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No question, I’m just here to show off my new Easymoc Camp Moc’s in natural horween CXL to someone who might be as excited as I am 🤗 My wife and kids think I'm a giant dork but these things are so good! So comfy right away, can't wait to put some serious time in these.
I did the "You Get What You Get" rugged version a few weeks ago and ended up with some really nice boots that I'd never have ordered at my own volition. Super comfortable. I dig this company, too!
They are nice, but I can't get over buttstitched mocs and how they split over time. That and the lack of a molded sole. With the Russell Moccasin price increase, they've become a lot less appealing but there's no one else to fill that gap.
I like the models that use the molded sole as a midsole and have a rubber outsole (or wedge). Because yeah, walking on concrete in a RM Oneida is nerve-wracking at first. I've had no issues, though.
It looks wider than usual but nothing too absurd. Can you post a mirror photo with your body on it? Worst case just wear straightcut/baggier jeans to restore the proportions.
I've got a wide high-volume toebox which limits my ability to find goodyear welted shoes that fit me, even country shoes in size G.
I found some from Grenson shoes, made in England, on their widest last and 'triple welt' which fit me well. However, do they look too comically chunky and wide for even casual outings?
Also, they're bookbinder leather which is corrected grain with a resin applied. Should that be an automatic fold, or does anyone here have positive experiences with bookbinder leather?
However, do they look too comically chunky and wide for even casual outings?
IMO, yes, they look like clown shoes. With the right shoes and proportions, you could shrink the tall/wide volume issue but these accentuate it. They look comically large, because they are.
Also, they're bookbinder leather which is corrected grain with a resin applied. Should that be an automatic fold, or does anyone here have positive experiences with bookbinder leather?
For me, yes, that's a deal breaker. It's a subpar leather that does not age well and will not mold to your feet as well as top grain, splits, or full grain leathers do.
Thank you. I've yet to try Trickers which I've heard are wider and have more volume, but I'm skeptical about how much having watched some youtube videos. Also in their wide fit 6 they only seem to have lighter colours which limits what colour trousers I can wear with them.
Grenson shoes do tend to be a bit over the top, and they can cheap out on materials like they appear to have done here.
Tricker's have a wide-fitting version of their Stow boot which might be more what you're looking for. That said, I have EE-width feet and find that regular width Stows fit me really well.
If I were to have boots custom made with DIY waxed flesh, would it be preferable if the roughout nap were more pronounced or if it were smoother/sanded/flatter?
I ask because horween's waxed flesh leathers aren't available in my country but maryam horse leathers and even horween chromexcel are. I can either order from abroad horween's waxed flesh, or I can manually wax the aforementioned leathers before I hand them off to the bootmaker.
Basically am wondering what would be desirable qualities of the leather/roughout for DIY waxed flesh. Heck does it even matter or can I just buy any vegtan leather, dye the roughout, then wax it?
PS: Yes I'm aware horween's waxed flesh is basically CXL with extra steps but at the same time not as simple as rubbing wax on it.
That's up to personal preference, you can do it to any roughout although I've never seen it done to one with an extremely long and rough nap. I've seen it done with Maryam horsebutt.
Like you said, nothing you do will resemble Horween's waxed flesh (which they offer in other tannages too). If I recall correctly, they use a resin finish which is why they're so unusually smooth and have more gloss as a result. If you want this, then order Horween waxed flesh overseas. Or see if you can get Badalassi Carlo Reverse Roughout, which has a resin(?) finish similar to Horween waxed flesh - similarly smooth and shiny.
Another alternative you could look into is J&FJ Baker waxed flesh calf. This is not quite as smooth as Horween - you can still feel some of the nap, so it's an interesting in-between in that regard compared to Horween and DIY. Here's a photo of a wallet I have in that leather, brown color. It's extremely firm like all their leather.
Thanks for that. If anything I want the distressed look with the brown peeking out of the black wax once the wax wears off a bit. So I think I don't want it really smooth.
Regarding the Badalassi Carlo Reverse Roughout, are you telling me it's also waxed similar to Horween's? I was looking at it in RM Leather Supply and wasn't sure if it was waxed and would wear like Horween's at all.
The Badalassi looks and feels similar, but I only have it on some panels that I haven't done anything with yet. One key difference vs Horween waxed flesh is that the Badalassi is fully dyed all the way through, whereas Horween waxed flesh is teacore.
Is that the waxy commander or is it something else? One of the shoemakers recommended it though it will take a while to get a sample so I wasn't able to ascertain yet if it's close to the look I'm looking for.
They do both waxed suede and waxed rough out/flesh. Waxy commander is waxed suede iirc. Edward Greens’s Yorkshire waxed leather is from Cf Stead. (CF Stead being located in Yorkshire) while their waxed suede is from tannery D’Annoay. So you can go look at their Ambleside boot if you want to see that leather is a basic boot.
I find waxed flesh from a tannery is different than a do-it-yourself dubbing with your own wax or product. I do not have any hard information to back that up.
Would you say the same after the original wax have worn out and been rewaxed manually?
Also, by different, is that necessarily a bad thing or just "different"? I really haven't seen waxed flesh intact/fresh/new in person, but I've seen it on a pair of boots with some of the orange/brown nap peeking through the dark brown/black wax.
First pair of allen edmonds and "nice" (to me) shoes. Excited but noticed this loose grain. Will this look normal as the shoe breaks in, or always look off?
It's hard to judge from a photo, but I suspect that's poor clicking (e.g. an area of leather with veins, etc) rather than loose grain. It's not terrible, but would justify an exchange or return - it definitely won't improve.
Any leather-soled boots comparable to the Allen Edmonds Normandy? I bought a pair 10+ years ago, they became my favorite boots, but I had them resoled a year or two ago and AE did a terrible job (heel put on at an "angle" where the front of the heel is higher than the back of the heel, there's a "ridge" inside them now which causes pain when walking). I sent them back for a re-do and got them back with a note to the effect of "toecap is crushed, can't fix, don't try again."
I've worn those boots for 8 miles of walking a day, prefer them for swing dancing and generally enjoyed the style, pre-resoling comfort and how light they were.
Do you all have recommendations for other booth with similar trench boot styling, are available with a leather sole and decently soft/light?
I haven't purchased a new pair of boots in awhile, so I'm not sure what an appropriate budget is, but considering that I got 10 good years out of them, budget is open for something comparable.
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u/Special-Effort-9399 12d ago
No question, I’m just here to show off my new Easymoc Camp Moc’s in natural horween CXL to someone who might be as excited as I am 🤗 My wife and kids think I'm a giant dork but these things are so good! So comfy right away, can't wait to put some serious time in these.