Advice for people starting out --- don't buy Doc Martens. They're terrible even though they look cool. Solovair is a better option in that style. Blundstone and Timberland are okay, but watch out for fake Tims. And Redback is similar to Blunnies, but way higher quality. If your budget is $200, Thursdays are okay, although I've had mixed results. My Diplomats are good, but my Cavaliers had a terrible squeak. If you go up to $300 there's a big jump in quality ---- Redwing, Grant Stone, Helm, to name a few. My first heritage boots were Iron Rangers. Lastly, do your research, and rely on channels like this for advice.
My advice: Don’t use Obenauf’s. Turns your boots into a brown, muddy mess. Leather is already water resistant, don’t use Obenauf’s unless you work in like a sludge pit or something
"Sitting in Analysis Paralysis" LMOA. That was me for sure. Finally said enough and went to my local Red Wing store and purchased a pair of Iron Rangers in Amber Harness. I now have boots by White's, Thorogood and have added two more pairs of Red Wings and will have a pair of Grant Stone soon.
I have cole haan older than you. 6 pair from western to work resoled 3 times. If you jeans don't fall to the floor they are not the right fit. Never cuff with boots. Boys and girls cuff.
@bluesbrosg4ev853 I have the same problem, so I went with their 602M last. It's even wider at the ball of the foot. The have a narrow appearance, bur are actually quite wide
I recommend taking a full leap, not a half step. The Red Wing Iron Ranger is probably the best introduction to high quality, heritage boots. Getting your foot measured is good advice. Forget sneaker sizes because they are totally meaningless. There are Red Wing stores scattered here and there. It is worth the trip to visit, even if all you do is get your foot measure. Red Wing sizes work for most major boot brands of heritage boots. All the top tier brands can translate an Iron Ranger size to one of the boot sizes.
Let the leather age. I mink oiled my first pair (Red Wing Blacksmiths in copper) and regret it. Never again! Also, don't go overboard and buy several pairs in a short period of time.
I went with Parkhurst for my first pair. The owner, Andrew, was very helpful and responsive in finding proper size with the photos I sent him of my feet on a Brannock device. Lots of good brands out there.
My advice, do not anything anyone recommends. Walk away from all boot videos because you will fall down a rabbit hole and never get out. My wife now tells everyone I have more shoes than her and am obsessed with boot videos. You have been warned! 😂
You should try the boots on to get the right fit. Go a half size down? Go a full size down? Get your regular size? Just try them on first. Admittedly, that may limit you to whatever is available to you locally.
My first pair was Red Wing work boots, but man the Origin work boots are incredible so far. Just got mine in on Sunday, and absolutely love them. Going to order the whiskey color soon as well. Red Wing might be a heritage only brand.
I've tried many lower end boots over the years that had the look I was going for, but most were hot garbage. A few were pretty great, though. My first pair of nice boots were brown Kudu Vibergs. They're fantastic. The nice part about Viberg is that they stock boots, instead of being made to order. I want to try a pair of Nicks or Whites, but the lead times are pretty insane sometimes.
Ive started with Thursday and im very happy. I personally went with Thursday Seconds picking up their Scout chukka boot in Mocha, 👌🏼 excellent boot. My first boot from them is the Thursday captain in brown, then the presidents in Marte Black 👍🏼
My problem was buying too many boots to soon. I had about 5 pairs of boots I was trying to break in all at the same time. I would suggest no more than 2 pairs in a month, maybe even longer. Also socks make a huge deference. Get good quality Merino socks, some thinner and some thicker. Enjoy.
Where were you when I started my obsession with heritage boots? 😅 excellent video William 👏. My advise is GET THE RIGHT SIZE! which connects with Will’s advise, get your feet properly measured with a Brannock device. I might sound stupid, but it wasn't until I started using heritage boots that I discovered that I have been wearing the wrong size of footwear my hole adult life 😢. So, size, size, and size. In terms of where to start, I would go with brands like Grant Stone and Parkhurst, those lasts are very forgiving and the break in period is minimal. Great experience for first pair of high quality boots. Cheers!!
I recently bought a pair of black thursday stomper boots. Everything is great, except the zipper isn't the smoothest and gets stuck sometimes. Should i be worried about this getting worse?
Got some solovairs factory seconds on sale for £90 only issue i didnt research properly and got the hi shine. Waiting until they fall apart before grabbing up next boots. So saving and will definatly be grabbing up some john whites or trickers.
I was looking at Carolina Gold Series boots for $300 to be my first pair of higher quality boots, but they don’t give very much info about their construction. Anyone here looked at them, or have any experience with Carolina in general?
Nice thing about redwing is that if you get their work line of boots (they have a work line of moc toes that looks almost exactly the same as the heritage line) you get a better warranty as they’ll exchange it if they don’t break in just right. Plus they’ll take care of you and offer to exchange insoles even after you’ve worn them for months. Same applies to work boots, I was offered an exchange for my workboots if they didn’t feel right with the insole change. That was after wearing the boots for months and having them scuffed up from work.
My first pair was wolverine 1000 mile and I love them I'm happy I got them leather was fairly easy to break in. My advice not that I'm a expert refer to number 1 probably the most important
Many high quality booots do not come with an additional/ removable insole thus their sizing guide does not account for added bulk, so you have to account for it when ordering.
Some situations will stretch leather a lot. I had a pair of moc toes that got stuck in pallets from work and they stretched a ton when I had to yank my foot out. It went from a snug fit to being so loose that I ended up stacking 3 insoles inside the boot to get a good fit.
I'm going to go completely against the grain of all of these channels and say this I have spent years buying middle of the road boots $150-$350 and I'm not saying they're all junk but if your feet are done growing spend the money and get the absolute best.
Any recommendations. I have some altbergs and lowas already but looking for a decent pair of boots that be getting covered in mud like the ones I currently use do
@loganholmes2991 if you're looking for total shit kickers I buy the rubber boots from lowes $20 a pair anything else I strictly recommend pacific northwest brands Nick's, Frank's, JK take your pick they are fantastic but expensive. Whites is owned out of country and Wesco good luck getting a pair but I've heard if you do they're amazing
I'm not on an anti-Thursday rant, but I don't hold them in so much high esteem as they cannot get the fit consistent AT ALL over several models. And they're this-'n=that could still be better and then they'd have to raise the price but they'd belong better in this category.
This is where people think I might refute Point #4 about buying the cheaper one or some other aspect, BUT this is also where if you ARE ordering more expensive custom boots, it will be a few months before they likely show up, so you still want something to wear in the meantime. I would try to buy BOTH brands if I was THAT torn between two and then return the ones that fit worse if possible or keep both and make a Y-Tube vid about why the one is better than the other..................
Whites Perry is a step down from heritage but more comfortable, easy break in and half the price of the high end Whites, Nicks or any other PNW or American heritage boots. and a step up from Thorogood and Danner among many others.
After you gather all pertinent information, call the manufacturer before your first purchase with them. They know how their boots fit in relation to other brands.
Advice for people starting out --- don't buy Doc Martens. They're terrible even though they look cool. Solovair is a better option in that style.
Blundstone and Timberland are okay, but watch out for fake Tims. And Redback is similar to Blunnies, but way higher quality.
If your budget is $200, Thursdays are okay, although I've had mixed results. My Diplomats are good, but my Cavaliers had a terrible squeak. If you go up to $300 there's a big jump in quality ---- Redwing, Grant Stone, Helm, to name a few. My first heritage boots were Iron Rangers.
Lastly, do your research, and rely on channels like this for advice.
Start with Thursday then move up from there. Thrusday
Where do you think Truman ranks?
Should I go Truman or Whites?
@@parthasarker1911 same level as Oak and Parkhurst but they have some cool exotics and more rugged look
My advice: Don’t use Obenauf’s. Turns your boots into a brown, muddy mess. Leather is already water resistant, don’t use Obenauf’s unless you work in like a sludge pit or something
"Sitting in Analysis Paralysis" LMOA. That was me for sure. Finally said enough and went to my local Red Wing store and purchased a pair of Iron Rangers in Amber Harness. I now have boots by White's, Thorogood and have added two more pairs of Red Wings and will have a pair of Grant Stone soon.
add more pairs of boots slowly. give yourself time to wear a pair before jumping for another
I have cole haan older than you. 6 pair from western to work resoled 3 times. If you jeans don't fall to the floor they are not the right fit. Never cuff with boots. Boys and girls cuff.
Save your time, money, and feet - buy Parkhurst!
No
Nice boots, but too narrow of a last. Doesn’t compare to brands that offer EE anatomical lasts. But it’s hard to beat if they fit.
@bluesbrosg4ev853 I have the same problem, so I went with their 602M last. It's even wider at the ball of the foot. The have a narrow appearance, bur are actually quite wide
Woohoo!
Grant stone #1
I recommend taking a full leap, not a half step. The Red Wing Iron Ranger is probably the best introduction to high quality, heritage boots.
Getting your foot measured is good advice. Forget sneaker sizes because they are totally meaningless.
There are Red Wing stores scattered here and there. It is worth the trip to visit, even if all you do is get your foot measure.
Red Wing sizes work for most major boot brands of heritage boots. All the top tier brands can translate an Iron Ranger size to one of the boot sizes.
Casual/dress, Grant Stone and Truman boots. Work boots, Ariat workhog. Best boots that I own so far. Look good feel good
Let the leather age. I mink oiled my first pair (Red Wing Blacksmiths in copper) and regret it. Never again! Also, don't go overboard and buy several pairs in a short period of time.
I have Nick’s, White’s and 2 pair of Thursday’s. My absolute go to boot is my Grant Stone Diesel in Jungle Kangaroo.
I went with Parkhurst for my first pair. The owner, Andrew, was very helpful and responsive in finding proper size with the photos I sent him of my feet on a Brannock device. Lots of good brands out there.
I bought a pair of seconds from Parkhurst six months ago. They are great boots. I am a huge fan of them.
My advice, do not anything anyone recommends. Walk away from all boot videos because you will fall down a rabbit hole and never get out. My wife now tells everyone I have more shoes than her and am obsessed with boot videos. You have been warned! 😂
You should try the boots on to get the right fit. Go a half size down? Go a full size down? Get your regular size? Just try them on first. Admittedly, that may limit you to whatever is available to you locally.
I went with Origin Boots and love them. Also, glad that they are sourced and made 100% in the USA.
My first pair was Red Wing work boots, but man the Origin work boots are incredible so far. Just got mine in on Sunday, and absolutely love them. Going to order the whiskey color soon as well. Red Wing might be a heritage only brand.
I've tried many lower end boots over the years that had the look I was going for, but most were hot garbage. A few were pretty great, though. My first pair of nice boots were brown Kudu Vibergs. They're fantastic. The nice part about Viberg is that they stock boots, instead of being made to order. I want to try a pair of Nicks or Whites, but the lead times are pretty insane sometimes.
Ive started with Thursday and im very happy. I personally went with Thursday Seconds picking up their Scout chukka boot in Mocha, 👌🏼 excellent boot. My first boot from them is the Thursday captain in brown, then the presidents in Marte Black 👍🏼
Measure your feet!
Went to a red wing store and got fit for a pair of iron rangers. So happy with my first pair of nice boots.
I did the same thing, went to my local Red Wing store to get measured. They put me at a 9 2EE but the best fit was a 7.5 2EE Iron Ranger.
Friends don't let friends buy Thursday boots.
My problem was buying too many boots to soon. I had about 5 pairs of boots I was trying to break in all at the same time. I would suggest no more than 2 pairs in a month, maybe even longer. Also socks make a huge deference. Get good quality Merino socks, some thinner and some thicker. Enjoy.
Where were you when I started my obsession with heritage boots? 😅 excellent video William 👏. My advise is GET THE RIGHT SIZE! which connects with Will’s advise, get your feet properly measured with a Brannock device. I might sound stupid, but it wasn't until I started using heritage boots that I discovered that I have been wearing the wrong size of footwear my hole adult life 😢. So, size, size, and size.
In terms of where to start, I would go with brands like Grant Stone and Parkhurst, those lasts are very forgiving and the break in period is minimal. Great experience for first pair of high quality boots. Cheers!!
All these notes and advices are fine and dandy, but the highest quality we get here at Mexico is Timberland. 😅
I went from $120 elk woods straight to nicks over $700.
Canada west boots
I like my John Longren 8" Donkey punchers.
Clarks are good.
My first boots were Johnston and Murphy. Cost $150. Should have spent another $50 to $100 on a better manufacturer.
I recently bought a pair of black thursday stomper boots. Everything is great, except the zipper isn't the smoothest and gets stuck sometimes. Should i be worried about this getting worse?
Got some solovairs factory seconds on sale for £90 only issue i didnt research properly and got the hi shine.
Waiting until they fall apart before grabbing up next boots. So saving and will definatly be grabbing up some john whites or trickers.
I've been buying Caterpillar boots, and I'm pretty happy with them.
I was looking at Carolina Gold Series boots for $300 to be my first pair of higher quality boots, but they don’t give very much info about their construction. Anyone here looked at them, or have any experience with Carolina in general?
Nice thing about redwing is that if you get their work line of boots (they have a work line of moc toes that looks almost exactly the same as the heritage line) you get a better warranty as they’ll exchange it if they don’t break in just right. Plus they’ll take care of you and offer to exchange insoles even after you’ve worn them for months. Same applies to work boots, I was offered an exchange for my workboots if they didn’t feel right with the insole change. That was after wearing the boots for months and having them scuffed up from work.
My first pair was wolverine 1000 mile and I love them I'm happy I got them leather was fairly easy to break in. My advice not that I'm a expert refer to number 1 probably the most important
The best tip is just to skip the waste of time and buy Grant Stone. Best boots I’ve ever purchased.
Many high quality booots do not come with an additional/ removable insole thus their sizing guide does not account for added bulk, so you have to account for it when ordering.
Thank you for this guide. Going to buy my first pair of high quality boots in the near future, next few days.
I have falling arches and use orthotics. Even with the orthotics, I can handle flex at the shank.
I wish more people would reciew boot barn boots like hawx and cody james boots, cody james boots seem decent with thick leather
Some situations will stretch leather a lot. I had a pair of moc toes that got stuck in pallets from work and they stretched a ton when I had to yank my foot out. It went from a snug fit to being so loose that I ended up stacking 3 insoles inside the boot to get a good fit.
Bro please recommend India available boots in budget.
Great introduction for newbies especially but helpful to all.
I'm going to go completely against the grain of all of these channels and say this I have spent years buying middle of the road boots $150-$350 and I'm not saying they're all junk but if your feet are done growing spend the money and get the absolute best.
Any recommendations. I have some altbergs and lowas already but looking for a decent pair of boots that be getting covered in mud like the ones I currently use do
@loganholmes2991 if you're looking for total shit kickers I buy the rubber boots from lowes $20 a pair anything else I strictly recommend pacific northwest brands Nick's, Frank's, JK take your pick they are fantastic but expensive. Whites is owned out of country and Wesco good luck getting a pair but I've heard if you do they're amazing
Rancourt & Co is often overlooked but they make a great boot.
Great video and tips William! Your channel and content is gold!
I have a pair of Cavaliers & a pair of Dukes & I'm set for a while.
I was wearing too thin socks when measuring my foot.
I'm not on an anti-Thursday rant, but I don't hold them in so much high esteem as they cannot get the fit consistent AT ALL over several models. And they're this-'n=that could still be better and then they'd have to raise the price but they'd belong better in this category.
So I think Point #2 is sorta negated if you are buying HIGH Quality boots that don't cost less than $300 more than in that Price Range, blah, blah.
Mistake #1: Thinking that they will fit even if you HAVE done Brannock or other attempts at following their fit instructions...
Also, once again he's speaking more specifically to FASHION boots more than WORK boots or other categories in Point #3.
This is where people think I might refute Point #4 about buying the cheaper one or some other aspect, BUT this is also where if you ARE ordering more expensive custom boots, it will be a few months before they likely show up, so you still want something to wear in the meantime. I would try to buy BOTH brands if I was THAT torn between two and then return the ones that fit worse if possible or keep both and make a Y-Tube vid about why the one is better than the other..................
the good news is BROWN is actually the MORE COMMON default heritage color, right?
Santa Rosa boots any good??
😂😂😂😂old uncle Lenny.
Whites Perry is a step down from heritage but more comfortable, easy break in and half the price of the high end Whites, Nicks or any other PNW or American heritage boots. and a step up from Thorogood and Danner among many others.
What brand of boots are the ones at 1:15 ?
They look a lot like Nicks with that roughout look.
Hey what is that boot at 0:42?
Red Wing Iron Ranger
boots are gay
You sound crazy.
Sweet!!
😂 ok
You're gay.
If you are wearing yoga pants and lipstick, then it's not the boots.
🫲🏻 B R O W N 🫱🏻
After you gather all pertinent information, call the manufacturer before your first purchase with them. They know how their boots fit in relation to other brands.