ADDICT BOOTS Japan
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@SourPower I just got a pair of these. My first Addict Boots were the Jodhpurs in Black HH and then recently got these same exact ones. I went 1/2 from brannock and to be honest, the instep was a killer. I'm Asian so I didn't think I would have a high instep but apparently I do. The instep on both were extremely rough in that they pinched like hell but I was hell bent on making them work. I would imagine taking my tts brannock size would have possibly been better however, I prefer my boots to fit snug without a lot of room in the toe box length/width wise.
I had to buy a professional grade instep stretcher. It's made of steel and robust. I stretched them for 2 days. My left foot doesn't have as high of an instep like my right foot.
To be honest, I prefer suede over any smooth leather outside of shell cordovan. I have a ton of boots that are CXL and I would prefer suede over CXL. It hides scuffs really well and there's just something about suede that is really appealing to me.
How did these fit you?
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Update! The AB-01H-ST Standard Horsehide Engineer boots have arrived!
Relatively quick postage from Japan to Australia, no issues with the packaging. For fellow Australians, Addict now ships internationally in USD only and these were listed as $830USD for me at the time of purchase, shipping was $53USD and i paid customs/duties/tax of around $305AUD bringing the total price to $1,560-ish AUD. Previously Addict's international store used local currency so when I purchased my Horsebutt engineers first (the more expensive of the two versions) I paid in AUD and they actually cost about the same as this pair now that they have swapped to selling in USD. That doesn't bother me particularly, but it's something to consider.
First impressions; the leather is just as thick as the Horsebutt engineers although the shaft and top strap are noticeably softer and more supple. The Shaft has much more flex than the horsebutt versions, although I would definitely say it is still quite firm but the break-in will be much quicker. There is (at least on my pair) a subtle lasting line down the center of the boot, something that I did not notice in the stock photos. This surprised me, I actually have found this quite unappealing in photos of engineers boots (looking at you clinch) but in person I'm really surprised that I actually like it. perhaps it's because its subtle and a point of difference to my horsebutt pair.
Clicking looks wonderful to me, there is some visible grain in the shaft but the vamp and heel look perfect, there is a little spot on vamp of the left boot in the photos but this just rubbed away just using my finger. The black has a nice lustre to it in person and is deep without being shiny, so excuse my poor photos.
This version is a structured toe, and although not quite a full heritage bump toe, it is noticeably rounder and higher than the unstructured horsebutt. I wanted a pair with the structured toe, although I do prefer a rolled and collapsed toe. I bought this black pair with intention of it being my engineer boot for dressier occasions compared to the abuse my teacore pair live up to.
For photo comparison purposes, the teacore now have about 3 months of almost daily wear including some rough yard work like fencing and landscaping. Yesterday, before I took these photos, I gave them their first real clean and touch up with some conditioner and they have come up much better than expected, a lot of the scratches have disappeared.Sizing
I took a risk and did go a full size down on the brannock with these. I decided to do that because of the structured toe and to have a very tight fit, these are a 10.5D. As stated in my other posts above, I do have a very low instep and while the 11D Horsebutt fit me very well after break in and using the insert from Addict, i found there is still a little bit of wiggle room in the instep for me even now that I have them on the third hole and I just don't want to tighten them more. With the collapsing of the toebox in the horsebutt I also do not have room in the toes to go down to a 10.5 like I could with these. I plan on getting another pair of the horsebutt in the brown in an 11D and I would still recommend to others going only a half size down unless youve spoken to Addict and are really, really, confident with your foot measurements.I've put them on and walked around the house for a bit now, they are definitely very tight but in a good way. I do expected a longer and slightly painful break-in period compared to the horsebutt, which I would say while there was some initial break-in discomfort, they were not painful. I can already tell that I will not be needing these inserts and these are going to form so well to my feet.
Other things of note
I can happily say that the sole thickness between the two is the same, for some reason on the standard versions Addict have a full rubber outer-sole instead of the half-cut version on the horsebut, the heelstack is also the same height so i assume there is a little less leather in this heelstack to make up for the additional rubber.
As you can see in the photos, I did add additional stitching to both straps on the shaft. I did this mostly as a precaution and because these cost me so much I wanted to be safe. In hindsight, on the horsebutt versions I dont think this is necessary, and on the bottom strap of the Horsehide I also would say I don't think it's necessary, but the top strap is feels very soft to me so it could be considered. Personal preference I guess, but I will be taking these to my cobbler and getting additional stitching to both straps anyway.I'll post some more photos in the future, I intend on alternating between these two now and easing up on the abuse my horsebutt pair have copped these past three months. Hopefully around Christmas/January I'll have the funds to buy a third pair in Brown if they are still available. I've considered trying an alternative brand like JL or Wesco, but here in Australia getting a pair of Wesco's costs just as much as Addict, Attractions or JL and I just can't justify it, especially given the mixed advice on sizing for Wesco's I've received. Other brands like JL, Attractions, and Skoob (from what I've been told) have much higher insteps and we all know that for Engineers fit is king; the Addicts are 2 for 2 for me in terms of amazing fit so I think one more pair should do it and I can go back to just buying more IH jeans and jackets haha
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I wanted to share my initial thoughts on wearing the side zip boots that I managed to snag ahead of our drops next year.
To be honest, I wasn't sure about them at first because I am so used to wearing hiker and service boots, but they are really growing on me. For sizing reference, I wear a size 10 in Viberg and an 11E in Wesco. I opted for an 11.5 in these. There is a little bit of extra room in the toe box, which I like, but the fit feels a bit tight around my instep right now. Based on what I've read online, the leather should mold and soften there over time.
I plan to wear these heavily over the next few months and will keep you updated on how they break in.
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Those look great!
Although your post really highlights just how different people’s feet are and how differently they size footwear. Three examples of Addict boots, two side-zips and one engineer, and three completely different sizing experiences.
I think this is where Iron Heart will really shine by having your staff try them on and share what sizes work for them, much like you do with your clothing. Although boots are a completely different animal when it comes to fit.
And as everybody knows, I’m more than happy to give my opinion on sizing (or anything else, even unsolicited). Lol. I’ve always said, find your boot buddy! Someone with similar feet whose sizing experiences you can actually relate to.
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@Jack I can't wait to see the progress on these, they look beautiful.
I think with addict the shape of your foot and instep is going to play a bigger part than just a brannock measurement, this post with all our size disparity definitely shows that!
@northsouthdenimguy is bang on the money, it will be great to have the IH crew try them on and be able to give feedback and help to people who come into the store.I'm in the process of breaking in the 10.5D Black engineers now, definitely some discomfort but overall it's going well. I would have though it crazy I would ever wear a 10.5D in a boot but here we are. Another month or so and I'll post some more comparison photos.
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I agree—the instep on these boots is definitely something to take note of. ADDICT themselves are very honest about it. They are certainly one of the lowest-fitting boots I have tried, but they are definitely the best-looking and highest-quality side-zip boots on the market.
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AB-01H-ST HORSEHIDE ENGINEER BOOTS STANDARD
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@FlavourFade the addicts have more toe spring, and a much lower volume last with a pointier toe box and shorter instep. Casper’s in 12 took zero break in out of the box, whereas these in 12 are going to need more time, wear, and stretching to get them broken in. I love both but they are totally different, and I would say the addict is more like a cowboy boot in terms of how they feel vs. the Casper is really its own unique thing. All that being said RDT makes more comfortable shoes out of the box.
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@SourPower thanks for the write-up!! I am surprised you took the same size in both Boots since I was able to even size down to a 9 from my usual 9.5-10 depending on maker in the caspers while I read a lot about the addict being tts. Also I would love to hear from you how substantial the Addict Boot feels? The caspers feel like tanks to me
Insta: max_25oz
WTB:
-IHSH-397 XXL/XXXL
-526j / 526pj XXL/XXXL -
My two(twenty five) cents…
I sold my Caspers a few years ago, and at the time I was still recovering from a catastrophic quad injury, so my feet had definitely atrophied and were smaller than normal. I’ll agree with this though, I think the Casper is typically a full size down for a lot of people. But with side-zips and pull-on boots like engineers, ropers, etc., so much comes down to foot volume, instep, and the overall shape of your feet. I think I’d probably do just fine a half size down in the Casper now that my feet are back to normal.
As mentioned above, the Addict side-zips feel more like a Western boot with a sprung toe. Not exactly lightweight, but definitely not as substantial or heavy feeling as a Casper.
The ST last is a longer last, so for some people true to size may feel too long. I think the determining factor for sizing these is really going to come down to foot volume and instep. Are you the person who has to crank down the straps on every pair of engineer boots or even add holes? No matter what you do, even with an additional or thicker insert and thick boot socks, you still have heel slip? Then you probably need to start sizing down. If you typically follow the normal sizing advice of a half size down and up a width, or true to size in a D width on something like a Mr. Lou, then I think you’ll probably be fine going true to size in these.
I think where it starts to get tricky is with people who have wider feet. Does that mean you size up, or do you just go true to size and bear through it? I really don’t know. Although I do know somebody who has a tremendous amount of experience with these boots and the people who wear them, so I’m sure I could reach out if somebody has one of those outlier feet that doesn’t fit the typical sizing advice.
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@northsouthdenimguy thanks for your opinion, I think the most important thing is how personal and individual footwear is in terms of fit. Not that feet are just different, also everyone has different taste in how they like their boots and shoes to fit. Also the same boot in different leather will feel different.
I am pretty sure that the casper is more what I feel like being the style I Iike to wear and the addict western boots is more a boot I love to look at but not sure if I would wear them a ton. But I like to at least play with the Idea in my head and wonder how they would look beaten up.
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@FlavourFade a few thoughts from my personal experience with larger feet and handmade boots…
My perspective is that there seems to be a lot more variability in sizing and fit throughout the “middle” of the chart, with outliers like me on the ends often taking the largest size that Japanese boot brands will offer. Just my observation but it seems like it can be a lot more difficult to nail down the perfect fit for people with smaller feet.
I don’t have as much choice, and in RDT for example they don’t even offer half sizes in the larger boots. So I either take a 12 that’s comfortable and slightly roomy, or try to squeeze into an 11. I also learned that the Japanese domestic footwear market prefers a roomier fit, which explains why RDT Boots feel and fit the way that they do. American consumers and boot brands tend to suggest/prefer a snug fit.
I find way less variation with size 12 boots and wear that size in Wesco, Russell Moccasin, RDT, Addict, Zerrows, etc. and they all work very well for me.
That being said the addict is definitely a snugger fitting boot and last shape in size 12 than the Casper, but they are like comparing apples and oranges to me- so they will always look and feel different on foot.
Excess In Moderation
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@SourPower thanks for your thoughts man! I recently got a pair of Luosjiet Boots that also fit a bit oversized but still comfortable and I just realized that I like that and the overly snug fit I tended to in the past is not what I am after for my next purchases anymore
