Wearing my Houston Black Rugged African Troopers as I watch this. Love them - great boots. I used some black edge coat to totally black mine out - so they are completely black - and they look GREAT.
I should note - I like your leather balm too - smells great - works great. It might be because it's cold here, but it's somewhat stiffer than I'd expect for a balm? But, works great. Even softens up dry skin, a benefit of applying it with bare hands. :)
These boots look so good! Wish I could afford a pair currently! As much as I love having as much leather under my foot as possible, I tried some squishier inserts today in my AR8s and whoa! Standing in my AR8s all day long has never been so nice! I like the original inserts too, but my feet always grew sore on the underside after a full workday in the AR8s. But since I rotate through my boots a lot, it wasn't a huge issue. But now, with the squishier inserts (actually from a pair of REDWINGs I got from a thrift store), they might be my go-to boots for now on!
The Razorback can be had from the custom shop with any lacing, leather, last and lining. Got a pair on order for when the custom shop restarts in February. Single-lasted buffalo hide on the zero-drop last. Hoping they arrive by St Paddy's Day.
Really cool boots! But l'd rather use mink oil spray since the balm doesn't keep the softness of the suede. Do you have a spray conditioner for the suede? If you don't, it would be cool if you all developed a product in your brand know some people don't mind the balm flattening the fibers of the suede and that's fine. People do what works for them. It would be nice if Jim Green has their own suede/nubuck/roughout conditioner spray for those who want to retain the softness of their boots.
*Yes the brush could possibly bring the fibers back up from the balm, but it would still be different than when before applying the balm. So it's why I think it would be cool to make a conditioner spray for the suede/nubuck/roughout people who want to keep the softness of their boots. And also I know there's other brands of conditioners we can use. I'm saying it would be cool if Jim Green made their own conditioning spray for their boots 😊! In the meantime, I'll use other brands for my boots.*
Full Leather outsoles would be PERFECT on these !!! I would love to have FULL LEATHER OUTSOLE’S on my Jim green boots !!! Would you ever consider offering them?
@ I agree. But it would go great on some of their shoes/boots like the Vellie,Shoellie, and Numzaan, and 719. Etc. I’d like them on the African trooper, just my personal taste.
@@YouCanChangeYourWorldToday Personally I think the shoellie is the only one with the kind of styling befitting of a leather soled dress shoe. And even then it's a stretch due to the heavy design inspiration from the vellies. Vellies are a classic "field shoe" that, by definition, has a leather upper and rubber sole. They were often used by soldiers during the bush war. The numzaan takes a lot of design cues and inspiration from the Razorback, which is a hard wearing work boot. The 719 is based off the classic service boot, so its intended for hard marching miles and more. Of course, if you wanted to slap dress shoe soles on a hard working man's boot, nobody can stop you. But I doubt there's much market demand for it.
I have them in brown. I have been "breaking them in" before i make them a work boot. Work has been super muddy lately so i also didnt want to get them atarted like that. I am trying to decide whether i should saddle soap them and condition them now, or wait a few months...
Wet wool socks are my go-to for breaking in stiff boots. Wear them till they dry. Repeat if needed. Don't bother to treat them until they are broken in. The treatment will wash out.
I have found the JG Leather Balm to need warming to handle in temps under 100°F. A heat gun doesn't hurt either. Just waiting for the custom shop to start back up in February with my buffalo hide Razorbacks.
My first pair of AR8's came built on the Jim Green last and don't fit like my Rangers, AR8's and Razorbacks on the zero-drop last of the same size. Too loose. That pair feels at least a half-size larger than the boots on the barefoot last.
The custom shop does offer steel and composite safety toes. But they don't have the rugged trooper boot as an option (yet). The AR8 with rough-out on the lower would be veeeery close though.
Hi can i get a coupon code for the numzaan boot. Its my birthday tomorrow. I'm going to buy myself a gift and it's the only one I'll receive. Thank you it'll make my day
Do you recomment applying leather balm to all boots/shoes before wearing or just boots that are expected to see rough conditions? I suppose the balm would take away some of the natural breathability of the leather.
You can do balm for conditioning and water resistance in one easy step. But it can change the leather's color, especially with lighter leathers. However, you can also use any number of suede and nubuck conditioners out there, and then a separate waterproofing spray on top of that. Similar benefits, a little extra work, but the color won't change nearly as much.
Yup. That typically happens with many balms in general. There's other products aside from Jim Green that don't darken as much. There's lots of videos about them.
You can preserve the color if you use a nubuck spray conditioner along with some water repellant spray. But the conditioning and protection doesn't last as long. To be fair though, if you work in them, the fudge is light enough to start picking up wear marks after just a couple of uses, and it tends to darken over time as it patinas. So you're kind of just speeding up the inevitable with the balm.
Can't wait for my pair in brown to arrive in march, will wax them straight away as they will not be a "fashion footwear" but used here in the hilly and mountainous country. Actually as I could do with a pair of tough boots for this winter in the mean time will get me a handmade copy of my old Italian army jump boots -so ugly and heavy they don't issue them anymore 😂
Why do the brown ones always look like they are green in your videos. I would gladly get them if they were green like that, but I find the regular Houston brown to be a bit boring. Will likely get fudge instead. But green would be my preference for sure.
Yea I prefer the original Tyre soles that they used on the Afrique razorbacks ! I still have mines ! I wish they offered that Tyre sole instead of the one they have now (Tyre Wedge)….
Thank you for doing this video! Personally, I would only balm one boot, to get a side-by-side comparison of the differences 10 days of wear balmed/unbalmed gives, easily visible on each foot. Pardon me for being 'that guy', but I would like to bring to your attention that the text inserts seem a bit rushed - at 0:43 there is an improper use of parenthesis, and at 1:32 the text in the upper left corners says 'FESHLY POLISHED'. Now, don't get me wrong - your boots still rock! I will certainly get a custom pair if you ship to Norway or the Netherlands! 🤞
I figure that English isn't their native language, and I could hardly write better captions in Afrikaans if you made me. So it's an easy error to forgive.
Since they're built well and easy to resole, you can buy a pair that you like and have your local cobbler put on whatever vibram soles you prefer. But seeing as they only use their in-house outsoles, you'd probably be waiting forever to get a pair from factory with vibram. Well, unless/until vibram opens a factory in SA lol.
We need the African Trooper pattern available to customize!!!
Composite toe options too
Wearing my Houston Black Rugged African Troopers as I watch this. Love them - great boots. I used some black edge coat to totally black mine out - so they are completely black - and they look GREAT.
I should note - I like your leather balm too - smells great - works great. It might be because it's cold here, but it's somewhat stiffer than I'd expect for a balm? But, works great. Even softens up dry skin, a benefit of applying it with bare hands. :)
Same, I used some black leather dye to black mine out. I think they look much better completely black.
@@TheGreatChrisB LOVE them completely black. So nice.
Jim Green Leather Balm is a great product and a little goes a long way, the water runs right off
Can't wait for these to arrive. Ordered the Houston Brown and some leather balm.
These boots look so good! Wish I could afford a pair currently! As much as I love having as much leather under my foot as possible, I tried some squishier inserts today in my AR8s and whoa! Standing in my AR8s all day long has never been so nice! I like the original inserts too, but my feet always grew sore on the underside after a full workday in the AR8s. But since I rotate through my boots a lot, it wasn't a huge issue. But now, with the squishier inserts (actually from a pair of REDWINGs I got from a thrift store), they might be my go-to boots for now on!
Great video. Torn between the fudge and brown. What I would like to see is a wear test on Stockman wedge sole, including the Bronco leather.
The bronco brown pullup is pretty stiff when new. Had to go the wet wool sock route on mine.
I love the look of the African Rugged Trooper! Would like to see it in a 6" version with 6 eyelets. I'm not so fond of the speed hooks.
The Razorback can be had from the custom shop with any lacing, leather, last and lining. Got a pair on order for when the custom shop restarts in February. Single-lasted buffalo hide on the zero-drop last. Hoping they arrive by St Paddy's Day.
You've just described the 719 when it becomes available to customize
Will the JG lugged sole be offered with a harder compound option in the future?
Really cool boots! But l'd rather use mink oil spray since the balm doesn't keep the softness of the suede. Do you have a spray conditioner for the suede? If you don't, it would be cool if you all developed a product in your brand know some people don't mind the balm flattening the fibers of the suede and that's fine. People do what works for them. It would be nice if Jim Green has their own suede/nubuck/roughout conditioner spray for those who want to retain the softness of their boots.
*Yes the brush could possibly bring the fibers back up from the balm, but it would still be different than when before applying the balm. So it's why I think it would be cool to make a conditioner spray for the suede/nubuck/roughout people who want to keep the softness of their boots. And also I know there's other brands of conditioners we can use. I'm saying it would be cool if Jim Green made their own conditioning spray for their boots 😊! In the meantime, I'll use other brands for my boots.*
Would you consider making a steel or comp toe version of the African Trooper? I think it would do very well as a trades work boot.
Can you do a lace to toe version of the African trooper ? With a toe cap ? Need a new boot for climbing trees at work
Full Leather outsoles would be PERFECT on these !!! I would love to have FULL LEATHER OUTSOLE’S on my Jim green boots !!! Would you ever consider offering them?
Full leather outsoles are almost entirely reserved for gentlemen's dress shoes. They're poorly suited to boots designed for work and outdoor use.
@ I agree. But it would go great on some of their shoes/boots like the Vellie,Shoellie, and Numzaan, and 719. Etc. I’d like them on the African trooper, just my personal taste.
@@YouCanChangeYourWorldToday Personally I think the shoellie is the only one with the kind of styling befitting of a leather soled dress shoe. And even then it's a stretch due to the heavy design inspiration from the vellies. Vellies are a classic "field shoe" that, by definition, has a leather upper and rubber sole. They were often used by soldiers during the bush war. The numzaan takes a lot of design cues and inspiration from the Razorback, which is a hard wearing work boot. The 719 is based off the classic service boot, so its intended for hard marching miles and more. Of course, if you wanted to slap dress shoe soles on a hard working man's boot, nobody can stop you. But I doubt there's much market demand for it.
I have them in brown. I have been "breaking them in" before i make them a work boot. Work has been super muddy lately so i also didnt want to get them atarted like that. I am trying to decide whether i should saddle soap them and condition them now, or wait a few months...
Wet wool socks are my go-to for breaking in stiff boots. Wear them till they dry. Repeat if needed. Don't bother to treat them until they are broken in. The treatment will wash out.
I have found the JG Leather Balm to need warming to handle in temps under 100°F. A heat gun doesn't hurt either. Just waiting for the custom shop to start back up in February with my buffalo hide Razorbacks.
The best!! Can you ship to Mexico?? if I buy on your website ;)
Just waxed my black RAT with Otter Wax and they look great.
These are some great boots. Looks good and comfortable.
And give us some kilties to buy !!
Am still waiting for the moctoe.
Would be incredible if you would make an African Ranger with the 'rust' veg tan leather.
Too bad I won’t get mine until march 😢 Because they look great
Does this come in a safety toe ?
It looks awesome!
Great boot. I wish this would have come out before I bought my AR8’s. They are just too loose.
My first pair of AR8's came built on the Jim Green last and don't fit like my Rangers, AR8's and Razorbacks on the zero-drop last of the same size. Too loose. That pair feels at least a half-size larger than the boots on the barefoot last.
I want this boot. I am saving up, no discount bonsella for being Southern African - Di tura go se kae😢
Can we have the same test for the barefoot version?
Ordered brown.. might have to change to tan.. they look really good waxed up (not generally a fan of tan boots)
Do you do composite safety toes as well as steel toes ?
The custom shop does offer steel and composite safety toes. But they don't have the rugged trooper boot as an option (yet). The AR8 with rough-out on the lower would be veeeery close though.
I love my Houston Brown RATs (been wearing daily for past 2 weeks), I used Obenauf’s leather oil, to preserve the nap on the rough out leather.
Hi can i get a coupon code for the numzaan boot. Its my birthday tomorrow. I'm going to buy myself a gift and it's the only one I'll receive. Thank you it'll make my day
Do you recomment applying leather balm to all boots/shoes before wearing or just boots that are expected to see rough conditions? I suppose the balm would take away some of the natural breathability of the leather.
It will make the leather softer, so will help with break in, and it will also make the leather last longer, so i would recommend
You can do balm for conditioning and water resistance in one easy step. But it can change the leather's color, especially with lighter leathers. However, you can also use any number of suede and nubuck conditioners out there, and then a separate waterproofing spray on top of that. Similar benefits, a little extra work, but the color won't change nearly as much.
I have two pair Black & Brown. I'm gonna hold off on the balm for awhile. But sharp boots! How're they selling?
I already started wearing mine too. I havent conditioned them yet either. What's your reason for waiting?
Black looks SO good. Would love to see them with a honey sole and some matching brown leather laces👀
The Fudge leather got dark with the Leather Balm.
Yup. That typically happens with many balms in general. There's other products aside from Jim Green that don't darken as much. There's lots of videos about them.
You can preserve the color if you use a nubuck spray conditioner along with some water repellant spray. But the conditioning and protection doesn't last as long. To be fair though, if you work in them, the fudge is light enough to start picking up wear marks after just a couple of uses, and it tends to darken over time as it patinas. So you're kind of just speeding up the inevitable with the balm.
These boots look great! However, I would order a pair if I could do smooth leather on both and upper and lower part of the boot
Yeah, we really need the rose anvil Trooper pattern available in the customizer.
Agreed
@@k.constantine It's not exactly the same but the AR8 pattern gets pretty close.
Can't wait for my pair in brown to arrive in march, will wax them straight away as they will not be a "fashion footwear" but used here in the hilly and mountainous country. Actually as I could do with a pair of tough boots for this winter in the mean time will get me a handmade copy of my old Italian army jump boots -so ugly and heavy they don't issue them anymore 😂
Why do the brown ones always look like they are green in your videos. I would gladly get them if they were green like that, but I find the regular Houston brown to be a bit boring. Will likely get fudge instead. But green would be my preference for sure.
if those came in water buffalo with your 4x4 tyre sole that would be a wicked boot..... please sell us in the usa that sole !!!!!
Yea I prefer the original Tyre soles that they used on the Afrique razorbacks ! I still have mines ! I wish they offered that Tyre sole instead of the one they have now (Tyre Wedge)….
These don't seem to be available from the custom shop yet. Do what I did and order a custom pair of AR8's in February.
Just cleaned my Razorbacks yesterday, and my Numzaan's last week..
So far, my African Rangers need the least attention..
Maybe it's me screen but the color of my Houston Brown I ordered don't look anything like these😂
Jim Green is becoming the Chanel of ZA! Not in a poof way, but well known and regarded 😊
I would love to have one of those with toe cap in give away ( I mean jim green's family's 719 in 8 inches).
Jim green please hear my request.
Thank you for doing this video! Personally, I would only balm one boot, to get a side-by-side comparison of the differences 10 days of wear balmed/unbalmed gives, easily visible on each foot.
Pardon me for being 'that guy', but I would like to bring to your attention that the text inserts seem a bit rushed - at 0:43 there is an improper use of parenthesis, and at 1:32 the text in the upper left corners says 'FESHLY POLISHED'. Now, don't get me wrong - your boots still rock! I will certainly get a custom pair if you ship to Norway or the Netherlands! 🤞
I figure that English isn't their native language, and I could hardly write better captions in Afrikaans if you made me. So it's an easy error to forgive.
vibram soles please. still waiting. will not order until you have them.
Unlikely this will ever happen, vibram aren't any better than these to be honest and when it comes to resoling, just put a vibram on instead ...
Since they're built well and easy to resole, you can buy a pair that you like and have your local cobbler put on whatever vibram soles you prefer. But seeing as they only use their in-house outsoles, you'd probably be waiting forever to get a pair from factory with vibram. Well, unless/until vibram opens a factory in SA lol.
Love this type of video! Wish more companies did this, thank you! Feel free to check out my own review video that I just posted on my channel!
would look so much better without the roughout leather
That basically describes their AR8 boot already in production. The "rugged" part of the name is due to the roughout.