Casual Leather Boots

This is super timely, my work shoes gave up the ghost last week and that’s the last bloody pair I buy from Clark’s, and not a huge surprise after watching that dude cut up several pairs in half on YT. (I have had previous Clarks shoes that have lasted, but not in recent years)

so was looking at a quality pair that will last, do like the look of the William Lennon chukka, if only they didn’t just come in black. Black chukka

edit just seen they supply Hebtreco, better colour for work but pricey. I’m sure they’re great but I can’t bring myself to pay the hipster tax.

the sorrel chukka boots have better colour combos, but some rubbish reviews on quality.

This thread may just have solved my where the fek do I get wider shoes for work, judging by the fit info on Lanx and William Lennon pages.

so was looking at a quality pair that will last, do like the look of the William Lennon chukka, if only they didn’t just come in black. Black chukka

Email Libs on their customer service e-mail. They make them to order so will do any leather you prefer or other changes. I’ve got black workboots, which are normally brown and army boots that are 6 eyelet height instead of 9.

Again the drawback is the delivery time. They don’t keep stock, I had to wait 20 weeks for my last ones. You’ll need a cheap pair of something to put you on.

As @tthew said, they also modified my hill walking shoe order from standard and have this

Bespoke Footwear

I have some Clarks brogue boots, they’re nice enough as an everyday shoes but my William Lennon boots are in a completely different class.

Does anyone know if the Hebco Moto boot has a bellows tongue?

I’ll also suggest loake.   Have a look here

https://www.northshoes.co.uk/mens-c2/boots-rubber-soles-c485#sort3

They sell loake and barker but of most interest is I’d suggest the loake seconds.  You’ll not know why they are a second in most cases as the cosmetic blemish is so small.   I’ve bought from north shoes loads…. they dumped loads of stuff at £60 in the January sale almost 2 years ago so I stocked up.

Please don’t wear your trousers like this

Email Libs on their customer service e-mail. They make them to order so will do any leather you prefer or other changes. I’ve got black workboots, which are normally brown and army boots that are 6 eyelet height instead of 9.

Again the drawback is the delivery time. They don’t keep stock, I had to wait 20 weeks for my last ones. You’ll need a cheap pair of something to put you on.

thanks, will do @tthew @kilo

I’ve had a few pairs over the years and have worn out the grips in what seems like no time all

This. A few years back I bought a pair of ‘Made in England’ 8-hole DMs. Soles were flat within a few months. Leather tore through at the toe box creases with 16 months. Would not buy again 🙁

Back in the 70s/80s DMs were probably about, what, £30 a pair as folks suggest? I remember the ‘ugh’ look on my father’s face when I went into adult sizes with their VAT addition. £30 in 1980 would have the spending power of £125 now so DMs aren’t that over inflated.

On the William Lennon comments – yes! Libs was so very helpful when I ordered mine. And like others here I asked for a different leather from the ‘standard’ – no extra cost for the option I went for. The 20-week wait was not quite exciting, but it did build anticipation. They arrived neatly and simply packaged very soon after a ‘your boots have been shipped and your order is now complete’ email.

The 20-week wait can be offset by buying from HebTroCo. Plus you get an extra pair of laces and Brant’s/Ed’s choice of leather and finish. So, perhaps less of a ‘hipster tax’ and more of an opportunity or design cost?

I’ve been wearing Meindle Desert Fox boots for years, but the foam midsole has disintegrated on all of mine, and having some money to play with I bought a pair of Redwing Moc-toe boots, which can be fully resoled, and are great with jeans.

Please don’t wear your trousers like this

Oh God no! I’ll wear shorts if I’m going to have the hem that high; I can’t imagine why anyone thinks that’s a good look, it’s just ridiculous.

Im toying with the idea of getting another pair of Redwings, the Iron Mountain boots originally made for iron miners, with a double thickness toe box, like steelies, but not cold in the winter.

Used to buy AirWear soled boots from Blackmans in Cheshire St off Brick Lane back in the mid 70s. DM cherry red 8 hole with yellow stitching round the welt were about £9, what I half remember to be medium brown Solovair 7 hole steels without eyelets or the stitching were £7 and black 12(?) hole DM Blackburn steels were about £11. When the cheapest ones got to about £20, we all started buying the solid Ranger screw on soled nobbly leather 12 hole steels from the Army Surplus in Manor Park for about £12. Skint punk chic.

Off the back of this thread I’ve just ordered a pair of Lanx Settle boots. Had a hankering for some nice boots so cheers for the recommendation.

Could you ford a stream in those redwings and have dry feet?

Does anyone know if the Hebco Moto boot has a bellows tongue?

Half bellows (stops between 3rd and 4th lace eyelets.

Thanks Razor. Are they nice and wide?

There is plenty of room in them for my average proportioned feet.  They’re built to last too!

Well thanks to this thread I now have a pair of Lanx Tasker boots on their way.

I’ve been after some decent semi dress boots for ages and this thread was well timed so bit the bullet.

I like my blundstones but theyre unlined  with a cheap, non replaceable, sole

There are some specialists who will resole Blundstone boots : https://bootrepaircompany.co.uk/collections/blundstone

I’ve had several pairs, but the quality has gone down over the years. The soles on one pair split completely through with no little warning in multiple places across both shoes which left me in the lurch somewhat – I had to buy some emergency replacement footwear halfway through a workday!

Seems it’s a fairly common problem : https://www.reddit.com/r/BlundstoneBoots/comments/1b9uan3/sole_split_in_two_one_year_old_boots/

Great thread – I’m eyeing up some Lanx boots off the back of it.  Heads up for anyone with access to one, a Defence Discount Card (and presumably Blue Light Card) gives you 15% off Lanx.

@Jon_n

I’ve had several pairs, but the quality has gone down over the years. The soles on one pair split completely through

indeed. The pair I’ve got now (which I’ve had since 2016 and are still going strong) were a warranty replacement for a pair where the sole disintegrated after very little wear.

There are some specialists who will resole Blundstone boots

An expensive option. £70-95 plus shipping there and back.  I always wonder about the life of the elastic sides on Chelsea boots – I’ve got some suede timberland ‘earthkeepers’ I’d like to have resoled but the elastic looks like it’s on the way out.

that Defense discount code works in the outlet bit too!

Could you ford a stream in those redwings and have dry feet?

Wasn’t the ask for “casual” boots?

Since I’m no longer a holder of a defence discount card….. topcashback will give you 10.5% back on lanx

My 10 year old Timberland boots are still in use. They’ve gone a bit saggy at the back but are very comfy.

Having had some cheap imitations I’ve just bought some Red Wing 875s.  Got fitted at their store on a trip down in that there London which was necessary due to my square feet.

My Red Wing chukka’s are bomb proof – very hard wearing and easy to clean. 15 years in and barely a scuff on them.

No one has mentioned Trickers yet.   Probably because they are beyond the price range.. .. but aren’t redwing?  I’ve no idea if they are 2 or 3x better and justify the price,  or just veblem for feet.   They look nice….. but I suspect I’ll stick to my loakes

Cheaney for me. Never cheap, but once you know your last size, hunting for bargains on EBay is always fun. I’m a 125F in a 81/2 and the fit is perfect. Most shoes and boots are too wide for me.

Last three years: two pairs Dr Martens and one pair Red Wing Moc Toe. Dr’s both lasted a year before the soles gave out – split along their length. Then thought Go Big! and went for the Red Wing as “they last a lifetime!” Mine (£330) lasted four months before the soles had worn down – average steps per day around 4,000. Now being resoled for a price similar to what the Dr’s cost as actual boots. I do have a pair of Clarks Norton that I bought 15 years ago, and they still look new. I’d avoid the Red Wings.

That Rose Anvil bloke has cut up loads of Red Wings in the past and he always praises the material and build quality. He usually concludes that they’re still worth the money.

I like the Blacksmith boot which doesn’t have the extra toe stitching of the Iron Ranger but is essentially the same in every other way.

I already wanted Lanx though and I think I know someone who can get the discount so that might swing it for me.

Re redwing soles, the white ‘christy’ soles are very comfy but they do wear quickly. I think I’ve read that they are designed for grip rather than longevity.

If you search eBay you’ll see lots of redwing boots with white soles worn down to weird smooth shapes even though the upper is still in serviceable condition.

Have you looked at Panama Jack? Quite a few styles are similar to Timberland, but the pair I have are much better constructed. Available from a few places in the UK inc Amazon.

Off the back of this thread, I’m going with a custom pair of chukka boots from William Lennon. Never done custom shoes before, should be interesting.

William Lennon are a great company. I’ve a pair of 178’s – bomb proof in their latigo “whip” leather. The worn leather sole was replaced with some commando units some years back. Quite a rugged boot, completely unlined they ended up out in the shed covered in mud. I prefer Trickers as a casual boot.

I brushed off the Lennon’s when we moved last year and were not at all fazed by the mistreatment ! So solidly built toe box and vamp have held shape fine too – no need for shoe trees for these for sure.

There’s a bit of a walking boot roll to the sole shape and I prefer my trickers again for everyday wear.

Ive a few pairs of Trickers Stow in calf and softer aniline leathers. One pair has had a much harder life than the others- long muddy walks – super comfy, non fatiguing. it’s got a few wrinkles and scars but will still polish up nicely if I want.
I’ve got a custom build Eaton in Horween Chromexcel and they are just sublime. It’s built on the Ridgeway sole which I much prefer to the Dainite ones Trickers build most of their stuff with.

I love my Trickers boots (and shoes) and most are cared for and stored with shoe trees.
they are super quality, yes 600 ish can seem a lot but I see no reason why these won’t last a lifetime so works out pretty good value with that viewpoint.

If you’re gonna do it, you gotta go all in

Well despite all recommendations I’ve still had very little luck in finding something that fits, and my budget does not stretch beyond £200 (much as I would like it too). Tried some Timberlands but they were massive across my forefoot, Clarks were the same, a couple of others from stores local to me went the same way. I have small feet – it’s a problem. Thought about trying Lanx but I wasn’t totally sold on any of their styles, and I almost went Solovair but I’ve never really liked that look either. Yes, I’m being picky.

Anyway, in the interests of trying something else, I’ve now ordered some vivo barefoot boots. Not what I originally intended, in fact, totally different, but hoping the soft and suppleness will help with fit at the expense of support etc. They’re only for knocking around anyway. If I’m walking far it’ll be proper walking boots or trainers.

I’m now ready for a barrage of polite comments informing me I’ve made a significant error and need to change my ways before it’s too late.

I have small feet – it’s a problem.

Same issue here, my feet aren’t particularly narrow but seem low volume in some way which means boots can be loose when walking. I solve this with extra insoles which has the side benefit of keeping the inside of the boot in much better condition. Green Sorbothane are decent, the right thickness and not mad expensive.

I was going to recommend Vivo Gobi boots. Had to put a thick insole in them.
Didn’t buy them because they were barefoot but because I needed an unlined pair of leather boots with a bellows tongue and wide. These tick all the boxes.

Also got the Gobi mid but for some inexplicable reason they didn’t fit a bellows tongue. So if it rains you get wet feet.

How any boot company can omit a bellows tongue is just boggling.

Me too,  my feet aren’t big and are as much ‘low’ as ‘narrow’.  Extra insoles help a lot.  Also the loakes, some of their boots come in a narrower fit.

With the chat about redwing I googled yesterday and found a cobblers on line replacing vibram christy soles for £55 (plus the postage…. so about £75 with 2x postage I guess).  I was going to post a link but Google search isn’t finding it now!

Edit:

Ah!  It’s returned! It’s £50, speedy, based in Rotherham.

Red Wing Repair

Depending on how casual, I can recommend Goral. Got a pair of trainers & high tops and they are exceptionally well constructed.

They do smarter styles now & have a collaboration with Rose & Anvil.

Up there with Barker, Church’s, Grenson & Loake from my experience.