Nicks Handmade Boots Official Affiliate Thread

[montanamike]

Hey guys I have some questions. I just got my second pair of Nicks which I love. I knew I would as long as I liked the leather which I ended up getting the 1964 Brown. My question is what is best for conditioning it when the time comes. The preservative or the oil and how much does it darken? I've only ever used Redwing heritage leather cream. Also is Fiebing's Resolene best for bringing natural edges back the that darkened new look?

Ive used Resolene happily for years.. I sand medium then fine and do two light coats. More isn't better.. light coats are plenty. Saphir Reno or VSC are my favorites.. same scenario... more isn't better. Both will yield fine results if you don't overdo it.

 

[hoppy_IPA]

@Notgoodwithnames - resolene is awesome for refinishing edges. i like to use a sanding sponge to smooth them prior to application if needed. 60 or 80 grit works well.
Ive had great results with Lexol as a conditioner on my work books. It's worth having a bottle around.

@Nicks Boots Shuyler - that is interesting about the Renovateur hype at Horween. It used to be VSC as I remember it. I'll have to look into the Reno - Im def. a Saphir fan.

 

[Notgoodwithnames]

@hoppy_IPA & @montanamike Good to know. Thanks for the information as well guys. The more the merrier!

 

[Ravl]

It’s a good idea. Could be a good fit for the hiker. I think the thought here is that most people don’t use the top eyelet unless they’re firefighters or other heavy duty applications but definitely open to the idea, and we are learning a lot. Could be a great fit for some of our newer models.

I agree that speed hooks to the top would be a good addition. At least for the Ridgline hiking boot. Most hiking boots I’ve looked at have the speed hooks to the top. I think it would give slightly better ankle support without having to go up to the 8 inch option.

 

[Notgoodwithnames]

Removed.

 

[Nicks Boots Shuyler]

@Notgoodwithnames - resolene is awesome for refinishing edges. i like to use a sanding sponge to smooth them prior to application if needed. 60 or 80 grit works well.
Ive had great results with Lexol as a conditioner on my work books. It's worth having a bottle around.

@Nicks Boots Shuyler - that is interesting about the Renovateur hype at Horween. It used to be VSC as I remember it. I'll have to look into the Reno - Im def. a Saphir fan.

They were getting weird and John was talking Kiwi, even.

We will have a video about CXL production. I think we got some really cool words from Skip on their process, as well. Hope we can share it. He’s a private guy so will be respectful, of course, but it was very interesting and cool to be a party to.

 

[Mogenstroelsjunior]

Hey!
Im new here, but have been lurking for a couple of months. Could really use a few tips regarding sizing for a pair of builderpros, classic arch, 55 toe box.

After researching (and dreaming haha) for a couple of months i feel ready to pull the trigger on a pair of nicks builderpros.

I live in europe, so i am unable to go through the try- on process, but i tried to order a couple of red wing iron rangers instead, to get a feel for my size in us heritage boots

A few data points :

I did the paper brannock (did the credit card scale of course) found in the Nicks sizing guide, and lenght wise it put me right at size 11 and width somewhere between a D or E (but closest to E, maybe even a wider, when i measured in the evening). The actual measurements were 10.23, 10.44, and 10.63 inches depending on the time of day.

I ordered two pairs of red wings Iron Ranger 8085 - in size 10.5D and 10D (wider sizes are a bit harder to get hold of in europe).

Keep in mind that i tried these out of the box, so they are not broken in or anything.

The 10.5D feels a tad bit too long, and a bit too narrow. Not so narrow that it hurts or squishes my toes, but enough that it has me thinking it will get uncomfortable if worn all day. (Which kind of saddens me, as i really wanted to wear the IRs while waiting for the Nicks). This pushes me closer to E sizing i think.

The 10D is wayy too narrow and squishes half of my toes - i think the lenght is more to my liking, but its kinda hard to tell when it is so narrow. My toes dont hit the front of the boot when walking, but they may be held back by the smaller toes being held in place by the narrowness of the boot.

This got me thinking that i should order a 10EE from Nicks, but i am afraid that it will be too short. The alternative would be a 10.5E but i think it might be too long and a tiny bit too narrow.

I wear a size us mens 12 in vans, which gives me around half an inch of room in front of my toes, and leaves my pinky toe resting at the side of the shoe, pressing very lightly against it when walking.

I find this fit to be perfect, and ideally i would want the nicks to fit the same - half an inch toe room (but no more, as i really hate wearing shoes that are too long) and a bit of width room to move my smaller toes around, but still not overly roomy.

I also have really skinny ankles - measuring 8.26 inches right above the ankle bones - does anyone else have skinny ankles and know if this is going to cause issues with the lacing?

Anyways sorry for the long rant, but i'm super confused about sizing, and really torn between a 10.5E or 10EE (kind of feels like i have dived deep into some conspiracy theory) and could really use some pointers from you guys before i order.

 

[brandonboot]

@Mogenstroelsjunior 1 full size down in length from brannock imo. True to size in width or 1 width higher then brannock shouldn’t ever fail you

 

[TyrLI]

I wear size 12 in sneakers, 11.5EE in Iron Rangers and 11.5E in Nicks

 

[Nicks Boots Shuyler]

Hey!
Im new here, but have been lurking for a couple of months. Could really use a few tips regarding sizing for a pair of builderpros, classic arch, 55 toe box.

After researching (and dreaming haha) for a couple of months i feel ready to pull the trigger on a pair of nicks builderpros.

I live in europe, so i am unable to go through the try- on process, but i tried to order a couple of red wing iron rangers instead, to get a feel for my size in us heritage boots

A few data points :

I did the paper brannock (did the credit card scale of course) found in the Nicks sizing guide, and lenght wise it put me right at size 11 and width somewhere between a D or E (but closest to E, maybe even a wider, when i measured in the evening). The actual measurements were 10.23, 10.44, and 10.63 inches depending on the time of day.

I ordered two pairs of red wings Iron Ranger 8085 - in size 10.5D and 10D (wider sizes are a bit harder to get hold of in europe).

Keep in mind that i tried these out of the box, so they are not broken in or anything.

The 10.5D feels a tad bit too long, and a bit too narrow. Not so narrow that it hurts or squishes my toes, but enough that it has me thinking it will get uncomfortable if worn all day. (Which kind of saddens me, as i really wanted to wear the IRs while waiting for the Nicks). This pushes me closer to E sizing i think.

The 10D is wayy too narrow and squishes half of my toes - i think the lenght is more to my liking, but its kinda hard to tell when it is so narrow. My toes dont hit the front of the boot when walking, but they may be held back by the smaller toes being held in place by the narrowness of the boot.

This got me thinking that i should order a 10EE from Nicks, but i am afraid that it will be too short. The alternative would be a 10.5E but i think it might be too long and a tiny bit too narrow.

I wear a size us mens 12 in vans, which gives me around half an inch of room in front of my toes, and leaves my pinky toe resting at the side of the shoe, pressing very lightly against it when walking.

I find this fit to be perfect, and ideally i would want the nicks to fit the same - half an inch toe room (but no more, as i really hate wearing shoes that are too long) and a bit of width room to move my smaller toes around, but still not overly roomy.

I also have really skinny ankles - measuring 8.26 inches right above the ankle bones - does anyone else have skinny ankles and know if this is going to cause issues with the lacing?

Anyways sorry for the long rant, but i'm super confused about sizing, and really torn between a 10.5E or 10EE (kind of feels like i have dived deep into some conspiracy theory) and could really use some pointers from you guys before i order.

For some reason we are closest to Iron Ranger sizes than other shoes, maybe a quarter size longer (if that existed). I would probably recommend a 10.5E. I wouldn’t go with a 10, though I like a little more length.

 

[Mogenstroelsjunior]

Thanks for the replies! Really helpful - and really goes to show how diffrent picking a size can be. Still not entirely sure which size i’m picking, but i should probably just pick one of the two and see how it fits and take it from there

 

[hoppy_IPA]

@Mogenstroelsjunior - I’m a 12.5C Brannock & wear a 12D in the 55 last with the all PNW makers. I can squeeze into an 11.5 but only with thin socks.

 

[Phanes]

Welly iron ranger in that leather widens a bit do I sized down in nicks I have 11e and it feels much better. The long snoot from the toe cap makes it look in a bit long. If you are near cologne you can try on a 11e.

 

[brandonboot]

Thanks for the replies! Really helpful - and really goes to show how diffrent picking a size can be. Still not entirely sure which size i’m picking, but i should probably just pick one of the two and see how it fits and take it from there

Is it easy for you to get to a shipping place to return a pair that didn’t fit?

if so you could always order a half size down and a full size down then return the one that didn’t fit you. I don’t know how much nicks would like that tho. You hear of people that are uncertain about sizing buying 2 sizes and returning one in mass produced items.. just don’t know about handmade ones.

 

[Boot drive]

Is it easy for you to get to a shipping place to return a pair that didn’t fit?

if so you could always order a half size down and a full size down then return the one that didn’t fit you. I don’t know how much nicks would like that tho. You hear of people that are uncertain about sizing buying 2 sizes and returning one in mass produced items.. just don’t know about handmade ones.

After a few good weeks of reading/lurking I'm all caught up on this thread.
I'm pretty much in the same boat: I'm 8.5E up to almost EE in the evening(very squishy flat feet). I was thinking of ordering 8E or 7.5EE but I feel kind of bad doing this to a handmade boot. Also there are the taxes in Europe (I'm in the Netherlands): I would pay taxes/transport on two boots and even if I would return one of them I would still not receive the taxes back for the returned pair(or at least I'm not sure on how to go about getting a tax return).
I think it is critical to just get the sizing right the first time and follow Shuyler's/Nick's CS advice in regards to sizing.