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Nicks Builder Pro Boots Break-in Log

Thanks for documenting this for us. I enjoyed reading about your experience. At some point I will get a pair of Nicks boots. Until then, I continue to wear my AE Higgins Mill in CXL.

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How have the Honey Vibram soles held up over the last year? I hear the rubber is softer than the regular black Vibram.

I have a pair of White's boots for work with the mini-Vibram sole. But I spend quite a bit of time on gravel (think 3 minus - big, coarse stuff) and the mini-Vibram, while tough, is thin enough that my feet are pretty sore and tired at the end of the day. I'm thinking of springing for a pair of Nick's with the Honey Vibram as I also do quite a bit on indoor linoleum as well.
 

OldSaw

The wife's investment
How have the Honey Vibram soles held up over the last year? I hear the rubber is softer than the regular black Vibram.

I have a pair of White's boots for work with the mini-Vibram sole. But I spend quite a bit of time on gravel (think 3 minus - big, coarse stuff) and the mini-Vibram, while tough, is thin enough that my feet are pretty sore and tired at the end of the day. I'm thinking of springing for a pair of Nick's with the Honey Vibram as I also do quite a bit on indoor linoleum as well.

They seem to be holding up fairly well, but I doubt they will last much more than another six months before wearing through at the balls of my feet. Keep in mind that all of my previous boots would be toast by now. The boots themselves still feel fairly new, like they’ve just been broken in.

My next pair with the red X soles are still at least a month out in production. I thought they would be here by now, but due to the Covid, etc. I think production slowed down a bit. Plus I need a custom fit upper, which probably has to take a back seat to stock production.
 
They seem to be holding up fairly well, but I doubt they will last much more than another six months before wearing through at the balls of my feet. Keep in mind that all of my previous boots would be toast by now. The boots themselves still feel fairly new, like they’ve just been broken in.

My next pair with the red X soles are still at least a month out in production. I thought they would be here by now, but due to the Covid, etc. I think production slowed down a bit. Plus I need a custom fit upper, which probably has to take a back seat to stock production.

Thank you for the update on the boots. I went ahead this last week and put in the order for the Builder Pro. I modified them from 10" height to 8" which for me is more than enough support. Went with the Honey Vibram and walnut leather. Also sprang for the comfort insole as well; I'm hoping to be able to remove that and use winter wool socks to wear them for the winter season.

I've been impressed with the White's for the year I've had them, once broken in they have become the most comfortable boots I've ever worn. But that break in time was just brutal.
 
I got a pair of their "Robert" boots last year and have been very happy with them, well, mostly. I knew they were going to be stiff and require some serious break-in time, but they still were quite a chore to get to that point. Luckily I live close enough (5ish hour drive) that I decided to go to the store and get fitted to save some time overall. I knew they were broken in the first time I wore them and didn't think about how they felt.

I also had the same issue with the front edge of the insole leather coming loose the first few times I wore them. Maybe it's just me, but when paying that much for footwear, I expect them to be basically perfect, and mine weren't for that and other reasons.
 
I am in the process of breaking in my Nicks Ranger boots and have a question as to how tight/snug the fit should be. Right now these boots feel as tight as ski boots or ice skates and I really have to work to get them on and off. Once my feet are inside the fit is great with no particularly "hot" or loose spots - but they are just incredibly tight, even before lacing. I have worn them around the house for 10 days from morning to evening and took my first walk today - 3 miles in total. No blisters or problems, but they are still incredibly snug but I no longer walk like Hermann Munster.
I had the boots fit for "comfort insole" and have the sneaking suspicion that they might not have accounted for that during the lasting process.
OldSaw, how tight were your boots when you first got them - I know it is hard to quantify. Were they like ski boots? Were you in fear that your foot might fall asleep?
 

Isaac

B&B Tease-in-Residence
I am in the process of breaking in my Nicks Ranger boots and have a question as to how tight/snug the fit should be. Right now these boots feel as tight as ski boots or ice skates and I really have to work to get them on and off. Once my feet are inside the fit is great with no particularly "hot" or loose spots - but they are just incredibly tight, even before lacing. I have worn them around the house for 10 days from morning to evening and took my first walk today - 3 miles in total. No blisters or problems, but they are still incredibly snug but I no longer walk like Hermann Munster.
I had the boots fit for "comfort insole" and have the sneaking suspicion that they might not have accounted for that during the lasting process.
OldSaw, how tight were your boots when you first got them - I know it is hard to quantify. Were they like ski boots? Were you in fear that your foot might fall asleep?

Mine are snug, but I wouldnt say that my feet would fall asleep after wearing them. The leather is going to stretch. If they dont cause any issues I would give them a go, or better yet give them a call. Their customer service is top notch.
 
My problem is that I'm overseas, so I can't just send the boots back - I need to deal with the problem locally. I am still keeping those comfort inserts inside the boot and using thick socks to break the boots in and really hope that they will indeed stretch as part of the ongoing break-in process. Right now I need to use the pull-loops on the back and my body weight to get into them, and lots of wriggling and both hands to get them off. But I'm optimistic and the arch support is great. Compared to these boots my Red Wing Iron Rangers feel like flimsy slippers :)
 

OldSaw

The wife's investment
I am in the process of breaking in my Nicks Ranger boots and have a question as to how tight/snug the fit should be. Right now these boots feel as tight as ski boots or ice skates and I really have to work to get them on and off. Once my feet are inside the fit is great with no particularly "hot" or loose spots - but they are just incredibly tight, even before lacing. I have worn them around the house for 10 days from morning to evening and took my first walk today - 3 miles in total. No blisters or problems, but they are still incredibly snug but I no longer walk like Hermann Munster.
I had the boots fit for "comfort insole" and have the sneaking suspicion that they might not have accounted for that during the lasting process.
OldSaw, how tight were your boots when you first got them - I know it is hard to quantify. Were they like ski boots? Were you in fear that your foot might fall asleep?
My problem is that I'm overseas, so I can't just send the boots back - I need to deal with the problem locally. I am still keeping those comfort inserts inside the boot and using thick socks to break the boots in and really hope that they will indeed stretch as part of the ongoing break-in process. Right now I need to use the pull-loops on the back and my body weight to get into them, and lots of wriggling and both hands to get them off. But I'm optimistic and the arch support is great. Compared to these boots my Red Wing Iron Rangers feel like flimsy slippers :)

I don’t remember them being so tight that I had to use my weight to get into them. Although, if you read some of my previous posts, you’ll see that I definitely had some comfort issues in the beginning for a few months even. Now, they are like old friends and I like having them on.

I used an alcohol water mixture in a spray bottle to deal with tight spots. I see their new instructions discourage this, I’m not sure why.

When I put them on I make sure the laces are completely loose, pull the tongue out all the way with one hand and grab the loop with the other. I find that tilting them slightly toward the inside helps and my foot pops in without too much trouble. If my laces get even a little tension, like if one of the cats tugs on them, then I have to start over as they would be too tight to get on.
 
Thanks for the response. I'm sitting here at the computer and, as I have every day after work, have put on some "darn tough boot socks" and am wearing the Ranger boots. They remain comfortable but incredibly tight and I think I'm ready for a full day with them tomorrow - I'll be wearing them all day and outside for the first time. I know that they will someday become the kind of boots you don't want to take off but they aren't quite there yet.

I haven't used the alcohol/water mixture method yet, since they aren't too tight in one spot but are just really snug.

If they break in well then I will immediately go and order another pair, perhaps some Officer Boots, that I can shine up and wear in more of an office setting.

Are you still happy with yours? Would you get them again? What would you do differently?
 

Isaac

B&B Tease-in-Residence
Are you still happy with yours? Would you get them again? What would you do differently?

I have a second pair on order that will be made with vegetable tanned bridal leather. Ive been waiting for three months, and they still havent gone into production.
 
Wow - I had to wait 2 months or so, but mainly because the fit-sheet they sent took a month to arrive. But I did send them an e-mail asking what the status was and a week later they went into production and a week after that they arrived... As the saying goes, "the squeaky wheel gets the oil" :)

I had my Ranger boots on all day. According to my little fitbit-thingie I've walked 17,000 steps (over 7 miles) and I was worried that it would be difficult, but despite them still being tighter than ski-boots I'm doing fine and I'm now optimistic that they'll break in well.

I am torn between Officer and perhaps Robert boots in black for more formal occasions for my next pair. And once I've got those I think I'll not have to purchase new boots again.
 

Isaac

B&B Tease-in-Residence
I think there was a delay in getting the leather in due to COVID, etc. It was a special run, that appears to have made it into regular production. It was being placed on the Robert last, which is new for me. Anxious to see them go into production already
 

Isaac

B&B Tease-in-Residence
If Dennis doesnt mind, im going to piggy back my break in on his post.

Instead of the 20 minute wear in for the first day, i went an hour. That rightr boot is noticibly tighter than the left, but does not hurt. I had to go down to light weight Stance socks. The Darn Tough Wool Socks that i usually wear felt just too thick for a breakin. Im not sure how i feel about the toe box on the Robert. It seems a bit squarish and makes the boot look long, if that makes sense. A square toe should make a boot look squat. I dont think i could go any shorter in lenght to make up for that perception.

I think i couldve worn the boot all day. With as tight as the right boot was, the left boot gave me a hot spot in the areas that were to be expected. Also of note, this leather seems like it is going to get dirty. I dont know what in the world fell on my boot, but i had two dots of a liquid of some sort that landed on it within that hour.

Well they are to be worn and not placed in a museum.

Oh, i forgot about the false tongue. I wish these would stay put. They were cinched down nicely when i laced up. When i took them off, the left one had moved down, and the right one had moved off to the lateral aspect of the tongue. just a bit irritating.
 

FarmerTan

"Self appointed king of Arkoland"
Wow - I had to wait 2 months or so, but mainly because the fit-sheet they sent took a month to arrive. But I did send them an e-mail asking what the status was and a week later they went into production and a week after that they arrived... As the saying goes, "the squeaky wheel gets the oil" :)

I had my Ranger boots on all day. According to my little fitbit-thingie I've walked 17,000 steps (over 7 miles) and I was worried that it would be difficult, but despite them still being tighter than ski-boots I'm doing fine and I'm now optimistic that they'll break in well.

I am torn between Officer and perhaps Robert boots in black for more formal occasions for my next pair. And once I've got those I think I'll not have to purchase new boots again.
Update report please!!!
 
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