Custom White's Boots ... Thoughts?

[wordfool]

A little Sunday TLC on my first, and still favorite, pair of White's to start out the boot season

Those have enough character to walk away on their own! What leather is that?

 

[PACostag]

they definitely do - brown bison

 

[Luscombe]

Are those 5" or 6" Bounty Hunters?
Soft unstructured toe? How do you like that vs the single celastic?
Seems like this pair would be a little lighter in weight.

 

[PACostag]

They're 6" BH with a single celastic insert (although most of my White's are unstructured). When it comes to structured vs. unstructured on the 55 last, it's 90% visual and 10% comfort in my opinion. Yes, you can very very slightly feel the celastic insert if you curl your toes up and the toe box is definitely roomier vs. unstructured, but I would not say it's overly noticeable - unless you're hyper-sensitive to nuances and can tell the difference between a $15 and $20 bottle of wine. So base you build on whichever visually appeals more to you imo. In my experience, some leathers (such as the highly textured bison) work best with structure while others can go either way. I've been wearing in some shells with unstructured toes and I imagine they may get quite crazy in time, but a moment of TLC after each wear will likely help prevent that...

 

[Netvine]

@Netvine - Thanks. They are just some randoms I found on Amazon. I'm open to any/all lace recommendations though! I wish we had a bit more conversation about laces here. For instance, those laces are 63" and a great length for my 8" boots.

The only thing I know for sure now is how much laces can effect my comfort. I like the way the leather ones look. I also purchased a few pairs of the thick kevlar greatlaces which are indestructible. As LegalEagles said you can wash them with clothes and they come out like new. The problem I keep having is over a long day when I lace them down the thicker laces and leather laces cause me discomfort. So I have fallen back in to using the anemic kiwi laces. I will have to try the AE ones that have been recommended at some point as well. I like your color combination. What say you all?

 

[Netvine]

At the risk of sounding like a dork. Internally, Im starting to think of these as my Ikari warriors because no matter what I throw at them A-BB-A and they are resurrected.

 

[klank74]

I could use some help here guys...I don’t know what to do. My first pair of Whites arrived today and they are amazing! The fit is perfect, the stitching is spot on, no real issues compared to some others I’ve seen. However, as I mentioned in a previous post, Whites screwed up and built them with close trim instead of standard. Fortunately Baker’s caught the mistake but sent them to me anyways to verify that we got the sizing right. Everything else is so good though, I’m afraid to have them redone and risk some sort of other mistake being made or then wind up being lasted a little looser. Sounds stupid, but I don’t know if I can get past the close trim. I’m a big guy with narrow feet, and I feel like the standard trim would help them look a little more proportionate on me.

For those interested, they are brown dress SD’s on the 38 swing last, 13C with an instep adjustment. Contrasting khaki stitching. Toe caps with the MP style stitching. Antique eyelets, cream liners, commando sole.

 

[chicagoan2016]

I could use some help here guys...I don’t know what to do. My first pair of Whites arrived today and they are amazing! The fit is perfect, the stitching is spot on, no real issues compared to some others I’ve seen. However, as I mentioned in a previous post, Whites screwed up and built them with close trim instead of standard. Fortunately Baker’s caught the mistake but sent them to me anyways to verify that we got the sizing right. Everything else is so good though, I’m afraid to have them redone and risk some sort of other mistake being made or then wind up being lasted a little looser. Sounds stupid, but I don’t know if I can get past the close trim. I’m a big guy with narrow feet, and I feel like the standard trim would help them look a little more proportionate on me. View attachment 1480527

View attachment 1480530 View attachment 1480531
For those interested, they are brown dress SD’s on the 38 swing last, 13C with an instep adjustment. Contrasting khaki stitching. Toe caps with the MP style stitching. Antique eyelets, cream liners, commando sole.

They do look amazing
Here is a crazy idea, Ask Baker's shoes if you could keep this until you get the boots with standard trim then decide which pair of boots to "really" keep ??.

 

[Luscombe]

I think they look fantastic. Size 13C on a swing last with double row stitching may look a bit like a clown shoe.
To me the proportions look fine as they are. Have you googled some images of SD's size 13C for comparison?

I have narrow feet too, 11B and when I find shoes that fit me like I want them to, even thought they may not be my "Grail" shoe, I buy them. I have gone through three pairs of Whites to get my size and fit dialed in. If I received a pair that fit as well as you say yours do, I'd keep them.

 

[montanamike]

I could use some help here guys...I don’t know what to do. My first pair of Whites arrived today and they are amazing! The fit is perfect, the stitching is spot on, no real issues compared to some others I’ve seen. However, as I mentioned in a previous post, Whites screwed up and built them with close trim instead of standard. Fortunately Baker’s caught the mistake but sent them to me anyways to verify that we got the sizing right. Everything else is so good though, I’m afraid to have them redone and risk some sort of other mistake being made or then wind up being lasted a little looser. Sounds stupid, but I don’t know if I can get past the close trim. I’m a big guy with narrow feet, and I feel like the standard trim would help them look a little more proportionate on me. View attachment 1480527

View attachment 1480530 View attachment 1480531
For those interested, they are brown dress SD’s on the 38 swing last, 13C with an instep adjustment. Contrasting khaki stitching. Toe caps with the MP style stitching. Antique eyelets, cream liners, commando sole.

Hard to say.. I would be inclined to ride it out to be sure you don't feel like you compromised. By most definitions, this is a no compromise purchase. That said, they look great (I am a contrast stitching fan). The khaki on dress brown really works for me.

 

[Legal Eagles]

I’m afraid to have them redone and risk some sort of other mistake being made or then wind up being lasted a little looser. Sounds stupid, but I don’t know if I can get past the close trim.

It is a terrible thing to live one's life in fear.

You ordered standard trim, you paid for standard trim, you know that close trim is not what you want and looks disproportionate... you heart tells you (correctly) that the 38 Swing calls out for - nay demands - standard trim... and a little part of you - even if it is hard to admit - wonders if it is true that close trim can be resoled fewer times than standard... you also know in the recesses of your soul that the medallion cap toe only really looks "right" with standard trim.

If you keep them you will forever know they are not right, and that knowledge will fester like a splinter in your mind every time you look at the "less than" or "compromised" boots... you will over time come to resent them...

In you heart you know the correct course you must take... if you are honest with yourself, you have always known... these are not your boots...for that money, you deserve your boots.

 

[klank74]

It is a terrible thing to live one's life in fear.

You ordered standard trim, you paid for standard trim, you know that close trim is not what you want and looks disproportionate... you heart tells you (correctly) that the 38 Swing calls out for - nay demands - standard trim... and a little part of you - even if it is hard to admit - wonders if it is true that close trim can be resoled fewer times than standard... you also know in the recesses of your soul that the medallion cap toe only really looks "right" with standard trim.

If you keep them you will forever know they are not right, and that knowledge will fester like a splinter in your mind every time you look at the "less than" or "compromised" boots... you will over time come to resent them...

In you heart you know the correct course you must take... if you are honest with yourself, you have always known... these are not your boots...for that money, you deserve your boots.

Get out of my head!?
I agree with every word you said.... except for that bit about the medallion toe caps?

 

[wordfool]

The only thing I know for sure now is how much laces can effect my comfort. I like the way the leather ones look. I also purchased a few pairs of the thick kevlar greatlaces which are indestructible. As LegalEagles said you can wash them with clothes and they come out like new. The problem I keep having is over a long day when I lace them down the thicker laces and leather laces cause me discomfort. So I have fallen back in to using the anemic kiwi laces. I will have to try the AE ones that have been recommended at some point as well. I like your color combination. What say you all?

I have so many pairs of unused laces now thanks to my seemingly eternal search for the Goldilocks of the lace world — not too thick (for hooks), not too thin, not too weak, not too slick, not too stretchy. Danner boot laces seem OK. Obenaufs laces would be great if they didn’t require me to scrub my hands every time I tie them (how much wax can a pair of laces hold?!). Paracord is useless (too slick and stretchy). I guess I’ll try Greatlaces next.

 

[klank74]

I have so many pairs of unused laces now thanks to my seemingly eternal search for the Goldilocks of the lace world — not too thick (for hooks), not too thin, not too weak, not too slick, not too stretchy. Danner boot laces seem OK. Obenaufs laces would be great if they didn’t require me to scrub my hands every time I tie them (how much wax can a pair of laces hold?!). Paracord is useless (too slick and stretchy). I guess I’ll try Greatlaces next.

I have the Obenaufs laces in my work boots. They get much better with use.

 

[Jimk4003]

I could use some help here guys...I don’t know what to do. My first pair of Whites arrived today and they are amazing! The fit is perfect, the stitching is spot on, no real issues compared to some others I’ve seen. However, as I mentioned in a previous post, Whites screwed up and built them with close trim instead of standard. Fortunately Baker’s caught the mistake but sent them to me anyways to verify that we got the sizing right. Everything else is so good though, I’m afraid to have them redone and risk some sort of other mistake being made or then wind up being lasted a little looser. Sounds stupid, but I don’t know if I can get past the close trim. I’m a big guy with narrow feet, and I feel like the standard trim would help them look a little more proportionate on me. View attachment 1480527

View attachment 1480530 View attachment 1480531
For those interested, they are brown dress SD’s on the 38 swing last, 13C with an instep adjustment. Contrasting khaki stitching. Toe caps with the MP style stitching. Antique eyelets, cream liners, commando sole.

I'd get what you ordered. You now know the boots will fit, so there won't be an anxious wait, and the extra time spent awaiting the correct pair will be long forgotten in the years to come. These aren't cheap boots; get what you paid for.

I wouldn't worry about mistakes being made on the replacements. Ultimately, if there are mistakes, it'll be on White's to sort out, and if you're genuinely worried that a MTO boot company charging $600 for a pair of boots can't make two good pairs in a row, the real question should be whether that's a company you ought to be buying from.

Ultimately, you've already answered that question by putting your money up, so get what you paid for.