Denim Blue
Length: Perfect
Width: Perfect
Socks: Midweight merino wool; heavyweight boot socks Misc. Notes: High volume right foot; true size between a 6 and 6.5EE; boots are MTO and have up to a 3-week lead time, split sizing offered Ordered: 6/2/22 Received: 6/14/22 Not broken in yet These boots were so comfortable right out of the gate I was worried they were too big. I neurotically checked them against my other boots and found them to be precisely the size I'd wanted them to be. After going for a quick little 1-mile walk in them, I noticed absolutely nothing amiss with the fit: the flex point lines up right where it should, there was no back-and-forth slippage, there was no side-to-side slippage. As an added bonus the insoles are super cushy, comparable to Helm's offerings. They're definitely made on a high volume last. There's a ton of room in the instep and toe box. My right foot is just as comfortable as my left for a change, and I can easily wear the thickest boot socks I own (that put my feet at about a 7EE) without it feeling uncomfortably tight. Given all this, I think there's a lot of leeway in sizing: I could've ordered a 6EE or a 6.5E for something more snug, but I'm still quite happy with the 6.5EE. I've seen posts regarding the lacking quality of Adelante's leather floating about the internet. I'm still fairly new to leather footwear so I'm afraid I can't say for sure beyond, "It seems fine to me." The craftsmanship is certainly really good. Adelante have officially set the standard for a properly fitting boot for me. My only comfort complaint is with the inner heel counters: the right side pokes very lightly at my outer ankle bone on occasion and on the left the edge rubs against the inner side of my heel. Easy enough to solve with thicker socks, though I'm interested in seeing if that's still an issue with The Valparaíso. My only aesthetic complaint is it's not as sleek as I like but I acknowledge that there's not a whole lot of room to work with when it comes to a short, wide, and tall foot like mine.
1907 Moc Toe Copper Rough and Tough
Length: Perfect
Width: Perfect
For me, insoles are necessary in this boot. When I remove them, the boot is too big. I tried a half size down, and then the boot is too small (regardless of insoles). The boots are nice, and don't have a long break in period, at least in my experience.
Medium brown waxy, with commando sole
Length: Perfect
Width: Slightly Narrow
Excellent craftsmanship! They fit very well, a bit snug and a tad tight on the instep not uncomfortably so. After some break-in these boots will fit like a glove. These will be my new got to boots for a bit of everything, definitely worth the wait! Ordered 2/28/22 arrived 6/16/22
Earth
Length: Perfect
Width: Slightly Narrow
Socks: Mid-cushion cotton Misc. Notes: High volume right foot; true size between a 6 and 6.5EE Not broken in yet I'd actually briefly owned another Leo last boot in size 6D, bought secondhand. Those were way too tight right away. In retrospect, no surprise there. Being as how Grant Stone don't yet have EE sizes in the Leo last, I sent a sizing request and was recommended a size 6E, as it would fit my length better and offer more room in the forefoot than the Thursdays I own in 6.5. One thing the rep said was that their lasts tend to run a half size "larger" than Thursday Boots. When I got my Diesels I double-checked it against my Captains in 6.5 and I personally didn't see what they meant. The Diesel's length was shorter (which was a relief, as I wanted a shorter boot; the length was perfect) and while it was indeed wider as I was told it would be, the seam of the tongue was tighter on the instep of my right foot. If it weren't for the tight instep, I would consider this the best compromise for me in length-vs-width so far. The width in the ball is still slightly tighter than snug, and the instep tightness makes it so that lightweight socks are the only viable option for me. I think next time I'm going to try 6.5E on the Leo last, though I'm still willing to try a 6E on the Floyd last, since I hear that one is roomier. All that being said, I'm pretty thrilled with these boots. They're impressive quality and a really rich color and texture. I can't wait until some of the wax starts rubbing off.
Indigo
Length: Slightly Long
Width: Perfect
Socks: Mid-cushion cotton Misc. Notes: High volume right foot; true size between a 6 and 6.5EE Not broken in yet Due to my experience with the Captains (tl;dr: I tried on a whole bunch of sizes and settled on a 6.5, though now I think I'd choose differently) and because I'd heard that these boots run a smidge narrower than the rest of Thursday's options, I finally sent my fit request to Thursday instead of continuing to go at it on my own. The rep was prompt and very helpful. Eventually we settled on a 7 with thick heel liners to give my feet an extra halfish size up in length. Comparing the Vanguards to my Helm Zinds in 7D, it does run very slightly narrower. Still roomier in the ball and toe box than the Captains in 6.5, though. I personally would not order a bigger size to compensate. When I walked around the house in these for a bit, I noticed that the flex point lined up really well with where my toes and foot meet, about as well as my Captains (and better than my Diplomats). There was also only a little bit of heel slip, maybe 1/8". Should indicate a perfect length, right? Something felt a little unsteady to me about the fit, though, even though I had no tangible complaints, so I put in some heel liners as advised and the difference was magical. It feels much more secure now. It's hard to see on the official site but these boots are in fact far more blue than black, which is exactly what I wanted. (I'm hoping my pictures will illustrate that better.) Based on the lacing wear on the tongue and slight burnishing on the heel, it looks like it'll lighten up beautifully over time.
White/gray varriant
Length: Perfect
Width: Perfect
This is the best sneaker shoe I had until that point. It's comfortable - adapts to your feet because it's streachy, and the insole is soft. I also feel good when I have them on because they look good! I wear them any time I go to town, or visit friends.
Dune chromexcel, dainite style sole
Length: Perfect
Width: Perfect
Very impressed with these so far. I often struggle to find shoes and boots to fit my wide but low-volume feet, and the Leo last does that very well. The 10 E is spot on for me, snug but plenty of room in the toe box. The break in period has been relatively painless, and I'm now wearing them for everything from dog walks to days in the office. My only very mild criticism is that the grain break differs between the boots, bit pretty sure that's due to my different shaped feet and is par for the course with CXL. Overall I'm incredibly pleased and can't wait to see how they age. I'll inevitably be investing in more GS boots in the future.
Brown waxed Flesh, logger heel, toe cap.
Length: Slightly Short
Width: Slightly Narrow
Nick's Custom Urban Logger 4 row Captoe Unstructured 6.5oz Horween Brown Waxed Flesh HNW #3 Toe 6" height Brass eyes and hooks Natural Edge Custom Fitting (8F based last, fitted specially) Care: No Shoe Trees: Sometimes Hose: Yes Background: Bought these for heavy wear and hiking. Ordered in June, delivered in August. Used Nick's custom fitting process. Initial Impressions Here. A couple users have asked me for updates so I figured that was as good an excuse as any to post some more boot pictures online. Use: Hiking, some physical labor, kicking rocks. Size: I wear a 7.5FFF/FF in White's on the 55 last. These are a fitted 8F. My next pair from Nick's will probably add a bit more width in the middle of the boot, but overall these are a great fit. The toe is rounder than on the 55 last White's. Break-in: These still aren't completely broken in. Only worn on average maybe a mile a week. They are comfortable but far from being molded to my foot. There is just so much leather. Sole: Vibram 100 has great traction in mud, but on rocks it does not have as good grip as a Vibram 700 in my experience. The rubber itself is not as "grippy" as some other soles. Still has excellent traction on flat surfaces, mud, and grass. Leather: Waxed flesh has been great. Super water resistant and hardy. Can't wait to scrub these down (one of these days) and clean and apply Venetian Leather Balm. These boots have an unstructured toe, but with the toecap and the leather being so heavy, it doesn't feel like it. Construction and details: Dig the stitchdown. Details are cleaner than my White's. These are very heavy boots that make a lovely "thud" when I walk in them on the sidewalk. Overall: Pacific Northwest Boots take a while to break in. The pairs that I have needed to be worn regularly for a year or so before they became truly broken in and super comfortable. But man, once you get there, no other shoe of boot compares. I really want to get a second pair of Nick's for casual daily wear, but with three pairs of White's I am still trying to get regular wear on... and this pair of Nick's that is still not completely broken in, I'm going to wait.
Color 8 Horween Shell Cordovan
Length: Slightly Long
Width: Slightly Narrow
Background: I have wide feet. Most shoes do not fit me. I like Aldens and the Truebalance last is their widest last. But most Shell Cordovan Aldens are not on the Truebalance last and I did not want a Moc-toe Boot. Last summer, Alden Madison began their crowd-funding program, which is basically a group-made-to-order. I therefore designed the Truebalance Jumper Boot. Basically I took their regular jumper boot, made it on the Truebalance last, replaced the commando half sole with a dressier 270 degree double leather sole, and got rid of the speedhooks. Order Time: Placed the order and got the requisite number of people to join in and the boots were completed and shipped in early June 2021 - about eight months later. Sizing: These are 8 EEE on the Trubalance last. They are narrower than my White's in 7.5FFF/FF on the 55 last but with thin socks these are comfortably snug. Since these boots do not have a storm welt, they have a flat welt, they are more comfortable than my 8 EEE Alden Indy's, which have a 270 degree storm welt, which bites into the side of my wide feet when they spills over onto the welt. You can see how much wider (and heavier) my White's look next to them. The White's fit is the best I've ever had, but also they are no where near as dressier. With these Aldens, I can easily pull them off with business casual or a suit. Man, you never realize what a heel White's have until you place them next to another brand!
Olive Chromepak
Length: Perfect
Width: Perfect
Huge fan of Nicks and my current favorite brand. If you aren't familiar with them I recommend checking out their youtube channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvCF7zgsHhUlbqQ6MDHEgOA) and the most recent AMA (https://www.reddit.com/r/goodyearwelt/comments/u7feuc/ama_nicks_handmade_boots_2022/). **Rebuild and Customer Service** I originally got these boots back in the Fall but I needed more width. Nicks is really great sizing remotely, I just have difficult feet to fit (EEEEE). I wore them for a couple of weeks and came to terms with that they just were too tight. I spoke with the owner of Nicks and he told me to send them back and would rebuild them free of cost. No questions asked, no hassle. Really incredible and friendly customer service. **Leather** These are in a discontinued Olive Chromepak leather. I recently learned Horween has recently come out with a new "Olive Chromepack" but it is much greener and I like the muted browns and yellow of the original. Olive Chromepak is heavy and oily to the point it feels rubbery. These boots have some heavier break (creasing) along the vamp but nothing unusual. The creasing is most noticeable when new and within two years, it will be blended with the patina and add character. **Sole** The Vibram 700 is an underutilized sole IMO because it has such great grip. While slightly thicker than the popular Vibram 430 mini lug, it really sticks to wet pavement and leaves and dirt alike. I do not know how it will be on wet rocks or ice, yet predictably still ten times better than that functional ice skate we call Dainite. **Heel** Americanas usually have a block heel but I asked for a logger/woodsman heel. I think the different heel style looks sleeker and balanced. **Rebuild** Nicks did a neat job on the rebuild. You cannot tell they were rebuilt Nicks did such a great job matching the new stitching to the existing holes. **Overall** Super happy with these. Can't wait to order my next pair of boots from Nicks.