Help me find an engineer boot
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@NickD @popvulture Really good. Thank you.
I took a look at the Flat Heads on the Self Edge site last night. Oh man... they look tasty! I'd prefer a black, but that pull-up chrome excel looks so good!!
For those of you with the Flat Heads; how did you size in comparison to your sneaker and Brannock size?
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I haven't measured myself on a Brannock in a while, but I tend to be a 13 in "normal" shoes and sneakers. For things like running and hiking shoes where I need a real proper fit, I'll go up to 14. Always D width pretty much, aside from really unique situations like Wesco.
Like I said somewhere back there, the Flat Heads run pretty damn big. I've got plenty of room in a 12.
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@popvulture said in Help me find an engineer boot:
I haven't measured myself on a Brannock in a while, but I tend to be a 13 in "normal" shoes and sneakers. For things like running and hiking shoes where I need a real proper fit, I'll go up to 14. Always D width pretty much, aside from really unique situations like Wesco.
Like I said somewhere back there, the Flat Heads run pretty damn big. I've got plenty of room in a 12.
If I’m picking up what you’re putting down, For the Flat Heads, you size down a full Brannock size, and as much as two size down from a sneaker size?
That would put me in a 9. I’m a 10 Brannock, and tend to sport size 11 sneakers (Vans, Adidas, etc.). In my custom Wesco engineers, I’m a 9, and 9.5 E in their motor patrol last lace-up boots.
If so, that has me leaning towards finding a pair of The Flat Head engineer. I like the style, they seem like they have an accommodating fit, the leather breaks in a bit easier, and most importantly; there might be some stock available. Otherwise, I’m either scouring for a thrifted pair or waiting even longer for a made-to-order from another maker.
Otherwise, the Nick’s Brakeman seems like a killer option, albeit one that requires a wait.
For those of that do have The Flat Head engineer; am I thinking about their sizing correctly?
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@Bobcat-Sig I wouldn’t base it too much on me, since I am sort of a weird size just in terms of length. I think in a perfect world, I’d wear a 13.5 in sneakers, but most shoes don’t come in that size, so here I’m always trying to figure out that weird in between.
Going down two whole sizes seems like a stretch, but maybe it could work! Luckily they do appear to make half sizes though, so if I were a guessing man, I’d say 1.5 sizes down. Definitely get some other opinions/experiences though.
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Update!
I dutifully scoured the ol' intarwebz regarding the Flat Heads and miraculously, SE PDX had a pair in size 9. I emailed @kiya, who was incredibly helpful, and he suggested a 9 might fit. I hustled down there today to give 'em a go...
And despite much struggle, I couldn't get them on. I didn't think to bring a shoehorn or some plastic bags. In looking at how far my heel was sticking out of the shaft while trying to get them on, I don't know if any many of assistance would help. So I'll be patient for a restock and see if a 9.5 is possible to slide into.
I will say, though, the Flat Heads are beautiful. I mean, just exquisite in their build. I tried on the natural pull-up CXL and... so handsome. The patina and wear-in potential on those look so good!
I may also reach out to Nick's about their Brakeman in a custom build to see if it's even in the realm of possibilities to fit.
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@northsouthdenimguy might I ply your knowledge from your vast boot collection?
I noticed in the Show Me Your Boots Thread that you snagged a pair of standard engineers from Wesco via Ship John. While the Mr Lous get all the love and attention, they are also smaller and more narrow all around, it seems. How would you characterize the fit of the Wesco Engineer with the bubble toe?
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The Bubble Toe definitely has more room in the toe box. They’re a D width, so I went true to size. It’s pretty comparable to an E width if you size down by a half. Other than that, the Boss or Mr. Lou all of these boots fit about the same for me. The leather, more than the particular engineer style or makeup from Wesco, is what really affects how they feel and fit(IME). That is if you’re sizing correctly.
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@northsouthdenimguy Thanks, that helps. Digging deep, there's a lot of discussion on the fit of these boots, so I'm trying to sort it all out. I'm finding myself borderline obsessing over finding an engineer boot that fits me.
Part of my question came from something I read or heard about the Boss vs. the Mr. Lou, and that the latter is built on a narrower last, in addition to its smaller shaft. But that could be that I'm confusing the narrower shaft with the foot area?
My quest continues.
ETA: I found where I'm getting confused. Regarding the Mr Lou, its last, and sizing, from Standard and Strange: The MP1339 last that these are built on runs narrow, so the E width wears like a D. Take one-half size smaller than your Brannock size.
Safety third
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This post is deleted!
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Even though I have quite a few Wesco engineer I’m by no means an expert, but I have boss boots that fit exactly like Mr. except for the toe box. But I don’t know if these are traditional boss boots as they’re collaborations with Ship John and iron shop provisions. I don’t have any old school, rugged boss engineers.
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@Bobcat-Sig the Wesco width thing and Boss vs Lou are indeed sort of odd. I once emailed with an order question saying what all I wanted, thinking it was essentially a Mr. Lou with a couple tweaks, and he wrote back with “oh cool so you want a Boss with x and y.” I’ve also seen custom Boss that pretty much look exactly like Lous to my eye. I’d email Wesco and ask — if you do, please share the answer! I wouldn’t mind knowing the actual difference. Maybe Lous are just a LTD Boss, since Boss are the only one of those two available in the custom builder.
As for the E thing, I’m a normal D width in everything except Wesco pretty much, and I’ve followed the suggestion of going to an E because their last fits narrow. They’ve always fit me perfectly in terms of width, and I imagine a D would be too slim for me.
I’ve never really had any trouble with the toes of the Wescos being enough room for me width wise, but I will say that it’s a pretty flat toe box with not a lot of vertical room. Also the ankle area of mine seem snugger than the TFH, so that’s another thing to consider if you had trouble getting the latter on at Self Edge. One option would be ordering a pair of the stock Mr Lou they have on the site and see how they fit. As far as I know, they’re returnable, but I’d just email to check.
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Sanity check here for those of you with any flavor of Wesco pull-on boot: do your boots have some sort of counter stay or support? That is to say, in the heels of your upper, is their structure, be it veg tan or celastic?
My custom engineer boots have sent me on this quest have absolutely no support in the heels or uppers. As best as I can determine, there's a counter cover in the interior and the horse hide on the outside. With very little effort, I can nearly push together both sides of the heel cups. This would also explain how the leather in the heel is collapsing near the sole. I checked my two pairs of lace-up Wescos and there's prominent structuring in the heels. Same goes for all of my cowboy boots, my pair of Trumans, and even a bit in my Redwing Moc Toes.
I know many of you are afflicted with multiple pairs of Wesco engineers, be it the Boss or Mr Lou, could you do me a huge favor and check the heel structure of the counter? Is there any manner of support in there? I have a call into Chris at Wesco and he's out today... Lucky guy in on the four-day work week program.
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@Mlwdp yah, I’m seeing that as well. Do your boots have any sort of structure in the heel?
