Custom White's Boots ... Thoughts?

[mboon85]

Here are a few photos of a rubber heel cap with 10-12 miles of wear. Again, I am not "completely burning through heel caps".
As you may see in the last of the three photos, it's only the rear edge of the cap that quickly wears. The balance of the cap reveals essentially no wear:

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Not a doctor but could this be something to do with your gait? maybe worth bringing up with a dr if you have ankle or knee issues.

starting physical therapy now will be a life saver if there's an issue. just my two cents.

 

[mboon85]

these are the White's I've previously mentioned. Black bullhide bounty hunters with vibram 430 and a funny named heel I cannot remember right now. quabaug?

the bullhide is kind of amazing in that it does not show wear or patina but does get softer and in doing so reveals more inherent, not earned, character.

after a few years of infrequent but inclement condition wear I've concluded I'm actually an E so will be sending them in for a resole. I also want them to be useful in the great outdoors and the quabaug heel is meh.

when I ordered these in 2018 I was more into normie heritage stuff but have gotten more into mil-surplus and a black boot with a block heel might pair well there. which is to say the cuban heel is a very specific look and while I love it as a pacific northwestern myself, I'm not 100% on it.

thoughts on blacking out the welt and rolling with a cuban heel 100f? a block heel? a HONEY variation for some real curveball character? my original order may have been "too plain".

 

[Properwawa]

Wow those look amazing. What leather? I don't own enough different pairs to do something so wild but those look crazy good. Do you have on-foot photos?

Navy blue horse butt from Maryam, great stuff and really unique colour, looks more steel grey than deep navy when starting out, but I can see the blue showing more and more as wear and patina sets in. I’ll try to get more on foot photos soon, but did post a quick one a few pages back.

 

[Properwawa]

Thanks, that’s basically what I was looking for, just where to get started and figure out what I need.

I’ve owned several pairs of wedge sole boots from redwing and thorogood in the past. The thorogoods have put me on my but a few times in the snow. How is the impact absorption of that wedge sole? That’s my main issue with my whites right now. The balls of my feet feel bruised after a full day on my feet. I’ve even tried some Spenco foam inserts, but They only help a little bit.

Impact absorption is excellent, I think you’d be pretty happy with it. Flexibility is slightly less than my half commandos, but they’re slowly breaking in and I don’t feel hugely held back by them.

 

[wordfool]

these are the White's I've previously mentioned. Black bullhide bounty hunters with vibram 430 and a funny named heel I cannot remember right now. quabaug?

the bullhide is kind of amazing in that it does not show wear or patina but does get softer and in doing so reveals more inherent, not earned, character.

after a few years of infrequent but inclement condition wear I've concluded I'm actually an E so will be sending them in for a resole. I also want them to be useful in the great outdoors and the quabaug heel is meh.

when I ordered these in 2018 I was more into normie heritage stuff but have gotten more into mil-surplus and a black boot with a block heel might pair well there. which is to say the cuban heel is a very specific look and while I love it as a pacific northwestern myself, I'm not 100% on it.

thoughts on blacking out the welt and rolling with a cuban heel 100f? a block heel? a HONEY variation for some real curveball character? my original order may have been "too plain".

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love the character of that bullhide, but I wonder if that character will be less front and center if you go full blackout? I have a pair of block-heeled BH in black bison with bullhide toecap and heel counter, but decided against black edge for that reason. I do have a pair of black roughout SDs with black edge and lowered block heel that I love, but in that case the blackout sorta improves the otherwise slightly scruffy looking character of the roughout. Also be warned that the black edge dressing wears very quickly so you might need to re-apply often or find a better solution if you want it super black all the time.

i guess I’m now more of a fan of block heels, with five of my seven pairs of Whites having one, including most recently a pair of distressed RO BHs with a 100 sole on which the block heel is not as massively pronounced as I worried it might be.

The biggest problem with block heels in my experience is that White‘s usually doesn’t sand the heel close enough to the upper so you end up with a massive shelf and a heel that juts out far too much. Every time I order a pair with block heel I request “minimal heel shelf” and almost every time I get a shelf fit for the biggest pair of spurs imaginable! Thankfully most of my pairs have immediately had to go back for a rebuild or re-heel (gotta love White’s QC) and second time around the shelf is smaller.

 

[mboon85]

Thankfully most of my pairs have immediately had to go back for a rebuild or re-heel (gotta love White’s QC) and second time around the shelf is smaller.

interesting use of "thankfully."

I didn't realize sending them back was an option from the get go. From the start the edge where the vamp tucks towards the arch of my foot (idk the term of this part of the boot but I know one exists) was a little sloppy, and was told bullhide is so tough it prevents a really clean transition.

 

[chicagoan2016]

So these texture beasts arrived today...

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Bounty Hunters (6") in black bison with black bullhide toe caps and heel counters, brown bison backstay, half-gusset tongue, block heel (standard height), brown edge, and Vib430 sole.

And, of course, the heel shelf is wide enough for afternoon tea.

I remember your heel shelf comment ????

 

[wordfool]

interesting use of "thankfully."

I didn't realize sending them back was an option from the get go. From the start the edge where the vamp tucks towards the arch of my foot (idk the term of this part of the boot but I know one exists) was a little sloppy, and was told bullhide is so tough it prevents a really clean transition.

Thankful only for getting another shot at less of a heel shelf. Not thankful for having to go through the "return or not?" discussion with Baker's and then the hassle and wait time entailed in returning then waiting for a rebuild/repair for something that really should not have had the faults in the first place (it always amazes me that some of this stuff is not caught during the build).

There's "cosmetically sloppy" (which I can live with and is IMO somewhat inherent to handmade boots in this price range) and then there's "ridiculously sloppy" that is just glaringly bad or bad enough to potentially affect structural integrity or simply not what was ordered, all three of which I've experienced.

 

[PACostag]

Put some spice into my White's rotation

A very Happy New Year to you all and good luck in the year ahead

 

[mboon85]

Put some spice into my White's rotation

A very Happy New Year to you all and good luck in the year ahead

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How do you wear these? I'm particularly intrigued by the rough out but dont know what I'd wear them with.

 

[PACostag]

How do you wear these? I'm particularly intrigued by the rough out but dont know what I'd wear them with.

I have no idea yet

 

[whipcord]

Wasn’t planning on using the false tongues that came with my most recent pair, so decided to make a watch strap from them. Also updating quickly with the boots. They’ve already taken me up a tree to rescue a cat. Good times!
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What model boot is that? I like the blunt, round toe.

 

[PACostag]

What model boot is that? I like the blunt, round toe.

It's their Northwest Lace to Toe oxford (aptly named since it's on their Northwest last). Definitely more rounded than their 55 or C461 lasts

 

[imwalker]

It's their Northwest Lace to Toe oxford (aptly named since it's on their Northwest last). Definitely more rounded than their 55 or C461 lasts

The "Baker's Oxford" is also built on the NW last. How's the fit/sizing compared to the 55? I have a pair on order in Red Dog roughout, Kyle had recommended a half size up from 55.

 

[PACostag]

The "Baker's Oxford" is also built on the NW last. How's the fit/sizing compared to the 55? I have a pair on order in Red Dog roughout, Kyle had recommended a half size up from 55.

I got the same advice, however I ended up sticking with the same size as on the 55 and I'm happy that I did. I find the fit to be very comfortable, maybe even rivaling the 55. Be warned though - these will make your White's boots seem lightweight, somehow... The weight is remarkable.