Oak Street Bootmakers
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Just curious what makes Vibergs better than the other above mentioned boots? Better construction? Materials? The double welt? What justifies another couple hundred dollar premium? (Just curious, I'll never own a pair)
There's no double welt. It's actually stitchdown construction using two rows of stitching, which is widely considered inferior to Goodyear construction. Not by me, mind you. I love stitch down. Or McKay construction. In my experience vibergs are a better finish and attention to detail, which constitutes about a 100 dollar premium, no where clise to 300-400 more. It's all hype. The highest quality boot I've ever handed was made by nicks boots. The construction is atomic bomb proof and the finish is viberg level. As a side note, I think with the advancement of the internet horween has absolutely exploded in terms of hype and overwhelming market saturation. There is better leather out there. Just In terms of tanning horween or no horween I prefer oil tanned over chrome tanned all day long. Don't get me wrong horween is quality top notch stuff but people act like it's the end all. It's just most well known than other stuff. For absolute best value for construction, materials and wait time For the ultimate boot id go whites custom. I would say nicks over whites any day but nicks wait is like 20 weeks and customer service is poor.
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I wouldn't say that stitch down construction is widely considered inferior to Goodyear welting. Goodyear is more common because it's much faster, however. I think it gets a lot of publicity because it's a clear step up from the average crappy construction most people are familiar with in widely available boots.
Since stitch down welting take a couple of hours, instead of a couple of minutes, like Goodyear welts, the labor cost is higher, which obviously gets added into the retail price.
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You can't compare Viberg to OSB. That is like comparing Alden to White's. OSB is an outstanding artisan shop. Their products and customer service is top notch. If you are looking for a comfortable boot or shoe to wear casually or for fashion OSB will fit what you are looking for. If you are looking to put out forest fires and trudge through the wilderness you should be looking for another company. That being said. I highly recommend OSB those guys are great and they back their products 100%
OSB is not an artisan shop. As far as I know, no boots are made on Oak Street in Chicago. Highland makes their moccasin-constructed shoes, and their Trench Boot line is all made by P.W. Minor. In terms of materials quality, OSB cuts a few corners and uses leather that makers like White's and Viberg would discard. Lately they've had significant issues with welt-stitching tension, and while OSB CS is usually top-notch, OSB refuses to regard the issue as, well, an issue. This album (http://imgur.com/a/ovKrt) illustrates their recent issues. It's worth noting that I've heard the boots in the second-to-last picture were eventually taken back for a full-refund, despite their initial claim that it's within-spec.
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So, just saw this today. Sent an email to OSB to see what the deal is with a repair, but if all they are is glued, I could have it done locally. Am I understanding this right, or
just being a dick? A welt that is glued, not stitched, decorative outer stitching that is not sewn through all the way?These are trail oxfords, about 2 or 3 years old.
Sorry about the rotated image. -
What was the outcome?
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I thought he meant spooge
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Well this is turning into a shit storm.
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They don't make the shoes themselves. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but I do like Viberg's tighter integration. There was a guy on reddit who had some natural shell boots of theirs that had bad puckering around the toe box down near the welt. When he raised the concern, they claimed that was normal. I have been a bit gun shy ever since reading about that episode.
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I have 3 pair 2 trail oxfords 1 Beefroll penny loafer. I did have 1 issue with my peanut suede trail oxfords. They replaced them immediately.
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Not sure I want an even replacement for a faulty design. I'd prefer to exchange for something with a proper Goodyear welt. That's the last time I buy shoes without paying closer attention to the build. I was drawn in but the all-American company ethos. Fool me once….
I'll just stick with Wesco from now on.
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they offered to fix free of charge, which is very nice of them. However, Im still baffled about the glued welt and fake stitching. Tony skipped that in our exchange. I'll send them in to get fixed, but Im seriously let down that beneath the surface there are some serious corners being cut. Someone please correct me if Im wrong, but shouldnt the welt be stitched down, and then sewn to the part where the sole is glued?
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I hate to be negative again on the OSB thread, I know they are popular and I do enjoy their designs, but OSB is using bonwelts in some of their shoes. C'mon man.
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learn something new everyday. i had no idea what the heck a bonwelt was. . . i still like Oakies & am hoping they can get any production issues together. it's hard being under the microscope of the internet male super informed forum/clique consumer.
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I 2nd Monday I think Oakstreets are great. It's hard to find a casual shoe that carries the comfort of an OSB
