Lets drop some cash in american made goods.
Well What can I say about these boots. They are slightly narrow so I ordered a wide size. Which is fine. The leather did stretch on these. For the initial break in this is what i did. I know there are several schools of thought on how to break in these bad boys. I Soaked them in almost hot water for 30 minutes. That was a feat, because they were difficult to keep under the water. Then i poured all of the water out of them and put them on with a pair of thick wool socks With base layer socks underneath. Just like you wear when working in the cold. I wore them till the socks were totally saturated and made my feet feel uncomfortable. about 30 minutes. Then I changed socks and put them back on. And wore them for another 30. During that time i tried to stretch them in all directions. Crawling around on the floor and walking on a treadmill. Then when I was done I let them dry out for a day. I set them over the register in my house. Finally I got saturated them with Obenauf's Heavy duty LP. I made sure it got into the leather by using a heat gun to heat it up. Then I let them sit for another day. Finally I Hit them with a boot brush and wore them out. I did put medical tape on my ankles the first few times to make sure i wouldn't get blisters. Which I didn't. Be prepared to hit them with a boot brush daily. Especially at first. I applied Heavy Duty LP to the toes all the time when i first got them. Pretty much daily and the rest of the boot weekly. I work on a farm and at a Winery and Distillery. Alcohol did not eat the soles on these boots at all. Nor did the harsh chemicals we use to sanitize the place. I have had these for 9 months now. Wear them everyday. Even with shorts in the summer. They are heavy. And If i stand on Concrete fllors for 8 hours they make the balls of my feet hurt. The inside sole has never adhered to my feet. Al least not like i expected. Don't get me wrong they are comfortable. I just wouldn't try and run a marathon in them. I can say my feet have never gotten wet in these boots. Ever with the exception of sweat. They don't breathe extremely well. And you will notice this when working in the heat of the summertime. It also took awhile for the tongue to feel comfortable at first. It seemed to take awhile to stretch and feel good. Only complaints after a few weeks the threads started coming out of the tongue on one of the boots. This hasn't affected its performance. And most of the paint has since been removed from the boot eyes. Sole is wearing nice and evenly. Although I am probably going to have to get it replaced in a few months. Time will tell. No fear of the eyes pulling out. I'm still on the original laces. I finally ordered a new pair of 60 inch waxed derby laces just to change the look. And i'm going to try some gel insoles to see if the make standing on concrete more comfortable. Like I said its only an issue after 8 hours of being on your feet. Which any shoe will do that. I did notice my feet were cold if it was around 20 degrees or under outside. Even when double layered. But I work outside in the cold in the winter time. Hope this will help you decide if you want to drop this much on these bad boys. I know I wasn't sure at first. But after 9 months I love them. I wear them all the time. Even when i making a late night run to the convenience store in my pajamas LOL