u/burstaneurysm

Below are the most common “issues” that are posted here. Please refrain from submitting posts that fall under these categories unless you’re pretty sure your defect falls significantly outside of a reasonable margin. Thank you!

1. The split in your welt near the inside arch is where the 360° welt begins and ends. Some welt joints will be cleaner/less noticeable than others, but if the ends meet, you’re good.

2. The Classic Moc’s toe is first glued and then stitched together. It’s normal for the seam to split open a bit, particularly where the vamp flexes. The stitches are holding it together.

3. A little gap along the welt is fine. Again, the stitches are doing the work. Wedge soles have a thin slip sole that’s stitched to the boot and then the outsole is cemented to it. It’s not going anywhere.

4. Your speed hooks aren’t going to chew through your tongue. They’ll dig in to a certain point and the just kinda stop. Use kilties if you insist, but I’ve got pairs over ten years old and the wear on the tongue barely looks different than it did after a few weeks.

5. Leather used to be alive. Just like us, there will be flaws, veins, scars, and stretch marks. They’ll try to use less uniform cuts where cosmetic issues are less visible, like the inside quarters, but not every flaw can be seen until the boot has flexed.

6. You’re probably over-conditioning. Unless you’re routinely using them in extreme conditions, less is more. Once or twice a year. However, you should brush your boots regularly, this will not help only remove dust and dirt, it will redistribute the oils already in the leather and prevent deep cracks from forming.

7. You WILL scuff and scratch your boots, they WILL crease, they WILL get dirty. They’ll also be FINE. Embrace patina, that’s what makes them YOUR boots.