White's Boots

[Guest]

Great pick-up, Mega! If one looks around rakuten one can find a lot of Japanese dudes pulling this style off. I'm sure you'll do the same. 

I'm not a fan of the typical White's sole either, but I did some digging this week and played around on buildaboot.com and think I might actually like the Northwest with the much hated Vibram wedge sole…

[dave]

If you orded from White's lately, they posted this one FB this morning

Boot Lead-Time Update
New Boots are taking 4 to 6 Weeks
Relast Boots 10 Weeks
Resole Boots 1 to Weeks
General Repairs 2 Weeks

[Jordan23]

@ronaldlsh:

Mega, go for it! The chromexcel leather looks really good..

And so the White's finally arrived.

6inch Smokejumper with Brown Chromexcel

Vibram #430

I love the look of the double stitch.

I must say I am impressed by the construction of the boots, the stitching qualities are top notch and I love the feel of the laces haha. Definitely worth the wait.

Can you tell me your specs, please!Would be nice.

I like them!!!!!!!!!

[ronaldlsh]

Here u go:

Leather 1: Brown Chrome Excel by Horween
Leather 2: Brown Chrome Excel by Horween
Toe Vamp Leather: Brown Chrome Excel by Horween
Toe Cap Leather: None
Celastic Toe Box: Re-enforced Toe
Steel Toe: No
Heel Plate Leather: Brown Chrome Excel by Horween
Height: 6"
Upper (Shaft) Leather : Brown Chrome Excel by Horween
Leather Liner: Black
Top: Rolled
Back Plate Leather: Brown Chrome Excel by Horween
Pull Loop: Yes
Eyelet Color: Brass
Eyelet Configuration : Hook and Eyelet
Top Eyelet : Hook
Lace to Toe: Plain Toe
Lace: Leather
False Tongue: Brown Chrome Excel by Horween
Sole: Vib 430
Half Slip: Yes
Heel Shape: Curve
Heel Height: Minus 1/4"
Last: Standard
Midsole: Standard
Midsole/Sole Color: Natural
Size - Length: 9.5
Size - Width: EE

I wore my white's out today, and in about 30mins, i could really feel the pain at the arch. Anyone experienced this before? Their arch design is supposed to improve comfort, but the pain is driving me nuts..

[bagley920]

I would compare that to using muscles you haven't used in awhile. If all of your other shoes are different arch design, your feet may just need to get used to them.

[Megatron1505]

If you're used to wearing sneakers, or lighter weight work boots with crepe soles (Red Wings or Timberlands), you will definitely feel this pain for a couple of weeks. The reason for this is that when you were your sneakers or crepe boots your weight will distribute across the length of your foot, this is actually not natural. The arch ease system puts your foot at a slightly downward angle, this encourages the weight to be put onto the back of your foot (your heel), straight down your leg.

I wouldn't worry too much, you almost have to re-train your feet into the correct weigh distribution and walking position. It is definitely worth it in the end though.

[ronaldlsh]

Thanks bagley and mega!

I will keep wearing them, maybe for a short walk to begin with. I hope the pain will get better as I re-train my feet. I know very well that I have very bad walking habits, which might be the reason for the pain..

[Chris]

Not having owned a pair of White's, I don't have any personal experience with the Arch-Ease system, and owners consistently praise the comfort of the boots after the initial break in period.

Having said that, I'm really curious about how a podiatrist would evaluate the underlying justification for Arch-Ease.  According to White's, it's intended to realign your foot into a relaxed, natural position, which is more comfortable and reduces fatigue.  This implies that the position your foot assumes while standing barefoot is somehow inferior and/or wrong.  Maybe I'm off base, but I have a hard time accepting that our feet are inherently flawed and that the way billions of people have walked for millennia is completely wrong.

Feet are exceptionally complex, and the way they behave in motion and bearing weight is understandably different than the way they behave while hanging static in midair.  I'm just wondering how much of the Arch-Ease concept is grounded in biomechanical science, and how much of it is marketing puffery.

By the way, this isn't meant as an attack on White's; the company has been making beautiful, well built boots for decades.  I'm just genuinely curious about the orthopedic validity here.

[Seul]

Chris: I completely feel the same… I'm too drunk to talk about how I'm a sucker for ads for "heavy duty insoles", and how they don't seem to work at all, but yeah: any talk about that kind of nonsense always gets me blood up ey...

[Megatron1505]

I see what you're saying, all I can say is that it works for me. I too would be interested in the professional validity of the system.

[dave]

I think the pain will go away, Ron.  I had the same problem, but love them now.  My SJs were very painful at first, and it took a long time to get used to them.  Really flat shoes like my Danner's feel funny now.  Also, that quarter inch lower makes a huge difference.  I'm sure the pain would be greater with the standard height.  If Whites put in an insole layered with cork instead of hard leather insole, that might make them more comfortable out of the box.

As far as the usefulness of arch ease goes, I don't think it makes a difference one way or the other. There was definitely is a change in my foot, but I think it's like someone described above as using different muscles.

[demonito]

men talk really  stop being a pussy its going to hurt really ill show you  a picture of my leg and feet hold on

[demonito]

the scar and callouses on my lower leg are caused by

wesco jobmaster
wesco boss
whites smoke jumper

[madmonday]

sh!t, not knocking anyone, but i'm sure you can pay for someone to bruise your feet & it would be alot cheaper than them boots. . . . well maybe not cheaper, but you will probably enjoy it more.

never got dudes with uncomfortable footwear (or tight clothes but i'll stay on footwear) shit the boots are beautiful but if they cause that i will pass

[dave]

I never got a bruise, but the kind of pain I'm taking about with White's is like what happens when you go from wearing running shoes for a long time to high tops.  Although I'm sure someone with flat feet would really have to struggle to make the SJ feel good.

[Jordan23]

Thx ronaldish!By the way they looking great with the RAW's!

[demonito]

theres nothing wrong with the bruises man theyll go away and the come back. these are already callouses. from wearing real work boots for work

[ronaldlsh]

Sorry demonito, but I think it's definitely not a pussy thing to do to get a pair of boots which are comfortable, and doesn't cause any pain…

[demonito]

yeah i know im just being macho but man ill tellyou  honestly its also in the leather you choose and how tight you tie your laces

[dave]

I wear my SJs to my IT job where the hardest thing I do all day is sit on my ass