White's Boots
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Hi. I have only recently discovered White's boots and am thinking of ordering a pair. (After wearing my cap toe chippewas for over a decade.) It is hard to tell on the Baker's or White's sites exactly how the various leathers will look, so I wonder if anyone can help, either with advice or pics.
I am interested in Black (or maybe the dark Brown dress, which look pretty close to Black), but am not sure which leather. Any feedback or pics on Black Smooth versus Black Chromexcel versus Black Horse Hide versus Black/Brown Dress?
Thanks.
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Of those leathers I would go with either black or brown dress. It is a beautiful, tough leather, which holds a good shine and ages really well. Chromexcel ages quite quickly, smooth is good but less versatile and does not ages as well (in my opinion), and horse is quite expensive. Whites dress leather is simply amazing.
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Different animals IMO. I have the OSB's and they are great quality but definitely a little less rugged than Baker's Oxfords would be.
I will agree with this. I only have the OSBs but I'm sure about this…
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Different animals IMO. I have the OSB's and they are great quality but definitely a little less rugged than Baker's Oxfords would be.
this. I have both, and the OSB's are almost like slippers. The Oxfords are def. more hefty, more along the lines of a low top boots
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cool, Chris, I would like to know more about that.
Turns out the guy I was thinking about closed down his business and is now the Head Lastmaker at Nike. Found a video of the system he was working on, though.
Based on the date, I'm going to guess that nothing ever came of it, unfortunately.
I happen to know the makers of the scanner and software system, which is sold as "light beam". They are called Corpus-e (http://www.corpus-e.com/e/index.html) and are very much alive and in business. The technology is used for prosthetics and for sports shoes. Especially ski boots are customized based on that data, as well as golf, hiking, cycling and (soon) running shoes. There are a number of shops in Europe and also two or three in the US (2 of them in Aspen to be precise) equipped with it.
The point of the whole approach is to first do inside scans of shoes, then scan feet and match them with the best fitting shoe, plus indicate possible optimizations. Theoretically you could also cnc or 3D-print an individual last based on that data, in order to make fully custom shoes in a traditional manner, but AFAIK that hasn't been done so far.
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Im sure this topic has been beat to death, but whites fit TTS right? Could I manage w/ half a size less?
Idk, if any one cares but just as a resource for anyone buying second hand, etc.
"WHITE'S BOOTS DO SEEM TO RUN LONG IN THE TOE COMPARED TO OTHER FOOTWEAR. THERE IS A WAY TO CHECK TO SEE IF THIS WOULD BE THE CORRECT SIZE FOR YOU. WEARING YOUR BOOT SOCKS, STAND ON A SHEET OF PAPER. DISTRIBUTE YOUR WEIGHT EVENLY ON BOTH FEET. HOLDING A PENCIL STRAIGHT UP AND DOWN, HAVE SOMEONE ELSE OUTLINE YOUR FOOT. MEASURE THE OUTLINE FROM BACK OF HEEL TO TIP OF LARGE TOE. IF THIS MEASUREMENT IS +/- 1/8" OF THE INTERNAL MEASUREMENT LISTED, THIS BOOT IS THE CORRECT LENGTH FOR YOU. NEXT MEASURE THE CIRCUMFERENCE OF YOUR FOOT AT THE BALL AREA. THIS MEASUREMENT SHOULD BE +/- 1/8" OF THE LISTED MEASUREMENT.
I HOPE THIS HELPS AND THANKS FOR YOUR INTEREST IN WHITE'S BOOTS." -
Thanks for the feedback on leathers so far. I am still thinking them through, and any pictures would be appreciated.
I have a good sense of the Chromexcel, both looks and the character of the leather. But I am not sure about Black Smooth Leather. Kyle from Bakers described as "the thickest and toughest" of White's leathers, which sounds good to me. I figure that means it takes longer to break in than Chronexcel, which would be fine. But I have not seen many pictures or descriptions of it. Can any one help? I guess I am sort of picturing it as similar to Doc Martens black leather, but I don't know if that's right.
Also, has anyone had experience with White's in Calfskin?
So many choices…
Thanks!
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My experience is different. I wear exactly the same size in SD's and SJ's, but find the Oxfords fit bigger.
Bottom line, talk to Kyle if you want to be sure.
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I know some folks have strong opinions about the looks of the tapered Cuban heel versus the straight block heel. I like the straight heel myself, but it's a matter of taste.
But can anyone who has experienced the block heel (or preferably both) weigh in on how it feels to walk in it? I see some feedback here and there, but it often seems to come from someone who hasn't worn the block heel.
So, does the block heel drag, or hit heavy on the ground, or anything like that? Or does it feel more or less natural?
Thanks.
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'got standard [Cuban] heels on my SJs & Packers__ the SDs are on block heels w/c were 1/4" lowered.
the "drag" is not so pronounced on a lowered block..
however, quite honestly, the Cuban walks more comfortably & gives a more normal, solid gait.
'agree that the boots were originally designed/engineered for the Cuban__ "arc-ease" is optimized, imo.actually, i only tried the block to personally experience the difference__ the plan was to get them tapered once i re-heel.
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lowered block heel with double leather sole on my SD's. -
PS: here is some heel comparison from other White's I have had on the way:
standard height block heel on the Bounty Hunter
Different cuban heel heights depending on the model and number of midsoles (one or two. Triple is also possible)
Sole options
From left to right: Farmer/Rancher in red dog with a double leather midsole, Smoke Jumpers and Packer's Boots, both with single mid soles. -
Love NCA's posts, always guaranteed quality Whites Boots porn
