Custom White's Boots ... Thoughts?

[iamntbatman]

Think I might even be more impressed with that floor. Gorgeous.

I got into the whole nice boots/denim/leather thing recently, while living in a series of tiny apartments with really awful adhesive fake wood pattern vinyl floors and gross floral wallpaper. I'm always so jealous of these Instagram people with beautiful old wood floors and porches and stuff that make such good backdrops for boot photos.

I can't remember - do any of you have any olive waxed flesh boots with that khaki stitching? That's the last detail I haven't worked out for my next build.

 

[Legal Eagles]

Well, Baker’s reputation for great customer service is well deserved! After taking a couple days to think about it and talking to Brandon at Bakers today, I think I’m going to keep my SD’s instead of sending them back and having them remade. The close trim is starting to grow on me and everything else about them is perfect. Brandon didn’t have to, but he offered me a discount on my next pair of Whites and I think I’m going to take the opportunity to order a pair for work.

Did they at least explain how this could have happened, or give you a root cause failure analysis, or tell you what sort of corrective action they were implementing to prevent this from reoccurring?

A future discount in nice, but actual concrete corrective action and process improvement is better... actions speak louder than worlds...

"Oops"... "my bad" does not cut it IMHO... but reasonable minds can differ...

 

[js0930]

I don’t know if anyone else has said this - but 50/50 last is out!

Stevens (Plain Toe): White's Boots, Inc.

whitesboots.com

 

[wordfool]

I don’t know if anyone else has said this - but 50/50 last is out!

Stevens (Plain Toe): White's Boots, Inc.

whitesboots.com

Almost like a cross between a Semi-Dress and a Main Street. Also available via the Baker's site. I wonder how soon (or if) they'll be offered with more MTO options

 

[heepls.pk]

intresting

 

[heels.pk]

Hey. I am trying to decide between the "standard" last and the "461" (upturned toe) last. Can anyone post good side pics of a boot with the 461

 

[redbaron1980]

Oh man, those Burgundy Stevens boots are calling my name...must....resist

 

[klank74]

I’m getting ready to order my second pair of Whites already and have a few questions before ordering. These will be used for work (diesel mechanic).

1) what is the difference between Red Dog oiled and Red Dog smooth? I was under the impression they are one in the same, but Bakers Build A Boot’s approximation of color seems to indicate that the oiled has more brown in it and the smooth has more red.

2) how much life can I expect to get out of the honey vibram 100 sole? I work on concrete all day, so I’m looking to get as much cushion as possible. That being said, it would be nice to get 2 years in between resoles if possible. How much worse would the black 100 be comfort worse? I briefly considered a crepe sole, but my current work boots have that sole and their lack of traction on dusty floors or snow is horrible.

3) I’m thinking of trying lace to toe this time. Can you guys think of any reason not to for a work boot?

4) if I should go with one of the Red Dog leathers, what do you guys think for eyelets and hooks? Nickel or Brass?

So far I’m thinking of going with SJ’s in the 38 swing last, in Red Dog smooth, lace to toe, nickel hardware, 8” height, double midsole, with the honey vibram sole, natural sole finish. What do you guys think?

 

[Rymanocerous]

Did they at least explain how this could have happened, or give you a root cause failure analysis, or tell you what sort of corrective action they were implementing to prevent this from reoccurring?

A future discount in nice, but actual concrete corrective action and process improvement is better... actions speak louder than worlds...

"Oops"... "my bad" does not cut it IMHO... but reasonable minds can differ...

Jesus you have gotten crustier in your old age. People and business still just **** up. Annoying yes, but sometimes a mistake is a mistake. Do you want them to tell you 'well hey Craig was working on these and trimmed them before confirming on the order sheet'. Or 'we included these in a production line of standard trims hence the error' ?

I think what makes a company stand out even more than flawless execution is excellent customer service.

CS fixes all manners of slights and builds a customer relationship. Good CS matters when your product is perfect and when it's not.

 

[montanamike]

I’m getting ready to order my second pair of Whites already and have a few questions before ordering. These will be used for work (diesel mechanic).

1) what is the difference between Red Dog oiled and Red Dog smooth? I was under the impression they are one in the same, but Bakers Build A Boot’s approximation of color seems to indicate that the oiled has more brown in it and the smooth has more red.

2) how much life can I expect to get out of the honey vibram 100 sole? I work on concrete all day, so I’m looking to get as much cushion as possible. That being said, it would be nice to get 2 years in between resoles if possible. How much worse would the black 100 be comfort worse? I briefly considered a crepe sole, but my current work boots have that sole and their lack of traction on dusty floors or snow is horrible.

3) I’m thinking of trying lace to toe this time. Can you guys think of any reason not to for a work boot?

4) if I should go with one of the Red Dog leathers, what do you guys think for eyelets and hooks? Nickel or Brass?

So far I’m thinking of going with SJ’s in the 38 swing last, in Red Dog smooth, lace to toe, nickel hardware, 8” height, double midsole, with the honey vibram sole, natural sole finish. What do you guys think?

I like "the dog"... Below is a pair of mine when new. I found it very easy to break in.

1) So far as I know, the same thing.
2) It depends.. I've never had a honey vib but working on concrete all day, I think I would go that way regardless of the shorter life. (I would trade the longer life in my joints and feet for the shorter life of the soles). The number I have heard thrown about several times is the honey vibram last about 25% less. That may or may not be true but its a guess I have seen bounced around a few times.
3) I am a fan of the ltt and maybe I wouldnt go that way if doing welding but nothing else really comes to mind.
4) I choose brass... no wrong choice.

 

[Legal Eagles]

Jesus you have gotten crustier in your old age. People and business still just **** up. Annoying yes, but sometimes a mistake is a mistake. Do you want them to tell you 'well hey Craig was working on these and trimmed them before confirming on the order sheet'. Or 'we included these in a production line of standard trims hence the error' ?

I think what makes a company stand out even more than flawless execution is excellent customer service.

CS fixes all manners of slights and builds a customer relationship. Good CS matters when your product is perfect and when it's not.

As I said, reasonable minds can differ...

I think what makes a company stand out is getting things right the first time, so that customer service is unnecessary... or needed only in extremely rare situations.

I used to hold your view when mistakes were less frequent, and involved things like a missed stitch or uneven lines. We have seen more and more "bonehead" mistakes, not associated with the hand made variability boot to boot... just basic stuff like getting the order right...

Yes, people and businesses still "f*** up", but when you consider the severity of the errors, as well as the frequency of the non-conformance, I think any objective person would have to admit things are getting worse, not better.

As I said, I have been a White's apologist in the past... no more... I respect your position, but each person has to make their own choice.

If you are right, White's and Baker's mea culpa will placate the masses and the fanboys who believe White's can do no wrong (I am not denigrating them, I used to be one)... if not, customers will vote with their feet and their wallet. Capitalism!

Perhaps I have become more critical in my old age, which is likely exacerbated by a world where true quality becomes harder and harder to find, and mediocrity seems the order of the day. I have said it in the past and will say it again, the customer should not be final QC for the factory. One's mantra cannot be: "There is never time to do it right, but there is always time to do it twice".

I love White's Boots, I really do... I have 10+ pairs, their 38 Swing last is a godsend, and they are head and shoulders above any other "off the shelf" boot available... heck even when they are bad, they are still really good, but just speaking for myself, I cringe when I see some of the stuff that leaves the factory these days...

As I said however, reasonable minds can differ, and I respect all opinions... ultimately it is your money... I once more echo @klank74 's sentiment:

It’s as if everyone has quit trying.

But let us all never forget that we are lucky to have such first world problems...

 

[klank74]

I like "the dog"... Below is a pair of mine when new. I found it very easy to break in.

1) So far as I know, the same thing.
2) It depends.. I've never had a honey vib but working on concrete all day, I think I would go that way regardless of the shorter life. (I would trade the longer life in my joints and feet for the shorter life of the soles). The number I have heard thrown about several times is the honey vibram last about 25% less. That may or may not be true but its a guess I have seen bounced around a few times.
3) I am a fan of the ltt and maybe I wouldnt go that way if doing welding but nothing else really comes to mind.
4) I choose brass... no wrong choice.

I like those! I would have liked to go with rough out, but I come into contact with oil, grease, and coolant constantly and I think that stuff would tend to be harder to clean off of rough out and stain it faster.
Red Dog is considered one of their “work” leather, right?

 

[montanamike]

As I said, reasonable minds can differ...

I think what makes a company stand out is getting things right the first time, so that customer service is unnecessary.

I used to hold your view when mistakes were less frequent, and involved things like a missed stitch or uneven lines. We have seen more and more "bonehead" mistakes, not associated with the hand made variability boot to boot... just basic stuff like getting the order right...

As I said, I have been a White's apologist in the past... no more... I respect your position, but each person has to make their own choice.

If you are right, White's and Baker's mea culpa will placate the masses and the fanboys who believe White's can do no wrong (I am not denigrating them, I used to be one)... if not, customers will vote with their feet and their wallet. Capitalism!

Perhaps I have become more critical in my old age, which is likely exacerbated by a world where true quality becomes harder and harder to find, and mediocrity seems the order of the day. I have said it in the past and will say it again, the customer should not be final QC for the factory.

I love White's Boots, I have 10+ pairs, their 38 Swing last is a godsend, and they are head and shoulders above any other "off the shelf" boot available... heck even when they are bad, they are still really good, but just speaking for myself, I cringe when I see some of the stuff that leaves the factory these days.

As I said however, reasonable minds can differ, and I respect all opinions... ultimately it is your money...

But let us all never forget that we are lucky to have such first world problems...

If I was running the show... I would be tempted to hire a person to detail check each boot and the associated order specs. Having my name slagged online for whiffing on basic things is something I can't stand for. It reeks of I dont need you as bad as you need me.

I've helped run a software company for 20 years. In the old days we shipped out old school CD's and manuals. To ensure things were done to my satisfaction at shipping, I blocked off the time of 330-430 to personally inspect every shipment that went out. It was a huge pain in the @$$ and it seems I could have been doing more useful things. The shipping guys always respected me for doing it and we basically never had a customer issue. It can (and really should) be done.

 

[montanamike]

I like those! I would have liked to go with rough out, but I come into contact with oil, grease, and coolant constantly and I think that stuff would tend to be harder to clean off of rough out and stain it faster.
Red Dog is considered one of their “work” leather, right?

Yep.. just the easiest color to get right for daily wear of the work iterations in my limited experience. (25 years of wearing Whites)

 

[klank74]

Did they at least explain how this could have happened, or give you a root cause failure analysis, or tell you what sort of corrective action they were implementing to prevent this from reoccurring?

A future discount in nice, but actual concrete corrective action and process improvement is better... actions speak louder than worlds...

"Oops"... "my bad" does not cut it IMHO... but reasonable minds can differ...

If I was running the show... I would be tempted to hire a person to detail check each boot and the associated order specs. Having my name slagged online for whiffing on basic things is something I can't stand for. It reeks of I dont need you as bad as you need me.

I've helped run a software company for 20 years. In the old days we shipped out old school CD's and manuals. To ensure things were done to my satisfaction at shipping, I blocked off the time of 330-430 to personally inspect every shipment that went out. It was a huge pain in the @$$ and it seems I could have been doing more useful things. The shipping guys always respected me for doing it and we basically never had a customer issue. It can (and really should) be done.

Bakers did not go into great detail, nor did I ask. Bakers has been undermanned and over worked during this whole Covid thing, I didn’t want to take up to much of Brandon’s time, nor did I have much time to discuss things while at work. Bakers caught the QC error, made it right on their end, and I’m happy with that, but I have thought of emailing Whites themselves. Not to complain or try to get further compensation from them, just to say that the QC has seemed to be going downhill for sometime now, as is evident on the forums, and that I would like to see it fixed because I like their product and as a company with a rich history, with American workers, making a hand made product, I want to see them continue to succeed.

i understand mistakes happen, but as Legaleagles mentioned, it’s not just simple stuff that comes from hand crafting something, it is screw ups on the fundamental stuff, like getting the order specs right. I don’t blame Bakers, their sort of the middle man. I don’t own a business, nor do I make boots, so I can’t pretend to know where the break down is occurring. Is it in the communication between the person at Whites taking the order and relaying it to the people building the boots? Are the people making the boots not following the order specs correctly? Final QC definitely isn’t getting right. I don’t know. I’ll won’t get too worried about it unless this country finally gets back to some form of normalcy, our work force is back to full capacity, and these problems are still occurring.[/QUOTE]