Desert Boots

[johnniegold]

Bullboxer chukka boots in dark brown G.H. Bass & Co. chukka boot in desert.

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G.H. Bass & Co. chukka boot in desert.
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I picked them up the day they were half priced at only $8!!! They looked brand-pankin' new and fit like a glove.

Tim

$8!

You couldn’t get them down to $5?

Great looking boots.

 

[tankerjohn]

Here are my two boot/shoe examples that fall into this category. One is a pair of Bullboxer chukka boots in dark brown and the other is a G.H. Bass & Co. chukka boot in desert.

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I really lucked out on the Bass desert boots as they were priced at $15.99 in the local Salvation Army Store and I picked them up the day they were half priced at only $8!!! They looked brand-pankin' new and fit like a glove.

Tim

Nice haul! A man after my own heart.

 

[blantyre]

There are some interesting Clark’s options on Amazon. These include perforated suede (rather overpriced at $260 ish), and currently out of stock camo suede. It seems as if I’m on the slippery slope but hopefully I can hold out for a while yet.

 

[johnniegold]

There are some interesting Clark’s options on Amazon. These include perforated suede (rather overpriced at $260 ish), and currently out of stock camo suede. It seems as if I’m on the slippery slope but hopefully I can hold out for a while yet.

I wasn’t really looking at the Clark’s but I must admit this make-up of nutmeg suede, offered by Todd Snyder ($140), caught my eye. Always difficult to judge color on a monitor though.

I’m in a bad way.

 

[blantyre]

I wasn’t really looking at the Clark’s

I understand, the Clark’s do seem to have some quality issues based on your earlier post. I did however like some of the leather options on Amazon. My duty cycle on these would be very low so I’d be unlikely to wear them out in the next few years. As long as there are no major QC issues out of the box, I could probably live with the idea that the sole is only good for a few hundred miles and then they get binned.

I replace my NB 990s annually. The footbed cushioning breaks down after a few hundred miles even though the upper is still decent.

 

[StuMcB]

Nice. What brand? I see 3 they have eyelets.

Not to sure of the brand but I get the feeling they may be from Spain, the kiosk was selling a lot of Spain stuff, mainly cooking stuff.

 

[johnniegold]

Not to sure of the brand but I get the feeling they may be from Spain, the kiosk was selling a lot of Spain stuff, mainly cooking stuff.

No matter. Nice score.

 

[Marco]

@johnniegold Robert, I've just unboxed a new pair of Velasca Desert Boots, purchased not long ago. They look great and already feel great!

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[johnniegold]

@johnniegold Robert, I've just unboxed a new pair of Velasca Desert Boots, purchased not long ago. They look great and already feel great!

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Wear them in good health. I would love to see some pics of them out in the wild.

I must admit their suede oxford, the Cartee, may be on my hit list.

I am in the throes of a very bad “shoe-jones” right now. I think it’s a result of the anticipation of spring fever.

 

[Marco]

Robert, I have my eyes on the Cartee, too! When pandemic conditions will allow, I desire to try them on first in one of the Velasca Bottega's here in Rome. I want to be sure about size and I want to see how good they look "on me".

 

[johnniegold]

So the Greenflex boot by Astorflex arrived today. I ordered it from Huckberry in Size 10US (EU 43) in the Sand colorway

The packaging is very nice.

Inside the box...

The boots come with two sets of laces.

@Doc4. DOC!!!!!

Thoughts about the boot in the next post....

 

[Doc4]

@Doc4. DOC!!!!!

 

[blantyre]

If the fit is good you could just cut them off flush with the top of the boot. A pull tab hardly seems necessary on a 2 eyelet suede chukka. It’s like putting a commando sole on carpet slippers. Get rid of the tabs and make a statement.

 

[johnniegold]

So I like this boot a lot. This is a roughout suede and the hand is soft. The boot is substantial. And I like the color.

Now the sizing is off. Astorflex says if you are between sizes, you should size down as there are no 1/2 sizes so I ordered a 10US.

The shoe was very tight around my toes as if my feet were being pushed down by the vamp. I also tried a thick sock and a thinner sock and it felt tight regardless of sock thickness.

Also, although I like the color, I exchanged them for the Stone-colored boot which I think is closer to a true desert boot (at least in my mind) and sized up to an 11US. Also, the Sand color is close to other shoes I have.

This is the color boot I exchanged for:

@blantyre Funny that I didn’t notice the pull tabs before on the Sand colored pair and was surprised to see them after taking the boots out of the box. I’m glad the Stone-colored pair do not have the pull tabs.

Huckberry was great. Sent me the return label and confirmed shipment of the new boot. I’m looking forward to it.

 

[tankerjohn]

I can't say I love the branding on the tongue, but otherwise those look like really nice boots. Good move going to the Stone - it looks awesome!

 

[FarmerTan]

Very nice looking boots, both colors. Also impressed by the packaging.

 

[johnniegold]

Just a quick revisit. I know we joked about this before but hand-crafted or not, I just don’t know how you let your product go out the door like that.

If the sizing had been correct (and I had decided to stick with the color) I don’t think I would care as much (unlike the stitching on the Barbee) because of the location of this, for lack of a better term, “defect”.

Would this warrant a return? For me, I don’t think so. But I do think it requires better QC by Astorflex. I have seen “seconds” with less obvious imperfections than this. But maybe at this price point, imperfections is what you can expect from a “hand-crafted” product. Maybe it’s these types of imperfections that give hand-crafted products its... “character”.

At what price point does QC cease to be an issue? A $50 sneaker? A $160 pair of knocks-around desert boots?

If you paid north of $300 for a pair of Red Wing Iron Rangers that had the same issue, would you care then? Or $800+ for a pair of shell cordovan chukkas? Would it matter?

Or maybe it’s as @Marco suggests that “beauty is in the eye of the beholder”.

Or maybe you just put the damn boots on and...

 

[FarmerTan]

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Just a quick revisit. I know we joked about this before but hand-crafted or not, I just don’t know how you let your product go out the door like that.

If the sizing had been correct (and I had decided to stick with the color) I don’t think I would care as much (unlike the stitching on the Barbee) because of the location of this, for lack of a better term, “defect”.

Would this warrant a return? For me, I don’t think so. But I do think it requires better QC by Astorflex. I have seen “seconds” with less obvious imperfections than this. But maybe at this price point, imperfections is what you can expect from a “hand-crafted” product. Maybe it’s these types of imperfections that give hand-crafted products its... “character”.

At what price point does QC cease to be an issue? A $50 sneaker? A $160 pair of knocks-around desert boots?

If you paid north of $300 for a pair of Red Wing Iron Rangers that had the same issue, would you care then? Or $800+ for a pair of shell cordovan chukkas? Would it matter?

Or maybe it’s as @Marco suggests that “beauty is in the eye of the beholder”.

Or maybe you just put the damn boots on and...

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I'd go with "character" I guess. You will be undoubtedly be the only one to notice it. How do they feel? Also: I meant to mention earlier that I can't get over the thickness of the leather!

 

[johnniegold]

I'd go with "character" I guess. You will be undoubtedly be the only one to notice it. How do they feel? Also: I meant to mention earlier that I can't get over the thickness of the leather!

I agree that it is unlikely that it will be noticed without being scrutinized. The boots were snug so I returned them for a larger size (and went with a different color as well).

This boot is not a lightweight. It has a bit of heft to it as the leather is thick and the crepe sole is quite substantial as well.

Im looking forward to breaking them in.

 

[FarmerTan]

I agree that it is unlikely that it will be noticed without being scrutinized. The boots were snug so I returned them for a larger size (and went with a different color as well).

This boot is not a lightweight. It has a bit of heft to it as the leather is thick and the crepe sole is quite substantial as well.

Im looking forward to breaking them in.

How hard on your feet do you suspect the break in to be? Sorry for all the questions, those are the first new boots I've seen in awhile that have REALLY tempted me...