Custom White's Boots ... Thoughts?

[discomute]

I have been lurking here for some time and I've read most of this thread. I'm thankful for all the helpful information shared in this thread.

Can someone with more experience with rough out leathers share their thoughts about them ? Are they good for casual wear with Jeans ? I've seen some pictures how they look when they are new but I'm interested to see how they look after they have seen some wear. If anyone has pictures, I would appreciate it.

Also, what is the difference between distressed rough out and brown oiled rough out (I see both offered from Bakers not sure how they differ beyond some color differences).

Thanks!

They are only difference in colour, distressed and brown oiled are the same class of leather, often referred to in here as "work leathers".

Roughout and distressed are a step down in the formal scale but honestly there isn't a lot that doesn't go with jeans. Distressed roughout certainly does.

In terms of pictures there are definitely some floating around I recommend getting used to the search function - try searching "distressed" in this thread and have a look.

 

[discomute]

Here is distressed rough out before and after applying Obenaufs Oil:

It goes on really dark at first, but If you leave them siting in the warm sun for a little while it lightens back up to this:

And in every day wear, they look like this:

These are by FAR my most comfortable pair of White's. The distressed rough-out is thick, but super soft. When combined with the Honey Vibram sole, they are like wearing slippers.

I haven't taken any photos of them recently. They are starting to age and don't look quite as nice now as they once did. I wear them as a work boot and they get somewhat rough treatment.

My care routine is to wash them with warm water, saddle soap, and a med/stiff bristle brush about twice a year. The following day, once they have dried completely, I treat them with Obenuaf's Oil. I don't use Obenuaf's HDLP on these as I don't want the wax, just the oil. I REALLY dislike the look of waxed flesh, and I think that distressed rough-out would start to look like that if you used the HDLP oil/wax blend.

Last month, I trudged around India for a couple of weeks. These were the only shoes I took and I was happy with that choice. I did get quite a few odd looks when I had to take them off to go into Mosques or Temples. When I was walking around Delhi, I was constantly followed by kids asking to clean my boots. Since I'm happy with my saddle soap and Obenauf's oil routine (and I didn't know what chemicals they would be using) I just said "No thanks" (about 1,000 times - they're nothing if not persistent little fellows).

A much shorter answer - If you want a pair of White's that are super comfortable, don't show scuffs or scratches, and require very little maintenance, get distressed rough-out.

It was @hoppy_IPA ! I dug up the quote, excuse my poor recollection, with a great shot of some distressed Smooth boots (with distressed roughout heels)


View attachment 1326847

 

[Legal Eagles]

hey @Legal Eagles and other Horsehide owners, have you noticed that your creasing ever "catches up" after use? This pair has one wear on it from yesterday and the left already has some gnarly (albeit tight) creasing all along the vamp while I can't get the right to crease for the life of me (been bouncing my right leg to music all day in an effort to)

Mine have creased at roughly the same rate, but one boot sometimes has larger creases than the other... without the flash however the difference would be hard to see on casual observation...

 

[paulraphael]

Do we actually know they mean by "distressed?" This turned me off at first, since I don't usually like things that are artificially aged. But the leather doesn't look like it's been aged. In fact it looks so good to me that I'm now waiting for a pair in Distressed Smooth ... so maybe it's time to find out what it is.

Some people have said it refers to the slightly brushed finish. Others say it's the way the oils in the leather come to surface unevenly. Thoughts?

 

[Woodtroll]

However they accomplish it, the distressed leather starts off softer, and seems to stretch slightly more than the other oil tan leathers. The other difference that is important to me is that the distressed leather absorbs water (as from rain or wet grass) exponentially faster than the other oil tan leathers, if indeed it is actually an oil tan leather. I chose the distressed leather for a recent pair of what I'll call "light work" boots, and love the color, but that water absorbency makes it a horrible choice for a work boot in any climate wetter than semi-arid, in my opinion. It would be a great choice for a comfortable, casual wear-to-town boot, though.

 

[brokeassp]

Love how the laces nowadays come waxed. When did White`s start issuing waxed laces? Also, wish it came standard with 4 rows of stitching like how it was yrs ago

 

[discomute]

Do we actually know they mean by "distressed?" This turned me off at first, since I don't usually like things that are artificially aged. But the leather doesn't look like it's been aged. In fact it looks so good to me that I'm now waiting for a pair in Distressed Smooth ... so maybe it's time to find out what it is.

Some people have said it refers to the slightly brushed finish. Others say it's the way the oils in the leather come to surface unevenly. Thoughts?

That is a good point. I just said they were the same as oiled but they aren't given the manufacturing process must be slightly different to give the distressed look. There are also reports that distressed is slightly easier to break in and slightly less water resistant.

And if this changes when selecting the roughout? Unlikely but it's hard to tell.

I don't know, I just have a good memory for what I've read in here.

 

[alset_rl]

What I was confused about was whether the word 'distressed' here refers to the aesthetic property of the leather that naturally results in a certain appearance but otherwise exactly same as brown roughout or if the leather itself goes through some special treatment to give that a distressed texture (like how distressed is used in denims).

Even the colors among the distressed leather seem to vary quite a bit. It's hard to say from looking at the pictures online.

 

[alset_rl]

Do we actually know they mean by "distressed?" This turned me off at first, since I don't usually like things that are artificially aged. But the leather doesn't look like it's been aged. In fact it looks so good to me that I'm now waiting for a pair in Distressed Smooth ... so maybe it's time to find out what it is.

Some people have said it refers to the slightly brushed finish. Others say it's the way the oils in the leather come to surface unevenly. Thoughts?

Do you think the distressed leather is less hairy than the brown rough out?

 

[paulraphael]

Do you think the distressed leather is less hairy than the brown rough out?

Not sure I understand the question. I'd assume it's less hairy than any rough out leather, but my own distressed White's won't show for at least 6 weeks.

 

[discomute]

What I was confused about was whether the word 'distressed' here refers to the aesthetic property of the leather that naturally results in a certain appearance but otherwise exactly same as brown roughout or if the leather itself goes through some special treatment to give that a distressed texture (like how distressed is used in denims).

Even the colors among the distressed leather seem to vary quite a bit. It's hard to say from looking at the pictures online.

Colours are often quite a bit different because distressed smooth/roughout is used frequently as a work boot, it is often coated with waterproof oil. Some oils permanently darken it, some darken at the time but lighten back over a long period. All result in a degree of permanent darkening, whether it's a little or a lot.

That isn't to say the colours aren't different naturally, but I think obenauf's in particular is a good reason why it looks so different in here.

 

[alset_rl]

Colours are often quite a bit different because distressed smooth/roughout is used frequently as a work boot, it is often coated with waterproof oil. Some oils permanently darken it, some darken at the time but lighten back over a long period. All result in a degree of permanent darkening, whether it's a little or a lot.

That isn't to say the colours aren't different naturally, but I think obenauf's in particular is a good reason why it looks so different in here.

That makes sense.

 

[Rymanocerous]

Do you think the distressed leather is less hairy than the brown rough out?

My Distressed RO is less hair than other roughout leathers I have seen. The almost appeared lightly waxed in some areas. I would say they more closely resembled chamois RO vs say a CXL RO.

 

[andy b.]

I have Whites in Distressed RO and Black oil tanned RO. I don't notice any difference in hairiness.
The Distressed isn't pre-damaged like distressed jeans, it is just a different tanning process. It definitely absorbs water more than the heavy oil tanned leathers. The smooth side of the Distressed is not as shiny and smooth as the oil tanned, but it isn't like suede or Nubuck.

 

[e39m5]

Credit where credit is due...I'm a pesky millennial who hates the phone and relies on email and instagram to interface with brands. My narrow foot has led me away from off-the-rack and to brands like White's/Rancourt that fit better and I'm more excited to wear, but I've found a few times that my expectations don't match reality for how some of these older brands operate.

I've been hemming and hawing on my size decision for my new pair. I ended up placing an order late Friday for B-width, changed my mind after putting some miles on my MPs over the weekend, and sent an email Monday morning to change the size to A-width.

Turns out I should have called. They didn't get to the email until a few days later, after the leather had been cut, so we were caught in tough situation. I ended up offering to pay to re-cut new leather and they decided to waive the cost.

They didn't need to do that but I'm awfully glad they did. Now just hoping my new-found conviction in A-width turns out correct.