u/3ringCircu5

#Vtg. Nicks + new toys = superb Sunday

Time to start the next project: Garage Shelves. The Vtg Nicks (c. 2009) pulling duty today with a new 7 1/4" Ryobi saw. The OG Blue 5 1/4 still works flawlessly, but a good Father's Day sale is always an excuse to get more tools, especially if it is "for" a project. 😁 Tools and Nicks are the main competitors for disposable income.

Boots: Nicks Welted 55 last (Homsteader w/v100?), Classic Logger heel, v100 outsole, SM/RO (super dark) Brown leather, still dirty from the yard project.

Some pics of the OG TankerPros /mods doing duty in the neverending yard project. What started as a 3-day weekend project is approaching 3 months, but a great opportunity to rotate all the boots through. I change from my usual light duty suburban living. Fun fact, a snow brush that is really too short for any car larger than a Smart Car is perfect for getting that top layer of dirt off boots and pants before heading into the house. That inside right heel counter can't catch a break. It seems to be a patina magnet. That's what took the brunt of the damage when I dropped the bike last year and the rocks in the yard are leaving their mark.

Boots: 11067 Brown CXL TankerPro OG pattern with lower strapped moved. Classic Dogger heel, vBar sole, brown edges.

No floorboards, but a bunch of other F words

Boots: 10", SM/RO Mystery extra dark brown leather that looks black, hand welt 55 last w/v100 Nicks boots from 2009

So Nicks has their Heritage Tote on sale for Father's Day (https://nicksboots.com/products/the-heritage-tote-limited-run) but not the tool tote? Luke has been working on this tote for awhile now and I think he missed a great opportunity highlighting the attributes/uses.

Honestly the width of the Heritage tote is better for handy-mandy days, to hold a power drill, with a little pocket of drill bits and driver heads. And speed-square, level, and measuring tape and you have the honey-do mounting kit for TVs, pictures, floating shelves etc. All the little weekend tasks for breaking in new boots.

Add the shades case (https://nicksboots.com/products/shade-case) (w/ strap, not slim version) and you have a pocket for sharpies, Carpenter pencils, Slim Jim snacks lol. Although now that I think about it, the slim version ( https://nicksboots.com/products/slim-shade-case) could sit in that inside pocket of the tote too.

So is this the real tool tote?

Giving the BlkWF T55 boots some TLC after they did their duty in some wet clay dirt in the yard and realized some of my favorite boot care tools are not boot care products at all, so here is a little Sunday morning post about looking in unexpected places for the right tool for the job.

• A: Car interior detailers horsehair brush. The curve at the end with the wider head gets those bristles in the crevices while being comfortable in the hand. The bristles are extra dense compared to most shoe care brushes, making it extra effective at "dry scrubbing" and removing the finer grit from the leather.

• B: Tile grout brush. The stiffer, but not too stiff, bristles taper at the bottom perfect for pulling grit from the gusset on either side of the horseshoe and around the Stitchdown feather line. This brush has a detail tool in the handle, perfect for removing those stubborn bits of clay stuck to the boots

• C: Car wash nylon brush that was on clearance at Wally-World. Long bristles that flair out get into crevices and fling out the grit. Especially handy for in front of the heel stack. This is the brush I start with before moving to the other brushes. I give the boots a good dry scrubbing with this and the brush rinses off cleanly so grit on the brush isn't rubbed into the next pair of boots.

• D: Scrubbing dish cloth. This is microfiber on one side and textured scrubby plastic mesh on the other. The scrubby texture makes loading harder waxy conditioner like Smiths into the cloth much easier. The scrubby texture prevents your fingers from sliding around and forces the cloth to move instead, allowing more conditioner to get loaded up.

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....and what photo shoot would be complete without Thumbs getting his photo-bombing cameo...so an up close blurry shot of the back of his head. Lil fur turd always has to contribute. He is not one of my boot care tools, but he thinks he's a helper lol.

So yesterday I came out to a dead battery on the bike when leaving work, so this morning I am sitting here slowing charging it from a 120v outlet in my car. Well the sun is up and I am killing time, so perfect for some playful pics with shadows, a pinecone, a stripe, and the patient in recovery (bike).

Boots: GPWF Maxwell, 7" ThNW last, HV sole, Milled DS Violet kilties

Bike: 2015 Indian Scout

Update: bike battery charged right up after a few hours and rode her home today. Having a charger with a 6A option was a life saver. Still safe more motorcycle electric systems, but boku faster than the 1.5A batter tender charger.

So RTS got me again. Just received these Greener Pastures Maxwells in 5C ThNW last with Honey Vibram soles.

Tl;dr: The boots are awesome and build is flawless and I am happy as a 🐖🐷 in poo!

Totally didn't need them, but they actually checked several boxes filling gaps in my collection.

• All my Nicks are high arch lasts, so I needed something to remind my feet and Achilles to do the work sometimes (although I have 2xHNW on order). Being the Maxwell with single leather lift heel, even better to remind that Achilles tendon to stay elongated.
• Padded collar. I didn't have anything with it yet and was hesitant because I was afraid it would add bulk right where my stubby calves start to bulge out.
  • These confirm suspicions, but I'm sure will break in to be comfy, but until then I'll continue to refrain from ordering it unless I find myself loving it unexpectedly.
  • I would still recommend those who drive trucks for a living to get the padded collar, as it does mitigate an edge digging into the leg when the foot and leg is slanted for extended periods of time while driving.
• 7" boot height: 6" doesn't like to bend for me and digs into the front of my ankle, 8" hits a tad high on my fat calves creating less than ideal gap at the top. 7" is in fact perfect for me.
  • I like wearing 10" boots, especially in TankerPros, but the gap is also less than ideal but also under my pant so little concern. I have some Tactical TankerPros on order with up sized quarters, so we'll see if that is sufficient to mitigate the gap I have on my current TankerPros.
  • I will likely continue to order 8" boots given my orders tend to be limited run boots where 7" is often not an option (such as the ND2s current on order) but these check the box and confirm 7" is THE height for me.
• The leather: I have wanted GPWF since it was introduced. It is damn near perfect being dark green and waxed flesh. But alas it was always nudged out at the point of placing an order.
  • First was the option to order W&C Pullmans, so the budget went to order DS Slate Pullmans that were changed to DS Olive when that was briefly available again.
  • Then the replenished coffers were spent on Predator Natural Pullmans since Predator Natural was limited run at the time (in hind sight had I known it would become a standard offering GPWF would have been chosen)
  • The remaining 2025 budget was blown on the last release of ND2s. GPWF was gone at this point anyway (so I thought) and I had resisted over the summer, but the Fall release with the ND5 finally got me. Technically the 2025 budget was blown on two pairs of Pullmans but I was weak. But this meant when GPWF was available for overstock sales, the budget was already in the red lol.
  • So now I have my elusive GPWF boots in a build that checks several other boxes! 🙌🙌🙌

Some trivial dirty laundry:

• Kilties sent in the box are presumably Shackleton Greener Pastures logger style. They are green but not waxed flesh. The same thing happened with my first Nicks, also RTS, where Black CXL kilties were sent with BlkWF boots.
  • I previously ordered the 3-pack of GPWF kilties so this is mostly moot/inconsequential
  • I decided to lace them up with my Milled DS Violet kilties anyway, since I have GPWF kilties in those boots now. I love the violet - dark green combo.
• The box is marked 5C but the boots are marked on the tag and vamps as 4D.
  • 4D wasn't available in ThNW until just recently so presumably after these boots were built.
  • There is no date of manufacture stamped on the boot because of the padded collar.
  • They fit like 5c, maybe even 5b, but if the original order was for 4D it makes more sense they had the customer switch to 5C given the same ball measurement.
• The box is labeled as 8" height, but one of the defining traits of the Maxwell is being 7". I measure and confirm these are in fact 7" boot height.

The fit: 5c in the T55 is darn near perfect, but 5c in the ThNW is technically too long. By the numbers I am at the very tip top of the Nicks 4.5D size range. Really right at the line between 4.5 and 5.

• I previously had the ND3s in 5C and size wise, made them work but they were distinctly longer than my T55 TWF boots, so I knew what to expect with these.
  • My ball is a smidge too far back, too close to the quarters. Once the leather settles and I can wear thicker socks, they will be fine, albeit noticeably longer than my t55 boots.
• With a ball of 8 5/8 these are "firm handshake" snug at the ball (that is a hair too far back in the boot) but plenty of wiggle room for my tootsies. Same if I slide my foot forward.
  • The Thurman lasts are not new and there is plenty of data on them. Just adding this nugget to point out that my toes have room to play and with a lower instep (about the same as or smidge lower than my ball depending on socks and time of day) getting a lower width hugs my heel better.
  • 5C has a ball measurement of 8 1/2 and my ball is at 8 5/8

Damn this got long quick! This is why I don't post often: it is super hard for me to keep it short and sweet lol. Heck my alarm to leave for work just went off and I haven't even put pants on yet! Here are some pics, with the last one being my customs agent, Thumbs inspecting the goods.

Revamping the front yard was the project over the holiday weekend. It started with the DS Olive Pullmans, but after the first 12 hours switched to the more fully broken in BlkWF T55 MTOs. The kit was complete with DS Olive Heavy Duty work belt and Nicks t-shirt. I was slow to post, but decided to knock it out now before heading out to continue the tedious project this weekend.

The are about 6 months old and just getting started on the patina journey.

* Pullmans

* 55 last

* Predator Natural leather

* Logger heel

* VBar outsole

They are still breaking in but already super comfortable and getting better everyday

Headed out to Lowes in my DS Olive Pullmans with my DS Olive HD work belt, DS Olive snap wallet (snap popped of when I dropped the bike and landed on the wallet in my pocket), and DS Olive key ring. Time to pretend I am a responsible home owner and neighbor and get my neglected yard some much needed TLC. I just love DS Olive and the fact that you almost can't see the green is part of its charm, like it has a secret revealed only to those deemed worthy.

BLUF: I thought my 10-12oz W&C was a slab of leather, but it is nothing compared to their 12-15oz HD W&C work belts that changed my Dad's idea of a "good belt".

Here are a few picks comparing Nicks a 12-15oz Heavy Duty W&C DS Slate belt and their 10-12oz Limited Run DS Slate belt offered early 2024.

Here is my New Belt Day post featuring my 10-12oz DS Slate belt: https://www.reddit.com/r/NicksHandmadeBoots/s/P1YPQUrQmx

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Backstory & Nerdy Details: I won a Wickett & Craig Heavy Duty Work Belt during Nicks Reddit 10K Giveaway in January (2025) and decided my Dad needed it in DS Slate.

• He is just awesome and deserving.
• He had been wearing the same leather belt for decades.
• He would have chosen a traditional brown color leather, so I did not give him the opportunity to weigh in.
• I picked up a Slate Wickett & Craig Double Stuffed 10-12oz - Limited Run belt the year prior and yes, I like/liked the cheesy idea of matching belts.

When I told my Dad he was getting a new belt, he was appreciative but not excited. He is a simple man with simple needs. After all he already had a tool to hold his pants up and that's all he needed right? Right - but… He was blown away by the belt when it arrived but it was still just a belt.

• The color was fine.
• It held his pants up fine. It was an impressive belt, but held his pants up just the same…. almost.
• The price was right - free lol
• What blew him away was that it truly is an extra heavy duty belt capable of holding his pants up, even when carrying additional hardware and accessories when the need arises.

But his favorite, and unexpected, feature of the belt IS the thickness. The thick AF belt holds his Leatherman pouch in place when the pants w/belt and Leatherman are hanging on a coat rack.

• With his previous belt, that was fine and did the job for decades, the Leatherman would slide down the belt and fall off unless he hung the pants on the peg just right and even then he would often find the Leatherman on the floor.
• But with his Nicks Heavy Duty Leather Work Belt, the Leatherman conveniently stays put, right where he left it.
• He is a convert. Nicks has spoiled him and ruined him for what he previously deemed adequate or even good belts lol. Thankfully he will never need another belt, because he has a Nicks HD W&C work belt!

Additional comparison of the two belts:

• Both belts are Wickett & Craig Double Stuffed Slate
• My belt is 10-12oz, his is 12-15oz
• My belt came with silver colored Chicago screws and roller-buckle. His belt came with brass buckle (without the roller) and Chicago screws.
  • I swapped out the original roller buckle with a center-bar brass buckle.
  • With all else equal, I prefer a roller buckle but it is hard to beat solid brass hardware on quality leather goods such as Nicks belts.
  • I like switching up my buckles in general, but the brass buckle on my Dad's belt is best for folks like him that just need the buckle to be there and do it's job. Brass does this and looks better doing it.
• Both belts have started to develop those brown tones DS Slate is known for. Similar to the "iron" look we've seen in posts on the DS Slate Pullmans used for the W&C Pullman product pics.