ADDICT BOOTS Japan
-
Hey all!
So after a long time saving and an even longer time reading reviews and trying to make up my mind, I purchased my first pair of engineers! I went with Addict due to the really good reviews and hearing from many sources that they have a lower instep compared to other brands. I measure an 11.5D Brannock and I have a low-mid instep height. After some back and forth with Addict regarding sizing, I was advised to go half a size down from Brannock. I also wear an 11D in Iron Rangers and I have an 11.5D in Chisos (which are too big without their supplied insoles).
Addict recently re-stocked a bunch of their engineers and I was specifically seeking a pair in a teacore horsebutt leather with a soft toe; their narrow last engineer fit all these requirements.
It took a about 6 days to ship from Japan to Australia, the boots cost $1,180AUD and I had to pay $300AUD in duties which included GST. I was tossing up between these and the John Lofgren Railmaster Shinki Horsebutt which were only an extra $200AUD but the wait time is at least March 2027 and I wanted them now.. Perhaps I'll grab a pair of those later in the year although I think I'd rather a brown pair for my second. Anyway I'm getting carried away.
Anyway here are some photos. They were very comfy out of the box and quite snug, the leather lining made them much easier than expected to slip on. I've worn them one day so far landscaping and paving so I'm hoping after a week they should break in quite nicely, although they are incredibly comfy already. I was a little cautious about the instep strap not being stitched to the shaft (something I intend on getting a cobbler to fix) but so far I've had it snug and it seems pretty strong. The pull-loop was also very helpful. I have heard these develop a patina really fast so hopefully I'll have some photos of the teacore coming through soon.
Addict were easy and great to deal with and I'm very happy I went with these for my first pair. I would thoroughly recommend these and they still have a few available on their website from the latest drop too.
Cheers!
PS: Apologies for the poor photo quality, my camera is slowly dying
Just Another Denim Fanatic
-
-
Lofgren lines their shinki models. Or at least my devil’s cause ways were. But I couldn’t put those on without putting my feet in plastic bags
-
These are so good! I saw them last year at Stitchdown Boot Camp in Chicago. I went with a side zip in the same leather. I’m hoping they land sometime around August as I placed the order last November.
Looking forward to seeing how yours wear and patina
-
@northsouthdenimguy Awesome! Post some photos when they arrive!
I also didn't know JL lined their Shinki. I saw Attractions have some of their 444's in a beautiful brown horsebutt.. I'm hoping there are still some available by the time I have enough funds for a second pair.Just Another Denim Fanatic
-
Hi Everyone,
We are excited to announce that starting Spring/Summer next year, we will be adding ADDICT to our third-party brand roster.
Handcrafted in Japan and founded by Satoshi Ishijima, these boots are designed for both riding and everyday wear. They are developed using specialized curved wooden lasts, such as the narrow-profile CL Last or ST Last, providing a sleek, low-instep, and dress-shoe-like silhouette while utilizing rugged, premium leathers. We will be stocking a mix of their styles, including Engineer boots, side-zip Westerns, and Chelsea boots.
I know some of you are already familiar with the brand. Please feel free to share your experiences and photos of any pairs you own here, stay tuned for further news!
-
-
This post is deleted!
-
really curious on how their lasts fit compared to the bulk of other engineer or boots out there. Does anyone have enough experience with them to say how they would compare to a 9D Wesco mr. lou (or really any of the other boots from whites, nicks, lofgren, flathead, mccoys, clinch, rrl)? Specifically in the toe box height & length and then the volume of the instep.
-
I’m not sure about their engineers, but I will say the ST last, like on my side zips, is considered “true to size.”
And if my memory serves me correctly, I believe some of their other lasts are even slimmer and lower volume.
-
Will take some fresh photos of my Addict Engineers and upload, the teacore after a month and a half of wear is pretty full on, theyre looking wonderful.
In regards to their sizing, I wear an 11D in Iron Rangers, measure an 11.5D brannock on both feet and I have quite a low instep.After talking to Addict and sending my measurements they advised I buy an 11D in their narrow last engineer which I did. After breaking in, I then added their thin leather insole that comes with the boots and I would say the fit is almost perfect. There is still a little extra length in the boot and the vamp and instep area are comfortably snug but not tight on me. I'm very confident I could have gone down a full size to 10.5D and not used their insole after break-in and the fit would be perfect; the caveat being that I do like my boots to be snug. Heel slip post break-in is basically non-existant.
I plan on buying a second pair in their brown horsebutt in 10.5D but I will be visiting Japan in january so I'm hoping to try them on in-store and grab a pair there.
Edit: Added photos. I also got my cobbler to add additional stitching to the straps. Now that I have been wearing these hard, I don't actually think it is necessary but being my first pair of engineer boots and knowing I was not going to be gentle with them I decided to be overly cautious and get extra reinforcement added.
