Custom White's Boots ... Thoughts?

[stevenkmason]

My opinion only... in anything handmade, there is going to be greater variation than in a mass-produced machine setting. My other passion (aside from boots) is 1911 pistols... Colt went through the same thing... while other manufacturers here and abroad were going to cookie cutter CNC machined frames and slides, Colt was still doing a lot of its manufacturing, finishing, and polishing by hand. And there were complaints about trigger guard thickness, uneven slide flats, hammers slightly off center, rollmarks not being perfect, etc. None of these things affected performance and they were a sign that this item was created by a human being, not a machine. But the Colts -made by hand based on a 100-year-old design - just worked, out of the box, first time, every time - unlike some of their newer competitors who experienced teething problems.

Compare to Whites, which is traditionally a workboot company where fashion took a back seat to performance. Sure there were things that slipped by QC that made you scratch your head, and cosmetic issues which seemed obvious, but that is the nature of hand manufacturing... no one is perfect. I am not making excuses, some of the issues seemed to be obvious, and when brought to the attention of Whites and Bakers, I think they were all resolved. Were they a little worse in 2014, or were we just looking for them harder? I cannot say. I will say in all my orders any issues have been minor and did not affect performance, and if brought to the attention of White's and Bakers have been rectified. The post above where smokejumpers were ordered with celastic and came with soft toe is an example of a misread order or QC miss... but if the buyer wanted I am sure Whites would replace them.

I also get the idea that if one spends $500-$600 on boots - especially if it is their first handmade pair - they want perfection... when in reality what they are paying for is the handmade touch and materials and process which by definition do not lend themselves to the same "cookie cutter" sameness as a machine process. Each boot from White's is unique, with its own character and peccadilloes... just like Colt's 1911... but like Colt's 1911... they just work.

With White's branching out into lifestyle footwear (MP, Chukka, Oxfords) and competing against the likes of Viberg, Trickers, and Alden, they are looking to get into a fashion market where appearance is key, and people expect a more and more uniform product. It will be interesting to see how White's handles these new more stringent cosmetic expectations.

I like this comparison. Who would you call the Wilson Combat of work styled boots? Haha

 

[Legal Eagles]

I like this comparison. Who would you call the Wilson Combat of work styled boots? Haha

Viberg

 

[Legal Eagles]

I like this comparison. Who would you call the Wilson Combat of work styled boots? Haha

Or maybe Viberg is Para-Ordnance because they are Canadian?

 

[stevenkmason]

Viberg

I'd say Viberg is more like Dan Wesson and Wilson Combat might be a higher end bespoke maker but there's not a ton of bespoke makers doing work boots. It would be easier if it was all footwear makers. Haha

 

[SouthNarc]

A better question is who is the Kimber of work styled boots?

 

[Legal Eagles]

A better question is who is the Kimber of work styled boots?

Redwing Iron Ranger...

 

[SouthNarc]

Redwing Iron Ranger...

 

[SouthNarc]

Actually I'd like to know who is the Heirloom Precision of work styled boots. On that note I want Jason to build me a Commander sized 1911 two-toned with some old school Herrett skip-checkered grips.

 

[rio]

I love to own a 911 Colt @Legal Eagles

 

[mboon85]

I'd say Viberg is more like Dan Wesson and Wilson Combat might be a higher end bespoke maker but there's not a ton of bespoke makers doing work boots. It would be easier if it was all footwear makers. Haha

I’d say my Whites and my Dan Wesson 714 are comparable.

 

[sambam]

Does the vibram truck fiasco effect my order now?

No we received the mini vib 430's.

 

[hak1911]

I love to own a 911 Colt @Legal Eagles

Er Ugh

1911


.....

Caution Non GunGuy Flagging the Line

 

[hak1911]

Non Custom SmokeJumpers

Daily Drivers

 

[Jpto]

Recently got my first pair of Whites, bounty hunters in brown dress and already thinking about my second pair.

I’m curious about where Whites sources it’s leathers like it’s horsehide, French calf and it’s dress leather.

The reason I ask is that I’m trying to buy more of my things from places that respect their workers and try to minimize the impact to the environment. I’ve read a lot of bad things about leather production in the developing world.

 

[bilihana]

After reading this whole thread and weighing options for a long time, I finally decided to order my first pair of SDs (or any quality boot) last month (4/12). The information available in this thread has been really insightful and I appreciate the folks who have contributed their experience and knowledge.
To backtrack- as a result of being born with club feet, my left foot is about 1.5 sizes shorter and has a higher arch than my right foot. After sending my tracings to Baker’s I was sized at a 9E and a 10.5D. Kyle said he was confident in my sizing so I went with it. On this note I have a question:
Has anyone else ordered mismatched pairs with a difference of more than a whole size? I’ve never had a pair of shoes fit correctly on both feet so I’m more excited for the comfort than the looks, but am still kinda concerned about how different they will look at a glance.

Here’s the build I went with:
-SD on the 55 last
-Brown horsedide w/ red liner
-Single celastic
-No toecap
-Close trim
-Block heel, lowered 1/4”, brown edge
-Vibram 430
-All antique eyelets, no pull tab

Really looking forward to getting my hands on these. Does anyone have pictures of, or experience with the brown horse hide White’s is currently using? In some photos it looks red, others tan, and more recently dark brown. Haven’t seen a photo of ‘em I didn’t like but still not totally sure what to expect.. @sambam any chance you could sneak a pic of my, or a similar, boot?