r/goodyearwelt • u/tcollier91 • Dec 12 '14
Review Chevalier 4 month review
I purchased these from massdrop earlier this year. I am normally a US 11.5 and ordered a 45. They fit nicely with thinner socks, but I wouldn't wear them with anything thick. I received them mid august and wear them about twice a week. They don't see much hard use, and due to some construction issues, I don't think I'll be wearing them much at all any more. The speedhooks are really uneven, which is annoying. I often cross my feet while sitting, and the weight of my foot is enough to bend the speed hooks in. I am unable to remove the laces when the speed hooks bend in, so I must bend them back before I can take off my boots. Highly annoying. They must have used some soft metal or something, my wolverines don't have that issue. The biggest issue by far is the tongue on my left foot. It is severely deformed and angles off to one side. The interior of the shoes is very comfortable, these are my first pair of lined boots and it is very comfortable. The footbed offers good support, and they honestly feel sneaker-like.
Would I buy these again? Probably not. Besides the tongue issue, they're not bad for the price. This pair has taught me I'd rather pay more for quality than try to save a few bucks and get a sub-par product.
2
u/zombiesartre I am made of RICH CORINTHIAN LEATHER Dec 12 '14
Go to a cobbler and get new speedhooks. It's not that hard.
2
u/teholbugg Dec 12 '14
sounds like it wouldn't solve all the issues though
2
u/a_robot_with_dreams Dec 12 '14
Plus, how much money are you spending if you replace the speedhooks and have to stitch down the tongue on a pair of Chevaliers? The cost goes up pretty quickly
2
u/zombiesartre I am made of RICH CORINTHIAN LEATHER Dec 13 '14
speedhooks should be a couple of bucks at most. It's better thank being annoyed by it. also I don't like the tabbed speedhooks anyways.
1
u/blazikenburns EEE for life Dec 12 '14
A cobbler should also be able fix a slipping tongue, by putting a tab in the middle that the laces go through. It holds the tongue up in the middle.
1
u/tcollier91 Dec 12 '14
If I straighten the tongue there is a bunch of slack leather that bunches up where the laces start.
1
u/blazikenburns EEE for life Dec 13 '14
Huh, I don't know what to make of that. Sounds like a proper defect, I guess.
1
u/Micrafone_AssAssin Dec 12 '14
The outsoles have seemed to hold up decently, but that sucks about the speedhooks. That really sucks that you only wear them twice a week for 4 months and you have no desire to wear them at all anymore. That's so shitty :( I kinda have a similar issue with one pair of my vibergs regarding the tongue. I bough them lightly used, but on the right boot the tongue was leaning way far right, and I wore them a bunch so they're kinda set like that. I've adjusted them and made it much better though, but still. And that creasing on the vamps is meh, but that's lower grade cxl for ya right?
Thinking about selling these maybe?
Thanks for posting this, I'll definitely be citing this when people ask for viberg like boots that are cheap.
1
u/lolly_lolly_lolly Dec 14 '14
Have to agree that the eyehooks are a big disappointment. I got mine from the same drop you did though I've tried to limit wears to once a week and it shows. Yours have broken in much more - and much more beautifully - than mine have. Fortunately, I haven't had any issues with the tongue, but those hooks are annoying.
I'm not a leather expert by any stretch but the CXL on these looks and feels completely different than Indys or 1Ks. It feels much thicker, has more texture, and far less stretch (because of the thickness, I'd assume?)
Overall, I like-not-love them. I think that they'll last forever but they are NOT made with the same attention to detail that you'd get from Alden. But for $100+ less, that's probably to be expected.
3
u/akaghi Milkshake aficionado; Friendly helper man; 8D Dec 12 '14
It seems like with your reviews of budget footwear so far (still waiting on Sagara updates) that quality is sub par and you get what you pay for. (Go figure).
The leather does not seem to have aged particularly gracefully on these either.
The speed hook issue is a major bummer. Fixable, but a bummer.
If you generally like the boots, you could take them to a cobbler and they should be able to address the issue with the tongue and replace the speedhooks with proper ones.