Zonkey Boot Appreciation Thread

[MajorDash]

ZB are pricey, that blue suede has been on my list for years, Every time I’m reminded of them, I’ve always been in the process of getting a pricey pair from some other maker. I must admit though, this is the one brand I will spend freely to get pairs. When I first started on this shoe fetish back in the day, it’s the first maker that seduced me to drop a band on them.

I am still not sold on fit yet. The 7.5EE in the elephant boots I got are definitely not a pair I would spend the $1400 to repurchase if I had to keep the same size.

The Jodhpur boots I got in 7.5H, so we will see how they work out. As of now though having not really worn them, they're not perfect right out of the box. I do suspect that a lot of that is due to how stout the leather is and just them being more like giant loafers than an actual lace-up boot. We will see how they break in, and I will probably get more pairs in the future if this pair goes well. Cautiously optimistic though.

 

[H. E. Pennypacker]

My jodhpur MTO arrived yesterday, first pair of Zonkey boots, first jodhpurs, excited to break these in!

Cognac horsebutt, walnut Russian Reindeer straps, natural edges, thin rubber soles with leather heels. Wide sailor last. Pretty impressive w the detailing and finishing. There’s some staining from the edges onto the leather, but nuances as such don’t bother me. Clicking is good, but I think it could’ve been better imo. One thing I keep noticing is that some areas look dry, a bit curious about this.

Some pics didn’t want to upload since they were too big.

The horsebutt does seem softer and more malleable, than others I’ve handled. I’ll admit I completely forgot what I ordered when these arrived, upon opening them, I said “wtf is this” regarding the Russian reindeer straps lol. I was also expecting full leather soles. I went back to my emails and yup, everything is correct. Ordered these in August. I was a bit surprised I had to pay thru Wise and not their website. Either way, it’s fine, I didn’t get hit w duties or anything which is always great.

 

[MajorDash]

My jodhpur MTO arrived yesterday, first pair of Zonkey boots, first jodhpurs, excited to break these in!

Cognac horsebutt, walnut Russian Reindeer straps, natural edges, thin rubber soles with leather heels. Wide sailor last. Pretty impressive w the detailing and finishing. There’s some staining from the edges onto the leather, but nuances as such don’t bother me. Clicking is good, but I think it could’ve been better imo. One thing I keep noticing is that some areas look dry, a bit curious about this.

Some pics didn’t want to upload since they were too big.

The horsebutt does seem softer and more malleable, than others I’ve handled. I’ll admit I completely forgot what I ordered when these arrived, upon opening them, I said “wtf is this” regarding the Russian reindeer straps lol. I was also expecting full leather soles. I went back to my emails and yup, everything is correct. Ordered these in August. I was a bit surprised I had to pay thru Wise and not their website. Either way, it’s fine, I didn’t get hit w duties or anything which is always great. View attachment 2114595 View attachment 2114593 View attachment 2114591 View attachment 2114589 View attachment 2114587 View attachment 2114585 View attachment 2114583 View attachment 2114581

I would guess that maybe whatever platform they use for their website sales can’t generate invoices. Luckily Wise is pretty reasonable with their fees.

 

[stephenaf2003]

My jodhpur MTO arrived yesterday, first pair of Zonkey boots, first jodhpurs, excited to break these in!

Cognac horsebutt, walnut Russian Reindeer straps, natural edges, thin rubber soles with leather heels. Wide sailor last. Pretty impressive w the detailing and finishing. There’s some staining from the edges onto the leather, but nuances as such don’t bother me. Clicking is good, but I think it could’ve been better imo. One thing I keep noticing is that some areas look dry, a bit curious about this.

Some pics didn’t want to upload since they were too big.

The horsebutt does seem softer and more malleable, than others I’ve handled. I’ll admit I completely forgot what I ordered when these arrived, upon opening them, I said “wtf is this” regarding the Russian reindeer straps lol. I was also expecting full leather soles. I went back to my emails and yup, everything is correct. Ordered these in August. I was a bit surprised I had to pay thru Wise and not their website. Either way, it’s fine, I didn’t get hit w duties or anything which is always great. View attachment 2114595 View attachment 2114593 View attachment 2114591 View attachment 2114589 View attachment 2114587 View attachment 2114585 View attachment 2114583 View attachment 2114581

Wow, excellent build, they are absolutely gorgeous.
As for the apparent dry spots, I find this to be a characteristic in all my hotsebutt boots, and one of the visual characters that make the leather one of my favorites.

 

[djdanniedee]

ZB are pricey, that blue suede has been on my list for years, Every time I’m reminded of them, I’ve always been in the process of getting a pricey pair from some other maker. I must admit though, this is the one brand I will spend freely to get pairs. When I first started on this shoe fetish back in the day, it’s the first maker that seduced me to drop a band on them.

i feel exactly the same. I will say however that when i was younger and was much earlier in my sartorial journey, i valued quantity over quality. I couldn't fathom spending over $1k for a pair of shoes/boots when i could get 2/3 pairs of say, carmina (on sale) for that price. Now that i'm older and further along, i look back and wish i had just saved up and gotten more ZB for example.

 

[lurker33]

Tell me about this MTO event, is it like Carmina, no MTO fees? And how do i get notified next time? Been wanting to try Zonkey for a while.

 

[stephenaf2003]

Tell me about this MTO event, is it like Carmina, no MTO fees? And how do i get notified next time? Been wanting to try Zonkey for a while.

I’d say follow them on IG, they announce when they are running specials there. Like most other makers, their MTO fee is substantial, when they are running a special they forego that fee.

 

[stephenaf2003]

i feel exactly the same. I will say however that when i was younger and was much earlier in my sartorial journey, i valued quantity over quality. I couldn't fathom spending over $1k for a pair of shoes/boots when i could get 2/3 pairs of say, carmina (on sale) for that price. Now that i'm older and further along, i look back and wish i had just saved up and gotten more ZB for example.

I kind of did the same when I started, the difference being I still purchase others like Meermin for example. They’re on the other end of the spectrum. But I personally want a large rotation because I just really like boots. But Zonkey are the favorites in my collection.

 

[MajorDash]

Tell me about this MTO event, is it like Carmina, no MTO fees? And how do i get notified next time? Been wanting to try Zonkey for a while.

Follow them on Instagram and sign up for their email newsletter.

But basically yes, it is a free custom event they usually run once (or maybe twice?) per year. I want to say the last one was a few weeks long, so you have plenty of time to figure out what you want.