Wolverine 721LTD Shell Cordovan 1000 Mile Boot Review

[cincikid]

I've had the Raptor half sole on my brown 1Ks for about 3 years and they're still going strong despite my shenanigans with these boots. Over the years more than a few of us have done some type of half sole on these boots with great success. There are a few cases where it didn't work well but it seems that issue revolves more around the cobbler than anything else. In general someone who resoles or repairs work boots is where you want to go.

Thanks for your input, Crane's. I appreciate your advice.

 

[JasonYeckel]

Just snagged a pair of 721LTD from ebay freaking stoked peeks when i receive!


They landed! they were super dry hit them with some lexol conditioner and little nutral cream had been in a closet for two years unworn after a bit of time they shined no issue

 

[MarioImpemba]

Lookin' good! Great boots. Keep us updated with pics.

 

[theukeryme]

Hi guys, I have a question about protection of leather sole.
I read the care guide from CRANE'S (thanks for your work) and didn't find any sole related instructions.
Can I sno-seal leather sole?

 

[Crane's]



Hi guys, I have a question about protection of leather sole. 
I read the care guide from CRANE'S (thanks for your work) and didn't find any sole related instructions.
Can I sno-seal leather sole?

I did that once and never again. The soles were really slick on things like wet tile floors and dry wore down asphalt. The soles are butyl impregnated and are pretty tough. What a lot of us end up doing is getting a half sole installed. The obvious advantage of doing this is you get a longer wearing sole, better traction and when it wears down a half sole job is 30 bucks instead of a 100 bucks for a full resole. It seems best results are obtained by wearing them for a while and then take them to a decent cobbler for the half sole.

 

[theukeryme]

Thanks, since you are reading this thread I have to ask more questions.
How many layers of wax do you apply at one time? I'm asking because you mentioned 1 layer in article and 2 layers in this thread.
What about oil? Are there any tricks or do it in one layer before wax and let it dry off?
I'm using obenauf's lp and oil right now. Also there are jar of snoseal and filson oil in my inventory.

 

[Crane's]



Thanks, since you are reading this thread I have to ask more questions. 
How many layers of wax do you apply at one time? I'm asking because you mentioned 1 layer in article and 2 layers in this thread.
What about oil? Are there any tricks or do it in one layer before wax and let it dry off?
I'm using obenauf's lp and oil right now. Also there are jar of snoseal and filson oil in my inventory.

It's best to start out light. It's easy to retreat and proof so don't overdo it. What's interesting to note here is despite the fact that I have used snoseal and Filson boot oil for years I'm going to switch to using Obenauf's products as my primary product for cleaning, treating and proofing my leather. I used to use their products but drifted away because of local availability more than anything else. I also like complete systems versus mixing this product with a different product even though there isn't a thing wrong with doing that.

Anyway, make sure they are clean before you do anything. After that apply a light coat of oil wait a minute or two and wipe them down. Let them sit for a few days, wipe and brush them down and then apply a light coat of LP. Using a hair dryer does wonders in getting it to penetrate into the leather. Some will tell you that you shouldn't do that because you'll destroy the boots. It won't. Once you're done wipe off any excess and brush them down. You might see some wax bloom happen for a bit but that's normal too. Just brush them and you're good to go. From there you'll have to decide on the frequency of applications of both the oil and proofer based on how and in what you use your boots. Shell is a low maintenance product compared to bovine veg tanned leathers. If you have a solid regimen setup for say CXL you won't be conditioning and proofing shell no where near as much under the same use conditions.

 

[theukeryme]

Sorry I don't understand what CXL means.
Anyway I plan to re-appling stuff before every winter and spring. One layer of each seems just enough. I live in Russia and winter along with spring here is very tough.
By the way with what item oil can be better applied ? For now I have used obenauf's tampon but it leaves little hairs at boots. Maybe synthetic sponge or piece of cloth can do the job?

 

[Crane's]



Sorry I don't understand what CXL means.
Anyway I plan to re-appling stuff before every winter and spring. One layer of each seems just enough. I live in Russia and winter along with spring here is very tough.
By the way with what item oil can be better applied ? For now I have used obenauf's tampon but it leaves little hairs at boots. Maybe synthetic sponge or piece of cloth can do the job?

CXL is short for Chromexcel which is a heavily waxed and oiled chrome and vegetable tanned full grain cow leather. It's a common leather used in workboots including most of the USA made 1000 mile line.

I apply oil with a good old old t shirt. A good brushing gets rid of that sort of thing you mentioned too.

I think you have a good starting point for oiling and proofing your boots. Just remember to be mindful of what's going on with them and retreat if it becomes necessary. One other thing. It would be worth your while to get some kind of half sole put on them given where you live and the conditions you'll be wearing them in. If there is a weakness in these boots it's the plain leather sole. It's my opinion and it's shared by a lot of people that Wolverine should half done a commando half sole on these boots.

 

[theukeryme]

What about the non-cordovan leather? The main difference only is frequency of waterproofing and nourishing?
Are there any visual indicators of re-applying like lightening and drying up leather?

 

[Crane's]



What about the non-cordovan leather? The main difference only is frequency of waterproofing and nourishing?
Are there any visual indicators of re-applying like lightening and drying up leather?

Correct. It's not so much color change as it's how the leather feels. It should be flexible yet rigid. It's something that can't really be explained. A sign of over conditioning is very soft and limp leather. You want to avoid that as well. If it feels dry and is stiff is a good sign that a light coat of oil is in order. All in all it's something you'll learn over time based on you're way of wearing your boots. There's no such thing as a magic number when it comes down to it. Best advice has always been listen to your leather, it'll tell you what you need to do and when.

 

[theukeryme]

Good day. I have applied the wax and wanted to share my experience. I used chippewa 20080(to train my skills) with obenauf's oil and lp.
First of all I applied oil in 1 layer. In welt area I used it liberally. The leather became much softer and colour darkened what was expected.
Then after about 48 hours I was working with wax. Wow, LP has such a wonderful flavor and I spent nice time doing it. The lp was sucked in leather even before heating part.
But hair dryer was melting wax very slowly so I decided put boots in oven at around 60 *C for 20 minutes. When I took the boots out of the oven they were dry and I noticed residual wax. I think it's kind of residue and it was mainly noticeable in welt area. Although the boots are not shiny as yours but I think it's because of different types of leather.
The main thing which concerns me is why lp melts so badly. Maybe it because it was already penetrated in leather?

Update: I have finished with another boots and supplies - filson oil and Dr Martens Wonder Balsam. It seems balsam melts much easier but still remains in welt area unmelted in little amount. I removed slightly excessive wax with cloth and distributed at boot's area.

P.S. Sorry fellows, I know my English looks weird and post is unrelated.

 

[C Gore]

just had my 721's resoled after a few years of use.

 

[Crane's]

Lookin' good. My 721s have been sitting idle for the most part along with my Addisons. I've been so hellbent on beating my brown 1Ks to death it isn't even funny. I don't think I'll be successful anytime soon. LOL!

 

[JasonYeckel]

Coming along just wiped down with water rag and buffed. Should I condition or just keep waiting. Read around to not use Venetian to much on the cordovan as it should age vs you applying it?