Three months since my first order, four boots in hand and more coming, and I keep coming back to these 64 browns. They were an impulse buy on RTS and I’ve only worn them for a little over a month, but they’re already beginning to fit like a glove.
In honor of Nick’s birthday. Kept vacillating on black leather choices; wanted something in the vein of my delta arch 64 brown lace ups. Max Support was the obvious choice but the break-in scared me off. Black Spokane, smooth over rough, seemed the best compromise.
This means that I have not scratched the Roanoke Denim itch, but I think I’ll have to satisfy myself with the Predator Pacifics currently in production.
Two new, made to order belts arrived this afternoon. The Greener Pastures matches my GPWF extremely well and the Predator Pacific makes me excited for the Wood Butchers I have in production. I’m still waffling on which boots to take on our main trip this summer, but right now I’m feeling the GPWF.
The only negative is that USPS appears to have lost a pair of RTS Shackleton Greener Pastures that I ordered last week. Still holding out hope but USPS currently admits that they disappeared sometime after they left Spokane….
So, I love these FlexWorkPros, but I've resisted wearing them extensively for fear of staining those white wedges. I know I should probably just get over it, and I've seen tips here for cleaning them, but is there a way to seal them to keep them from getting as dirty and/or make cleaning them easier?)/
I’m thinking that the Admiral leathers may disappear soon and I need a black roughout or waxed flesh boot, so which do I choose?
Just got my Shackleton Brown FlexWorkPros and they are insanely comfortable out of the box. I’m not sure what break-in these will really require. A big part is probably the wedge sole. Also, the color is surprisingly similar to my Shackleton #8s that arrived last week (shown in the third picture).
Working through my first week wearing Nick’s, I’ve discovered that I really like 8” boots and the HNW last. I’m also beginning to love Shackleton leathers, and my Shackleton #8s are breaking in nicely. So far seems like the break in is likely to be 2x or 3x faster than my 64 browns.
That being said, I can see where the Shackleton’s could be relatively easy to get scratched up, and the #8s are so pretty I suspect I’m going to baby them a bit. For those reasons I’ve also come to appreciate my original 64 brown rough outs more and more.
If my next order is a black rough out or smooth over rough out 8” boot, what are the best options? I want something that’s comfortable first and foremost, so that may rule out max support.
When it rains, it pours. Third NBD this week are Shackleton #8s from the Overstock Sale. Leather is beautiful. Almost too pretty for a work boot? A bit stiff out of the box, but the Shackleton already has a buttery temper, so I strongly suspect these will wind up the softest of my three pair so far (the others are 64 Brown and GPWF) once they’ve broken in.
A couple discoveries from my first week wearing Nick’s:
— 8” are generally more comfortable than 6” (at least for the break in), and
— The traditional HNW last seems a bit more comfortable for me than the TNW.
Both of these are surprising, but maybe they shouldn’t be. I have narrow heels and wider forefeet and the vertical volume of my left foot is greater than my right. Since my feet are still relatively narrow overall, the HNW last feels roomier and more comfortable. The TNW still works and I suspect it will get better with break in, but it presses down on the top of my feet and is slightly less comfortable out of the gate. As for boot height, even though the 8” boots are bulkier, it’s easier to lock them in to prevent heel slip. (I have no heel slip after about 35 hours in my 8” delta arch 64 brown lace ups.)
My new greener pastures waxed flesh boots from the recent overstock sale arrived during a brief break between meetings this morning.
Beautiful color and construction. I’m still new to Nick’s, so maybe I shouldn’t be surprised that the waxed flesh initially feels quite stiff — especially at the collar — compared to the 64 Brown delta arch lace ups that came in this weekend. I also notice that the toe box feels a bit tighter; maybe the way the volume is distributed (i.e., does the TNW last have less height in the toe box than the HNW last?). Nonetheless, beautiful boots and I love them already.
I’m still trying to narrow down which pair I’ll be carrying on our long trip in June. I’ve got about 30 hours in on the 64 browns and they’re beginning to feel quite nice, but I also have a pair of Shackleton #8s arriving tomorrow, so…who knows.