Custom White's Boots ... Thoughts?

[Netvine]

@Netvine ... if I can get away with just using one product, I will... for brown midsoles, I just use the brown resolene. If I were compelled to use two products, I would use the edge dressing first, then when happy with the color (which is all edge dressing does) allow it to dry completely then add neutral resolene on top for the seal... I am not sure edge dressing would soak in if applied over a freshly cured coat of resolene...

Color only or small touchups - Edge Dressing
Seal only (keep existing color) with sheen - Neutral Resolene
Color and seal with sheen - Colored Resolene

Don't overthink it... and always test in an inconspicuous location (front of the heel) first...

Thank You!

 

[Davey13]

Fiebings is what I use, both for edge dressing and for acrylic resolene.

Since edge dressing is for color only, it would make little sense to have a "neutral" edge dressing... that would be like trying to stain a piece of furniture with water...

Now because the resolene is for color and sealing, they do sell a neutral... for sealing leather when you do not want to change the color... the color stays the same, but you get a little sheen and protection... keeping up the furniture metaphor, think of it as clear polyurethane.

If you want to change or renew the color and provide protection, then we have colored resolene... think tinted polyurethane.

Makes perfect sense now when you put it that way haha. Thanks.

 

[Davey13]

Okay quick update and another question.
I now have the size 9.5D and the size 9D Whites MP boots to compare before I send one back. I am just still not sure on fitment.

After wearing the 9D, I can easily tell the 9.5D were just a bit too large especially with space in the heel.

These feel much better, except for one thing. On my right foot (i mentioned my right foot is a hair bigger on my measurement sheet), I can feel my two smallest toes feel just a bit cramped, and causing them to rub a bit on each other.

This is a nightmare for me to think about, seeing as how I've had these problems with (cheap) boots before. I work on my feet all day (these are NOT for work btw, I do asphalt), and in the past when this has happened, I find myself taking my boots off taping between my toes to stop the injury from getting worse, and having to work with hours to go on a job site and have to keep going, causing the blisters to go from minor to a major problem before the day is over.

But, Everything else feels the way I imagine it should, great.

The problem is this. Whites makes the MP boots in D width and then EE, no in between. So, I'm really not sure if I will be okay with these as they break in some, or if I should get some sort of stretcher for the toe box, or if I should send these back for the EE width.

Honestly I think the EE width is more width than I need, since its only about a quarter inch I would need to keep my toes from rubbing on my right foot.

For such a high price for these, I really want to get it perfect. And, like Ive said, I've had problems like this before and don't want any rubbing on my toes. My left foot feels fine, but its usually my right foot that gives me this issue depending on what boots I wear.

Suggestions or opinions? Will these loosen up in the toe box as I wear them? Do I need a different size? Will I be okay having the one boot stretched a bit for extra toe room?

I'm really at a loss and hate to keep asking so many questions, but again this is my first pair of whites and really want to love them.

The area that feels tight on my small toes, is right where the stitching for the toe cap is, so I'm not sure how much luck I will have trying to stretch them in that area as opposed to a boot with no toe cap.

I really appreciate all the help I can get. Thanks guys.

 

[Legal Eagles]

Suggestions or opinions? Will these loosen up in the toe box as I wear them? Do I need a different size? Will I be okay having the one boot stretched a bit for extra toe room?

You will not like what I have to say, but this is my experience... the MP is built on the Barrie last, now exclusive of the length and width, the last needs to fit the shape of your feet... I have a wide ball, and most lasts (including the Barrie, Redwing #8, Alden Grant, and White's 690) rub my little toes.

There is no combination of length and width in these lasts that do not rub my toes unless I was to make the boot so wide or long that I would be swimming in them. I have resigned myself that these lasts just do not work for me... luckily Whites has the 38 Swing (perfect), 55 and 4811 which all work for my feet. Unluckily as long as White's makes the MP in the Barrie only, they will not fit me properly. This is not a judgment on Whites, it is just that not all lasts work for all feet. The SIZING between the White's lasts is similar, but the SHAPE around the little toe area is the killer.

As far as stretching, some break-in will occur, but with the liner, toe leather, and true cap toe, you could be trying to stretch 16 or more ounces of leather. I have never had good success stretching a pair of Whites... they never fit "right" and I always resent them... I have learned the hard way to just buy the correct size in the correct last... these boots are too expensive to try to cob together a stop-gap solution to make them "almost fit".

That being said, you have the boots in hand, you want to believe they will be "OK" or "break in", or you will "get used to it"... maybe, but I doubt it. You owe it to your feet to your wallet to get a pair of boots that fit you.

I told you that you would not like to hear this, but I have been where you are... take the time to get it right... you will have these boots for 10+ years... that is a long time to regret your decision... if the Barrie last will not work for you, c'est la vie.... there are other choices out there. My opinion only... YMMV.

 

[hoppy_IPA]

I doubt you’ll get much stretch in the toe box. Go EE, better to be a hair wide than uncomfortable. The boot will mold to your foot and eventually fit better even if it’s a tad loose at first so long as length is good.

Why not go Semi Dress? Better arch support & more options..... like Horse Hide!

Also - why aren’t you getting Whites for work?

 

[Davey13]

I doubt you’ll get much stretch in the toe box. Go EE, better to be a hair wide than uncomfortable. The boot will mold to your foot and eventually fit better even if it’s a tad loose at first so long as length is good.

Why not go Semi Dress? Better arch support & more options..... like Horse Hide!

Also - why aren’t you getting Whites for work?

I'm thinking about possibly something like a pair of SD if I really can't get these to work. I really want a pair of BH's too, so still not sure but both are options at this point. And yes, the horse hide pictures I see are drool worthy.

When funds allow, I will eventually get a pair for work too. But these are my first pair of "nice" boots that I thought I'd treat myself with. But, I do concrete and asphalt work, and my boots take a beating. Hell, every few minutes I'm literally pouring diesel on my soles to eat away the hot asphalt that sticks.. I can't imagine doing that to 600 dollar boots at the moment, but one can dream.

 

[linafelt]

I'm thinking about possibly something like a pair of SD if I really can't get these to work. I really want a pair of BH's too, so still not sure but both are options at this point. And yes, the horse hide pictures I see are drool worthy.

When funds allow, I will eventually get a pair for work too. But these are my first pair of "nice" boots that I thought I'd treat myself with. But, I do concrete and asphalt work, and my boots take a beating. Hell, every few minutes I'm literally pouring diesel on my soles to eat away the hot asphalt that sticks.. I can't imagine doing that to 600 dollar boots at the moment, but one can dream.

I think it’s EE or switch to semi-dress...

 

[Davey13]

You will not like what I have to say, but this is my experience... the MP is built on the Barrie last, now exclusive of the length and width, the last needs to fit the shape of your feet... I have a wide ball, and most lasts (including the Barrie, Redwing #8, Alden Grant, and White's 690) rub my little toes.


I told you that you would not like to hear this, but I have been where you are... take the time to get it right... you will have these boots for 10+ years... that is a long time to regret your decision... if the Barrie last will not work for you, c'est la vie.... there are other choices out there. My opinion only... YMMV.

Well, again I find myself researching what the barrie last looks like, to know avail. I did see another picture someone posted here not long ago (i think it may have been you) where you can see the different shapes of the lasts, but the barrie was not on that one.

So, the reason I fell in love with these as my first pair of good boots was the low profile sole and heel, similar to the Iron Rangers but obviously the better choice. I've always had a hard time explaining this, but the "opposite" of the huge chunky Smoke Jumpers sole, is what I'm drawn to with boots. A flatter sole or thinner sole if you will. So, it does hurt to believe that these MPs might not work out for me.

But, I'm gonna give it another day or two or wearing them around the house. Its funny now, after comparing the 9D and 9.5D. The 9.5 has noticeable heel slip when I walk even with my new wool socks. But, the toes and rest of my foot feel great, like a hand gently holding my foot.

The 9D, while still have some heel slip, they are still new and I would say I can still feel a little slippage but feels better. But, around the toes feel just a hair on the tighter side and also the area around the first couple eyelets. And it could be due to the fold in the tongue where it's sewed in.

I hear what you're saying about stretching, but i would like to add these are unlined though, not sure if that makes any difference.

I also hate to say it, but it could be I may just not be used to wearing a close fitting boot like this.

Its really weird, as I'm walking around some times the toe area feels a bit cramped, other times it feels fine but the instep/vamp area (around the first one or two lower eyelets closest to the toe) feels tight. I just hate to be making something out of nothing, if these are supposed to feel on the narrow side.

I just worry about that problem I have sometimes, and not sure why but on the same foot in the size 9D, I get a good bit of a pressure point at the first lowest eyelet, on the inside.

Ah, yea this is becoming a difficult decision, but like you say, I really should get this right. Thank you for everything. I really wish I lived near Whites to try out different last options..

What makes matters worse, is that the left foot feels great. Thanks for letting me ramble.

 

[iamntbatman]

They can do an E. I have a left foot MP in 11E. It's not listed on the White's site but Kyle at Baker's assured me they could do E widths in the Barrie last and they did it for me. You can also get your boots in two different sizes to make sure the fit is spot on.

As for the toe rub...well. That's really hard to say. My Bounty Hunters (55 last) came in 11E left, 10.5EE right, and there was just the slightest hint of pinkie toe rub in the right boot. Not enough to be seriously worried, I thought, so I just "lived with it." Turned out that after the boots broke in, the toe rub went away completely, and now that pair fits like a glove and are probably my best fitting footwear. My MPs (same sizing) do not have this issue, perhaps because it's a slightly longer last, and neither do my Cykels.

I guess what I'm getting at is that some of the more minor fit issues can disappear as the boots break in, but if your toes are seriously cramped (were it me, I'd consider the shoe pushing my pinkie toe into the next toe to be seriously cramped) then that's probably not something you want to live with, as LegalEagles said.

 

[pbrmhl]

I'm no expert, by any measure, but my wide (EE) feet love the Semi Dress last (#55, I believe). I have no slippage in the heel, a tight fit around my foot, and tons of wiggle room among all my toes. And I means tons of wiggle room. I can literally move every toe at will. Love my White's.

 

[Davey13]

They can do an E. I have a left foot MP in 11E. It's not listed on the White's site but Kyle at Baker's assured me they could do E widths in the Barrie last and they did it for me. You can also get your boots in two different sizes to make sure the fit is spot on.

As for the toe rub...well. That's really hard to say. My Bounty Hunters (55 last) came in 11E left, 10.5EE right, and there was just the slightest hint of pinkie toe rub in the right boot. Not enough to be seriously worried, I thought, so I just "lived with it." Turned out that after the boots broke in, the toe rub went away completely, and now that pair fits like a glove and are probably my best fitting footwear. My MPs (same sizing) do not have this issue, perhaps because it's a slightly longer last, and neither do my Cykels.

I guess what I'm getting at is that some of the more minor fit issues can disappear as the boots break in, but if your toes are seriously cramped (were it me, I'd consider the shoe pushing my pinkie toe into the next toe to be seriously cramped) then that's probably not something you want to live with, as LegalEagles said.

I will ask them if they can possibly do a size E then. That might be just the ticket. I wonder though, as far as my heel goes, how much wider is the next size up (E vs. D) around the heel? The heel feels very good now, so that might be a bad idea.

you know, its not even that the boots are pushing my toes against each other too much, just that my toes don't feel like they have ample room, without being too tight, if that makes any sense. Not uncomfortably tight, but not perfectly comfortable either...

 

[Davey13]

I'm no expert, by any measure, but my wide (EE) feet love the Semi Dress last (#55, I believe). I have no slippage in the heel, a tight fit around my foot, and tons of wiggle room among all my toes. And I means tons of wiggle room. I can literally move every toe at will. Love my White's.

The weird thing is, I don't particularly have wide feet by any means. I actually have pretty narrow feet, except my toes seem to need a bit extra room due to some other factor, like maybe the way I walk which causes my 3 smallest toes to sit very close together to the point that there is friction in certain boots.

I am almost hesitant to try something with a wider heel, since these feel so good otherwise.

 

[pbrmhl]

You might think about a different last. The swing last seems to have a ton of toe space. I've not tried it, but there are some believers above.

 

[Peter1]

Okay quick update and another question.
I now have the size 9.5D and the size 9D Whites MP boots to compare before I send one back. I am just still not sure on fitment.

After wearing the 9D, I can easily tell the 9.5D were just a bit too large especially with space in the heel.

These feel much better, except for one thing. On my right foot (i mentioned my right foot is a hair bigger on my measurement sheet), I can feel my two smallest toes feel just a bit cramped, and causing them to rub a bit on each other.

This is a nightmare for me to think about, seeing as how I've had these problems with (cheap) boots before. I work on my feet all day (these are NOT for work btw, I do asphalt), and in the past when this has happened, I find myself taking my boots off taping between my toes to stop the injury from getting worse, and having to work with hours to go on a job site and have to keep going, causing the blisters to go from minor to a major problem before the day is over.

But, Everything else feels the way I imagine it should, great.

The problem is this. Whites makes the MP boots in D width and then EE, no in between. So, I'm really not sure if I will be okay with these as they break in some, or if I should get some sort of stretcher for the toe box, or if I should send these back for the EE width.

Honestly I think the EE width is more width than I need, since its only about a quarter inch I would need to keep my toes from rubbing on my right foot.

For such a high price for these, I really want to get it perfect. And, like Ive said, I've had problems like this before and don't want any rubbing on my toes. My left foot feels fine, but its usually my right foot that gives me this issue depending on what boots I wear.

Suggestions or opinions? Will these loosen up in the toe box as I wear them? Do I need a different size? Will I be okay having the one boot stretched a bit for extra toe room?

I'm really at a loss and hate to keep asking so many questions, but again this is my first pair of whites and really want to love them.

The area that feels tight on my small toes, is right where the stitching for the toe cap is, so I'm not sure how much luck I will have trying to stretch them in that area as opposed to a boot with no toe cap.

I really appreciate all the help I can get. Thanks guys.

I have had that problem, and it does not get better -- you can't stretch out the toebox very much. I have wide forefeet, and toebox fit is everything for me. You could try stretching but if it doesn't work you'll have a very expensive door stop.

 

[Netvine]

What options for a single midsole BH would one select to achieve the same arch-ease properties as a BH with standard heel and double midsole?

Would +\- heel offset or the shank option create a different arch-ease?