For me it’s Meermin. I don’t baby my boots so they need to be comfortable, durable, and a good value. I’ve found their lasts to be comfortable and they have excellent sales. I don’t have much experience with a lot of brands (only Alden’s, Allen Edmonds and Meermin’s boots) so I’m interested to hear what everyone else has to say.
Do you know if any of the Meermin lasts suit a foot shape that is narrower heel, wide toes? When I look at a lot of their stuff online it looks like the toes are on the narrow side.
Lucky guy. What was the price on those back then? I heard in their beginnings that Rancourt helped them design their boots or may have even manufactured their US made boots? I wonder if any of the current Rancourt boots are similar to those US made Helm boots.
Great video I love the Taylor stitch stuff! They have a redwood wax suede Chelsea boot that looks great. One time I found 2 pairs of Rhodes boots at my local Marshall's.. they were almost identical to a style they had on the huckberry site. I bought both pairs, they were 60 bucks each!! Unbelievable! I'll have them for a long time. I've checked back there many times...
Dave this was the second video I’ve seen of yours. Subscribed. I will definitely be checking out Taylor Stitch and Huckberry. Some of these brands were already familiar but some were totally new to me or I’d overlooked. Great video, thanks.
I picked up a diesel pair and this was my first real pair of boots in Loren suede. It’s a dark green color and think it’s very versatile. Took some time to break in but they feel amazing now
For me Grant Stone is top notch, unbeatable. But it’s become pricier. I can’t recommend Astorflex enough, they are super comfortable, and the Italian legacy makes them feel very unique and have an artisanal vibe. They also have a Desert model which could take on Clark’s DB any day.
As mentioned in other reviews...would love if you could look into Thursday Boot Company and Origin Maine (Durable Good-->Boots). You were right about Helm Boots (very comfortable) and the same for Nisolo (they All-Weather Aldres is extremely comfortable - and super lightweight) but I don't considered them heavy-duty. However, just a excellent general purpose office/casual boot that is well-made, very comfortable (almost zero breaking time) and a steal with that $500 for 5 year deal. Thanks for turning me onto these Helm and Nisolo...now check-out Thursday Boot Co. and Origin Maine. Honestly, owning a pair of Buffalo Boots sounds sweet.
I tried emailing Origin, but they didn't seem interested. I can try again. I do want to make a video about Thursday Boots, though. Definitely on my list! Thanks, Jim!
I'm not so much into boots - I've got back knees, and have already found sneakers or the Rockports to be a lot more comfortable on the knees. But perhaps I need to revisit this one. I occasionally wear cowboy boots, but not often because they're so damn hard on the knees. I like 'em, but comfort comes first. Next up...need to cover cowboy hats. I have a few from Stetson, but prefer the two I had handmade at the Resistol Factory in Garland TX. Also, I recently was given a couple hand me down hats from my wife's bestie, whose Dad passed-away a few years ago. They are from Rodeo King and very nice quality. I'm very hard on my shoes and boots, but I'll pay the money if they're comfortable and extremely durable. Cheers!
I think the boots by Helm are incredibly comfortable. As well as the Chelsea boots from Astorflex. But I don't have your knees. I don't know if any Amazon cheapies with softer soles would be a good pair to test. But if you ever decide to get some, those Helm boots with the softer soles are very nice. I'll definitely consider the cowboy hat idea! I usually never wear hats, but I'm always up to try new things!
If I don't know what type of leather or suede it is or whats the tannery that was use, I leave those boots alone. Companies try to avoid that info by saying , we use the finest leather and tangerines from all over, lol , not good enough for me.
I've been buying GYWed/boots that can be resoled for about a year now. I started first with Thursday because of their $199 price. I bought a pair of Classic Black Captain's as my first pair and I loved them so much I bought a pair of Arizona Adobe and a pair of their Loggers. I then went to Beckett Siminon and bought a pair of their Elliott Balmorals in black during their black friday sale because they were only $169 shipped. I recently bought a pair of the Ottawa's from Grant Stone and I love the style BUT the boot I received had some major grain break on the outside of the left boot which makes the boot look extremely ugly. I am a bit disappointed because my Thursday Captain's in the CXL black leather did not have this kind of severe grain break and it's a boot that's $180 cheaper. I really wanted to love these boots and I do but the grain break makes the boot so ugly. I've been in contact with GS's customer service and so far they're telling me that it's normal for CXL to look that way which makes no sense because my right boot didn't have this grain break nor did my $199 thursday captains. I am pretty sad that they don't seem to want to do anything about it. All I'm asking for is an exchange for the pair I have in my possession. I want to love the boots and I do but the grain break is just really ugly and this should not be normal for any kind of leather boots. Otherwise, the boot is a nice design however, I can't say that they are worth the almost $400 price tag.
Absolutely! They are cream of the crop. I know they’re getting more popular but I would still consider them a sleeper brand. Maybe not much longer though. 😄
I believe I’ve seen someone wearing Thursday boots in public but I doubt I will ever come across someone else wearing Grant Stone boots randomly out in public. It’s too niche of a part of fashion and the cost is a barrier for the average person. Who knows maybe I’m wrong and people will en masse start appreciating quality recraftable footwear 🤞🏼
Respectfully all of these brands are entry level cheap boots, with very cheap constructions and leather options.... Why not mention Goodyear welted boots in the $300-$800 price range. Sagara, Zerrows, Midas, Renavgoodsco, Jakkrabbits, Imperium, Quan shoemaker, Monroe Heritage, Onderhoud, etc etc.
It's not a comprehensive list. I will never be able to mention every brand worth talking about. But I find boots in this price range to be the most accessible for the widest range of people. Not everyone can afford $800 boots--and not everyone who can would want to anyway. But your point about the quality is actually incorrect. None of these are made with cheap construction or leather. Some of these are made just as well as $800 boots.
@BeastMadeReviews I salute the video and your opinion. Respectfully the only company on this list that uses anything approaching $400 construction, materials, and outsoles is Grantstone. None of them come close to the higher end $800 brands. None of them are hand welted, some aren't even goodyearwelted. None have a stormwelt or stitchdown construction. None have dr soles, bilrite, or cats Paw soles. Some have cheap dainite soles, and replica vibram soles. Just being objective, None of these boot brands (minus Grantstone) are anything more than a "beginners" guide to entry level boots. The last few are just ridiculous; slip on cement constructed wool boots? If you've only worn boots from Burlington coat factory, this might impress that market. Anyone that owns several pair of quality boots (red wing, Wesco) would not find anything worth buying on this list... Respectfully.
@@thec.tysonsynopsis7280 There are many points of quality that I think are nitpicks and not advantageous. I'm not making a list video made of unattainable boots at exorbitant prices. That would truly be silly. I agree there are quality points that are important, but not everyone cares about every single quality point. For instance, I don't care about shoe welts. I could care less if a shoe is handwelted for a premium price, and I don't mind if a shoe is blake stitched rather than Goodyear welted. Since they are both resoleable, the bottom line is that they are made in different ways to hit different price points, and can achieve the same goal. So do I care that one shoe is 4x the price because it has all the buzzwords? No. If you like those boots, that's great! I'm sure they are excellent boots. But you are arguing about a niche perspective on boot quality. Almost all of my choices are boots that will last for years and years and years (you are right about a couple of my "wild card" options, which I listed as such.) So I stand behind my choices. I think these are all excellent boots...at their price points. They're all made very well--far better than most disposable footwear out there, and they will be reliable choices for the everyday person. If you need boots for logging, and you need those boots that would hold up to extreme hard use, then there are other brands that are better. But that is not the point of this video.
What's your favorite underrated boot brand? BUY MINE HERE (affiliates):
TS - go.magik.ly/ml/1n8re/
NSL - go.magik.ly/ml/1n8rg/
R - prf.hn/l/vyW1BnG
AF - prf.hn/l/gAzVLEe
H - bit.ly/3PJX5dh
GS - bit.ly/3hFQtjp
PH - tinyurl.com/m8j5cd8a
US - bit.ly/3NiMKng
G's - prf.hn/l/MDmynzb
GLPs - prf.hn/l/eYL8aA8
AW - prf.hn/l/WJXdnAQ
Right on dude, a video that’s right up my alley. Nice work!
Thanks Carl!
For me it’s Meermin. I don’t baby my boots so they need to be comfortable, durable, and a good value. I’ve found their lasts to be comfortable and they have excellent sales. I don’t have much experience with a lot of brands (only Alden’s, Allen Edmonds and Meermin’s boots) so I’m interested to hear what everyone else has to say.
Do you know if any of the Meermin lasts suit a foot shape that is narrower heel, wide toes? When I look at a lot of their stuff online it looks like the toes are on the narrow side.
Grant Stone rocks. I have a growing collection of their boots in various styles and each of them are absolutely amazing.
yeah!
Caswell Bootmakers of DC - under $350 and top quality in all aspects
I need to check them out!
I have a couple of pairs of Helms that are about 6 years old. Back then they were actually made in the US and were made of Horween Leather.
Lucky guy. What was the price on those back then? I heard in their beginnings that Rancourt helped them design their boots or may have even manufactured their US made boots? I wonder if any of the current Rancourt boots are similar to those US made Helm boots.
@@aradoran I believe I paid close to $400, although I did have a discount code which brought the price down.
Great video I love the Taylor stitch stuff! They have a redwood wax suede Chelsea boot that looks great. One time I found 2 pairs of Rhodes boots at my local Marshall's.. they were almost identical to a style they had on the huckberry site. I bought both pairs, they were 60 bucks each!! Unbelievable! I'll have them for a long time. I've checked back there many times...
no way! Wow how did that happen? I need to check Marshalls more often!
Dave this was the second video I’ve seen of yours. Subscribed. I will definitely be checking out Taylor Stitch and Huckberry. Some of these brands were already familiar but some were totally new to me or I’d overlooked. Great video, thanks.
Awesome! Thank you!
I picked up a diesel pair and this was my first real pair of boots in Loren suede. It’s a dark green color and think it’s very versatile. Took some time to break in but they feel amazing now
that's awesome!
Fragbros! Man, nostalgic. Didn't know there was a new channel
haha! Thanks for stopping by! Yeah this channel has been around for a few years now.
Parkhurst is my personal fav brand. The last is the most ergonomically perfect fit I've ever worn. Goes from D at the heel to E at the toe.
We love a good unknown brand - thanks for the love!
Absolutely! These were great discoveries
This is the second time around on your video. I now have 4 GS boots 2 pairs of Ottawa's and 2 pairs of Diesel's.
Awesome! You're going to have more than me soon!
For me Grant Stone is top notch, unbeatable. But it’s become pricier. I can’t recommend Astorflex enough, they are super comfortable, and the Italian legacy makes them feel very unique and have an artisanal vibe. They also have a Desert model which could take on Clark’s DB any day.
absolutely!
I just don’t like that the Astorflex boots don’t come in half sizes.
As mentioned in other reviews...would love if you could look into Thursday Boot Company and Origin Maine (Durable Good-->Boots). You were right about Helm Boots (very comfortable) and the same for Nisolo (they All-Weather Aldres is extremely comfortable - and super lightweight) but I don't considered them heavy-duty. However, just a excellent general purpose office/casual boot that is well-made, very comfortable (almost zero breaking time) and a steal with that $500 for 5 year deal.
Thanks for turning me onto these Helm and Nisolo...now check-out Thursday Boot Co. and Origin Maine. Honestly, owning a pair of Buffalo Boots sounds sweet.
I tried emailing Origin, but they didn't seem interested. I can try again. I do want to make a video about Thursday Boots, though. Definitely on my list! Thanks, Jim!
I'm not so much into boots - I've got back knees, and have already found sneakers or the Rockports to be a lot more comfortable on the knees. But perhaps I need to revisit this one. I occasionally wear cowboy boots, but not often because they're so damn hard on the knees. I like 'em, but comfort comes first.
Next up...need to cover cowboy hats. I have a few from Stetson, but prefer the two I had handmade at the Resistol Factory in Garland TX. Also, I recently was given a couple hand me down hats from my wife's bestie, whose Dad passed-away a few years ago. They are from Rodeo King and very nice quality.
I'm very hard on my shoes and boots, but I'll pay the money if they're comfortable and extremely durable. Cheers!
I think the boots by Helm are incredibly comfortable. As well as the Chelsea boots from Astorflex. But I don't have your knees. I don't know if any Amazon cheapies with softer soles would be a good pair to test. But if you ever decide to get some, those Helm boots with the softer soles are very nice.
I'll definitely consider the cowboy hat idea! I usually never wear hats, but I'm always up to try new things!
Another good option would be a boot with a wedge sole. Wedge soles are some of the best for knee/back comfort and support.
Altberg... a British brand, they make the boots the SAS use
I own a pair of Grant Stone Boots. Love them!
If I don't know what type of leather or suede it is or whats the tannery that was use, I leave those boots alone. Companies try to avoid that info by saying , we use the finest leather and tangerines from all over, lol , not good enough for me.
No mention of Rancourt or are they not under the radar.
I like Rancourt. But I couldn’t mention every good brand.
I've been buying GYWed/boots that can be resoled for about a year now. I started first with Thursday because of their $199 price. I bought a pair of Classic Black Captain's as my first pair and I loved them so much I bought a pair of Arizona Adobe and a pair of their Loggers. I then went to Beckett Siminon and bought a pair of their Elliott Balmorals in black during their black friday sale because they were only $169 shipped. I recently bought a pair of the Ottawa's from Grant Stone and I love the style BUT the boot I received had some major grain break on the outside of the left boot which makes the boot look extremely ugly. I am a bit disappointed because my Thursday Captain's in the CXL black leather did not have this kind of severe grain break and it's a boot that's $180 cheaper. I really wanted to love these boots and I do but the grain break makes the boot so ugly. I've been in contact with GS's customer service and so far they're telling me that it's normal for CXL to look that way which makes no sense because my right boot didn't have this grain break nor did my $199 thursday captains. I am pretty sad that they don't seem to want to do anything about it. All I'm asking for is an exchange for the pair I have in my possession. I want to love the boots and I do but the grain break is just really ugly and this should not be normal for any kind of leather boots. Otherwise, the boot is a nice design however, I can't say that they are worth the almost $400 price tag.
Don’t know about underrating but Grant Stone are the best boots for the money. Just wish they were American made.
Absolutely! They are cream of the crop. I know they’re getting more popular but I would still consider them a sleeper brand. Maybe not much longer though. 😄
I believe I’ve seen someone wearing Thursday boots in public but I doubt I will ever come across someone else wearing Grant Stone boots randomly out in public. It’s too niche of a part of fashion and the cost is a barrier for the average person. Who knows maybe I’m wrong and people will en masse start appreciating quality recraftable footwear 🤞🏼
Thanks for the inclusion! Great stuff!
Only the best in my videos. 😎 Thank you!
You use the word love to loosely because everything you advertise are fantastic and love , so it's tough to like a boot that you advertise
But I do love them. If you want to use words in a different way, that's your prerogative.
Is there any second part?
I don’t have a second part planned, but I do have more videos about boots/shoes coming
Respectfully all of these brands are entry level cheap boots, with very cheap constructions and leather options.... Why not mention Goodyear welted boots in the $300-$800 price range. Sagara, Zerrows, Midas, Renavgoodsco, Jakkrabbits, Imperium, Quan shoemaker, Monroe Heritage, Onderhoud, etc etc.
It's not a comprehensive list. I will never be able to mention every brand worth talking about. But I find boots in this price range to be the most accessible for the widest range of people. Not everyone can afford $800 boots--and not everyone who can would want to anyway. But your point about the quality is actually incorrect. None of these are made with cheap construction or leather. Some of these are made just as well as $800 boots.
@BeastMadeReviews I salute the video and your opinion. Respectfully the only company on this list that uses anything approaching $400 construction, materials, and outsoles is Grantstone. None of them come close to the higher end $800 brands. None of them are hand welted, some aren't even goodyearwelted. None have a stormwelt or stitchdown construction. None have dr soles, bilrite, or cats Paw soles. Some have cheap dainite soles, and replica vibram soles. Just being objective, None of these boot brands (minus Grantstone) are anything more than a "beginners" guide to entry level boots. The last few are just ridiculous; slip on cement constructed wool boots? If you've only worn boots from Burlington coat factory, this might impress that market. Anyone that owns several pair of quality boots (red wing, Wesco) would not find anything worth buying on this list... Respectfully.
@@thec.tysonsynopsis7280 There are many points of quality that I think are nitpicks and not advantageous. I'm not making a list video made of unattainable boots at exorbitant prices. That would truly be silly. I agree there are quality points that are important, but not everyone cares about every single quality point. For instance, I don't care about shoe welts. I could care less if a shoe is handwelted for a premium price, and I don't mind if a shoe is blake stitched rather than Goodyear welted. Since they are both resoleable, the bottom line is that they are made in different ways to hit different price points, and can achieve the same goal. So do I care that one shoe is 4x the price because it has all the buzzwords? No. If you like those boots, that's great! I'm sure they are excellent boots. But you are arguing about a niche perspective on boot quality. Almost all of my choices are boots that will last for years and years and years (you are right about a couple of my "wild card" options, which I listed as such.) So I stand behind my choices. I think these are all excellent boots...at their price points. They're all made very well--far better than most disposable footwear out there, and they will be reliable choices for the everyday person. If you need boots for logging, and you need those boots that would hold up to extreme hard use, then there are other brands that are better. But that is not the point of this video.
Grant Stone is not unknown.
I mentioned this in the video.
you love wearing boots when you wear pants?? hahaa, whats gonna be the next thing is thats gonna drive em wild?
I don't know what point you're trying to make.