Footwear to go with our jackets

dudewuttheheck said:

Next up are my Wesco x Standard and Strange Knuckle Draggers in Horween dark olive waxed flesh


These boots should be higher on my list of favorite boots than they are (this is #11). Wesco makes a beautifully designed engineer boot on the MP toe last, especially with all the nice details that Standard and Strange chose. They took forever to break in, but now that they have broken in they are almost comfortable. This pair of boots has an actual double midsole and it took absolutely forever to break these things in. I had a lot less boots when I first got these and it still took me a whole year to break these in. In addition, there are a few personal issues that I have with them that have placed them so far down on this list, which is probably a shockingly low placement for people who know how much I love engineer boots. The construction is solid and the finishing is OK, so that is not the issue I have with them, though I do wish they were more even with their SPI on the area where the vamp and shaft meet. Wesco, like Nick's, Whites, and Viberg aren't known for gorgeous construction and these are no exception. There's nothing wonky which is nice, but it's not as beautiful in terms of finishing as many of my other boots.


No, the two biggest issues with these are the heel slip and the leather. Heel slip is inevitable on an engineer boot and I have no issue with that in general. At this point, I am just used to it. I have worn engineers all day long walking around Japan with no issue. However, even after break in the heel slip on these is absolutely atrocious. If I will be walking a lot during the day, I cannot wear these. I also fell out of love with the leather. It’s not black or brown and everyone thought it was black so I just overdyed them black myself. They look better now, but I just wish I had chosen a different leather, such as the natural veg tan on the Van Cleef engineers. There will be a follow up review on these boots in the near future to discuss all of this more, so look out for that.

The pictures will actually chronicle how I have changed the look of these over time.

This is how they looked originally:

After a couple of years, I decided to make them actually black, especially because they usually looked black anyway. I just polished them with black shoe polish and they looked like this:

I didn't love this because it was kind of half-hearted. I decided to actually dye them black all over. This was done in October with Saphir leather dye.

This was better, but it still wasn't quite right. They were too matte. My buddy, Kreosote boots (a bootmaker in the US) gave me some tips on polishing them to improve the look. I ended up conditioning them and then wax polishing them all over and now they look MUCH better than they did with just the polish and just the dye.

I'm not saying this is an actual improvement over the original, but I like it a lot more. I don't love boots that I can't match easily to my leather jackets and now these match very well with my Freewheelers Mulholland. I'm pretty happy with how they look now.

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dudewuttheheck said:

Next up are my Wesco x Standard and Strange Knuckle Draggers in Horween dark olive waxed flesh


These boots should be higher on my list of favorite boots than they are (this is #11). Wesco makes a beautifully designed engineer boot on the MP toe last, especially with all the nice details that Standard and Strange chose. They took forever to break in, but now that they have broken in they are almost comfortable. This pair of boots has an actual double midsole and it took absolutely forever to break these things in. I had a lot less boots when I first got these and it still took me a whole year to break these in. In addition, there are a few personal issues that I have with them that have placed them so far down on this list, which is probably a shockingly low placement for people who know how much I love engineer boots. The construction is solid and the finishing is OK, so that is not the issue I have with them, though I do wish they were more even with their SPI on the area where the vamp and shaft meet. Wesco, like Nick's, Whites, and Viberg aren't known for gorgeous construction and these are no exception. There's nothing wonky which is nice, but it's not as beautiful in terms of finishing as many of my other boots.


No, the two biggest issues with these are the heel slip and the leather. Heel slip is inevitable on an engineer boot and I have no issue with that in general. At this point, I am just used to it. I have worn engineers all day long walking around Japan with no issue. However, even after break in the heel slip on these is absolutely atrocious. If I will be walking a lot during the day, I cannot wear these. I also fell out of love with the leather. It’s not black or brown and everyone thought it was black so I just overdyed them black myself. They look better now, but I just wish I had chosen a different leather, such as the natural veg tan on the Van Cleef engineers. There will be a follow up review on these boots in the near future to discuss all of this more, so look out for that.

The pictures will actually chronicle how I have changed the look of these over time.

This is how they looked originally:

After a couple of years, I decided to make them actually black, especially because they usually looked black anyway. I just polished them with black shoe polish and they looked like this:

I didn't love this because it was kind of half-hearted. I decided to actually dye them black all over. This was done in October with Saphir leather dye.

This was better, but it still wasn't quite right. They were too matte. My buddy, Kreosote boots (a bootmaker in the US) gave me some tips on polishing them to improve the look. I ended up conditioning them and then wax polishing them all over and now they look MUCH better than they did with just the polish and just the dye.

I'm not saying this is an actual improvement over the original, but I like it a lot more. I don't love boots that I can't match easily to my leather jackets and now these match very well with my Freewheelers Mulholland. I'm pretty happy with how they look now.

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roadking04 said:

Thanks for the review of the Nicks boots Dude. They are on my radar. I am looking for a heavy duty lace up work boot. I am torn between Nicks and Wesco jobmasters. I want to buy one and done. More worried about fit, durability, and comfort than finish/neatness.

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Ayeteael said:

You teacored your teacore boots. Rad. Now these boots are uniquely yours. Bet they'll look even better with bits of green showing through.

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dannyk said:

To be honest I like how each and every variation of these boots looked. Too bad about the awful heel slip. Also side not Gabbard is crazy talented. One day I’ll own a pair of his boots. Crazy expensive. And I’m not complaining. I’ve commented this on some of the boot FB groups I’ve seen you in as well. They are ridiculously expensive. But not out of line for what they are. A lot of places say handmade-but he literally does everything possible stepto be done by hand-well, by hand. Uses all the best materials. And does his own unique finishing dyes and oils. Similar to how Thedi has his signature wash. Takes him 40-60 hours per one boot. As Carl M. Put it he’s a master craftsmen and would you complain paying a master electrician or plumber 15-20 bucks an hour? No, that would actually be cheap. I know you know all this man. So I’m preaching to the choir; but for anyone else interested if you have the money check out Kreosote. Really unique takes on some classic styles, all handmade, US made, and don’t be shocked at the cost.

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Mich486 said:

Cool boots dude. I’m surprised though that you think it’s normal to have heel slip in engineer boots. In my experience when they fit well there is no slippage. I thought it’s more a sign of the boots being too big. Also heel slip means that you get blisters after walking which can’t be right.

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Ayeteael said:

Onderhoud x Stitchdown LCV01 in Wickett and Craig leather. Will try to post a full review later.
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Ayeteael said:

I just received these Onderhouds last night so this isn't really a review. It's more of an initial impression. These are absolute units. They fit incredibly well and I love the color, proportions, and aesthetics. The stitching and welt are also very neat and clean. The only complaints I have are the Wickett and Craig harness leather had multiple discoloration spots (in photos below) and nicks, and 3 of the 4 leather flaps on the inside portion of the speedhooks weren't glued down. None of these issues are dealbreakers or have any impact on function, but they took a little shine off the Onderhoud mystique in my mind. They are still fabulous boots and I would order again in a heartbeat, but when everything else is fantastic you expect all parts of the boots to be immaculate, so any imperfections stand out. These QC complaints may also not be Onderhoud's fault, since I've read that this particular leather is prone to discolorations and is difficult to work with. Plus, I know the imperfections in the leather will not be noticeable the more I wear them, and these boots are meant to be used and abused. Overall, I'm very pleased with these boots and hope to order again from Onderhoud in the future.

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Jin431 said:

Another one for the rotation! Love this, great work! Will that leather darken over time?

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Ayeteael said:

Ya man. They should darken nicely.
I’ve still got a Nicks and my flame pandas in the works, but I’ve told myself no new orders in 2021 since I’m covered!

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dannyk said:

These need a few touch up spots, but finally got around to dubbing my ATF Type 3 Service boots. I used some Huberds Shoe Grease as it’s an old company that is very similar to how must dubs were back then. After a few touch ups these will be ready to rock. View attachment 316111

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