Indonesian Boot Makers (Onderhoud, Benzein, RenavGoods, Santalum, etc)

[jischwar]

So my SVC02's in Maryam Horsebutt are now complete!

I got them with a Dr Sole 1220 XX "Extra Heavy" full sole and a structured toe, which I think adds just the right amount of beefiness to an otherwise sleek silhouette. SO looking forward to these beat's arriving!


View attachment 2199267 View attachment 2199269 View attachment 2199271 View attachment 2199273

These look amazing man!

 

[HomunculusTheElder]

These look amazing man!

Thanks man! These turned out even better than I was hoping for. Rizky is truly an artist.

A vast majority of his renderings of the SVC02 model feature some variation of a half sole, together with an unstructured toe for a sleek, almost torpedo-like look, which I find very appealing.

I however wanted to go with something a bit different, and I really think that the structured toe (and heel!) together with the thicker outsole make for more a "muscular" look which for me really puts this pair over the top.

 

[crisscross]

These shoes all look great but I was wondering if folks can share their experience in build quality and comfort? I live in Berlin and after years of happy service with RMW I am thinking of getting boots from Briselback or some of the other makers. The feedback on Reddit seems to be that sizing is often hit-and-miss with Indonesian bootmakers. With customs and shipping, does it make sense to go this route or stick with European brands like Vass?

 

[HomunculusTheElder]

In my experience the build quality of the Indonesian makers far exceeds that of comparably priced western brands. They are hand-lasted and held-welted, two extremely labor-intensive processes that one would pay astronomical prices for in the west (i.e Role Club and Kreosote prices). Their sizing is the same as Red Wing, Grant Stone, or any other boot brand. Here is my write up of my most recent pair of Onderhoud's:

https://www.reddit.com/r/goodyearwelt/comments/1dryve5/onderhoud_svc02_initial_impressions/

These shoes all look great but I was wondering if folks can share their experience in build quality and comfort? I live in Berlin and after years of happy service with RMW I am thinking of getting boots from Briselback or some of the other makers. The feedback on Reddit seems to be that sizing is often hit-and-miss with Indonesian bootmakers. With customs and shipping, does it make sense to go this route or stick with European brands like Vass?

 

[Deus ex excidio]

So it seems like the top boots makers from Indonesia is between sagara and winson (Midas for more casual).
I was thinking to got derby boots or low cut lace to toe with Indonesian leather (I wanna see the quality of their sourced leather too)

I wanna ask what should I get for good look& quality and comfort? Does it better to pick Sagara or Midas?

 

[HomunculusTheElder]

So it seems like the top boots makers from Indonesia is between sagara and winson (Midas for more casual).
I was thinking to got derby boots or low cut lace to toe with Indonesian leather (I wanna see the quality of their sourced leather too)

I wanna ask what should I get for good look& quality and comfort? Does it better to pick Sagara or Midas?

Not sure what information led you to reach this conclusion. Winson is for sure one of the finest dress boot makers in Indonesia, but there are plenty of other makers that are at least as good as Sagara, such as:

Txture
Junkard
Briselblack
Prof Barnets
Renav Goods
Fortis
Onderhoud (if you can get a pair).

I would take a look at some of these others before making a decision. Personally from what I have seen the finishing on Sagara’s is actually a cut below the aforementioned brands.

This isn’t to say Sagara is a bad brand at all, they make some cool models, and their Cordmaster is for many the monkey boot par excellence, but their upper stitching tends to be just a bit less pristine than the others. On the flip side, I think they tend to have a bit more heft, so in that regard it is a bit of a trade-off.

 

[basu13]

So it seems like the top boots makers from Indonesia is between sagara and winson (Midas for more casual).
I was thinking to got derby boots or low cut lace to toe with Indonesian leather (I wanna see the quality of their sourced leather too)

I wanna ask what should I get for good look& quality and comfort? Does it better to pick Sagara or Midas?

Plenty of other good options. Tahura and Junkard are ones I have personal experience with both of them are fantastic - as good as any of the others if not better.

 

[j ingevaldsson]

So it seems like the top boots makers from Indonesia is between sagara and winson (Midas for more casual).
I was thinking to got derby boots or low cut lace to toe with Indonesian leather (I wanna see the quality of their sourced leather too)

I wanna ask what should I get for good look& quality and comfort? Does it better to pick Sagara or Midas?

I'm biased since I work with Midas, but a pro for them is that they seem to be rather careful with clicking of the domestic leather, which result in a solid lowest level. We've sold some hundred pairs of Midas by now through Skolyx and people seem to be very happy with the Indonesian pull-up and roughout we use for these. I have two pairs and they've aged great.

Here's after six months of a lot of wear during harsh Swedish winter with only cleaning and Saphir nappa conditioning (worn a month or so since last time cleaned and conditioned here though):

Same pair after pigmented shoe cream:

Natural semi veg tanned after seven months of hard wear, also with only cleaning and nappa conditioner, next to a new one:

 

[jischwar]

I'm biased since I work with Midas, but a pro for them is that they seem to be rather careful with clicking of the domestic leather, which result in a solid lowest level. We've sold some hundred pairs of Midas by now through Skolyx and people seem to be very happy with the Indonesian pull-up and roughout we use for these. I have two pairs and they've aged great.

Here's after six months of a lot of wear during harsh Swedish winter with only cleaning and Saphir nappa conditioning (worn a month or so since last time cleaned and conditioned here though):

View attachment 2232017

Same pair after pigmented shoe cream:

View attachment 2232019


Natural semi veg tanned after seven months of hard wear, also with only cleaning and nappa conditioner, next to a new one:

View attachment 2232021

Emil makes a great dress boot too

 

[HomunculusTheElder]

Should have included Midas on this list too of course. Fantastic craftsmanship and one of the only monkey boot designs that I think doesn’t look ridiculous 😅

Not sure what information led you to reach this conclusion. Winson is for sure one of the finest dress boot makers in Indonesia, but there are plenty of other makers that are at least as good as Sagara, such as:

Txture
Junkard
Briselblack
Prof Barnets
Renav Goods
Fortis
Onderhoud (if you can get a pair).

I would take a look at some of these others before making a decision. Personally from what I have seen the finishing on Sagara’s is actually a cut below the aforementioned brands.

This isn’t to say Sagara is a bad brand at all, they make some cool models, and their Cordmaster is for many the monkey boot par excellence, but their upper stitching tends to be just a bit less pristine than the others. On the flip side, I think they tend to have a bit more heft, so in that regard it is a bit of a trade-off.