Grant Stone - Official Affiliate Thread

[audog]

Hey fellas,

Lurker here posting with a question regarding my Diesel boots.

I've had these boots for over a year and a half. Incredible quality, beautiful look and feel, however they are unquestionably the most uncomfortable boots I have ever worn. More specifically I've found the footbed to be very unforgiving, like I'm standing/walking on wood planks all day. I thought that maybe it would take a few months for them to soften and form to my foot; this hasn't proven true.

Has anyone else had this issue? I'm actually surprised so many find these boots to be so comfortable, and I've felt a bit irked that these $380 boots now just sit in my closet collecting dust. I've tried adding softer insoles though even the thinnest ones cause the boot to fit far too tight.

What are my options here? Is it worth reaching out to GS? Should I find a different boot in their lineup? Or should I sell these things and seek a different bootmaker?

Let me know you thoughts 🤙

View attachment 1938551

Try to sell them on the secondary market

 

[mr bubbles]

Hey fellas,

Lurker here posting with a question regarding my Diesel boots.

I've had these boots for over a year and a half. Incredible quality, beautiful look and feel, however they are unquestionably the most uncomfortable boots I have ever worn. More specifically I've found the footbed to be very unforgiving, like I'm standing/walking on wood planks all day. I thought that maybe it would take a few months for them to soften and form to my foot; this hasn't proven true.

Has anyone else had this issue? I'm actually surprised so many find these boots to be so comfortable, and I've felt a bit irked that these $380 boots now just sit in my closet collecting dust. I've tried adding softer insoles though even the thinnest ones cause the boot to fit far too tight.

What are my options here? Is it worth reaching out to GS? Should I find a different boot in their lineup? Or should I sell these things and seek a different bootmaker?

Let me know you thoughts 🤙

View attachment 1938551

I think “comfort” may be overblown with these types of shoes, you know, the heritage slabs of leather boots/shoes. There is a level of comfort when the insole forms to the foot, but they do end up being hard as a rock slabs with your foot print in it. We can’t pretend they are more comfortable than a poron insole. I don’t have diesels, but my Iron Rangers fit my foot perfectly, which feels nice when I slip into them, but it’s a very hard insole at the end of the day.

 

[kevintk]

I think “comfort” may be overblown with these types of shoes, you know, the heritage slabs of leather boots/shoes. There is a level of comfort when the insole forms to the foot, but they do end up being hard as a rock slabs with your foot print in it. We can’t pretend they are more comfortable than a poron insole. I don’t have diesels, but my Iron Rangers fit my foot perfectly, which feels nice when I slip into them, but it’s a very hard insole at the end of the day.

Gotcha. Perhaps I'm barking up the wrong tree then! I'm still impressed (and a bit envious) of these guys walking/traveling/living life constantly in boots of this grade.

 

[mr bubbles]

Gotcha. Perhaps I'm barking up the wrong tree then! I'm still impressed (and a bit envious) of these guys walking/traveling/living life constantly in boots of this grade.

People like the durability and longevity as well. Whereas at a certain point, the synthetic insoles turn to mush. I like to have both options.

 

[Vincent George]

Gotcha. Perhaps I'm barking up the wrong tree then! I'm still impressed (and a bit envious) of these guys walking/traveling/living life constantly in boots of this grade.

I’m in the opposite camp these days. I couldn’t imagine wearing a sneaker. I need a hard shoe (boot) on a leather sole.

 

[kevintk]

I’m in the opposite camp these days. I couldn’t imagine wearing a sneaker. I need a hard shoe (boot) on a leather sole.

Right on. Do you get any foot fatigue/pain after wearing your boots for the day? I have a pair of 1000 mile and Thursday boots, and while they can get a little taxing after a while, they're not nearly as punishing as the Diesel.

 

[mag1119]

You have choices. You can customize your boots using a cobbler to replace the insoles with poron or something softer, or choose a different type or style of boot altogether with more material inside to cushion, or buy boots slightly larger to accommodate an insert. Keep in mind that the types of boots you are referring to are designed to be firm. Generally leather insoles with cork and a shank and not designed for the comfort of a dress boot.

 

[woodenbits]

It also depends on a foot type - a LOT. If you supinate, and your feet require a lot of cushioning, I really do not see heritage leather slab construction working out for long stretches of time, no matter what (well... unless your boots have soft wedge outsole, that might help enough). Other people (mostly pronators, like myself) benefit from stability of leather slab. Personally, when I wear sneakers, they are of barefoot type, and their insole, while not made from leather, is rather rudimentary - it is pretty much a thin slab of no-so-spongy-rubber - not THAT different from heritage boots (and almost identical to Red Wing Chemigum sole). And I absolutely hate soft-soled sneakers - they literally injure my achilles tendon. Different people need different types of footware - there is no gold standard that works for everybody.

 

[adrs1157]

Right on. Do you get any foot fatigue/pain after wearing your boots for the day? I have a pair of 1000 mile and Thursday boots, and while they can get a little taxing after a while, they're not nearly as punishing as the Diesel.

I have worn work boots all my life and am accustomed to having extra weight on my feet.

Sneakers and soft sole shoes are comfy at the start, but after 3 hours or so they begin to hurt. I feel the pain up my leg too, knees and joints in general.

After a certain point, having the extra support of moulded leather overtakes the cushy soft sole shoes. I can go 8h in my structured leather soled workboots but simply can't in sneakers. I'll eventually double over in pain.

 

[Vincent George]

Not at all. I’ve been wearing these Alden Wingtip boots for almost 14 hours today and my feet feel great.

It’s almost to the point where my feet feel better wearing shoes than barefoot. When I get home tonight, I will change out of these and put on a pair of loafers that I reserve specifically for the house (also on leather soles).

I went through a period in my 20s and early 30s (I’m 39 now) before coming to find wide widths (I’m a 10eee) where I was wearing problematically fitting shoes (including things like hiking style sneakers and Sperrys). I would get a ton of foot pain and even started to develop a tailor’s bunion. All of that change when I started wearing proper footwear.

 

[ProfilaBinding]

For those who have experience with both the Leo last and the Alden Trubalance, is it true that they are similar in shape and feel? I have no experience yet with the TB last and am very curious.

 

[mr bubbles]

Not at all. I’ve been wearing these Alden Wingtip boots for almost 14 hours today and my feet feel great.

It’s almost to the point where my feet feel better wearing shoes than barefoot. When I get home tonight, I will change out of these and put on a pair of loafers that I reserve specifically for the house (also on leather soles).

I went through a period in my 20s and early 30s (I’m 39 now) before coming to find wide widths (I’m a 10eee) where I was wearing problematically fitting shoes (including things like hiking style sneakers and Sperrys). I would get a ton of foot pain and even started to develop a tailor’s bunion. All of that change when I started wearing proper footwear.

View attachment 1938559

I would love to try on a pair of Alden’s. I’ve heard so much about their comfort. I don’t think these fall into the category of veg tan slabbed insole only shoes. I could be wrong, but I think there are comfort enhancing synthetics. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

 

[mr bubbles]

For those who have experience with both the Leo last and the Alden Trubalance, is it true that they are similar in shape and feel? I have no experience yet with the TB last and am very curious.

I’ve heard there are similarities, since Wyatt’s father was a long time Alden employee. I heard he also had a strong influence on GS’s lasts.

 

[ChorizoHowitzer]

Hey fellas,

Lurker here posting with a question regarding my Diesel boots.

I've had these boots for over a year and a half. Incredible quality, beautiful look and feel, however they are unquestionably the most uncomfortable boots I have ever worn. More specifically I've found the footbed to be very unforgiving, like I'm standing/walking on wood planks all day. I thought that maybe it would take a few months for them to soften and form to my foot; this hasn't proven true.

Has anyone else had this issue? I'm actually surprised so many find these boots to be so comfortable, and I've felt a bit irked that these $380 boots now just sit in my closet collecting dust. I've tried adding softer insoles though even the thinnest ones cause the boot to fit far too tight.

What are my options here? Is it worth reaching out to GS? Should I find a different boot in their lineup? Or should I sell these things and seek a different bootmaker?

Let me know you thoughts 🤙

View attachment 1938551

I'm in a similar boat where I don't find Dainite-style soles comfortable at all. I'm a slightly bigger guy at 205ish, so if you're a similar build that might be why. For me the most comfortable soles I've tried are wedge soles, Ridgeway, and double leather. Wedge soles would drastically change the aesthetic of the shoe so those might not the first choice, although a black wedge might be ok if you want to keep the blacked out look. City profile commando soles where the lugs don't go all the way to the edge also work ok for me comfort-wise while maintaining a less rugged look.

 

[CasuallyWorked]

I’ve heard there are similarities, since Wyatt’s father was a long time Alden employee. I heard he also had a strong influence on GS’s lasts.

For those who have experience with both the Leo last and the Alden Trubalance, is it true that they are similar in shape and feel? I have no experience yet with the TB last and am very curious.

I think they both have roomy last but I don’t think the shape and feel is the same at all. The trubalance is just so comfortable