What are the best quality and best value for money Chelsea boots out ther

[Smooth Operator]

Hi All,

I am shipping around for a new Chelsea boots and only really tried RM Williams and they I look like a clown wearing their 9F which is my perfect size. Their boots looks a bit too rugged. I am looking for something more formal looking with round toe such as Carmina Inca Chelsea's. Please let me know if you have any experiences with both RM Williams and Carmina or any other brands you would suggest. Thanks in advance

 

[JFWR]

Chelsea 8 Chestnut Burnished Calf

Chelsea 8, a Chelsea boot with 'V' shaped side elastics, made from the finest chestnut burnished calf leather with 'City' rubber soles. From the Men's Main Collection.

us.crockettandjones.com

I think these look spectacular.

 

[JohnMRobie]

Hi All,

I am shipping around for a new Chelsea boots and only really tried RM Williams and they I look like a clown wearing their 9F which is my perfect size. Their boots looks a bit too rugged. I am looking for something more formal looking with round toe such as Carmina Inca Chelsea's. Please let me know if you have any experiences with both RM Williams and Carmina or any other brands you would suggest. Thanks in advance

If you like the Carmina chelseas was there a reason you aren't just getting those?

 

[Ich_Dien]

Chelsea 8 Chestnut Burnished Calf

Chelsea 8, a Chelsea boot with 'V' shaped side elastics, made from the finest chestnut burnished calf leather with 'City' rubber soles. From the Men's Main Collection.

us.crockettandjones.com

I think these look spectacular.

Chelsea VIII has a really nice last in person.

 

[Smooth Operator]

Chelsea 8 Chestnut Burnished Calf

Chelsea 8, a Chelsea boot with 'V' shaped side elastics, made from the finest chestnut burnished calf leather with 'City' rubber soles. From the Men's Main Collection.

us.crockettandjones.com

I think these look spectacular.

Thanks for the suggestion! I've never really looked into crockett and jones before.

 

[Smooth Operator]

If you like the Carmina chelseas was there a reason you aren't just getting those?

Just want to get others thoughts. I saw enzo bonafe Chelsea's on sale and thought there may be other brands better than carmina with similar price range

 

[djdanniedee]

Enzo Bonafe are definitely a step up from Carmina being that they're handwelted.

I would also recommend lof & tung from skoak and sonsofhenrey. They're both gyw but they both use a single piece of leather so there isn't the extra seam below the rubber elastic gore. Both are very excellent for the price and the lasts offered by both are definitely more on the dressy side. @Leaves @Notch can give more details.

 

[Notch]

@djdanniedee , thank you for mentioning Sons of Henrey!

We currently have the Blaine Wholecut chelsea boot available on the Contemporary Almond last, which is our dedicated Chelsea boot last, in dark brown Utah calf: https://sonsofhenrey.com/collection...lsea-dark-brown-utah-1?variant=32472255758391. Utah calf is a beautiful, vegetable tanned leather produced by the french Tanneries Haas. It is an ideal Chelsea boot leather as it is extremely soft and supple.

Next fall, we will have the Blaine available in Conceria Zonta Coffee suede (an Italian reverse suede), and mid-brown Vegano calf. Pre-orders on those will open at the end of May.

A couple of pictures on the Blaine on foot, this time in Sienna hatchgrain calf and suede:

 

[JohnMRobie]

Just want to get others thoughts. I saw enzo bonafe Chelsea's on sale and thought there may be other brands better than carmina with similar price range

There is no shortage of options - Just about everyone makes a chelsea. The best of which will be the pair that fits your foot and your price point. I’ve got RMW and CJ. L&T and SoH both make good options and stock interesting leathers. TLB Artista would fit the bill. Carmina as you pointed out. If you can get an idea of your fit then you can start playing with ideas of leather options.

 

[Smooth Operator]

Enzo Bonafe are definitely a step up from Carmina being that they're handwelted.

I would also recommend lof & tung from skoak and sonsofhenrey. They're both gyw but they both use a single piece of leather so there isn't the extra seam below the rubber elastic gore. Both are very excellent for the price and the lasts offered by both are definitely more on the dressy side. @Leaves @Notch can give more details.

Is the difference from HW and GYW with carmina and EB that noticeable or worth the price?

Never heard of lof tung before but it looks really nice as well! Being in Au I only see church and loakes ?

 

[djdanniedee]

The debate between HW and GYW is an interesting one, and there are certainly people that are very passionate about "shoes must be HW or nothing, rather wear no shoes at all". In my experience, i haven't noticed much difference in the feel and in wear between both. For me, I lean towards a HW pair more mainly due to the romance of a HW pair, that they didn't take shortcuts to make the shoe, and stuck with the old tried and true, time consuming method.

Like JMR928 mentioned, the fit of each company's last is probably the most important. If the shoes don't fit you the way you like it, then doens't matter if it's GYW, HW or glued, you won't wear them. I think secondly, who makes a design that you love. If the maker is HW but the shoe looks @ss, then HW isn't gonna save it. In additional to the fit, how the last looks and how it fits with the model makes a big difference.

There's a ton of pictures of the chelsea boots on instagram and here by each maker. Scroll thru them and see which one catches your eye most and then see how it's sized. At the end of the day, they're all good makers.

Is the difference from HW and GYW with carmina and EB that noticeable or worth the price?

Never heard of lof tung before but it looks really nice as well! Being in Au I only see church and loakes ?

 

[Leiker]

@djdanniedee , thank you for mentioning Sons of Henrey!

We currently have the Blaine Wholecut chelsea boot available on the Contemporary Almond last, which is our dedicated Chelsea boot last, in dark brown Utah calf: https://sonsofhenrey.com/collection...lsea-dark-brown-utah-1?variant=32472255758391. Utah calf is a beautiful, vegetable tanned leather produced by the french Tanneries Haas. It is an ideal Chelsea boot leather as it is extremely soft and supple.

Next fall, we will have the Blaine available in Conceria Zonta Coffee suede (an Italian reverse suede), and mid-brown Vegano calf. Pre-orders on those will open at the end of May.

A couple of pictures on the Blaine on foot, this time in Sienna hatchgrain calf and suede:

View attachment 1612107

View attachment 1612106

View attachment 1612108

View attachment 1612109

I have these in black Utah calf and I'm very happy with the look and quality of them.

 

[JohnMRobie]

The debate between HW and GYW is an interesting one, and there are certainly people that are very passionate about "shoes must be HW or nothing, rather wear no shoes at all". In my experience, i haven't noticed much difference in the feel and in wear between both. For me, I lean towards a HW pair more mainly due to the romance of a HW pair, that they didn't take shortcuts to make the shoe, and stuck with the old tried and true, time consuming method.

Like JMR928 mentioned, the fit of each company's last is probably the most important. If the shoes don't fit you the way you like it, then doens't matter if it's GYW, HW or glued, you won't wear them. I think secondly, who makes a design that you love. If the maker is HW but the shoe looks @ss, then HW isn't gonna save it. In additional to the fit, how the last looks and how it fits with the model makes a big difference.

There's a ton of pictures of the chelsea boots on instagram and here by each maker. Scroll thru them and see which one catches your eye most and then see how it's sized. At the end of the day, they're all good makers.

+1 on all of this - I prefer HW if I can have it but keep GYW in the mix on plenty of shoes, particularly if it's something interesting or more off the beaten path I want to try.

I'd be curious what boot from RMW @Smooth Operator tried and didn't like and what he didn't like about it. He mentioned "looking like a clown" but they have so many models - What was the model and what didn't look right? Was it the Gardner and too casual? Was it the Turnout and too long? The Yearling and too tall of a heel? I think that would be handy to be able to help dial in recommendations on how things compare in real life since they all will look pretty similar in pictures. My RMW Comfort Craftsman I think are shorter than my CJ 348 so if it was too long for example, CJ might not be the route to go.

 

[Smooth Operator]

+1 on all of this - I prefer HW if I can have it but keep GYW in the mix on plenty of shoes, particularly if it's something interesting or more off the beaten path I want to try.

I'd be curious what boot from RMW @Smooth Operator tried and didn't like and what he didn't like about it. He mentioned "looking like a clown" but they have so many models - What was the model and what didn't look right? Was it the Gardner and too casual? Was it the Turnout and too long? The Yearling and too tall of a heel? I think that would be handy to be able to help dial in recommendations on how things compare in real life since they all will look pretty similar in pictures. My RMW Comfort Craftsman I think are shorter than my CJ 348 so if it was too long for example, CJ might not be the route to go.
View attachment 1612279

I tried the Craftsman's which is around $1100 AUD and it looks big on my foot even it's a snug fit. The CJ is definitely what I am after. Do you have other chelsea brand and last I can refer to? This comparison just made me give up on RMW ?

 

[Kingstonian]

+1 on all of this - I prefer HW if I can have it but keep GYW in the mix on plenty of shoes, particularly if it's something interesting or more off the beaten path I want to try.

I'd be curious what boot from RMW @Smooth Operator tried and didn't like and what he didn't like about it. He mentioned "looking like a clown" but they have so many models - What was the model and what didn't look right? Was it the Gardner and too casual? Was it the Turnout and too long? The Yearling and too tall of a heel? I think that would be handy to be able to help dial in recommendations on how things compare in real life since they all will look pretty similar in pictures. My RMW Comfort Craftsman I think are shorter than my CJ 348 so if it was too long for example, CJ might not be the route to go.
View attachment 1612279

Agreed. My RMW craftsman does not look large in comparison to the rest of my footwear. Tried it on in the RM Williams shop and they sized down a half size compared to what I normally take.