Custom White's Boots ... Thoughts?

[chicagoan2016]

Gentlemen,
Does anyone here have Alden from Moulded Shoe? I have read their modified last have higher arches, higher than Alden elsewhere. I wonder if the arch support is comparable to White's.
Thanks

 

[adrs1157]

Gentlemen,
Does anyone here have Alden from Moulded Shoe? I have read their modified last have higher arches, higher than Alden elsewhere. I wonder if the arch support is comparable to White's.
Thanks

Yes I have Alden modified pairs. No, the arch support is not comparable. Alden modified has arch support but it's easily collapsible. It's certainly a step up in comfort than virtually any other Alden last, but not comparable to White's.

White's arch support is far more prominent and has far less give and doesn't collapse when bending or twisting the foot.

Both types have their place. If I'm walking on mostly flat pavement, modified is very comfortable for all-day wear. More comfortable than my White's.

For any kind of uneven or unpredictable terrain where I need guaranteed support, White's is just better.

 

[star656]

I wonder if air pressure changes on airplanes have some major effect on squeaks? I had a really similar experience - sometimes I have squeaks in my White's. Just last month I went to Budapest and my left boot had this bonkers squeak with each step. Then I fly back to Ireland...squeak gone.

This is very interesting. I just developed a major squeak in my viberg service boots and searched the whites thread and this was the first result.

Had boots 1-2 months, worn well, loved them. Long airplane flight, worn loosely, come home and squeak galore. Thought it might be the tongue so oiled them well and squeak was gone from one shoe entirely and other one for about a mile -- now crazy awful squeak with every flex on my left boot. This can't be 'normal'. Does no one wear leather shoes on a plane?

 

[iamntbatman]

This is very interesting. I just developed a major squeak in my viberg service boots and searched the whites thread and this was the first result.

Had boots 1-2 months, worn well, loved them. Long airplane flight, worn loosely, come home and squeak galore. Thought it might be the tongue so oiled them well and squeak was gone from one shoe entirely and other one for about a mile -- now crazy awful squeak with every flex on my left boot. This can't be 'normal'. Does no one wear leather shoes on a plane?

Well, the squeaking comes from leather rubbing against leather. In many (most?) welted shoes made from quality materials, where there are two layers of leather (e.g., insole and midsole/outsole), there is usually a cork filler between them that would mitigate the squeak. However, the all-leather construction of White's doesn't have the cork. If there's any space at all for air between the insole and midsole, that can facilitate rubbing with each step that produces the squeak. I suspect that air pressure changes can affect this gap and thus the squeak. From what I understand, recently White's have started adding a layer of canvas between the leather layers, which should help prevent the dreaded squeak.

 

[WestLinn]

Well, the squeaking comes from leather rubbing against leather. In many (most?) welted shoes made from quality materials, where there are two layers of leather (e.g., insole and midsole/outsole), there is usually a cork filler between them that would mitigate the squeak. However, the all-leather construction of White's doesn't have the cork. If there's any space at all for air between the insole and midsole, that can facilitate rubbing with each step that produces the squeak. I suspect that air pressure changes can affect this gap and thus the squeak. From what I understand, recently White's have started adding a layer of canvas between the leather layers, which should help prevent the dreaded squeak.

If only Elaine had known this, she could have given the sidler a pair of quality shoes rather than the tic tacs.

 

[Hellraysaz]

Wedding invitation calls for #8 CXL Main Streets

 

[jmiller123]

This image of the Stockman is really doing it for me. Does anyone know if the standard version has a soft toe or if the above image is a custom makeup? I tried out the stitchdown 350 cruisers and returned them because they had a celastic toe and I thought it made the boot too bulky.

 

[WestLinn]

View attachment 1916737

This image of the Stockman is really doing it for me. Does anyone know if the standard version has a soft toe or if the above image is a custom makeup? I tried out the stitchdown 350 cruisers and returned them because they had a celastic toe and I thought it made the boot too bulky.

I’m pretty sure it’s a soft toe.

 

[Hellraysaz]

Really enjoyed this podcast from the Stichdown crew featuring White's president, Eric Kinney.

They go a bit over the development of the MP model, White's history, White's ownership by ABC Mart, the new Stichdown line etc.

Enjoy!

 

[wordfool]

I have a question for all your boot afficionados: what, if anything, do you use to condition roughout boots?

The reason I ask is that I've just completed my late-winter, leather boot conditioning merry-go-round (using mainly VSC plus whatever liquid goop Red Wing sells for its boots) and I noted that my two pairs of roughout White's boots felt pretty dry, so that got me curious. Is roughout just left to its own devices since it is never going to crack like smooth leathers, or is there some spray-on conditioner that'll make it feel a bit less crunchy without killing the nap or adding some impermeable layer of waterproofing gunk? I feel like maybe I should dilute some VSC and force it through a spray bottle or something.

Or perhaps it's a case of conditioning the inside of the boot (assuming no lining interference) and leaving the outside to let nature run its course?

 

[iamntbatman]

Pretty much anything I've tried on roughout has resulted in some level of it sort of turning into waxed flesh type stuff. Obenaufs did that in a serious way, but recently I applied some Collonil 1909 cream (supposedly similar to the very light Bick 4) and it had similar results. I just wouldn't condition it at all if you want to keep the nap.

 

[wordfool]

Pretty much anything I've tried on roughout has resulted in some level of it sort of turning into waxed flesh type stuff. Obenaufs did that in a serious way, but recently I applied some Collonil 1909 cream (supposedly similar to the very light Bick 4) and it had similar results. I just wouldn't condition it at all if you want to keep the nap.

Were you able to recover the nap at all? Having seen a video of someone turning roughout into waxed flesh using VSC (which Horween apparently recommends to rejuvenate WF) it sounds like you need quite a lot of the stuff to totally kill the nap

 

[Jpto]

I've used both bick 4 and lexol with roughout. Brush your boot with a suede brush, condition and let dry and then go over the boot again with a brass suede brush, the nap comes back to a preconditioned state.

 

[linafelt]

Fresh out of the box 350s from the MTO event White’s did at division Road last fall. I asked for 5” height rather than 6” (as it happens they turned out about 4.5”).

 

[WestLinn]

Pretty much anything I've tried on roughout has resulted in some level of it sort of turning into waxed flesh type stuff. Obenaufs did that in a serious way, but recently I applied some Collonil 1909 cream (supposedly similar to the very light Bick 4) and it had similar results. I just wouldn't condition it at all if you want to keep the nap.

I have a question for all your boot afficionados: what, if anything, do you use to condition roughout boots?

The reason I ask is that I've just completed my late-winter, leather boot conditioning merry-go-round (using mainly VSC plus whatever liquid goop Red Wing sells for its boots) and I noted that my two pairs of roughout White's boots felt pretty dry, so that got me curious. Is roughout just left to its own devices since it is never going to crack like smooth leathers, or is there some spray-on conditioner that'll make it feel a bit less crunchy without killing the nap or adding some impermeable layer of waterproofing gunk? I feel like maybe I should dilute some VSC and force it through a spray bottle or something.

Or perhaps it's a case of conditioning the inside of the boot (assuming no lining interference) and leaving the outside to let nature run its course?

I've done the inside of the boot when there is no lining. I like to heat the boots a little by putting them in a warm spot (outside in the shade works well in warmer times) and then apply some conditioner on the inside and then let them sit and soak it in. As an alternative, Trenton and Heath have a video on suede:



And JK did this one for roughouts:



I have not watched either, I just recalled T&H having a video about it. Maybe something there that helps!