Viberg
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Everything is worthless on ice. I'll give you the snow, but I would say the tread pattern is more practical for a greater part of the year than a clunky sole. Granted I don't have a ton of experience with a variety of soles, but Dainite check all the boxes for me.
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Well, here's where I disagree. On the same slim profile as the Dainite you can have a non-lugged tread pattern that performs a little better on ice and naturally forces out crud and is easier to clean.
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I made that modification in close coordination with Guy and Morgan. They would never have agreed if it would have somehow been detrimental to the boot design. But hey, who knows! All I know is, Viberg is the tits.
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How can anyone hate Dainite. Those soles kick ass. No slip on mine and they are still going strong after 18 months of heavy use. I'm not even half way to a heal replacement.
All I know is that mine slid around like crazy on anything wet- tile, wood, rubber coated steel, concrete, etc. One of the main reasons I sold that pair of Vibergs. CXL leather was another.
My commando soled Vibergs are awesome, however.
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How can anyone hate Dainite. Those soles kick ass. No slip on mine and they are still going strong after 18 months of heavy use. I'm not even half way to a heal replacement.
my experience on dainite is a rather slippery one. just like what @Chris said..
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I for one like the dainite sole and I love CXL. I have come to realize over the years that it is ridiculous for me to have post apocalyptic boots. I work in an office. I am not a lumberjack, carpenter, biker, steelworker or poser. When I am around the woods or on the trail I have Viberg hiking boots.
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Completely agree on the 430 and when I resole will probably go that route but for now Dainite is working well for me.
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I haven't tried the Vibram 269, but I have a pair of White's with the 430. It's a good sole, but I slightly prefer the commando sole on my Vibergs. The commando has the lugs closer to the edge of the sole, which feels a bit more stable. The lugs are also a bit larger, which, for me at least, feels like it has slightly better traction. On the other hand, (or foot, as the case may be) the flatter lugs on the 430 pick up less crap, which is nice. My Vibergs always have a couple of pebbles jammed in the sole, but my White's almost never do.
Here's a pic to show the difference:
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I think it totally depends on application. For those urban soldiers like myself dainite is fine. It's discreet and has more traction than a leather sole. On icy days no vibram or anything else is actually going to save you. I prefer a flatter sole on icy ground because I feel like I have more control. If you're actually tromping through snow and mud with your Viberg's then why are we even having this conversation? (I ask this rhetorically to no one in particular). Vibergs are the ultimate blend between work and fashion boot. Those of you doing actually physical outdoor work in them should obviously buy commando soles, etc. I would be willing to bet you're a minority in terms of the General Viberg demographic…
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I guess living in a desert has been the key. With the exception of today, rain is very rare.
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my experiences with dainite are also less than stellar. I have two pairs of boots with those soles which I will definitely change when a resole is coming up. These things are super slippery.
Even though I have different pairs in rotation I manage to wear through the soles quite often. Concrete is a bitch for any kind of sole. Do you reckon that a metal plate at the shoe tips will avoid excessive wear around that region? -
My Vibergs, neither of them are fashion boots or used as such. I generally spend more on casual shit that I wreck than I do on formal/semiformal / business casual / dressy stuff. If I ever go there I will use something with a tread pattern that offers value. I do like those cork soles that I think a recent Boondocker build had. I really enjoy heel / half sole builds too, I'd like to see some service boots with that.
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^ I'm definitely going that route when I resole my Boonies. I've been watching the boxset of The Pacific lately and want that raw cord sole more than ever now.
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This time, a picture of the rest of my Vibergs, not just the sole.
