Custom White's Boots ... Thoughts?

[verge]

Now back to boots indeed, hello folks! I'm trying to get an idea of what to order for my first pair of MTO White's. I am looking for a pair of boots to wear primarily during the Autumn-Spring months with not-so-slim raw denim and cargo pants. I love the look of the commando sole as opposed to something like the dainte sole, but as they are quite a bit more rugged I am struggling to find a reference image for someone who has ordered them for light-duty.

I have a wide foot with destroyed arches (using custom orthotics to fix that) and I was thinking that a pair of custom White's would be what I need to provide support to my poor feet. I've been looking at a semi-dress, block heel, CXL brown, 6" on a Vibram 100 sole. I'm interested in the double celastic toe box as my previous pair of Chippewa Moc-Toe's have saved my toes on one or two occasions after dropping work equipment on them. If anybody has any pictures of a boot built up like this I would love to see them. I have gone through this thread's gallery but it is so long that I end up getting overwhelmed.

 

[hoppy_IPA]

@miggyramone - the Saphir MDO 1925 is top shelf for Horse Hide IMHO. It’s the only stuff I’ll put on it. I do like VSC quite a bit though & use it on my other casual pairs.

 

[miggyramone]

^ Yeah, I'm fairly curious about Saphir now. @legaleagles is a dangerous poster haha. I didn't think I'd ever be interested in the medallion toe cap, let alone expensive products like Saphir haha.

 

[Felix U]

@verge - sorry, I don’t have the boot build you reference, but have a similar foot issue. Most boots have too much arch support for my orthotics to fit correctly, but not enough to eliminate the need for my orthotics. After a long search and a few conversations with Bryson and Kyle at Baker Boots, I settled on the MP-M1 built on the 55 last. Just received the boots yesterday, and am happy after the first few wears. Will complete a more thorough post with pics shortly.

 

[hoppy_IPA]

let alone expensive products like Saphir haha.

i know that feel. the tin of it is small & costs more than mainstream products. if you think about it though, why try & save 5 or 10 bucks on product for your $400-$500 boots? a little does go a long way & a tin of it lasts quite a while (Im still on my first can, only about half way through). as a bonus, you can't believe how good it smells! my wife absolutely love when I polish my boots with it and insists I use it on her Redwing's. The good aroma lasts for a few days as well & really compliments what a good product it is. no need to sit on the fence, just get yourself some. if you have amazon prime, just return it for free if you don't like it

 

[verge]

@Felix U Excited to see some pictures, thanks for the feedback! So you ditched the orthotics in favor of a more supportive boot? I would have to talk to my podiatrist to make sure that would be okay, as I experience I lot of pain without my orthotics from previous injuries. I did find a pair of semi-dress on a 55 last on the vibram 100 here https://www.styleforum.net/threads/custom-whites-boots-thoughts.219173/page-594#post-8709616. Tag me when you post up pictures of your selection, I would love to see them.

 

[Neognosis]

I use Saphir exclusively. Both on my chromexcel shoes and calf leathers. I do not own, nor do I desire to own, any cordovan.

A note about the quality of Saphir... once you have a good base of Saphir on the leather, it takes very little cream and polish to get a mirror shine.

For example, I bought a large tin of tan Saphir polish years ago, and used it (along with tan saphir shoe cream) to maintain a mirror polish on the toe and heels, and a nice shine on the rest of the shoe, on a pair that I wear 1-3 times a week, probably averaging 1 1/2 times a week for years.

Even keeping a constant shine, the polish in the large tin dried up before I used it all up. I'll only buy small tins from now on. If you use it properly, building up very thin layers of wax one at a time, it will last a very long time.

 

[Felix U]

@Felix U Excited to see some pictures, thanks for the feedback! So you ditched the orthotics in favor of a more supportive boot? I would have to talk to my podiatrist to make sure that would be okay, as I experience I lot of pain without my orthotics from previous injuries. I did find a pair of semi-dress on a 55 last on the vibram 100 here https://www.styleforum.net/threads/custom-whites-boots-thoughts.219173/page-594#post-8709616. Tag me when you post up pictures of your selection, I would love to see them.

Here are some pics
MP-M1 on 55 last, Natural CXL
Kyle and Bryson @ Baker’s Boots recommended a 11D based on tracings (a full size lower than AE dress shoe size). White’s sent a try-on pair in the normal MP last. The boot’s arch was too high to fit my orthotic properly, but too low to support my foot without the orthotic. So, Kyle recommended going with the MP-M1 built on the 55 last which has a higher arch support.

I just got them yesterday, so the arch isn’t formed to my foot yet. Right now, it’s a little too high toward the back/heel, but I think it will lower as my foot presses into the innersole with wear.

I like the look of the normal MP last a little better than on the 55 last. The 55 makes the toe box wider, higher, and a bit more bulbous. Not a bad look, just different. They’re still great, really well made boots. If I get another pair at some point, I’ll wait until the 50/50 last @sambam mentioned comes out in the spring. It sounds like that last will have the narrower toe of the MP last with the higher arch of the 55 last.

Final thought on orthotics, if you typically have to wear them, I’d talk to a pro like Kyle at Baker’s Boots or someone at White’s before ordering. They can find the best boot/last that will fit your orthotic and send you a try on pair. I’m able to skip orthotics in a few running and dress shoes (On Cloudsurfer and Allen Edmonds 5th Ave). So, my goal was to find a boot with similar support so I could skip the orthotic.
Hope this helps...

 

[linafelt]

Here are some pics View attachment 1306304 View attachment 1306305 View attachment 1306306 View attachment 1306307 View attachment 1306308 View attachment 1306309 View attachment 1306310
MP-M1 on 55 last, Natural CXL
Kyle and Bryson @ Baker’s Boots recommended a 11D based on tracings (a full size lower than AE dress shoe size). White’s sent a try-on pair in the normal MP last. The boot’s arch was too high to fit my orthotic properly, but too low to support my foot without the orthotic. So, Kyle recommended going with the MP-M1 built on the 55 last which has a higher arch support.

I just got them yesterday, so the arch isn’t formed to my foot yet. Right now, it’s a little too high toward the back/heel, but I think it will lower as my foot presses into the innersole with wear.

I like the look of the normal MP last a little better than on the 55 last. The 55 makes the toe box wider, higher, and a bit more bulbous. Not a bad look, just different. They’re still great, really well made boots. If I get another pair at some point, I’ll wait until the 50/50 last @sambam mentioned comes out in the spring. It sounds like that last will have the narrower toe of the MP last with the higher arch of the 55 last.

Final thought on orthotics, if you typically have to wear them, I’d talk to a pro like Kyle at Baker’s Boots or someone at White’s before ordering. They can find the best boot/last that will fit your orthotic and send you a try on pair. I’m able to skip orthotics in a few running and dress shoes (On Cloudsurfer and Allen Edmonds 5th Ave). So, my goal was to find a boot with similar support so I could skip the orthotic.
Hope this helps...

Perfect!

 

[miggyramone]

I use Saphir exclusively. Both on my chromexcel shoes and calf leathers. I do not own, nor do I desire to own, any cordovan.

A note about the quality of Saphir... once you have a good base of Saphir on the leather, it takes very little cream and polish to get a mirror shine.

For example, I bought a large tin of tan Saphir polish years ago, and used it (along with tan saphir shoe cream) to maintain a mirror polish on the toe and heels, and a nice shine on the rest of the shoe, on a pair that I wear 1-3 times a week, probably averaging 1 1/2 times a week for years.

Even keeping a constant shine, the polish in the large tin dried up before I used it all up. I'll only buy small tins from now on. If you use it properly, building up very thin layers of wax one at a time, it will last a very long time.

Haha another vote for saphir! My HH SD's will be needing a cleaning and conditioning in a few weeks, so maybe i'll splurge. Probably a good idea, actually, as I do want to try a mirror shine on my AE's.

 

[John Frum]

Anyone have a care product color suggestion for red dog smooth? I'll use Obenauf's oil sparingly; asking for color of product to restore color when scuffed.

 

[discomute]

My initial review of Main Streets

I bought a pair of MS about a month ago, for office use as well as dressed up casual use. Having worn them for a bit, here are my thoughts.

Met expectations
These are my first White's, and first decent set of boots. I had high expectations for the most part, so I write this section as being "positive"

Leather
French calf black is very dressy and overall the perfect compliment to the MS style. I doubt I'd try any other sort of leather (except perhaps brown dress with some black soles). I was happy with how it turned out.

Look
I feel like there aren't a lot of photos floating around, nevertheless the shape of the boot and general style was how I imagined it.

Ordering process
A couple of hiccups but overall everything went smoothly. I had to contact sambam here as I was told they couldn't do black sole thread but it turned out okay. They also did these within the 6 weeks (counting international postage) I was hoping for, although I'm unsure if this was luck or by design.

Arch Support
I had low expectations here, and true to feedback of the forum there is a small amount of arch support but not a lot. Sure I'd like more but overall I knew the score when I ordered and I'm glad it has some.

Overall purchase
I had high expectations for the cost and overall it all worked out and I'm happy with the purchase. Obviously longetivity of these boots will be the key factor now but so far I am happy.

Did not meet expectations
Speed hooks
I've mentioned this before. Speed hooks do not go with the style. Whether they are default or not is up to White's marketing team, but I feel the option should be to go all blind eyelets.

Furthermore I think they have crammed one too many speed hooks in the boot, I think it could have been 3 sets instead of 4.

Tip edges of leather
Not sure what to call this but hopefully this photo can illuminate.

It is a dress shoe (ish) and I feel these edges should be in black, as they are visible to a certain extent.

Care instructions
Recent posts here have made me aware of how lacking I am in understanding how to care for boots such as these. I feel White's could supply more information on the subject for those of us who aren't familiar with caring for good leather.

Laces
Two sets of laces, one leather and one more dress. The dress set was about a foot too long. I think the leather is too but it's not dress so it matters less.

I understand some wrap around the heel but these aren't work boots. Overall I feel it's a bit odd I've had to order laces for them.

Exceeded expectations
A few things that were way above what I thought they'd be

Fit
I did not trust the remote ordering process, nevertheless I went with the recommendations that were given and these fit. They fit very well. I will look forward to trying different lasts but I am surprised we got this sorted the first time.

Sole
The sole is quite "dress" but has a good amount of grip. A really good amount of grip. Not for hiking, sure, but overall it is really good. I can't help but wonder if the payoff will be that it wears through faster, but, in this initial review I think it's a great sole.

Spoiler: More photos

 

[Peter1]

^^Really handsome boots. Excellent toe shape, not blobby like most "workwear" boot companies...

I think you can fix some of those issues -- I agree that the light colored lining showing is not ideal, but that should be easy to fix with some black shoe polish/dye. Regarding the laces: Flat waxed would be my call. Speed hooks: I agree that 3 would be better but you're probably stuck with these unless you swap all of them out for eyelets, including changing the blind ones.

I don't love speed hooks except for really tall hiking/winter books, but they do save a lot of time getting in/out of 10-eyelet boots like this.

 

[hoppy_IPA]

still on a polishing kick. a lot of brushing a pinch of MDO 1925

 

[Chupacabra]

still on a polishing kick. a lot of brushing a pinch of MDO 1925

View attachment 1306796

Is this Brown Horse?