Jim Green Boots

[rogueclimber]

A company gives a product away, in exchange for a review. A company pays somebody to review and promote their products. It's advertising. Is that so wrong?

As long as the compensation for review is acknowledged I have no problem with it. But when the review is posited as a simple review by a user, and the facts are actually hidden? Yes it is wrong.

 

[TLW '90]

It is confirmed. It's not a real moccasin. It's a moc-toe construction. A true moccasin is 1 solid piece of leather, wrapping up over the foot. Jim Green stitches several pieces of leather together, then wraps the toe up, and has a big hole in the middle.

There are 2 different ways to make a moccasin that can be counted as a " True moc construction " but that would be a full moc and more of a semi-moc which isn't just a moc-toe.
It's 100% a true moc at the toe and only really differs at the heel.
Yes when it comes to boots it's not just a moccasin but a mocassin boot which is a mocassin with boot stuff attached to it.

 

[Fifty150]

when the review is posited as a simple review by a user,

We're surrounded every day by advertising.

A "review" should not be influenced by the product seller.

If someone on this forum gave their opinions on a product, based on their own experience, that's an honest review.

If a manufacturer gives the product to somebody, so that the person could make a video, than it's compensated advertising. Influenced. No longer honest. Those guys can say whatever they want about how they have integrity, and that they are giving you an honest "review". But they're compensated. They're paid.


What if we found out that a person on this forum, has been accepting products or other forms of payment; and in exchange he writes good things about the product?


Of course, to be fair, it's just business. Same way athletes and other celebrities make commercials. Or I would still be mad at Ricardo Montalban for selling me "corinthian leather" in a piece of junk Chrysler. And let me tell you: no sneaker made me a better ball player.​

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricardo_Montalbán​

Somewhere along the way, I decided not to believe internet content creators. But we're all entitled to do what we want.



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[rogueclimber]

We're surrounded every day by advertising.

A "review" should not be influenced by the product seller.

If someone on this forum gave their opinions on a product, based on their own experience, that's an honest review.

If a manufacturer gives the product to somebody, so that the person could make a video, than it's compensated advertising. Influenced. No longer honest. Those guys can say whatever they want about how they have integrity, and that they are giving you an honest "review". But they're compensated. They're paid.


What if we found out that a person on this forum, has been accepting products or other forms of payment; and in exchange he writes good things about the product?


Of course, to be fair, it's just business. Same way athletes and other celebrities make commercials. Or I would still be mad at Ricardo Montalban for selling me "corinthian leather" in a piece of junk Chrysler. And let me tell you: no sneaker made me a better ball player.​

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricardo_Montalbán​

Somewhere along the way, I decided not to believe internet content creators. But we're all entitled to do what we want.



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I think we were saying the same thing...

 

[Fifty150]

I like these shoes. But I don't like them that much. Hard, stiff, and heavy. They are sturdy and rigid, but not the most comfortable shoes. These are the shoes where people go online to talk about wearing a band-aid on your heels, and wearing 2 pairs of socks. My own experience was the back of my heels painfully rubbing in the Numzaan, and the African Ranger collar digging into my ankles and drawing blood.

Like a fool, I bought another pair. Another pair of Numzaan. This time with a combination of veg-retan leather and lug soles. I already have these boots with the V-Bar style sole, which is great for city sidewalks, and walking on the grass where there are sings that say not to walk on the grass.​

I've always liked lug soles for traction. Jim Green lug soles may not be Vibram, but they are good enough. They feel harder under my foot. Which I don't mind, if I am in terrain which requires deep lug soles. Based on Jim Green's online videos, these soles can hold up to a lot of abuse before they need to be repaired. Their online videos show that these soles can be peeled off; and new soles simply glued on.​

This version of Jim Green leather is chrome tanned, then veg tanned. The vamp is a single piece of leather. The inside of the boot is fully lined. The insole and midsole are veg tan leather. The toe cap and heel counter cover give you an extra layer of leather where the shoes take more wear and tear.

Just like all of my other Jim Green boots, you will find imperfections. Nicks, scars, marks, and wrinkles in the leather. A crooked or loose stitch here and there. While I haven't found any horrendous defects......... What do you want? For thick, heavy, rigid shoes, I'll wear double socks or extra thick socks. You're paying Timberland prices here. My Razorback with steel toes were only $95. So what if these are not Wesco quality? They're better than wearing Thursday.



I just couldn't resist the sale price. Knowing that with the state of politics, and inflation, I may never be able to buy this level of product for this price again. Years down the line, I will be glad that I bought the extra pair for $150 on sale. That's a discount of over $100 off the regular priced models.​

 

[Fifty150]

As I do the math in my head: I bought 4 pairs of Numzaan boots on sale, when I could have bought 1 pair of $600 boots. I still have my doubts.

 

[大馬伕]

On my pairs of Numzaan, one pair has a raised, elevated tread pattern. The other pair has a flush tread. There must have been a change order on the production line.

 

[Fifty150]

Very possible for production lots to vary. Under my feet, there doesn't seem to be a difference. What was actually noticeable under my feet, was that the nubuck shoe was much softer, and did not have the same difficulty with break in. I'm not a fan of suede and nubuck. But there is an advantage to softer leather.​

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[Fifty150]

It has almost been a year since I bought these. Close enough for a 1 year reflection.

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At the time, a year ago, I was attracted to the selling points. Single piece of leather for the vamp. Veg Tan leather insoles. Veg Tan leather midsole. True toe cap with an extra piece of leather. The backstay / heel counter cover was an additional layer of leather. Full leather lining. Extra leather on tongue to serve as a built in kiltie. A lot of leather for the price.


While the boot had already been released, at a MSRP of $250, I waited, and got an Amazon Prime Day price. In today's market, you can find them marked down to $150. At that price, I bought a few more pairs.


The boot was difficult to break in. No bleeding or blisters. But there was some pain at the back of my heel. 11 months down the line, I can now wear them without pain. This was most likely caused by the stiffness and firmness of the Veg Re-Tan leather. A pair of Numzaan in the nubuck was much softer and my feet were able to wear it without any breaking in.

The boot is heavy. On my feet, it's not a great fit. I have to pull the laces in tight, to get a reasonable fit. Jim Green's boots and their lasts are wide. Described on their website as a standard wide fit. I do appreciate how my toes can wiggle freely.


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Not a fair "apples to apples" comparison. But other shoes that I own are more comfortable. But that's only on my feet. On your feet, you may feel different. These are not the first shoes that I reach for if I'm planning a long day on my feet. These are not the shoes that I wear for hikes. These are not my walking shoes for urban treks. For my lifestyle, these are good for attending spectator sporting events, having meals, and sitting on bar stools. Off work hours. Leisure suit shoes.

Style is subjective and opinions will vary. You may or may not like the way that they look.


As many people have noted, Jim Green boots do ship with blemishes and flaws with the leather, crooked stitches, and loose thread. Mine have not fallen apart yet. Jim Green has online videos posted of their Razorback boot, returning to the factory for a resole, 5, 10, or 15 years old. Of course, that's 3 or 4 pairs of shoes, out of thousands, which were able to last that many years. That doesn't mean that your shoes will last 5, 10, or 15 years. The factory resole option is only available to South Africa. They don't want you shipping the boots from all over the world, and then they have to ship them back to you. A local cobbler should be able to peel off the old soles, and glue on new soles......... assuming that the cobbler can find a wide enough sole. A lot of shoe soles will be too narrow in the waist to fit these boots.


Would I buy them again? For me, it was good enough that I bought them again. Again, and again. Good value for the price. Would I recommend them? Maybe not. I can think of other shoes that are more comfortable. I can think of other shoes that fit my feet better. The soles are good enough that I haven't slipped. But I can think of other shoes that have a bouncier step. On a scale of 1 to 10, these are a solid 6 or 7. 3 out of 5 stars.




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[Fifty150]

These are almost a year and a half. I've owned them long enough that I can offer a long term impression. An exceptional value at the time of purchase. Still a competitively priced boot.​

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This is the boot that Jim Green has been selling since the early days of the company. Long before they collaborated with online content creators. It's a hiking boot. I was initially attracted to the single piece of leather for the vamp, and the full leather lining. I really didn't need a hiking boot. I liked that it was a stitchdown boot. Stitchdown construction in The USA is usually found on more expensive Pacific NorthWest boots. I did want the steel toe caps. Steel toe boots come in handy for the homeowner. I like the steel toes when I ride motorcycles.


There was no break in period. The boots were stiff at first, but not painful. After wearing it, I like the padded collar and padded tongue. The footbed insert is nothing special. The lug soles are hard. Good if you want long lasting. Not too bad if you're on soft dirt, gravel, and sand. But you can feel that these are hard outsoles if you're walking on concrete, tile, marble, and hardwood.


They were first shilled in The USA as a "work boot". You can work in them if you like working in hiking boots. I've climbed a few step ladders, done some yard work, moved furniture, installed appliances. They were okay in the park for trails, and picnics. I rode my motorcycle, and decided that I would rather have softer soles when my feet touched the pavement.

Last October, I bought the regular Razorback without the steel toe, and it was lighter and more comfortable. It should be noted that the Steel Toe Razorback and the regular Razorback have different lasts. I have Jim Green Razorback, African Ranger, and Numzaan. On my feet, the regular Razorback is the most comfortable of the three models. Although I wear the Steel Toe Razorback more than the regular Razorback, because I am weird about having the steel toes. Paranoia that someone might spill a drink, and my toes get stabbed by one of those little toothpick cocktail umbrellas. I never know when someone will throw rocks and bottles at me.


If you need steel toe work boots, I would suggest that you buy steel toe work boots. Not hiking boots with a steel toe cap. I thought that steel toe hiking boots would be a good idea. I was wrong.



If you need real hiking shoes, I would look for a shoe with a softer sole and better traction. These soles are so hard, that you could slip and slide on wet grass. The soles are fine on wet pavement, for chasing a city bus on a rainy day. But I wouldn't take too many chances with wet manhole covers and ventilation grates.


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Overall, I do like the feel of the Razorback. Not the most comfortable shoe. But acceptable. I would prefer a fully gusseted tongue. I like the double row stitchdown build. Instead of pandering to shills, whom they pay to promote their collaborations, Jim Green should promote this boot. Add a leather insole and a leather midsole. Use one of their softer wedge style outsoles. Make a cap toe version. Offer it in premium leather. This boot could be one of their best sellers.










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[大馬伕]

I've owned a pair of African Rangers for awhile now.. I didn't really like the way they felt. Hard to say what's wrong. As I wore them, they just weren't comfortable. I finally got around to pulling out the insole and replacing it. That made a difference. You're walking on the insole. If you can find the right insole, every little. Step feels better.

 

[bcboots]

On my feet, they are fine. My feet don't hurt. No sore spots.


We all have different feet. There really is no "overall".


It's a stitchdown design. You are standing on a proprietary foot bed, the lasting board, a midsole, and whatever outsole. The boots are all wide, and will accommodate an Orthotics insert. The Jim Green foot bed is not special in any way, nor do they make any claims about it being engineered for comfort.


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I have Steel Toe Razorback, built on their Steel Toe Cap last, and the Numzaan, built on their Ashley M Last. Both shoes were based on the fact that the main upper part of the shoe is a large single piece of leather. Not several small scrap pieces sewn together. The full leather lining was another factor which sold me. But what closed the deal for me was pricing. You get a lot for the price point.


My regular shoe width is medium. Jim Green shoes are extra wide. Equivalent to 2E. Plenty of room for me to wear 2 pairs of socks and wiggle my toes. Although I actually like to wear these boots without socks, because my feet are already wrapped in the full leather lining and leather foot bed.

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Those look tough as nails lol