Custom White's Boots ... Thoughts?

[Jimk4003]

I'm having a bad day.

But this seems like one of the most unreasonable things I have seen regarding complaints about boots and leather creasing.

Not a complaint. Just asking if it's something I ought to be concerned by.

Hope your day gets better.

 

[dublinpremium]

Been reading this thread for sometime now and it really helped me in buying my first pair of whites boots. Sorry I could not post an update when the boots were new. But here goes my one month update.
I bought these from Baker boots a few months back. I live in dublin, Ireland and getting the fit right was the most important thing. Kyle was of great help when it came to sizing and he got the sizing spot on. These are on the 4811 last, 8 inch, soft toe and the leather is cinnamon waxed flesh. These are my first pair of White's boots. The most difficult decision was choosing the last, 55 vs 4811. I like both, but what tilted my preference towards 4811 is the tight heel and a slightly higher toe box.

Although I got them a fews months back I only started wearing them a month back. The first few days were rough. The entire foot area was fine and there were no hot spots, but the area just above the ankle and the shin bone is where the tongue started digging in. Even when I wore thick socks. It was painful for a few days, but the last week or so has been great. I feel as though the boots have broken in nicely and now they fit like a glove. The wax is starting to wear off a bit.

I could not be happier with these boots and they are currently my favourite. I am now waiting eagerly on my next 2 pairs of smoke jumpers which should be here soon.

 

[Mr.Chest]

Shipping notification on my pair of custom BH’s boys. Should be here Monday. I will be out of town but I’ll make sure and post pics and details when they arrive. Pretty excited!

 

[Legal Eagles]

Been reading this thread for sometime now and it really helped me in buying my first pair of whites boots.

Firstly welcome to the club.

8" Smokejumper is a solid first choice.

I like to ask this of folks in other countries, like @TH3515 @discomute and anyone else I may have missed:
Can you tell us about your choices in handmade boots in your country? The US cannot be unique in this aspect, what does Ireland have as the equivalent to White's, Wesco, Viberg (admittedly Canadian) and Nick's?

Genuinely curious if there is a reason you chose White's over your own domestic makers?

 

[dublinpremium]

Firstly welcome to the club.

8" Smokejumper is a solid first choice.

I like to ask this of folks in other countries, like @TH3515 @discomute and anyone else I may have missed:
Can you tell us about your choices in handmade boots in your country? The US cannot be unique in this aspect, what does Ireland have as the equivalent to White's, Wesco, Viberg (admittedly Canadian) and Nick's?

Genuinely curious if there is a reason you chose White's over your own domestic makers?

Thank you. I dont know of any manufacturer of handmade boots in Ireland. Don't see many folks out here wearing anything other than sneakers. I couldve gone for Trickers who are British, but they are more formal boots which i dont like. One of the reasons why i went with the 4811 over 55 last.
Now for the reasons I went with Whites over nicks or wesco:
1) White's have a wider media presence like on instagram, reddit, styleforum etc. Helps in making a decision on the leather, fit, lasts etc for someone who wants to buy them but cant try them on.
2) Baker's and White's customer service. Baker boots no longer accept orders for Nicks. Kyle helps a lot with the sizing and fit. This is a big plus.
3) I wrote to Nicks as I really like their boots especially the ranger and robert, but their customer service is not as helpful in terms of helping with the sizing process.
4) Wesco is probably just the 3rd choice for a lot of people and if you are going to spend that kind of money then its better spent on Whites or nicks.
5) Viberg, again more formal. However I really like their 310 last and have a pair of Viberg in 310 last.
6) Nothing beats Whites arch support. May sound like an exaggeration but since Ive been wearing whites i dont have much back pain that I used to earlier. Maybe the arch ease and curve heel have something to do with it

 

[iamntbatman]

Firstly welcome to the club.

8" Smokejumper is a solid first choice.

I like to ask this of folks in other countries, like @TH3515 @discomute and anyone else I may have missed:
Can you tell us about your choices in handmade boots in your country? The US cannot be unique in this aspect, what does Ireland have as the equivalent to White's, Wesco, Viberg (admittedly Canadian) and Nick's?

Genuinely curious if there is a reason you chose White's over your own domestic makers?

There's a neighborhood in Seoul that's sort of the famous small-scale manufacturing neighborhood. Much of the business there involves small machine shops making custom parts for bigger companies on an as-needed basis, but there are a few other tiny factories there including, from what I have read, a small number of handmade shoe shops. However, the choices there, from what I've seen, are geared more toward dress shoes and possibly boots and don't really interest me. Almost no one wears real welted footwear in Korea - maybe rich executive types, but not even regular office worker guys wearing suits. They're always in cemented shoes. I have seen a few Red Wings here and there, and every once in a while I'll see a White's post on Instagram from Korea, but that sort of heritage Americana workwear and boots thing that's still pretty big in Japan (relatively speaking anyway) mostly hasn't crossed the pond and likely won't.

So, there just aren't really any domestic options that appeal to me. Plus, even though I've lived here for years, I'm an American so I like supporting American labor.

 

[Legal Eagles]

6) Nothing beats Whites arch support. May sound like an exaggeration but since Ive been wearing whites i dont have much back pain that I used to earlier. Maybe the arch ease and curve heel have something to do with it

No exaggeration... we believe you. This is #10 on my list of things to love about White's boots:

10) Do not underestimate how important a good foundation under your feet, with proper arch support can be. Switching to proper boots can not only fix foot problems, but also ankle, leg, back and shoulders... I know it seems like a stretch, but the starting with the right foundation from the ground up can fix or help with a myriad of muscle and skeletal problems...

 

[dublinpremium]

No exaggeration... we believe you. This is #10 on my list of things to love about White's boots:

10) Do not underestimate how important a good foundation under your feet, with proper arch support can be. Switching to proper boots can not only fix foot problems, but also ankle, leg, back and shoulders... I know it seems like a stretch, but the starting with the right foundation from the ground up can fix or help with a myriad of muscle and skeletal problems...

How does Nicks arch ease compare with Whites? Also how does Nicks compare with Whites in terms of sizing? I really want a pair of Nicks Robert or Ranger. Should I go for the same size as my Whites 4811?

 

[Legal Eagles]

How does Nicks arch ease compare with Whites? Also how does Nicks compare with Whites in terms of sizing? I really want a pair of Nicks Robert or Ranger. Should I go for the same size as my Whites 4811?

In my experience Nick's arch ease is similar in magnitude to White's, but shifted about 1/2" toward the heel. Of course like White's, Nick's arch ease varies by the last you choose.

I too like the Ranger, but lately Frank's Boots Wilshire has caught my eye... I am just hesitant about buying anything not built on the 38 Swing last because it fits my feet perfectly...

Nick's 55 Last (for the Robert) is the same size as White's 55 Last... in fact, they are the same last as Nick's came from White's.

I wear the same size in 4811 White's as I do in 55 Whites... infer from that what you can... but your best bet may be to send tracings and measurements to Nicks. If you do so, I believe they guarantee the fit.

 

[dublinpremium]

In my experience Nick's arch ease is similar in magnitude to White's, but shifted about 1/2" toward the heel. Of course like White's, Nick's arch ease varies by the last you choose.

I too like the Ranger, but lately Frank's Boots Wilshire has caught my eye... I am just hesitant about buying anything not built on the 38 Swing last because it fits my feet perfectly...
View attachment 1346418
Nick's 55 Last (for the Robert) is the same size as White's 55 Last... in fact, they are the same last as Nick's came from White's.

I wear the same size in 4811 White's as I do in 55 Whites... infer from that what you can... but your best bet may be to send tracings and measurements to Nicks. If you do so, I believe they guarantee the fit.

I wrote to Nicks and they cant guarantee the fit unless its a try on process. Which unfortunately is not possible in my case. I am planning on risking ordering the same size as my whites.

 

[Crit_Obs]

I have pair of Nick's coming (but there's a specific thread for Nick's) and while waiting for them to reach Finland, I've been thinking about White's pull-on boots... Anyone with any experience with their #329 pull-on last? How's the arch support?

 

[Woodtroll]

I got samples of Brown Smooth and Distressed smooth. Brown Smooth is surprisingly nice. It's stiff and smooth. Not dressy but not like any oil tanned leathers I've had before. Distressed smooth is a lot darker than the pictures I've seen. It's oily and pretty resistant to scratches. Both are roughly the shape of a coaster, so I will be using them as such.

Would it be too much of an imposition to ask you to post pictures of your samples, side by side, in natural light, please? I'm very curious to see the color difference between the two.

 

[discomute]

@Legal Eagles in Australia our national boot is the RM Williams which is purely a Chelsea boot. I believe it's the only option and it's GYW. There is a thread in style forums dedicated to how bad buying decent shoes in Australia is and the options.

I'm just not the biggest fan of the Chelsea, I don't hate it, but aesthetically it's not my favourite. I'd have a pair in my collection but they never fit me that well. I have flat feet and love arch support... Their boots with decent arch support aren't available in any narrow (or wide) sizes and I'm a C.

Going through Kyle has made me aware that it's not just a slightly narrow foot, but I need an instep adjustment so I guess I have low foot volume. Writing this post makes me wonder if that's why a laceless Chelsea has never felt that great on my foot?

 

[wordfool]

Firstly welcome to the club.

8" Smokejumper is a solid first choice.

I like to ask this of folks in other countries, like @TH3515 @discomute and anyone else I may have missed:
Can you tell us about your choices in handmade boots in your country? The US cannot be unique in this aspect, what does Ireland have as the equivalent to White's, Wesco, Viberg (admittedly Canadian) and Nick's?

Genuinely curious if there is a reason you chose White's over your own domestic makers?

Not sure about Ireland, but the UK still has a few -- AFAIK a few of the old shoe companies from the UK's traditional shoe-making area around Northampton (Grenson, Cheaney, Loake, Trickers etc.) still do a lot of handmade stuff. William Lennon in the Peak District is another I came across a while back. None probably make them with the same level of ruggedness as the Pacific NW makers, but then the UK does not have wildfires or many particularly rugged, mountainous regions. Just a lot of country estates and landrovers!

 

[Jimk4003]

None probably make them with the same level of ruggedness as the Pacific NW makers, but then the UK does not have wildfires or many particularly rugged, mountainous regions. Just a lot of country estates and landrovers!

As someone who spends most of his weekends hiking in the Highlands, I strongly refute the claim that the UK doesn't have many mountainous regions!

I think one issue is the climate in the UK isn't particularly well suited to PNW style boots, which is why they aren't sold much here. The wettest part of Washington state is the Olympic Peninsula, which gets around 160 inches of rain a year on average. Western Scotland often gets over 180 inches a year. The wettest part of Washington state is the western side, which also tends to be the mildest. The western Highlands of Scotland are not only the wettest part, they're also the coldest. PNW boots designed to work in wet, relatively mild conditions aren't necessarily the best for use in even wetter, cold conditions.

I live in Scotland, and wear my White's regularly. But when I'm hiking in the Highlands, it's time for the White's to be put away, and for my Goretex lined, insulated, cemented construction boots to come out. They're not as fashionable, aren't resoleable (though a few brands, like Altberg, claim they can resole their cemented construction boots), and are in no way 'traditional'; but they are better than leather boots at keeping my feet warm and dry. They're also lighter weight whilst being more rigid, with reinforced ankle support to prevent sprains and ligament damage on Scotland's moraine heavy hills, padded arch support to protect your feet whilst jumping down crevices with a pack on your back, and are designed for use with crampons when walking on ice. They're different beasts, but designed for doing a different thing in a different climate.

I've been on winter mountaineering courses up in the Scottish Highlands where people have turned up in PNW-style logger boots and been told to change their footwear if they expect to be allowed to participate. It's about having the appropriate footwear for the job, and heavy leather logger boots aren't what you use for going up Scottish Munro's in winter.

It's just horses for courses.