Custom White's Boots ... Thoughts?

[mogili222]

Got a pair of these bad boys enroute.

@gregornz Did you get these delivered yet.. Would love to see more pictures of this beautiful build..

 

[gregornz]

Still waiting!!!

 

[jrosenthal]

So my boots arrived yesterday, White's delivered to Baker's in 15 days and it took Fedex 8 days to get them to me.

Kyle had advised 10.5e and on the 154 Oxford last it was perfect on the big toes but rubbed a touch on the outer toes so I opted for the 11e on swing last, Kyle was right. The fit is perfect to the vamp but they are 1/2 size too long with the swing last which kicks way out around the toes so no rubbing, and they are a little loose. With an odor eater insole the fit is snug and feels great. I'm happy with them and with a thicker sock they will be just fine. So lesson learned, if you're between sizes, opt down for the swing last.
The bulbous toe takes some getting used to visually, they do look clownish from above, but the longer you have them on, the less you notice it. The comfort though is insane. I have never had a pair of boots feel this good out of the box. I can't even walk around the redwing store in iron rangers or Beckman's without wincing and thinking "oh, they may break in". These need NO break in other than the stiff sole which is just firm, not painful. The dress leather is luxurious, soft, great grain and smells fantastic. There are some finish issues that I think are sloppy (the stitching under the arch where the upper fold stops, and the leather is marked under the arch where they stitched down the sole which should buff out and some puckering around the base of the toe where the stitch pulls down the leather), but it seems others here forgive some of the "flaws" due to the hand made nature of these, I guess that's just the nature of hand made constructiontion...or is it??

Over all I am thrilled despite the flaws and already pulled the tags and wore them out (I always wait 2-3 days of house wearing before I take them out or return). I am already planning for my next pair of whites (British tan) and a pair of Wesco's.

Monday they will meet my 5-6 mile per day work day on concrete, tile, gravel, mud and steep grades...we will see how comfortable they are all day.

James

 

[jrosenthal]

On a physiological point, what I find interesting is the difference in balance. Most shoes I wear are too wide in the heel, too wide across the laces, and too narrow in the toe box which cramps my toes. This causes me to right the shoe trying to keep my foot from sliding around and comprises my toe spread so I am usually balancing on the ball of my feet. With these I am snug through the heel, laces and vamp which keeps my foot firmly in place but the swing last allows my toes to have full spread (I can even spread them out and wiggle without feeling cramped), which I have immediately noticed gives me better balance. Walking briskly through the house on Persian rugs and hardwoods, I can make abrupt turns without having to catch my balance, it was startling at first. I rounded the hall up the stairs at a quick pace and normally while in shoes, have to grab the railing to steady myself, here, I had no foot wiggle and my toes were allowed to brace and pivot naturally, almost like being barefoot, but with grip from the commando sole.

This is an interesting revelation.

James

 

[mogili222]

@jrosenthal love the boots and am glad the size worked out for you.. I think a lot of people have very similar experiences with White's boots where the break in is very minimal and are very comfortable if you size correctly. I have flat feet and really high arches and the arch ease is a blessing.. Now I just feel bad that I did not get into White's boots a lot sooner.. Could have saved me a lot of time and money which I wasted in trying different boots.

 

[Sunstealer73]

How can you have flat feet and high arches? Aren't those the opposite of each other? I have flat feet and shoes with high arch support hurt.

 

[linafelt]

@jrosenthal , they look great! The Swing Last can look a little blocky sometimes, but I think the captoe helps to counter that. Nice boots.

 

[NNNN]

How can you have flat feet and high arches? Aren't those the opposite of each other? I have flat feet and shoes with high arch support hurt.

This is a great question, and basically the reason I showed up right now: to get some Arch Ease info.

So what's the deal with White's arches? I'd like to hear everyone's experience with varying degrees of arches/foot shapes and the Arch Ease.

I have also heard people with flat feet swear by them, which sounds counterintuitive. I have high arches, and with my Daytons, which have leather insoles and no arch support, the balls of my feet hurt because that's where all my weight sits. Can anyone weigh in on the relative support and comfort of White's vs Wesco's?

Slightly off-topic: I assume the leather sole in my Daytons is glued in. Though they are probably a half size too large, there's not enough room to add an insole comfortably. Could I have a cobbler remove the leather insole so I can replace it with something soft and arch-supporty, without compromising something structural or having to unbuild and rebuild the boot? I'm also considering adding an arch support insert (which is like a small shoulder pad that gets glued where your arch is), but I can't tell how much that would help, as the ball of my foot would still be resting on stiff leather.

 

[mogili222]

How can you have flat feet and high arches? Aren't those the opposite of each other? I have flat feet and shoes with high arch support hurt.

I don't know how to explain this but my arches on my feet are really high when there is no load on them.. However once I stand or walk, the whole foot collapses on the arch. The arch ease prevents that from happening and I think it also corrected my posture a little bit..

I have also started using the Blue Superfeet in my other shoes that seems to help too..

 

[grendel]

This is a great question, and basically the reason I showed up right now: to get some Arch Ease info.

So what's the deal with White's arches? I'd like to hear everyone's experience with varying degrees of arches/foot shapes and the Arch Ease.

I have also heard people with flat feet swear by them, which sounds counterintuitive. I have high arches, and with my Daytons, which have leather insoles and no arch support, the balls of my feet hurt because that's where all my weight sits. Can anyone weigh in on the relative support and comfort of White's vs Wesco's?

Slightly off-topic: I assume the leather sole in my Daytons is glued in. Though they are probably a half size too large, there's not enough room to add an insole comfortably. Could I have a cobbler remove the leather insole so I can replace it with something soft and arch-supporty, without compromising something structural or having to unbuild and rebuild the boot? I'm also considering adding an arch support insert (which is like a small shoulder pad that gets glued where your arch is), but I can't tell how much that would help, as the ball of my foot would still be resting on stiff leather.

I can't answer all of this for you, but I have somewhat flat feet and in running shoes needed extra stability shoes (Brooks Adrenaline GTS). In my White's I got the commando half sole which makes the heel slightly lower compared to the forefoot. Before I settled on the commando sole I was going to get the heel dropped 1/4", but with the commando I went full height on the heel. My White's are very comfortable and have been since the first time I put them on. The arch support is very comfortable to me and, while it definitely feels different from dress shoes or sneakers, I find the support in that area to be very helpful.

 

[jrosenthal]

I too have flat feet, long low arches and suffer from heel pain (hard strike) ball pain(thin fat pads on my feet, they are kind of bony) and plantar fasciitis. I wondered if the arch ease would be a problem for me and Kyle recommended the 1/4 lower heel for flat feet as it minimizes the arch lift effect. I wore them for 6 hours today and other than a little discomfort on the inside of my ankle at the top lace, the fit was excellent, non fatiguing, and I actually noticed that my heel pain and faciatus were not bothering me at all. In fact, when I got home and put on my Chuck's, I noticed the heel pain and faciatus again almost instantly.

I do kind of regret not doing the full size heel as with the commando sole it does look a little low in the back and I wonder if the arch support would be better but so far it is plenty supportive.

Thanks for the compliments, I'll post better pics this week with a little wear on them. I have a love for archetypes, classic representation of iconic things, and in talking with Kyle about the build of these boots I had thought about brown edge color and close trim, trying to make it look like a "classic" Munson style work shoe but he persuaded me to do dress leather, medallion toe with standard trim and natural edge-a very iconic White's look.
My next pair will have some of my esthetic touches on it, but I'm loving these classics. Already got compliments on them today, one from anacquaintance who I don't know well and upon first seeing me walk up looked down and said "damn, those are some sharp boots"...I had big silly grin.

James

 

[gregornz]

I love the swing last!

 

[NNNN]

In my White's I got the commando half sole which makes the heel slightly lower compared to the forefoot. Before I settled on the commando sole I was going to get the heel dropped 1/4", but with the commando I went full height on the heel.

Interesting. I always thought that regardless of which sole you choose, they bump up the heel to compensate, so the (interior) heel height is always the same. Is it only the commando sole for which they make an exception, or do they do that with say, a 705 half sole as well?

 

[grendel]

Interesting. I always thought that regardless of which sole you choose, they bump up the heel to compensate, so the (interior) heel height is always the same. Is it only the commando sole for which they make an exception, or do they do that with say, a 705 half sole as well?

I assume it applies with the 705 as well. With the full soles they run through the heel as well, so they balance the forefoot and the heel. With the half sole it doesn't run through the heel so it's a little lower in the heel by comparison.

 

[Sunstealer73]

What does a pair of the Semi-Dress go for? Just a stock model like the Black Cherry ones. What's the wait time?