Diesel Jungle Kangaroo studded sole

Length: Perfect

Width: Perfect

How I got them. Since Ive gotten into gyw I've always kept my eye on Grant Stone. People really seemed to like them. So I waited for an opportunity to get a boot from them. Few months ago, I got a mail that they got some Diesels in Jungle Kangaroo in stock. Ive never had kangaroo leather and was instantly interested. Its something entirely different over what I already had in the closet. I mailed the grant stone team, to inquire about sizing. I gave them my measurements and sizing in other footwear and was recommended a 8,5D. When I got them, I couldnt even get my feet in the boots. They were too small. Especially the instep felt way too tight. After talking with Wyatt, I exchanged the 8,5D for an 9E. This was spot on! Details. Grant Stone Diesel boot Leo last 9E Jungle Kangaroo leather veg tan from an non specified italian tannery Grant Stone proprietary studded sole Single midsole Leather heel stack Fit Ive never stood on a brannock device. Its just not a thing over here in Belgium, I guess. But in most gyw footwear im around an 9D. But the 9E I got is just spot on perfect!! Measurement wise there is just a few mm difference between a 9D, 9E and 9,5D. The real difference is found in the instep. Somehow in the leo last, I like a bit more volume in the instep. From the moment I first got them on I felt like my feet were right at home. Felt like ive had been wearing these boots for years. So comfortable. Still today, Im certain these are my best fitting and most comfortable boots. The soft and supple kangaroo leather really helped. Zero break in required. The good and the bad Honestly I love these boots, but I'll try to be as impartial as possible. I really like how these boots are made. The upper leather of the kangaroo is really thin. But this is typical for kangaroo leather. But the leather really makes up for it in tensile strength and suppleness. The upper feels really strong. The upper is lined with full grain kip lining. Feels really soft. I like that grant stone uses thick veg tan insoles, midsoles and counter. Yes a thick leather counter for a 300$ something boot. That's just impressive. I'm looking forward to seeing how this all evolves with years of wear. The studded sole look really slick and dressy. But in the wet I can feel my feet wanting to slip. I have the dainite studded sole and I feel like the GS studded sole is more slippery than the dainite sole. This could be highly subjective of course. But this is how I experience the difference. After 4 months of wearing, the sole has close to 100% of its life left. Really durable rubber. If I had to mention one thing that I dont like as much, its the 360 degree welt. I more a fan of a 270 degree welt. I feel like the boot is much more sleek with no welt at the heel. This is purely how I like it, I'm not entirely sure if one is actually better than the other. Pure from a construction point I don't think a 270 degree welt is less durable than a 360 degree, but I could be wrong. Conclusion I love these boots. By far my most comfortable boot out of the box. After wear they're as comfy or even more comfy than my red wings, and Indonesian boots. The value is the best feature in my opinion. Ok they're made in China, but does that really matter? Maybe yes, maybe no. But in the case of Grant Stone it really doesn't matter. The quality is some of the best I've seen. Ive really enjoyed these boots over the last few months. And I'm sure I'll enjoy them for many more years to come. Okay, maybe I'll take another boot when its raining or snowing. Luckily we're in this hobby were one boot equals no boots at all. So I've got back-up. PS Please excuse the spelling, I'm Belgian ;-) If anyone knows the tannery that made the kangaroo leather, please let me know. Thanks :-)

Its the traveler penny loafer in chestnut calf. Sits on a leather sole.

Length: Slightly Short

Width: Moderately Narrow

My instep is really high. Its really hurting my foot wearing.

Jakkrabbit logger boot Olive reverse chamois from Horween

Length: Perfect

Width: Perfect

Intro: This is my second pair of boots from the Indonesian bootmaker Jakkrabbits. Few months ago I already wrote up my initial impressions on the moc toe boots I got from them. I’ll have to repost that write-up here, because the original was only posted on the heritage boot group on facebook.I really liked the moctoes and I reached out to Jakkrabbits on instagram again and we started talking about boots. We talked about what boots we liked, what boots he would like to design next and see if we could come up with a cool make-up. In the end we settled on an 8 inch logger style boot build to withstand pretty much anything. I got inspiration for the design with White’s and their Bounty Hunter, available through bakers. I really liked the heavy workboot design with the dress toe cap.For the upper leather I wanted a really durable, tough and weatherproof leather. I instantly thought of the reverse Chamois 145 derbies from Viberg. I remember how awesome they looked and Viberg said that reverse chamois was excellent for bad weather. Jakkrabbits was quick to get his hands on a side of chammy leather from Horween for the production of the boots to get started. 5 weeks later they arrived on my doorstep. Opening the box, I was blown away. I thought they would look good. Never dreamed they would look this good. The details: Jakkrabbits logger boot 6 inch Nossler lastReverse olive Chamois from Horween Contrast tongue and kiltie in olive brown CXL 270 degree veldtschoen construction double thick leather midsole Dr. Sole Rawcord halfsoles Brass eyelids & speedhooks The goods and bads: The build quality is great. No major issues. Stitching looks really clean.The boots are finished beautifully. Seriously, the level of finishing is something Viberg and Whites could learn a thing or two from. Ive worn the boots for 3 months now, they hold up really good. They’re as good or better than any of my other boots. When comparing to other Indonesian brands, I can only compare to renavgoodsco. I have to say they are really on par with eachother on the build quality. Perhaps I’d say Renavgoods feels a little bit more sturdy than Jakkrabbits, but the upper finishing on these logger boots from Jakkrabbits is much cleaner. Break-in pains were non-existent. The chamois leather is so nice and soft. The leather has a really soft and nice temper. Pretty much perfect for my taste.Break-in of the leather midsole and insole took some time, but gave no discomfort whatsoever thanks to the thin foam insole. I have to say, that I’m not a fan at all of using foam, poron or other synthetics in boots. I prefer an all leather construction, but having a soft foam insole does help easy in the break in of the insole and midsole. Using the foam for a good cause is not something to really complain about. One thing to notice is that one of the brass speedhooks fell out 2 months in. Explanation was that hardware had a tough time settling in, in the soft tempered and pliable reverse chammy leather. I brought this to Jakkrabbits attention and he immediately apologized and offered to pay for the repair. I really appreciate customer service like this. I know some might expect and accept nothing less, but I’m not really used to that kind of customer service with regular stores here in Belgium. In the end my local old cobbler fixed the issue for less than 2 euros. I’m not gonna bother the makers in Indonesia for 2 euros so I let it pass.Other than this small issue I have nothing bad to say about these boots. They look and most importantly, feel amazing. I can do anything in them and feel safe (and look cool), wearing them. What more could you want for the price? Fit: Sizing with Indonesian boot companies is always a small risk. You measure your feet and they compare the measurements with their lasts. So much can go wrong, most human error on the customers fault. I’m surely not an expert in sizing and measuring myself. With the moc toes I felt like the boots were roomy. Not that they were too large, but almost. The nossler last is a much more snug last than the moctoe last. I gave Jakkrabbits the feedback on the moc toe fit and he recommended the same size (US11) for these logger boots. Now I wear almost all my boots in a US9. US11 sounds crazy then right? Nope my feet are crazy weird apparently because these loggers in size 11 are spot on perfect.Together with my Grant Stone diesels in 9E these are my best fitting boots. Conclusion: My collection of boots is growing. I have a personal goal or policy to not buy more than one boot from one brand. I want to diversify as much as possible. However I really believe in Jakkrabbits as an Indonesian bootbrand on the rise. They’re small now, but not for long I suspect. They make such beautiful looking boots. But that said, I’m not planning on another pair from them in the near future. Not because I’m not happy, or that I dont want to recommend them. But because I first want to really test these two pairs I got now, before I invest more. I dont want to buy boots just for looks. I also want them to hold up and perform. I’ll be testing them further through this winter and next boot season and afterwards I’ll make up a definitive review and give my honest opinion. For now I leave you with this: Love the boots, I truly believe in the company and the skilled craftsmen behind the brand. And I look forward to the great time I’ll no doubt have, wearing these boots.

Length: Moderately Short

Width: Very Narrow

Moto Dress Engineer Maryam brown horsebutt black overdyed

Length: Perfect

Width: Slightly Narrow

Intro These are my newest addition to the collection. My first pair of engineers. These are the MOTO(R) Dress Engineers in black over dye horsebutt. MOTO(R) is a Japanese brand that produces kinda everything. They make jewelry, clothing and also Boots. I found them on Instagram after I heard Jake u/almostvintagestyle mention them in a post or on a video, can’t really remember. I’ve always like engineers but was always too scared to pay the big bucks not knowing if I’d like the style. Finding out that MOTO sells engineers at a reasonable price, I jumped on them. I contacted the brand u/Leather_things_motor on Instagram and asked for some info on their boots and ordering process. They were quick to reply and really nice and forthcoming in their communication. They asked me some questions about sizing and I told them I wear Viberg in size 9 and that I’m a size 43 in sneakers. They suggested size 8H in their dress engineers. Being a bit skeptical on the low number I asked if, they were sure. Apparently, their size 8H has an insole length of 28.5 cm. That’s pretty much perfect for me, so I placed my order. These boots are made after order and I was promised a two week wait. Exactly 18 days after order they arrived. Details MOTO Dress Engineer Size 8H Maryam horsebutt black over dye by hand Biltrite half sole 270 degree goodyear welt Brass hardware Actual first impressions These are my first pair of Japanese made boots. I’ve heard stories about how perfectionate the Japanese are, and I must say I was impressed. Stitching is clean and perfect. Clicking is some of the best I’ve seen. About the clicking… Maryam horsebutt is known to be larger in size than Shinki or Horween horsebutt. Therefor the percentage of shell is smaller with Maryam. I was expecting to see some shell included, but the entire right boot is shell. The left has some shell in the counter and some in the vamp. But damn, the entire shaft, vamp and counter of the right boot is full of shell. I included a photo of the inside shaft where you notice the ‘roughout’ being totally smooth. From what I know this points to shell membrane being inside this part of the upper. (Please correct me if I’m wrong ;-) ) I couldn’t wait to try them on… But here comes the big but… To say that they didn’t fit me would be the biggest understatement of the year. I couldn’t even get my foot down in the boot. My heel got stuck halfway the shaft and didn’t move. I tried pulling, pulling harder, standing on my feet and using my weight… Nothing helped. My feet couldn’t physically get down to the footbed. I wanted to panic but I remembered watching a video from Carl Murowski of him having the exact same issue with his Lofgren engineers in shinki horsebutt. So I watched his videos again and contacted Carl to ask how they were now and if he could give some extra pointers. Plastic bags around the feet should do the trick and miraculously it did the trick. You know what? They fit amazing (once they’re on.) Almost no heel slip, nice arch support. I really liked them. However, I was not looking forward to always having plastic bags around my feet if I wanted to wear my engineers. Think about the sweat and smell… Carl told me the stretching technique Gabbard from Kreosote taught him, really helped getting the pass line and instep stretch to a point where the engineers can come on without more than 5 minutes of work. We’re now month and a half later and I can honestly tell you, by know they come on ‘ok’. They need some pulling and stomping but they come on nicely and when they’re on they’re a dream to wear. Conclusion These were my first pair of Japanese made boots and I’m hooked. The attention to detail is next to none. The craftmanship is great. They’re everything I wanted them to be and more. For those that are interested in buying some MOTO(R) engineers for themselves I might have some bad news. I’m not sure and I haven’t contacted anyone to check but I suspect they only open orders for these boots once or twice a year. On the website they always seem to be sold out. I think I just got lucky to contact them when I did, and I could just order without problem, but I’ve heard from people over at Instagram that some have been waiting some time to get them. Don’t know if it’s true, but my advice would be to just contact MOTO and ask. Disclaimer As per my other posts, these are just my opinions. I’m no expert, nor do I claim to be. Please let me know if I have some facts wrong in this post. I’m not a native English speaker, so grammar and spelling mistakes are probable and expected ;-)

kyle

I absolutely love your pictures, Niels. How are these to put on and off now that you've had them a little longer?

Reply

NielsVanhee

Hey Kyle, glad you like The photos. These are still a tough time to get on. Getting them off is also hard, but depending on which socks I have they slide easier. The reason I have such a hard time getting them on is the same why they feel so comfortable. I have high instep and my feet fit just perfect. Fits like a glove. I got a snug feeling in the toes, the instep and the heel. But unfortunately this makes the shaft a little too narrow to get on and off. Getting them off would be easier if I’d look for a boot jack. For some reason I’ve still to order one.

Parkhurst Richmond in natural Dublin from Horween

Length: Perfect

Width: Perfect

Initial feeling was too small. But after taking some time to stretch and break in these feel incredibly comfortable

Length: Very Short

Width: Perfect

Length: Perfect

Width: Slightly Narrow

2030 BCT Maryam Horsebutt muschio

Length: Perfect

Width: Perfect

Perfect fit for my long narrow feet. Finally.

Chestnut Essex Dainite sole

Length: Slightly Long

Width: Perfect

Viberg 1035 toscanello horserump Ridgeway sole

Length: Perfect

Width: Slightly Narrow

**Intro:** I bought these Vibergs exactly 4 months ago. A late christmas gift. Some of you might have followed along with my previous “adventures” into Viberg lasts and sizing. Short answer I had to sell off 2 pairs because of horrible sizing miscues. Oh and issues with the orders. To be fair, if i wasn’t such a fanboy of the brand I would’ve discarded them as an option long time ago. But I’m a fan of the brand. Why? Not sure, I just really love the ‘tough’ boot outlook. The heritage and history as the true service boot off all service boots. But mostly I love the interesting and diverse make-ups. I love how Viberg likes to experiment with different unique leathers. Come Christmas I wanted to treat myself with a pair of Vibergs in Maryam’s Toscanello Horsebutt. Actually acquiring a pair at a reasonable price is however quite the journey as a EU citizen. Taxes, shipping, VAT, … I would really love if there was a large Viberg stockist on mainland EU. This pair however I got from Rivet&Hide in the UK. Talking with them about sizing, shipping, returning it was quite obvious just about everyone hates Brexit. So it wasn’t going to be a walk in the park. R&H would upfront the taxes and VAT charges and include them in the price, but didn’t offer reasonable return and exchange options because of the hassle, work and costs involved. Nailing the size first try would be imperative. **Sizing/ Fit:** I've not real clue what my brannock is. It's just not a thing in europe. But Ive sent tracings and measurements to Whites and Bakers and they said 10,5 B-C. Take this with a grain of salt. Every foot is different. If you want detailed sizing information, there are others much more qualified than me. My sizes in lasts that fit great are: Leo: 9E MP: 9D Parkhurst 602: 9D I decided on a size 8,5E for the Vibergs in 1035 last. I normally would’ve gone for 9E but the 1035 being a wide forefoot last, I correctly thought 9E would be too big and 8,5 would be spot on. First few wears I was unsure if the fit was good. But the Vibergs are just really tough to break in. After a couple of 10-15 wears I started feeling increasingly more comfortable in the boots. Right now after 4 months of wearing I must say they are starting to feel like they’re a perfect fit/ mold of my foot. **The details:** Viberg 1035 last Maryam Toscanello Horsebutt TPR Ridgeway sole Natural midsole Stitchdown construction 7 eyelids **The good and the bad:** Let’s start with the bad. Or the things I don’t like as much, to be more precise.Ive said it here before, I’ll say it again. I don’t like the un-gusseted tongue. Half-gusseted is perfection. This is just an annoyance. Secondly Im not too fond of the clicking on my left boot. The inside quarter feels very thin and soft in comparison to the other leather parts cut into the boot. It’s structurally and esthetically fine from a distance. But touching the boot… Ah it annoys me a little bit. I do feel that the pricing of Viberg is slightly too high. I’m always looking for a match in quality vs price and I feel like Viberg is just a tad bit overpriced. But the emotion wins on rational on this one.Now the good. I love the construction, the attention to detail, the finishing. This boot feels indestructible. It really does.But what is typical of indestructible boots, are that they are overbuilt and extremely heavy. I find that these Vibergs still give off a sleek look and aren’t really that heavy. Kudos on the design. Oh wait, did you expect me not to mention the leather upper? I was saving the best for last. In short. I LOVE LOVE this horsebutt. It’s basically everything I look for in a leather.It’s tough, gorgeous, has so much depth, gets better with age, etc. I’ve recently given them their first condition and polish (thats a first for me)I treated them with Saphir Renovateur (without mink-oil) and given them a slight Pate de Luxe layer to let the TPR shine some more. I do feel the wax did add a layer of protection over the fragile TPR finish. I’m liking the results. **Conclusion:** I finally hit the Viberg sizing jackpot. These boots confirmed why I love the brand.Are they perfect? No, the perfect boot just doesn’t exist I’m afraid. But they’re near enough perfect that I’m not sad spending this amount of money on a boot.I’m just a really happy consumer that will gladly come back to the brand that I really like.I might have actually just purchased my second pair… A 2030 last in 9E, just to see what thats like. **Disclaimer:** Of all my reviews, I feel like this is my most subjective one. Throughout writing the review and wearing the boots I constantly felt like I couldn’t be neutral. I’m usually a really rational guy, that is very objective. But when it comes to this brand and pair of boots in particular I just don’t feel like I can be my impartial self I’m too much emotional invested. So take this review with a grain of salt or maybe just appreciate the beauty of the boots through the photos.

Brown CXL Bounty Hunter Double Leather Sole Brogue cap toe

Length: Very Short

Width: Perfect

Whites x Brooklyn Clothing co BCT color 8 CXL Dainite sole

Length: N/A

Width: N/A