Indy, Iron Ranger, White's or ???

steveb7az · Dec 18, 2012

Hi folks, I'm hoping there are well informed people here that can provide me some advice. I'm in need of new footwear but am having a difficult time finding something.

Initially I was looking at the Alden Indy boot. Sadly neither Alden reseller in my state stocks it, nor do they have something built on the same last. My second choice was the semi-dress boot from White's. However I ran into a similar problem - none of the White's resellers here stock ANY of their products. I would have to order it site unseen. I'm a bit leary of ordering footwear online since I can't ensure a good fit, and some sites have very strict return policies. My third choice was the Red Wing Iron Ranger. I tried a pair on at my local Red Wing reseller. They were a good fit, but I'm debating if I should go a half size smaller based on a previous IR thread I read here.

Ideally I'm looking for a shoe that has a wide range of size and good fit, ie Alden, Allen Edmonds; and that can be sent back and rebuilt after it wears down. The aforementioned three seemed like good choices. Are there any others that I'm not aware of that might fit my needs?

Grayland · Dec 18, 2012

Those are all nice boots, but I would look at the Wolverine 1000 mile boot as well.

dash69 · Dec 18, 2012

White's will send you a catolog,and you have to measure your feet and trace them.They make some fine boot's,i'm wearing my white's now.can't beat them for comfort.FWIW,i also like my iron ranger's,nice boot's for the money...guess it depend's on what you can spend,and if you don't mind waiting for your boot's to be built i'd go for the white's,there's ton's of option's also with them.

steveb7az · Dec 18, 2012

Grayland said:
Those are all nice boots, but I would look at the Wolverine 1000 mile boot as well.

Sadly the Wolverine site says there are no resellers in my area that sell that boot.

warbird · Dec 18, 2012

Russell Moccasin. I have 2 pairs and I love them. Both pair are over 25 years old and have been resoled.

Captain_joe6 · Dec 18, 2012

The Wolverine 1000 Mile boots are available online from a couple of well-known shops. They run true to size as far as I can tell. Their durability has been, for me, really great. The sole is single-thickness leather. They break in and become buttery soft very, very quickly thanks to the Horween Chromexcel leather. Really stellar boots, if you want that early 1900s work boot look. They'll wear now just like they wore then.

Grayland · Dec 18, 2012

Captain_joe6 said:
The Wolverine 1000 Mile boots are available online from a couple of well-known shops. They run true to size as far as I can tell. Their durability has been, for me, really great. The sole is single-thickness leather. They break in and become buttery soft very, very quickly thanks to the Horween Chromexcel leather. Really stellar boots, if you want that early 1900s work boot look. They'll wear now just like they wore then.

I agree with everything you say about the Wolverine 1000 except I find that they run a half size large. I'm a 10.5 D and a size 10 in Wolverines 1000 fit me perfectly. I think this is the general consensus.

Graemsay · Dec 18, 2012

A couple more options would be Wesco and Viberg (particularly the Service Boot) but they're more expensive again. I've only seen a couple of pairs of each, but they felt significantly better than Redwing.

A leftfield choice would be Beck's Boots. They do made-to-measure, with a comprehensive measuring kit. There's a discussion of them over at the Iron Heart Forum.

Ishmael · Dec 18, 2012

For a great return policy, definitely consider Aldens from J Crew. No problem on the returns. The Shoemart also has a good return policy.

Graemsay · Dec 18, 2012

Forgot to say that Baker Shoe is a popular place to buy Whites. Apparently Kyle, their customer service guy, is very good at sizing people.

apba1166 · Dec 18, 2012

If you don't go the custom route (White's or Russell), the W.1000 you can return to any online retailer (some pay shipping both ways). They do run a half-size large, at least on me. And they do break in quicker than the Aldens, which is a more "substantial" boot. Chippewa makes some more vintage-looking workboots now...haven't tried one but I like their conventional workboots, for fit and feel, better than RW, at least on my feet. Two more off-the-beaten-track choices are Sendra, which has a high instep, good if you like to put your own insoles in, and H.Trask, which is no longer in business I think, but of which there are some NIB leftovers here and there. I have two pair (buffalo and roughout) and they fit/feel/look nice (go a half-size down) and are great deals, cheap enough to order blind when you can find them.

bretron · Dec 18, 2012

Graemsay said:
Forgot to say that Baker Shoe is a popular place to buy Whites. Apparently Kyle, their customer service guy, is very good at sizing people.

+1 as a former customer of Kyle's I can vouch for his superb customer service. He knows his boots, an was extortionately patient with me in my custom order- 8" lace-to-toe Smokejumpers in black CXL with mini vib soles... The arches take some breaking in, but they're absolutely a boot for life. A true bespoke bookmaker. I say go with White's

coloradorider · Dec 18, 2012

bretron said:
+1 as a former customer of Kyle's I can vouch for his superb customer service. He knows his boots, an was extortionately patient with me in my custom order- 8" lace-to-toe Smokejumpers in black CXL with mini vib soles... The arches take some breaking in, but they're absolutely a boot for life. A true bespoke bookmaker. I say go with White's

+1 on Baker Shoe, http://www.bakershoe.com/. Kyle is very good at getting you the right size. I'd recommend the Red Wing's if you're only going to wear the boots occasionally if they fit you out of the box. I have several pair of Iron Rangers (3 actually since I liked them so much) and a Red Wing Gentleman Traveler. The Red Wings age well and break in very quickly. The RW IR in Hawthorne Muleskinner (roughout) was comfortable right out of the box. I also own a pair of White's Smokejumpers that I use as a hunting boot that I got on sale. Bless the man who special ordered the brown boot and didn't want it.

Baker Shoe is the only seller of the Bounty Hunter. This is a 6" SmokeJumper built on a semi-dress last. I'd check this boot out since it lives between serious looking work boot and the dressier semi-dress.

The White's take a long time to break in. The arch is a very thick leather and feels like a torture device when the boot is fresh out of the box. The uppers are also similar weight to the Iron Ranger and a little more substantial than the Red Wings Gentleman Traveler. I'd say it took me 40-60 hours of wear to break in the White's and it's a process. I'd wear them a couple hours at a time until the arch, and my foot, broke in. I love them now but if it was a boot I was only going to wear once a week I would have had to decide if it was worth it.

FWIW - I'm going to buy a pair of the semi-dress from Baker Shoe but with the options that White's has I'm faced with the dilemma that too many options equal no action. If you have a foot that is difficult to fit I would recommend the White's. They have several widths available in every half size. Was going to buy my duck-footed dad a pair but he found the wide Red Wing's (aka Irish Setters) made a wide that fit him.

oldcrow82 · Dec 18, 2012

Whites shouldn't even be compared to the other two. In my humble opinion they are far superior. If cost is a factor, iron rangers, if found on sale, are a good bang for the buck.
I have to deviate from the herd, I think 1000 miles are overrated, especially for the cost. Just my two cents.

Flat Foot Floey · Dec 18, 2012

I agree whites shouldn't be compared ...because I don't like the heels [huh]

For european members the William Lennon boots are interesting too...
Homepage
FL thread

oldcrow82 · Dec 18, 2012

Flat Foot Floey said:
I agree whites shouldn't be compared ...because I don't like the heels [huh]

Heels aren't for the flat footed among us. To that point, you can get the heels in a multitude of heights and profiles.

3onaMatch · Dec 19, 2012

Captain_joe6 said:
The Wolverine 1000 Mile boots are available online from a couple of well-known shops. They run true to size as far as I can tell. Their durability has been, for me, really great. The sole is single-thickness leather. They break in and become buttery soft very, very quickly thanks to the Horween Chromexcel leather. Really stellar boots, if you want that early 1900s work boot look. They'll wear now just like they wore then.

I can vouch for the 1,000 mile boots. Great boots, best I've owned. On sizing though, I would definitely go down half a size when ordering. At least that's what I did. From a 9.5 to a 9 and they fit comfortably with a little wiggle room. I could even have gone to an 8.5 for a really snug fit with regular socks.

bretron · Dec 19, 2012

Flat Foot Floey said:
I agree whites shouldn't be compared ...because I don't like the heels [huh]

For european members the William Lennon boots are interesting too...
Homepage
FL thread

The beauty of these is you can choose the heel you want

Davo · Dec 19, 2012

I own a pair of White's semi dress with a lowered block heel. This is sneered at by some but who cares! I sent in the custom order form with a trace of my foot and the fit came back snug, but perfect. I think they look good and they are very comfortable. I have owned Red Wings (gentleman traveler) and its an inferior boot....it has a plastic heel and a very hard, flat sole.

Never owned the 1000 mile but I think they look better than the White's, Red Wings and Indy. J Crew also have a plain toe Alden boot that looks spectacular to me........If only I had more cash.

http://www.jcrew.com/mens_category/shoes/casualbootschukkas/PRDOVR~47357/47357.jsp

Graemsay · Dec 19, 2012

If anyone is buying from Baker's, these came from another forum. Not sure if they're still valid.

Got these in an email form Baker's

http://www.bakershoe.com/

All codes include Free 3-day UPS shipping(assuming in USA only)

$15 off all boots- code "boots"

15% off all clothing over $80- code "clothing"

$15 off boots on buildaboot site- code "buildaboot"

15% off all Filson- code "filson" (this one doesn't seem to work correctly but I'm sure you can just use the "clothing" code and explain the issue)

Also, add this to your cart for a pair of free socks and Baker's Leather Oil:

http://www.bakershoe.com/shop-by-br...roduct/bakers-boots-special--free-socks--oil/

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