might still offer their “Handmade” construction as like a secret menu item with an upcharge while doing an MTO, IIRC. From my perspective, it always seemed a bit crazy to me that we could get a hand welted boot from White’s for the same or less money than Stitchdown boots from the other PNW brands, which also translated to White’s sitchdown construction footwear being substantially cheaper than stitchdown boots from the others . I might be off by a few dollars and cents, but now after the latest increases, it seems like White’s stitchdown boots are now in the same pricing tier as their closest rivals. Which again probably translates to the handwelted White’s probably costing close to the same as handwelted Nicks, if I am remembering correctly about the upcharge.

I’m not saying I like the increase anymore than the next dude, but I’m more tolerant considering that from a slightly different perspective, I think White’s were actually under-priced / a bargain, considering their market competitors. Also, I don’t think it has anything to do with the stipend.

 

[chicagoan2016]

So for a slightly different perspective on the price increase, I think it is worth considering that White’s top end of the heritage lines have always been hand-welted, where as I don’t think Wesco nor Viberg ever has been, and Nicks quietly switched their construction methods to default everything to what they used to call their ‘Contender’ aka Stitchdown. I think Nick’s might still offer their “Handmade” construction as like a secret menu item with an upcharge while doing an MTO, IIRC. From my perspective, it always seemed a bit crazy to me that we could get a hand welted boot from White’s for the same or less money than Stitchdown boots from the other PNW brands, which also translated to White’s sitchdown construction footwear being substantially cheaper than stitchdown boots from the others . I might be off by a few dollars and cents, but now after the latest increases, it seems like White’s stitchdown boots are now in the same pricing tier as their closest rivals. Which again probably translates to the handwelted White’s probably costing close to the same as handwelted Nicks, if I am remembering correctly about the upcharge.

I’m not saying I like the increase anymore than the next dude, but I’m more tolerant considering that from a slightly different perspective, I think White’s were actually under-priced / a bargain, considering their market competitors. Also, I don’t think it has anything to do with the stipend.

When I asked Nick’s about hand welted construction a year or so ago, I was informed they no longer offer it.
Their (Nick’s) website had reference to hand welted construction for an up charge (as of 2020, at least) but I can’t find it anymore.
Nick’s usual response is, you don’t need hand welted construction, I got the same reply from them when I asked about leather lining.
Could folks now understand my “dislike” for Nick’s? 😂
I do owe them something, I was sending my feet tracings to Nick’s and had picked Roberts and urban logger as my first pairs of PNW boots. They started talking $hyt about White’s during the conversation and it made me curious enough to do my own “research”.
I got to know Baker’s and the rest is history!!!

 

[brandonboot]

I don’t know why I would care if the inner stitching on my boot was done by hand or not… Good old google coming to the rescue.

For example, a boot being hand sewn welted only means that the inner stitching is done by hand.

I do believe on the other hand that I’d prefer the leather in nicks arch support over the chrome tanned leather whites uses if we are splitting hairs here.

 

[chicagoan2016]

I don’t know why I would care if the inner stitching on my boot was done by hand or not… Good old google coming to the rescue.

For example, a boot being hand sewn welted only means that the inner stitching is done by hand.

I do believe on the other hand that I’d prefer the leather in nicks arch support over the chrome tanned leather whites uses if we are splitting hairs here.

A Nick's employee did a review on reddit bashing White's about the arch support leather, I think the username was Sasquatch or something .
After arguing with me that it was okay for him to post that review since he created a separate user name for the review, he finally took.it down.

 

[chicagoan2016]

I am sick of Nick's employees, could they just leave this thread? 😂😂

 

[brandonboot]

I am sick of Nick's employees, could they just leave this thread? 😂😂

I’m team Sasquatch

 

[chicagoan2016]

I’m team Sasquatch

Seriously?
I hate Nick's and Nick's employees!

 

[brandonboot]

Seriously?
I hate Nick's and Nick's employees!

Idk why maybe this thread should be named nicks refugee’s only then

 

[chicagoan2016]

Idk why maybe this thread should be named nicks refugee’s only then

No, the name is fine!
We just need to get rid of Nick's employees somehow!
I hate that bunch!

 

[chicagoan2016]

I always thought this thread was the only place (on social media) not infiltrated by Nick's employees.
I guess I was wrong!!

 

[brandonboot]

No, the name is fine!
We just need to get rid of Nick's employees somehow!
I hate that bunch!

Hmm… I don’t understand why. I’d ask wouldn’t you want active nicks workers on social media when things go south? In other words you know nothings perfect. Sometimes these boots will come with defects or wrong specs. In that case I’d rather have people actively on SF or other social medias so I could bring that information too them. Instead of the generic email you’d send to whites and then god knows what they would say back and how long it would take to get your issue resolved.