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    Iron Heart Fall/Winter 2025 Collection Preview - Now Live

    WESCO-MRLOU-BLK - Wesco® - 10" Horsehide Pull-On "Mister Lou" Engineer Boot - Black

    WESCO - West Coast Shoe Company
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    • bluemantraB
      bluemantra
      Haraki san Prodigy
      Joined:

      Wonder if I could get some help on fit from folks with more experience than me. I just got these horsehide mister Lou boots in and not sure if I should size down a half size or not. They fit like a firm hand shake. Not to tight. I get a little slight heel slip on one foot. In the photos you can see where my toe comes to where my thumb is placed. I went with the same size as my red wing classic Chelsea 3190. Thanks.

      IMG_1277.jpeg IMG_1281.jpeg

      WTB IHJ-140-IG size L

      last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
      • pechelmanP
        pechelman
        啓蒙家
        Joined:

        Heel slip is a good thing and I'd be worried they are too small if you don't have any on the other boot. Don't worry about the toe so long as you have room. The instep is really the most important where the boot should fit snugly from just behind the widest part of your foot to just in front of the strap.

        Do you have the insoles in right now?

        last edited by bluemantraB 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
        • bluemantraB
          bluemantra
          Haraki san Prodigy
          @pechelman
          Joined:

          @pechelman Same thing happened on my red wings. Left foot has no heel slip and right foot did, but went away with wear. Yes, the insoles are still in. I took them out in the foot with no heel slip and definitely felt roomier and snugness went away. I wouldn't say they are uncomfortably tight at the instep, but snug like a firm handshake. Just that little bit of heel slip in the right foot.

          WTB IHJ-140-IG size L

          last edited by bluemantra RossR 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
          • RossR
            Ross
            IHUK Crew
            @bluemantra
            Joined:

            @bluemantra They sounds like they're probably about right, I little bit of heel slip is totally normal and to be expected and a bit of extra toe room is never a bad thing with engineers. As @pechelman says, getting that fit right in the main part of your foot is most important and a 'firm handshake' sounds good to me

            last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
            • DmartD
              Dmart
              啓蒙家
              Joined:

              I would agree. Firm handshake sounds pretty much perfect. Heel slip is normal, especially in the beginning breaking them in. The length of the shoe should not be an issue, it is more important that your feet/toes align with where the boot wants to bend.

              last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
              • bluemantraB
                bluemantra
                Haraki san Prodigy
                Joined:

                Thank you gents! I'm going to keep these and hopefully they'll break-in nicely.

                WTB IHJ-140-IG size L

                last edited by ? 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                • ?
                  A Former User
                  @bluemantra
                  Joined:

                  @bluemantra I recently had the same at first i thought they didn’t fit but after 2 weeks of wear they start to give a little and are getting better by the day

                  last edited by bluemantraB 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
                  • bluemantraB
                    bluemantra
                    Haraki san Prodigy
                    @A Former User
                    Joined:

                    @Heavy_blue Yeah, they are very stiff currently and I'm guessing after the leather softens and bends more easily that should help with the heel slip. Sometimes you gotta take a chance. So hard to know when they're new and stiff.

                    WTB IHJ-140-IG size L

                    last edited by OaktaviaO 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                    • OaktaviaO
                      Oaktavia
                      見習いボス
                      @bluemantra
                      Joined:

                      @bluemantra FWIW I thought my pair was too small for about 6 months before the leather started to stretch and become pliable. Now, the boots are nearly 2 years old and completely different than when they were new. It just takes time and wearing a lot. The heel slip is hardly noticeable now too, while before my foot was all over the place in the boots. Now, I don't think about how they fit because they are molded to my feet.

                      IG: electricindigowizard

                      "Possibly splitting hairs, but I consider @Oaktavia to be the beardy, dank High Magus of this denim game…" @neph93

                      WTB: IHJ-32 - XL/XXL

                      last edited by Oaktavia 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
                      • Luijim78L
                        Luijim78
                        啓蒙家
                        Joined:

                        my Mr Lou size 9D have always been good from day one (even though I have a size 8/8.5D) probably the shape adapts to my foot, no slipping of the heel (which for example I found in the 7500 shape E) the only problem was the tip of the big toe on my right foot, (my grandmother always told me to cut my toenails a lot, especially at the corners and from what the beautician told me it was one of the billion mistakes I have done in my life), so I discovered that a very small callus had formed on the inside side on the nail bed and Mr Lou made me walk like rusty Robocop 😔 for months ... then I solved the problem and now they are perfect like a glove even if after a couple of years they are still very rigid (characteristic of vegetable tanned leather) sooner or later they will break, for those who have chosen the Horween CXL version everything will be simpler and faster. Good evening dear friends, sorry if with my broken English I tried to tell the story of my life in a post 😔😔😔😔

                        last edited by Luijim78 flannel slutF bluemantraB 2 Replies Last reply Reply Quote 6
                        • flannel slutF
                          flannel slut
                          Raw and Unwashed
                          @Luijim78
                          Joined:

                          rusty Robocop! 👏

                          last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                          • bluemantraB
                            bluemantra
                            Haraki san Prodigy
                            Joined:

                            Maybe a silly question, but are you supposed to remove the instep buckle when putting on and taking off engineer boots?

                            WTB IHJ-140-IG size L

                            last edited by OaktaviaO Luijim78L goosehdG 3 Replies Last reply Reply Quote 0
                            • pechelmanP
                              pechelman
                              啓蒙家
                              Joined:

                              Sometimes you can put shoes on without undoing the laces, sometimes you can't. Do whatcha gotta do here as well.

                              last edited by pechelman 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
                              • OaktaviaO
                                Oaktavia
                                見習いボス
                                @bluemantra
                                Joined:

                                @bluemantra I only unbuckle mine when cleaning. Slip 'em on and off.

                                IG: electricindigowizard

                                "Possibly splitting hairs, but I consider @Oaktavia to be the beardy, dank High Magus of this denim game…" @neph93

                                WTB: IHJ-32 - XL/XXL

                                last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
                                • DmartD
                                  Dmart
                                  啓蒙家
                                  Joined:

                                  Same here.

                                  last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                  • Luijim78L
                                    Luijim78
                                    啓蒙家
                                    @bluemantra
                                    Joined:

                                    @bluemantra it depends on whether you need it to put them on or not, I only started untying the lace when I got to tightening it at the 5th hole, until the 4th I didn't need it, after a few weeks I no longer needed to untie it. Undoubtedly vegetable tanned leather is quite rigid and requires more time for everyone, but it also has extreme elasticity.

                                    last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                    • ?
                                      A Former User
                                      Joined:

                                      I never unbuckle them only when i clean them to be honest.

                                      last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                                      • goosehdG
                                        goosehd
                                        Mod Squad
                                        @bluemantra
                                        Joined:

                                        @bluemantra Read this on how I wear mine and find as an excellent resource. I know not everyone will agree:

                                        https://nicksboots.com/blog/post/getting-engineer-boots-fitted/

                                        "I don't give a shit what anyone else is doing, we will do what is best for us and our customers" - Giles P. :)

                                        last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 3
                                        • bluemantraB
                                          bluemantra
                                          Haraki san Prodigy
                                          Joined:

                                          Thanks all. I was just concerned because they've been a bit tough to take off and didn't want to stretch the leather, thereby making them looser without the ability to tighten them back up.

                                          WTB IHJ-140-IG size L

                                          last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                          • pechelmanP
                                            pechelman
                                            啓蒙家
                                            Joined:

                                            fwiw, and i should have been better about it in my first reply (sorry about that), I do unbuckle/buckle when taking them off/on. They're juuust a little too snug for me to slide in and the time it takes me to buckle them is about the same as the time i'd spend struggling.

                                            last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
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