Wesco Boots!

[crow1503]

I will shoot you straight...

1) $600 is quite a large amount of money to spend on boots where you do not know your size. Handmade boots are not like athletic shoes where the sizing is somewhat consistent from brand to brand. Each maker uses different lasts and each last fits differently... the best option is to get fitted and measured in person, the second best is to send tracings and measurements to the manufacturer. Some people get lucky with their first purchase... many do not. For $600 the boots should fit perfectly, not "pretty good" or "ok", or acceptable with thick or thin socks...

It is hard to give sizing advice without knowing the last... in general I find I size down one half American size from my Brannock measurement, but YMMV. Plus it is unlikely you will be wearing these with thick socks, so take that into account.

2) I find Wesco to have good arch support, certainly more than sneakers or dress shoes. I do find White's packers to have even more arch support than Wesco however.

3) Honestly I would never even consider a handmade Northwest (Wesco, White's, Nick's, etc.) boot for a tropical country... you will suffer unbearably even if unlined and with light socks. I tried to wear a similar pair of boots in Florida... not a good idea... seriously, these are heavy boots made with heavy leather, and they get hot... I would hate for you to spend a large sum of money and find the boots just don't work for the tropics.

4) Again, straight up honest... if you are a logger, farmer, construction worker, or in some other outdoor field, the boots are absolutely worth the price for the durability and protection. For office and fashion use, they are overkill, but to each his own and it is your money. In my opinion many of the old classic brands (I am looking at you Viberg) have moved from work boots to fashion...I honestly think you hit a point of diminishing returns quality wise around $400... the cost of a basic Jobmaster or Smokejumper... anything more than that and you are paying for name and "fashion".

In the end it is your money and your decision, but you MUST get the sizing right... if you don't you will resent the money you spent on the boots.

One other point... wear the boots for two weeks (a month is better) at a minimum to break them in... the leather in these types of boots is insanely tough and requires time to break in. In the tropical environment, your feet will sweat, get cedar shoe trees and keep them in the boots... allow 2 days off the foot for every day you wear them... if you do not allow them to completely dry, they will smell and deteriorate faster.

Good luck!

Thanks for the suggestion and your opinion sir!
this one is really open my mind about those boots (Wesco) and after getting an explanation from you I think I will pass this opportunity and try to find other boots that will work with my tropical environment. because if I cannot bear with the heat for sure that boots will become $600 ornaments.

but anyway I'm not so into Viberg, but hopefully, in near future, I will find a great boot with great arch support that can compare with those brands!

 

[justsayno]

Assuming you live in Indonesia, have you bought some Indonesian made boots from Santalum, Junkard, Sagara etc? They are priced half that of Wesco, Whites etc

 

[crow1503]

Assuming you live in Indonesia, have you bought some Indonesian made boots from Santalum, Junkard, Sagara etc? They are priced half that of Wesco, Whites etc

Yes I live in Indonesia. Tried sagara and junkard not interested in santalum
Junkard is not working for me. And disappointed with their craftmanship.

Actually my reason for choosing white, wesco or nick i'm very curious with the arch support and I love the model especially in nick and wesco . And I think I cannot find it on Indonesia boot makers

 

[HolyBootsBatman]

Yes I live in Indonesia. Tried sagara and junkard not interested in santalum
Junkard is not working for me. And disappointed with their craftmanship.

Actually my reason for choosing white, wesco or nick i'm very curious with the arch support and I love the model especially in nick and wesco . And I think I cannot find it on Indonesia boot makers

It sounds like you are specifically interested in arch, what Legal Eagles said is true.

I find White’s leather arch much more prominent than the arch in my Jobmasters.
The Wesco arch is sufficient for me. Though, I also really dig how White’s Arch fills out and supports my foot. Some love White’s arch but it’s too much for others.
I don’t have any Nick’s, supposedly it’s similar to White’s

It’s White’s thing: “Arch Ease”

 

[UrbanComposition]

If anyone is interested, here's an article on engineer boots (with input from Chris Warren of Wesco and Neil Barrett of Standard & Strange):

The Engineer Boot's Place | The Styleforum Journal

Engineer boots: far from being an exclusive to blue collar workers and motorcyclists, they are a great way to incorporate workwear into your wardrobe.

journal.styleforum.net

Have to agree with the above poster re: arch support. Wesco hits the sweet spot in arch support for me.

 

[HolyBootsBatman]

If anyone is interested, here's an article on engineer boots (with input from Chris Warren of Wesco and Neil Barrett of Standard & Strange):

The Engineer Boot's Place | The Styleforum Journal

Engineer boots: far from being an exclusive to blue collar workers and motorcyclists, they are a great way to incorporate workwear into your wardrobe.

journal.styleforum.net

Have to agree with the above poster re: arch support. Wesco is hits the sweet spot in arch support for me.

Thanks

Great article!

 

[HolyBootsBatman]

The mailman recently delivered a pair of 38LLT 100th Anniversary Jobmaster.
These anniversary boots are beautiful build. I was entirely excited with these and like all new boots I immediately threw them on wore them rest of the day.

The stitching, heel stack and finishing are all sharp.
The Bump-toe Last is fantastic. I find it considerably more comfortable than my standard Jobmasters. If I order more Wesco’s it will only be with bump-toe.



Unfortunately, there are a few problems:

The inside quarter has a riot of lose grain.
I realize that leather wrinkles and I enjoy a fully worn-in boot. Though this seems excessive like there was no clicking whatsoever.

If these were intended as another outside rough-use pair I wouldn’t care. That being said, my other Wesco’s are flawless. These are a special edition though.
The problem quarter leather seems like it won’t hold up for the long haul. It is already very soft and lacks structure.

This was taken with a full day of wear time:

The other issue is that the pair was lasted a bit unevenly leaving the vamp length different. Only someone staring at my boots would notice but it’s still annoying.

I did not notice the loose grain until I took them off after that first day. I put them in their box and I emailed Wesco with my concerns and the photos. But it’s been crickets.
Today, I pulled them out to wear again to wear and decided to share.

I’m curious about your thoughts

 

[justsayno]

Looks like seconds

 

[UrbanComposition]

Unless worn everyday in work/construction conditions I wouldn’t worry too much about the softness of the leather. All my boots need resoling looong before the leather breaks down.

The second issue is a bummer, but unless the difference in vamp/tongue/eyeholes placement causes you pain, I’d chalk it up to a mistake and just wear them. Consider them a rarity, like a mislabeled record

I have Red Wings and Aldens that have those same differences. It doesn’t happen often, but it does happen. Bummer they didn’t respond. Give it a couple days, follow up, and if you still don’t hear anything I’ll DM you a contact there.

 

[Wupper]

That really sucks. It would annoy me to the max.

Can’t believe that Wesco‘s QC didn’t notice it.

 

[mlwdp]

Well, my Black Horsehide Boss boots came in. Brass buckles are Ironheart, Vibram half sole is also supplied by me as Wesco does not offer this sole.

 

[UrbanComposition]

Man, those are purdy.

 

[miggyramone]

Any one here familiar with Black Domane/Domain leather from Siedel? I am considering either a pair of Nicks or Wescos in this leather but wanted to know how it ages. Is it like Black CXL, with brown under the surface leather? I am not a fan of the way black leather ages into a grayish hue in spots. Any help would be appricated.

 

[mlwdp]

Just playing around, mimicking the Lynch Silversmith collab with black pebble/black roughout and the 100th anniversary edition with black Horsehide. This is as close i I could make it.

 

[gte872h]

Any one here familiar with Black Domane/Domain leather from Siedel? I am considering either a pair of Nicks or Wescos in this leather but wanted to know how it ages. Is it like Black CXL, with brown under the surface leather? I am not a fan of the way black leather ages into a grayish hue in spots. Any help would be appricated.

The Domane leathers are struck through and not just surface dyed like Horween. I also prefer struck through leather.