#Viberg

[permanentstyle]

https://wordpress-996520-3726858.cloudwaysapps.com/2023/06/if-you-only-had-five-casual-shoes.html

If you only had five (casual) shoes

[dufrau]

BOOT POST

Kind of a sexy drop from Thursday Black Label x Carl Murawski.

The Brawler boot, a sprung toe service boot inspired by the Viberg 310 last with that big chunky toebox.

It's their black label line so full leather guts in there.

I like the last shape and the pattern with the single piece backstay. I'm honestly fine with all eyelets on a 6 inch boot even if i'd still prefer some hooks. Also all the leathers are currently priced at $325 including this Wickett & Craig harness leather and a black Maryam teacore horsebutt, which is kind of crazy. These are insane leathers for that price, though I would probably expect the clicking to be uh slightly less than Viberg quality lol.

The bad? The soles look kind of cheap and sneakery to me. I want a v-bar half sole on these bad boys. Also I don't love the top down shape of the last. It gets a little clown-shoey.

But for $325 this is a sexy little service boot. Very masculine imo. None of these leather/color combos fill a need for me right now so I'm gonna skip it but if they offer expanded leather options at some point I would not be surprised if I wind up with a pair.

[bootsoullicker]

Viberg rigger boots

[theurbanhippieswe]

SPRING IS KNOCKING ON THE DOOR.

Sunny day as you can see. But I still have to dress fairly warm. The M-65 by The Real McCoy’s have a liner and the slipover (some say vest) is in wool, knitted by Katarina Segerbrand. A very professional knitdesigner from Sweden. White selvedge jean by Edwin, got them at HepCat store i Lund. The Viberg boots have just been to the cobbler, Danielssons Skomakeri. Feeling good in this outfit.

Photo: @streetphotomoffe

@therealmccoyscom

@katarinasegerbrand

@edwinjeans

@hepcatstore

@vibergboot

@danielssonsskomakeri

@moscotnyc

@brillorasant

@bleudechauffe

@buzzricksons

@americanclassics

#therealmccoysjapan

#katarinasegerbrand

#edwinjeans

#hepcatstore

#buzzricksons

#styleinmalmo #menswear #fashion #heritagestyle #pinterest #instagram #vintage #agingwithstyle #theurbanhippieswe #ruggedstyle #dailyruggedstyle

#ruggedguy #vintagestyle #fashionblogger #styleblogger

[butterscotchlbc]

Viberg Service Boot.

www.butterscotchlb.com

[ghostofbriggiesmalls]

Simply because boots are an obsession of mine, there are technically still good, long lasting, fully customizable in fit and finish, resoleable, rebuildable boots you can buy. Heritage Pacific Northwest boot makers like White’s, Nick’s, JK, Wesco, etc. are well-built, hand-stitched, solid boots that will take you through hell and back (quite literally - these makers are boots of choice for wildland firefighters). I personally love White’s, but some folks have noted a slip in quality and they seem to be shifting towards cheaper manufacturing methods. Nick’s and JK seem to be taking up the mantle where White’s used to be king.

This point of the original post is not lost on me. This is true of almost every single thing. But there are still specifically boot manufacturers out there making quality gear. YOU PAY FOR IT. But they’re built like tanks.

(I’m not a fan of Viberg, they seem like overpriced fashion boots. Show horses, not work horses. Others swear by Red Wings. They’re a one-trick pony. If they fit your feet, great. If you have feet that are even slightly different from their standard size, you’re fucked. Also enjoy the hell of breaking them in. Good, quality boots like those above actually tend to need little to no break in when they fit right.)

This makes me so sad and also I'm trying to remember if any of the Discworld books dealt with late stage capitalism

[cleverhottubmiracle]

We independently evaluate all recommended products and services. Any products or services put forward appear in no particular order. if you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. The Iron Snail The Battle of Budget vs Luxury: A Deep Dive into Shoe Quality I have the Viberg 145 Oxfords in natural waxed flesh, retailing for a wild $740. These are considered by many to be the best silhouette of a shoe or boot of all time. The leather is also some of the rarest leather in the world. Secondly, I have the Daeful Men’s Comfort Anti-Slip Dress Shoes Party Glossy Men’s Wedding Low Top Flats Leather Shoe Loafers Black that retail for $19. They’re also surprisingly made of leather, and they reek of stale cigarettes. The Iron Snail After I asked ChatGPT what that smell could possibly be, I got two answers: Number one, while these shoes were being made, maybe someone was smoking a cigarette. Two, the chemical most commonly associated with the stale cigarette-like smell in consumer products is formaldehyde. Short-term exposure to formaldehyde can lead to eye, nose, and throat irritation as well as respiratory symptoms. Long-term exposure? Much worse. Anyway, I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about because Walmart always has my back! We’ll dive a little deeper into cheap vs. expensive shoes today. So what’s the difference between a $20 shoe from Walmart that, if it gets too close to my face, makes me cough and an $800 shoe from Viberg that, if it gets too close to my face, makes me want to put it on my feet? Today, we will be talking about that—from leather quality, to how it’s made, to where it’s made, to different materials that you probably didn’t know about, to support for your feet, to all these crazy things. Michael's Picks from Best to Worst   The Iron Snail At a Glance: The Shoe Lineup Product Key Features Materials Construction Price Daeful Men’s Comfort Loafers Anti-slip, basic cushioning Low-quality leather with plastic coating, paper inserts Mass-produced, minimal quality control $19 Adidas Gazelles Durable, real suede, cushioning Real leather, suede, rubber outsole Quality control ensured, well-constructed ~$100 Astorflex Dartflex Loafers Affordable, thin leather, buffalo outsole Cowhide leather, leather lining Stitched construction, made in Italy $175 Allen Edmonds Leeds Plain Toe Bluchers Goodyear welted, recraftable, long-lasting Thick calf leather, cork-filled midsole Goodyear welt construction, handcrafted in the USA $395 Viberg 145 Oxfords Double stitch-down, premium leathers Exotic leathers (e.g., kangaroo, kudu), natural waxed flesh Handmade, small-scale production in Canada $740 The $19 Wonder: Analyzing Walmart’s Budget Loafer The Iron Snail What’s up, everyone? Michael here. Let’s compare cheap vs. expensive shoes. Starting off, of course, with Walmart, we have the Daeful Men’s Comfort Anti-Slip Dress Shoes Party Glossy Men’s Wedding Low Top Flats Leather Shoe Loafers Black. This is the first-ever product on the Iron Snail that I think is actually bad for your health if you touch it or if you wear it. The Iron Snail Interestingly, the first thing about these shoes is that they are made of leather, or it should probably be said that they contain some form of leather. Usually, very cheap leather is leather with plastic sprayed over it. It’s called the top coat, finished leather, or something like that. It’s used to hide flaws in the leather. I think this is something different because what you can also do is get really, really, really cheap, terrible, horrible quality leather, grind it all up, mash it together, and glue it, and you get technically leather. The Iron Snail I think essentially what they’re doing is using that incredibly cheap, thin piece of leather as a backing for the plastic. So it’s not leather with plastic on it. It’s reversed—it’s plastic with some leather on it. And then there is also an insert on the shoe, which is great because they could cheap out with the inserts and not give you cushioning and have a very rock-hard shoe. It’s essentially a piece of paper that you can rip very easily, but it is an insert. I translated the text on it into English, and it says “fashion business casual” and then “business.” The Secret of Budget Pricing The Iron Snail But here is how they get them so cheap: Almost the easiest one to start with is the country of origin. These shoes are made in China, but also they are not shipped to the US to be sold in different places—they are shipped directly from China. So when I ordered these shoes, I didn’t really get a confirmation or tracking number, and three months later, the postman just threw them at my door and walked away, and I was like, “Oh great, the shoes are here!” The Iron Snail The other thing that they do is that these shoes are white labeled, so they’re not fulfilled by Walmart, they’re fulfilled by whoever made them in China. But Walmart is not the only place that carries them—they can be carried at a million other stores and a million different locations for cheap, cheap, cheap. So, instead of selling a million at Walmart and getting the price that low, they could sell 20 million around the world to all these different brands, change tiny little details for each brand, and bring that cost lower and lower and lower and lower until it’s practically nothing. The Iron Snail First off, these shoes come with the California Prop 65 warning, but also you’re probably familiar with off-gassing to the point where you don’t even think about it. If you buy something made of plastic, when you open it, you expect it to smell a little weird, and then that smell goes away. It’s all good. I got these shoes, opened the bag, and the smell first off was stronger than anything I had ever smelled before. You could smell it in my entire apartment when I opened the bag. So I let them air out outside for a few days, and I let them air out in my apartment after that for a few weeks, and they still smell almost just as bad. These are made to be worn for a night or a week and then disintegrate. They’re made if you forget shoes before a wedding or something like that. But thrift shops are a great deal, so do not get these shoes, please. They are very bad. Moving Up: The Adidas Gazelles The Iron Snail You’re probably familiar with these next shoes—these are the Adidas Gazelles. They are five to six times more expensive than the loafers, and you notice it right away. There is a definite hallmark of Vietnamese manufacturing if you look at the lip on the side…I’m just kidding! Materials are just immediately vastly better. We’re actually using real leather. We’re using suede, so we have leather. We split it in half, and we have actionable suede, not a little thin piece of glued-together board. We also have actual cushioning; the outsole is a softer rubber, and there is an insert that is not a piece of paper. The Iron Snail There is actual quality control, so Adidas will make sure that the shoe is good, which is also very important, and you also kind of have to pay for Adidas. So you have to pay for the marketing, you have to pay for the storage, you have to pay for the US customer service—everything like that does get wrapped up into the cost, but in the end, you get a much better product. Mid-Range Excellence: Astorflex Dartflex Loafers The Iron Snail This is where things get interesting. We’re talking about the Astorflex Dartflex loafers, which increase quality, change construction methods, and go back to an older-world-looking shoe. These are great quality loafers on the more affordable end, but there are still some interesting facts about them. The Iron Snail Number one, it’s completely naked leather, or it could be considered completely naked leather because even Chromexcel leather, which is a very famous leather, has some slight corrections on top of it. Either way, leather comes in grades, and this is not the highest grade because if you look at the leather, you can still see some scuffs, some marks, and some wrinkles on the leather—it’s not a totally smooth texture. That’s not going to hurt the durability of the leather or anything like that, but not the top of the top of the top, which we’ll get into later. The Iron Snail It’s also a rather thin leather, which is not a big deal—it will break in quickly and be comfy, especially for this price point. My favorite fun fact about these loafers is that their outsole is made of buffalo, while the rest of the loafer is made of cowhide. I think buffalo is cheaper than cowhide, but it’s still very thick and strong, so putting that on the outsole is a genius way to cut costs a little bit. The Iron Snail These loafers are also made in Italy; they have a leather lining, and they are not just cemented construction. You’ll see that there is actual stitching between the vamp, the insole, and the midsole. You’ll also notice that we now have a removable insert that is made of three pieces: two of undyed natural leather and then just a regular-looking foam insert. American Craftsmanship: Allen Edmonds Leeds Plain Toe Bluchers The Iron Snail Okay, next up is the Allen Edmonds Leeds Plain Toe Bluchers. These are possibly my favorite shoes on the entire list, and no, you don’t have to spend $395 to get a Goodyear welted pair of dress shoes. They’re beefy compared to everything else that we’ve seen. These are almost double the weight of the Astorflex Dartflex loafers. You notice that the leather is way thicker. The lining is basically as thick as the Astorflex. These are also made in the United States of America, which increases the price. The Iron Snail The entire upper of the shoe is a beautiful calf leather, and we also have leather on the bottom, but if you look, you will also see stitching because these are Goodyear welted, AKA bench welted, AKA recraftable, AKA resoleable. That means when these shoes are worn down, and they look like they’re at the end of their lives, you can just rip the bottom off and put a new bottom on. It’s good to go. The Iron Snail The way Goodyear welting works is that obviously, we have the leather vamp that bends on there, but we have a little lip, which is the welt of the shoe, and with that little lip, there is a gap between the midsole and the vamp that is then filled with cork. And that is why a lot of people say Goodyear welted shoes or fancier leather shoes will mold to your feet over time, because you’re compressing cork, you’re compressing leather, you’re moving leather, you’re breaking it in in certain areas, and that is also great for long-term comfort. Vastly upgraded materials, more materials, a very complex way to make a shoe when compared to something like the Daeful men’s loafer or even the Astorflexes. We’re increasing complications, the location of manufacturing quality, and everything else. The Final Boss: Viberg 145 Oxfords The Iron Snail And then we get to the beast. If you go on Reddit r/goodyearwelt and you say, “Hey, why do Vibergs cost so much money?” you may accidentally start real-life World War III. To many people, a Viberg is one of the most beautiful boots that you could ever hope to get. This is essentially a Viberg boot with the top chopped off—this is the Oxford 145. The Iron Snail It’s essentially a double stitch-down logger boot, which we’ll get into in a second, but slim and sleek. It’s not wide and bulbous, which a lot of those boots were because the main purpose was to fit a lot of people, but this is more fashion-oriented while still being incredibly tough and having a lot of cool features. The Iron Snail Also, compared to all the other brands that we talked about today, it is a very, very small company. Things aren’t being pumped out, they sell out immediately, they have a cult-like following, people always freak out at the new releases—there’s a lot of hype around this very small boot company, and everything is made in Canada. The Iron Snail This is my first pair of Vibergs. I was very excited to get it. I actually made a film with them when I went to Amsterdam. The Viberg Difference: Construction and Materials The Iron Snail The first thing we’ll look at with these is the beastly construction of them. These are 10 ounces heavier than the Allen Edmonds. You’ll see how much thicker the heel is and how much thicker the outsole is. Obviously, we have leather and rubber here. The Iron Snail Speaking of leather, these also smell very nice, but Viberg uses some of the best of the best leathers from the best of the best leather manufacturers, Horween being a huge one. They use Chromexcel from them, they use shell cordovan, but they also use very weird leather. Just to name a few: kangaroo, kudu, I think one of them was reindeer—all very exotic leathers that you don’t see in a ton of boots. And they don’t make a lot of those boots, so they’re not ordering a lot of the leather. There probably isn’t a lot of that leather to order, so the price keeps going up. The Iron Snail They also use a construction called stitch-down construction with a double stitch. That is not Goodyear welt construction; it is different. Instead of folding the vamp down and then putting the welt on, you fold the vamp out and stitch it down, and this is so you can keep moisture and water and other things like that out even more. And the double line of stitching—a fun fact I just learned today—Viberg was really the one to bring that wave to mass appeal. Hipsters getting coffee all of a sudden and want a double stitch-down constructed boot that costs over $800. The Iron Snail Also, I think they just look dangerously close to elf shoes, which I like. I like that a lot. What you’re looking at right now is a natural waxed flesh, which is very cool. This is actually a rough out, so it should look fluffy, but there’s so much wax holding that rough out down that it looks almost like a smooth leather. But over time, it’ll start to fluff out and rough out a little bit and have a lot of cool patina. A very legendary name in the boot world that pioneered this very slim, sleek, but work boot look. Interesting, rare, harder to find on the market leathers. Handmade boots and shoes in Canada to a painfully high degree of quality. Great quality control, very limited supply numbers, very very small company, a cult-like following that increases demand a lot when they don’t increase supply. Final Thoughts: The Price of Quality The Iron Snail People will argue all day why Vibergs cost so much, how much they should actually cost, and how much they actually cost to make, but the simple answer is those cost $740, and I bought a pair so they can sell them for $740 because they always sell out. They are essentially the complete opposite of the Daeful Men’s Comfort Anti-Slip Dress Shoes Party Glossy Men’s Wedding Low Top Flats Leather Shoe Loafers Black—made to appeal to everybody and nobody at the same time versus made to appeal to a very small group of people who will say “if you know, you know.” Watch This Review   Bye Bye That’s about it for cheap vs. expensive shoes. There’s pandemonium going on at Iron Snail HQ. A lot of big things are changing, and I’m very excited to tell you about them. I hope you’re having a good day. I’ll see you all very soon. Thank you for reading this article, goodbye! This article was adapted from Michael Kristy’s video on The Iron Snail, with edits from FashionBeans, and was reviewed by Michael to ensure the integrity of his original content. Watch the full video here. The Iron Snail is a men’s fashion vlog (and now article series!) starring a young man named Michael and featuring a snail no bigger than a quarter. The two are set on taking over the world of fashion by creating a clothing line to end all clothing lines. Until then, we’re here to tell you EVERYTHING you need to know about the best clothing out there, from the highest quality raw denim jeans to the warmest jackets to the sturdiest boots…the Iron Snail has got you covered. Source link

[norajworld]

We independently evaluate all recommended products and services. Any products or services put forward appear in no particular order. if you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. The Iron Snail The Battle of Budget vs Luxury: A Deep Dive into Shoe Quality I have the Viberg 145 Oxfords in natural waxed flesh, retailing for a wild $740. These are considered by many to be the best silhouette of a shoe or boot of all time. The leather is also some of the rarest leather in the world. Secondly, I have the Daeful Men’s Comfort Anti-Slip Dress Shoes Party Glossy Men’s Wedding Low Top Flats Leather Shoe Loafers Black that retail for $19. They’re also surprisingly made of leather, and they reek of stale cigarettes. The Iron Snail After I asked ChatGPT what that smell could possibly be, I got two answers: Number one, while these shoes were being made, maybe someone was smoking a cigarette. Two, the chemical most commonly associated with the stale cigarette-like smell in consumer products is formaldehyde. Short-term exposure to formaldehyde can lead to eye, nose, and throat irritation as well as respiratory symptoms. Long-term exposure? Much worse. Anyway, I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about because Walmart always has my back! We’ll dive a little deeper into cheap vs. expensive shoes today. So what’s the difference between a $20 shoe from Walmart that, if it gets too close to my face, makes me cough and an $800 shoe from Viberg that, if it gets too close to my face, makes me want to put it on my feet? Today, we will be talking about that—from leather quality, to how it’s made, to where it’s made, to different materials that you probably didn’t know about, to support for your feet, to all these crazy things. Michael's Picks from Best to Worst   The Iron Snail At a Glance: The Shoe Lineup Product Key Features Materials Construction Price Daeful Men’s Comfort Loafers Anti-slip, basic cushioning Low-quality leather with plastic coating, paper inserts Mass-produced, minimal quality control $19 Adidas Gazelles Durable, real suede, cushioning Real leather, suede, rubber outsole Quality control ensured, well-constructed ~$100 Astorflex Dartflex Loafers Affordable, thin leather, buffalo outsole Cowhide leather, leather lining Stitched construction, made in Italy $175 Allen Edmonds Leeds Plain Toe Bluchers Goodyear welted, recraftable, long-lasting Thick calf leather, cork-filled midsole Goodyear welt construction, handcrafted in the USA $395 Viberg 145 Oxfords Double stitch-down, premium leathers Exotic leathers (e.g., kangaroo, kudu), natural waxed flesh Handmade, small-scale production in Canada $740 The $19 Wonder: Analyzing Walmart’s Budget Loafer The Iron Snail What’s up, everyone? Michael here. Let’s compare cheap vs. expensive shoes. Starting off, of course, with Walmart, we have the Daeful Men’s Comfort Anti-Slip Dress Shoes Party Glossy Men’s Wedding Low Top Flats Leather Shoe Loafers Black. This is the first-ever product on the Iron Snail that I think is actually bad for your health if you touch it or if you wear it. The Iron Snail Interestingly, the first thing about these shoes is that they are made of leather, or it should probably be said that they contain some form of leather. Usually, very cheap leather is leather with plastic sprayed over it. It’s called the top coat, finished leather, or something like that. It’s used to hide flaws in the leather. I think this is something different because what you can also do is get really, really, really cheap, terrible, horrible quality leather, grind it all up, mash it together, and glue it, and you get technically leather. The Iron Snail I think essentially what they’re doing is using that incredibly cheap, thin piece of leather as a backing for the plastic. So it’s not leather with plastic on it. It’s reversed—it’s plastic with some leather on it. And then there is also an insert on the shoe, which is great because they could cheap out with the inserts and not give you cushioning and have a very rock-hard shoe. It’s essentially a piece of paper that you can rip very easily, but it is an insert. I translated the text on it into English, and it says “fashion business casual” and then “business.” The Secret of Budget Pricing The Iron Snail But here is how they get them so cheap: Almost the easiest one to start with is the country of origin. These shoes are made in China, but also they are not shipped to the US to be sold in different places—they are shipped directly from China. So when I ordered these shoes, I didn’t really get a confirmation or tracking number, and three months later, the postman just threw them at my door and walked away, and I was like, “Oh great, the shoes are here!” The Iron Snail The other thing that they do is that these shoes are white labeled, so they’re not fulfilled by Walmart, they’re fulfilled by whoever made them in China. But Walmart is not the only place that carries them—they can be carried at a million other stores and a million different locations for cheap, cheap, cheap. So, instead of selling a million at Walmart and getting the price that low, they could sell 20 million around the world to all these different brands, change tiny little details for each brand, and bring that cost lower and lower and lower and lower until it’s practically nothing. The Iron Snail First off, these shoes come with the California Prop 65 warning, but also you’re probably familiar with off-gassing to the point where you don’t even think about it. If you buy something made of plastic, when you open it, you expect it to smell a little weird, and then that smell goes away. It’s all good. I got these shoes, opened the bag, and the smell first off was stronger than anything I had ever smelled before. You could smell it in my entire apartment when I opened the bag. So I let them air out outside for a few days, and I let them air out in my apartment after that for a few weeks, and they still smell almost just as bad. These are made to be worn for a night or a week and then disintegrate. They’re made if you forget shoes before a wedding or something like that. But thrift shops are a great deal, so do not get these shoes, please. They are very bad. Moving Up: The Adidas Gazelles The Iron Snail You’re probably familiar with these next shoes—these are the Adidas Gazelles. They are five to six times more expensive than the loafers, and you notice it right away. There is a definite hallmark of Vietnamese manufacturing if you look at the lip on the side…I’m just kidding! Materials are just immediately vastly better. We’re actually using real leather. We’re using suede, so we have leather. We split it in half, and we have actionable suede, not a little thin piece of glued-together board. We also have actual cushioning; the outsole is a softer rubber, and there is an insert that is not a piece of paper. The Iron Snail There is actual quality control, so Adidas will make sure that the shoe is good, which is also very important, and you also kind of have to pay for Adidas. So you have to pay for the marketing, you have to pay for the storage, you have to pay for the US customer service—everything like that does get wrapped up into the cost, but in the end, you get a much better product. Mid-Range Excellence: Astorflex Dartflex Loafers The Iron Snail This is where things get interesting. We’re talking about the Astorflex Dartflex loafers, which increase quality, change construction methods, and go back to an older-world-looking shoe. These are great quality loafers on the more affordable end, but there are still some interesting facts about them. The Iron Snail Number one, it’s completely naked leather, or it could be considered completely naked leather because even Chromexcel leather, which is a very famous leather, has some slight corrections on top of it. Either way, leather comes in grades, and this is not the highest grade because if you look at the leather, you can still see some scuffs, some marks, and some wrinkles on the leather—it’s not a totally smooth texture. That’s not going to hurt the durability of the leather or anything like that, but not the top of the top of the top, which we’ll get into later. The Iron Snail It’s also a rather thin leather, which is not a big deal—it will break in quickly and be comfy, especially for this price point. My favorite fun fact about these loafers is that their outsole is made of buffalo, while the rest of the loafer is made of cowhide. I think buffalo is cheaper than cowhide, but it’s still very thick and strong, so putting that on the outsole is a genius way to cut costs a little bit. The Iron Snail These loafers are also made in Italy; they have a leather lining, and they are not just cemented construction. You’ll see that there is actual stitching between the vamp, the insole, and the midsole. You’ll also notice that we now have a removable insert that is made of three pieces: two of undyed natural leather and then just a regular-looking foam insert. American Craftsmanship: Allen Edmonds Leeds Plain Toe Bluchers The Iron Snail Okay, next up is the Allen Edmonds Leeds Plain Toe Bluchers. These are possibly my favorite shoes on the entire list, and no, you don’t have to spend $395 to get a Goodyear welted pair of dress shoes. They’re beefy compared to everything else that we’ve seen. These are almost double the weight of the Astorflex Dartflex loafers. You notice that the leather is way thicker. The lining is basically as thick as the Astorflex. These are also made in the United States of America, which increases the price. The Iron Snail The entire upper of the shoe is a beautiful calf leather, and we also have leather on the bottom, but if you look, you will also see stitching because these are Goodyear welted, AKA bench welted, AKA recraftable, AKA resoleable. That means when these shoes are worn down, and they look like they’re at the end of their lives, you can just rip the bottom off and put a new bottom on. It’s good to go. The Iron Snail The way Goodyear welting works is that obviously, we have the leather vamp that bends on there, but we have a little lip, which is the welt of the shoe, and with that little lip, there is a gap between the midsole and the vamp that is then filled with cork. And that is why a lot of people say Goodyear welted shoes or fancier leather shoes will mold to your feet over time, because you’re compressing cork, you’re compressing leather, you’re moving leather, you’re breaking it in in certain areas, and that is also great for long-term comfort. Vastly upgraded materials, more materials, a very complex way to make a shoe when compared to something like the Daeful men’s loafer or even the Astorflexes. We’re increasing complications, the location of manufacturing quality, and everything else. The Final Boss: Viberg 145 Oxfords The Iron Snail And then we get to the beast. If you go on Reddit r/goodyearwelt and you say, “Hey, why do Vibergs cost so much money?” you may accidentally start real-life World War III. To many people, a Viberg is one of the most beautiful boots that you could ever hope to get. This is essentially a Viberg boot with the top chopped off—this is the Oxford 145. The Iron Snail It’s essentially a double stitch-down logger boot, which we’ll get into in a second, but slim and sleek. It’s not wide and bulbous, which a lot of those boots were because the main purpose was to fit a lot of people, but this is more fashion-oriented while still being incredibly tough and having a lot of cool features. The Iron Snail Also, compared to all the other brands that we talked about today, it is a very, very small company. Things aren’t being pumped out, they sell out immediately, they have a cult-like following, people always freak out at the new releases—there’s a lot of hype around this very small boot company, and everything is made in Canada. The Iron Snail This is my first pair of Vibergs. I was very excited to get it. I actually made a film with them when I went to Amsterdam. The Viberg Difference: Construction and Materials The Iron Snail The first thing we’ll look at with these is the beastly construction of them. These are 10 ounces heavier than the Allen Edmonds. You’ll see how much thicker the heel is and how much thicker the outsole is. Obviously, we have leather and rubber here. The Iron Snail Speaking of leather, these also smell very nice, but Viberg uses some of the best of the best leathers from the best of the best leather manufacturers, Horween being a huge one. They use Chromexcel from them, they use shell cordovan, but they also use very weird leather. Just to name a few: kangaroo, kudu, I think one of them was reindeer—all very exotic leathers that you don’t see in a ton of boots. And they don’t make a lot of those boots, so they’re not ordering a lot of the leather. There probably isn’t a lot of that leather to order, so the price keeps going up. The Iron Snail They also use a construction called stitch-down construction with a double stitch. That is not Goodyear welt construction; it is different. Instead of folding the vamp down and then putting the welt on, you fold the vamp out and stitch it down, and this is so you can keep moisture and water and other things like that out even more. And the double line of stitching—a fun fact I just learned today—Viberg was really the one to bring that wave to mass appeal. Hipsters getting coffee all of a sudden and want a double stitch-down constructed boot that costs over $800. The Iron Snail Also, I think they just look dangerously close to elf shoes, which I like. I like that a lot. What you’re looking at right now is a natural waxed flesh, which is very cool. This is actually a rough out, so it should look fluffy, but there’s so much wax holding that rough out down that it looks almost like a smooth leather. But over time, it’ll start to fluff out and rough out a little bit and have a lot of cool patina. A very legendary name in the boot world that pioneered this very slim, sleek, but work boot look. Interesting, rare, harder to find on the market leathers. Handmade boots and shoes in Canada to a painfully high degree of quality. Great quality control, very limited supply numbers, very very small company, a cult-like following that increases demand a lot when they don’t increase supply. Final Thoughts: The Price of Quality The Iron Snail People will argue all day why Vibergs cost so much, how much they should actually cost, and how much they actually cost to make, but the simple answer is those cost $740, and I bought a pair so they can sell them for $740 because they always sell out. They are essentially the complete opposite of the Daeful Men’s Comfort Anti-Slip Dress Shoes Party Glossy Men’s Wedding Low Top Flats Leather Shoe Loafers Black—made to appeal to everybody and nobody at the same time versus made to appeal to a very small group of people who will say “if you know, you know.” Watch This Review   Bye Bye That’s about it for cheap vs. expensive shoes. There’s pandemonium going on at Iron Snail HQ. A lot of big things are changing, and I’m very excited to tell you about them. I hope you’re having a good day. I’ll see you all very soon. Thank you for reading this article, goodbye! This article was adapted from Michael Kristy’s video on The Iron Snail, with edits from FashionBeans, and was reviewed by Michael to ensure the integrity of his original content. Watch the full video here. The Iron Snail is a men’s fashion vlog (and now article series!) starring a young man named Michael and featuring a snail no bigger than a quarter. The two are set on taking over the world of fashion by creating a clothing line to end all clothing lines. Until then, we’re here to tell you EVERYTHING you need to know about the best clothing out there, from the highest quality raw denim jeans to the warmest jackets to the sturdiest boots…the Iron Snail has got you covered. Source link

[ellajme0]

We independently evaluate all recommended products and services. Any products or services put forward appear in no particular order. if you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. The Iron Snail The Battle of Budget vs Luxury: A Deep Dive into Shoe Quality I have the Viberg 145 Oxfords in natural waxed flesh, retailing for a wild $740. These are considered by many to be the best silhouette of a shoe or boot of all time. The leather is also some of the rarest leather in the world. Secondly, I have the Daeful Men’s Comfort Anti-Slip Dress Shoes Party Glossy Men’s Wedding Low Top Flats Leather Shoe Loafers Black that retail for $19. They’re also surprisingly made of leather, and they reek of stale cigarettes. The Iron Snail After I asked ChatGPT what that smell could possibly be, I got two answers: Number one, while these shoes were being made, maybe someone was smoking a cigarette. Two, the chemical most commonly associated with the stale cigarette-like smell in consumer products is formaldehyde. Short-term exposure to formaldehyde can lead to eye, nose, and throat irritation as well as respiratory symptoms. Long-term exposure? Much worse. Anyway, I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about because Walmart always has my back! We’ll dive a little deeper into cheap vs. expensive shoes today. So what’s the difference between a $20 shoe from Walmart that, if it gets too close to my face, makes me cough and an $800 shoe from Viberg that, if it gets too close to my face, makes me want to put it on my feet? Today, we will be talking about that—from leather quality, to how it’s made, to where it’s made, to different materials that you probably didn’t know about, to support for your feet, to all these crazy things. Michael's Picks from Best to Worst   The Iron Snail At a Glance: The Shoe Lineup Product Key Features Materials Construction Price Daeful Men’s Comfort Loafers Anti-slip, basic cushioning Low-quality leather with plastic coating, paper inserts Mass-produced, minimal quality control $19 Adidas Gazelles Durable, real suede, cushioning Real leather, suede, rubber outsole Quality control ensured, well-constructed ~$100 Astorflex Dartflex Loafers Affordable, thin leather, buffalo outsole Cowhide leather, leather lining Stitched construction, made in Italy $175 Allen Edmonds Leeds Plain Toe Bluchers Goodyear welted, recraftable, long-lasting Thick calf leather, cork-filled midsole Goodyear welt construction, handcrafted in the USA $395 Viberg 145 Oxfords Double stitch-down, premium leathers Exotic leathers (e.g., kangaroo, kudu), natural waxed flesh Handmade, small-scale production in Canada $740 The $19 Wonder: Analyzing Walmart’s Budget Loafer The Iron Snail What’s up, everyone? Michael here. Let’s compare cheap vs. expensive shoes. Starting off, of course, with Walmart, we have the Daeful Men’s Comfort Anti-Slip Dress Shoes Party Glossy Men’s Wedding Low Top Flats Leather Shoe Loafers Black. This is the first-ever product on the Iron Snail that I think is actually bad for your health if you touch it or if you wear it. The Iron Snail Interestingly, the first thing about these shoes is that they are made of leather, or it should probably be said that they contain some form of leather. Usually, very cheap leather is leather with plastic sprayed over it. It’s called the top coat, finished leather, or something like that. It’s used to hide flaws in the leather. I think this is something different because what you can also do is get really, really, really cheap, terrible, horrible quality leather, grind it all up, mash it together, and glue it, and you get technically leather. The Iron Snail I think essentially what they’re doing is using that incredibly cheap, thin piece of leather as a backing for the plastic. So it’s not leather with plastic on it. It’s reversed—it’s plastic with some leather on it. And then there is also an insert on the shoe, which is great because they could cheap out with the inserts and not give you cushioning and have a very rock-hard shoe. It’s essentially a piece of paper that you can rip very easily, but it is an insert. I translated the text on it into English, and it says “fashion business casual” and then “business.” The Secret of Budget Pricing The Iron Snail But here is how they get them so cheap: Almost the easiest one to start with is the country of origin. These shoes are made in China, but also they are not shipped to the US to be sold in different places—they are shipped directly from China. So when I ordered these shoes, I didn’t really get a confirmation or tracking number, and three months later, the postman just threw them at my door and walked away, and I was like, “Oh great, the shoes are here!” The Iron Snail The other thing that they do is that these shoes are white labeled, so they’re not fulfilled by Walmart, they’re fulfilled by whoever made them in China. But Walmart is not the only place that carries them—they can be carried at a million other stores and a million different locations for cheap, cheap, cheap. So, instead of selling a million at Walmart and getting the price that low, they could sell 20 million around the world to all these different brands, change tiny little details for each brand, and bring that cost lower and lower and lower and lower until it’s practically nothing. The Iron Snail First off, these shoes come with the California Prop 65 warning, but also you’re probably familiar with off-gassing to the point where you don’t even think about it. If you buy something made of plastic, when you open it, you expect it to smell a little weird, and then that smell goes away. It’s all good. I got these shoes, opened the bag, and the smell first off was stronger than anything I had ever smelled before. You could smell it in my entire apartment when I opened the bag. So I let them air out outside for a few days, and I let them air out in my apartment after that for a few weeks, and they still smell almost just as bad. These are made to be worn for a night or a week and then disintegrate. They’re made if you forget shoes before a wedding or something like that. But thrift shops are a great deal, so do not get these shoes, please. They are very bad. Moving Up: The Adidas Gazelles The Iron Snail You’re probably familiar with these next shoes—these are the Adidas Gazelles. They are five to six times more expensive than the loafers, and you notice it right away. There is a definite hallmark of Vietnamese manufacturing if you look at the lip on the side…I’m just kidding! Materials are just immediately vastly better. We’re actually using real leather. We’re using suede, so we have leather. We split it in half, and we have actionable suede, not a little thin piece of glued-together board. We also have actual cushioning; the outsole is a softer rubber, and there is an insert that is not a piece of paper. The Iron Snail There is actual quality control, so Adidas will make sure that the shoe is good, which is also very important, and you also kind of have to pay for Adidas. So you have to pay for the marketing, you have to pay for the storage, you have to pay for the US customer service—everything like that does get wrapped up into the cost, but in the end, you get a much better product. Mid-Range Excellence: Astorflex Dartflex Loafers The Iron Snail This is where things get interesting. We’re talking about the Astorflex Dartflex loafers, which increase quality, change construction methods, and go back to an older-world-looking shoe. These are great quality loafers on the more affordable end, but there are still some interesting facts about them. The Iron Snail Number one, it’s completely naked leather, or it could be considered completely naked leather because even Chromexcel leather, which is a very famous leather, has some slight corrections on top of it. Either way, leather comes in grades, and this is not the highest grade because if you look at the leather, you can still see some scuffs, some marks, and some wrinkles on the leather—it’s not a totally smooth texture. That’s not going to hurt the durability of the leather or anything like that, but not the top of the top of the top, which we’ll get into later. The Iron Snail It’s also a rather thin leather, which is not a big deal—it will break in quickly and be comfy, especially for this price point. My favorite fun fact about these loafers is that their outsole is made of buffalo, while the rest of the loafer is made of cowhide. I think buffalo is cheaper than cowhide, but it’s still very thick and strong, so putting that on the outsole is a genius way to cut costs a little bit. The Iron Snail These loafers are also made in Italy; they have a leather lining, and they are not just cemented construction. You’ll see that there is actual stitching between the vamp, the insole, and the midsole. You’ll also notice that we now have a removable insert that is made of three pieces: two of undyed natural leather and then just a regular-looking foam insert. American Craftsmanship: Allen Edmonds Leeds Plain Toe Bluchers The Iron Snail Okay, next up is the Allen Edmonds Leeds Plain Toe Bluchers. These are possibly my favorite shoes on the entire list, and no, you don’t have to spend $395 to get a Goodyear welted pair of dress shoes. They’re beefy compared to everything else that we’ve seen. These are almost double the weight of the Astorflex Dartflex loafers. You notice that the leather is way thicker. The lining is basically as thick as the Astorflex. These are also made in the United States of America, which increases the price. The Iron Snail The entire upper of the shoe is a beautiful calf leather, and we also have leather on the bottom, but if you look, you will also see stitching because these are Goodyear welted, AKA bench welted, AKA recraftable, AKA resoleable. That means when these shoes are worn down, and they look like they’re at the end of their lives, you can just rip the bottom off and put a new bottom on. It’s good to go. The Iron Snail The way Goodyear welting works is that obviously, we have the leather vamp that bends on there, but we have a little lip, which is the welt of the shoe, and with that little lip, there is a gap between the midsole and the vamp that is then filled with cork. And that is why a lot of people say Goodyear welted shoes or fancier leather shoes will mold to your feet over time, because you’re compressing cork, you’re compressing leather, you’re moving leather, you’re breaking it in in certain areas, and that is also great for long-term comfort. Vastly upgraded materials, more materials, a very complex way to make a shoe when compared to something like the Daeful men’s loafer or even the Astorflexes. We’re increasing complications, the location of manufacturing quality, and everything else. The Final Boss: Viberg 145 Oxfords The Iron Snail And then we get to the beast. If you go on Reddit r/goodyearwelt and you say, “Hey, why do Vibergs cost so much money?” you may accidentally start real-life World War III. To many people, a Viberg is one of the most beautiful boots that you could ever hope to get. This is essentially a Viberg boot with the top chopped off—this is the Oxford 145. The Iron Snail It’s essentially a double stitch-down logger boot, which we’ll get into in a second, but slim and sleek. It’s not wide and bulbous, which a lot of those boots were because the main purpose was to fit a lot of people, but this is more fashion-oriented while still being incredibly tough and having a lot of cool features. The Iron Snail Also, compared to all the other brands that we talked about today, it is a very, very small company. Things aren’t being pumped out, they sell out immediately, they have a cult-like following, people always freak out at the new releases—there’s a lot of hype around this very small boot company, and everything is made in Canada. The Iron Snail This is my first pair of Vibergs. I was very excited to get it. I actually made a film with them when I went to Amsterdam. The Viberg Difference: Construction and Materials The Iron Snail The first thing we’ll look at with these is the beastly construction of them. These are 10 ounces heavier than the Allen Edmonds. You’ll see how much thicker the heel is and how much thicker the outsole is. Obviously, we have leather and rubber here. The Iron Snail Speaking of leather, these also smell very nice, but Viberg uses some of the best of the best leathers from the best of the best leather manufacturers, Horween being a huge one. They use Chromexcel from them, they use shell cordovan, but they also use very weird leather. Just to name a few: kangaroo, kudu, I think one of them was reindeer—all very exotic leathers that you don’t see in a ton of boots. And they don’t make a lot of those boots, so they’re not ordering a lot of the leather. There probably isn’t a lot of that leather to order, so the price keeps going up. The Iron Snail They also use a construction called stitch-down construction with a double stitch. That is not Goodyear welt construction; it is different. Instead of folding the vamp down and then putting the welt on, you fold the vamp out and stitch it down, and this is so you can keep moisture and water and other things like that out even more. And the double line of stitching—a fun fact I just learned today—Viberg was really the one to bring that wave to mass appeal. Hipsters getting coffee all of a sudden and want a double stitch-down constructed boot that costs over $800. The Iron Snail Also, I think they just look dangerously close to elf shoes, which I like. I like that a lot. What you’re looking at right now is a natural waxed flesh, which is very cool. This is actually a rough out, so it should look fluffy, but there’s so much wax holding that rough out down that it looks almost like a smooth leather. But over time, it’ll start to fluff out and rough out a little bit and have a lot of cool patina. A very legendary name in the boot world that pioneered this very slim, sleek, but work boot look. Interesting, rare, harder to find on the market leathers. Handmade boots and shoes in Canada to a painfully high degree of quality. Great quality control, very limited supply numbers, very very small company, a cult-like following that increases demand a lot when they don’t increase supply. Final Thoughts: The Price of Quality The Iron Snail People will argue all day why Vibergs cost so much, how much they should actually cost, and how much they actually cost to make, but the simple answer is those cost $740, and I bought a pair so they can sell them for $740 because they always sell out. They are essentially the complete opposite of the Daeful Men’s Comfort Anti-Slip Dress Shoes Party Glossy Men’s Wedding Low Top Flats Leather Shoe Loafers Black—made to appeal to everybody and nobody at the same time versus made to appeal to a very small group of people who will say “if you know, you know.” Watch This Review   Bye Bye That’s about it for cheap vs. expensive shoes. There’s pandemonium going on at Iron Snail HQ. A lot of big things are changing, and I’m very excited to tell you about them. I hope you’re having a good day. I’ll see you all very soon. Thank you for reading this article, goodbye! This article was adapted from Michael Kristy’s video on The Iron Snail, with edits from FashionBeans, and was reviewed by Michael to ensure the integrity of his original content. Watch the full video here. The Iron Snail is a men’s fashion vlog (and now article series!) starring a young man named Michael and featuring a snail no bigger than a quarter. The two are set on taking over the world of fashion by creating a clothing line to end all clothing lines. Until then, we’re here to tell you EVERYTHING you need to know about the best clothing out there, from the highest quality raw denim jeans to the warmest jackets to the sturdiest boots…the Iron Snail has got you covered. Source link

[chilimili212]

We independently evaluate all recommended products and services. Any products or services put forward appear in no particular order. if you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. The Iron Snail The Battle of Budget vs Luxury: A Deep Dive into Shoe Quality I have the Viberg 145 Oxfords in natural waxed flesh, retailing for a wild $740. These are considered by many to be the best silhouette of a shoe or boot of all time. The leather is also some of the rarest leather in the world. Secondly, I have the Daeful Men’s Comfort Anti-Slip Dress Shoes Party Glossy Men’s Wedding Low Top Flats Leather Shoe Loafers Black that retail for $19. They’re also surprisingly made of leather, and they reek of stale cigarettes. The Iron Snail After I asked ChatGPT what that smell could possibly be, I got two answers: Number one, while these shoes were being made, maybe someone was smoking a cigarette. Two, the chemical most commonly associated with the stale cigarette-like smell in consumer products is formaldehyde. Short-term exposure to formaldehyde can lead to eye, nose, and throat irritation as well as respiratory symptoms. Long-term exposure? Much worse. Anyway, I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about because Walmart always has my back! We’ll dive a little deeper into cheap vs. expensive shoes today. So what’s the difference between a $20 shoe from Walmart that, if it gets too close to my face, makes me cough and an $800 shoe from Viberg that, if it gets too close to my face, makes me want to put it on my feet? Today, we will be talking about that—from leather quality, to how it’s made, to where it’s made, to different materials that you probably didn’t know about, to support for your feet, to all these crazy things. Michael's Picks from Best to Worst   The Iron Snail At a Glance: The Shoe Lineup Product Key Features Materials Construction Price Daeful Men’s Comfort Loafers Anti-slip, basic cushioning Low-quality leather with plastic coating, paper inserts Mass-produced, minimal quality control $19 Adidas Gazelles Durable, real suede, cushioning Real leather, suede, rubber outsole Quality control ensured, well-constructed ~$100 Astorflex Dartflex Loafers Affordable, thin leather, buffalo outsole Cowhide leather, leather lining Stitched construction, made in Italy $175 Allen Edmonds Leeds Plain Toe Bluchers Goodyear welted, recraftable, long-lasting Thick calf leather, cork-filled midsole Goodyear welt construction, handcrafted in the USA $395 Viberg 145 Oxfords Double stitch-down, premium leathers Exotic leathers (e.g., kangaroo, kudu), natural waxed flesh Handmade, small-scale production in Canada $740 The $19 Wonder: Analyzing Walmart’s Budget Loafer The Iron Snail What’s up, everyone? Michael here. Let’s compare cheap vs. expensive shoes. Starting off, of course, with Walmart, we have the Daeful Men’s Comfort Anti-Slip Dress Shoes Party Glossy Men’s Wedding Low Top Flats Leather Shoe Loafers Black. This is the first-ever product on the Iron Snail that I think is actually bad for your health if you touch it or if you wear it. The Iron Snail Interestingly, the first thing about these shoes is that they are made of leather, or it should probably be said that they contain some form of leather. Usually, very cheap leather is leather with plastic sprayed over it. It’s called the top coat, finished leather, or something like that. It’s used to hide flaws in the leather. I think this is something different because what you can also do is get really, really, really cheap, terrible, horrible quality leather, grind it all up, mash it together, and glue it, and you get technically leather. The Iron Snail I think essentially what they’re doing is using that incredibly cheap, thin piece of leather as a backing for the plastic. So it’s not leather with plastic on it. It’s reversed—it’s plastic with some leather on it. And then there is also an insert on the shoe, which is great because they could cheap out with the inserts and not give you cushioning and have a very rock-hard shoe. It’s essentially a piece of paper that you can rip very easily, but it is an insert. I translated the text on it into English, and it says “fashion business casual” and then “business.” The Secret of Budget Pricing The Iron Snail But here is how they get them so cheap: Almost the easiest one to start with is the country of origin. These shoes are made in China, but also they are not shipped to the US to be sold in different places—they are shipped directly from China. So when I ordered these shoes, I didn’t really get a confirmation or tracking number, and three months later, the postman just threw them at my door and walked away, and I was like, “Oh great, the shoes are here!” The Iron Snail The other thing that they do is that these shoes are white labeled, so they’re not fulfilled by Walmart, they’re fulfilled by whoever made them in China. But Walmart is not the only place that carries them—they can be carried at a million other stores and a million different locations for cheap, cheap, cheap. So, instead of selling a million at Walmart and getting the price that low, they could sell 20 million around the world to all these different brands, change tiny little details for each brand, and bring that cost lower and lower and lower and lower until it’s practically nothing. The Iron Snail First off, these shoes come with the California Prop 65 warning, but also you’re probably familiar with off-gassing to the point where you don’t even think about it. If you buy something made of plastic, when you open it, you expect it to smell a little weird, and then that smell goes away. It’s all good. I got these shoes, opened the bag, and the smell first off was stronger than anything I had ever smelled before. You could smell it in my entire apartment when I opened the bag. So I let them air out outside for a few days, and I let them air out in my apartment after that for a few weeks, and they still smell almost just as bad. These are made to be worn for a night or a week and then disintegrate. They’re made if you forget shoes before a wedding or something like that. But thrift shops are a great deal, so do not get these shoes, please. They are very bad. Moving Up: The Adidas Gazelles The Iron Snail You’re probably familiar with these next shoes—these are the Adidas Gazelles. They are five to six times more expensive than the loafers, and you notice it right away. There is a definite hallmark of Vietnamese manufacturing if you look at the lip on the side…I’m just kidding! Materials are just immediately vastly better. We’re actually using real leather. We’re using suede, so we have leather. We split it in half, and we have actionable suede, not a little thin piece of glued-together board. We also have actual cushioning; the outsole is a softer rubber, and there is an insert that is not a piece of paper. The Iron Snail There is actual quality control, so Adidas will make sure that the shoe is good, which is also very important, and you also kind of have to pay for Adidas. So you have to pay for the marketing, you have to pay for the storage, you have to pay for the US customer service—everything like that does get wrapped up into the cost, but in the end, you get a much better product. Mid-Range Excellence: Astorflex Dartflex Loafers The Iron Snail This is where things get interesting. We’re talking about the Astorflex Dartflex loafers, which increase quality, change construction methods, and go back to an older-world-looking shoe. These are great quality loafers on the more affordable end, but there are still some interesting facts about them. The Iron Snail Number one, it’s completely naked leather, or it could be considered completely naked leather because even Chromexcel leather, which is a very famous leather, has some slight corrections on top of it. Either way, leather comes in grades, and this is not the highest grade because if you look at the leather, you can still see some scuffs, some marks, and some wrinkles on the leather—it’s not a totally smooth texture. That’s not going to hurt the durability of the leather or anything like that, but not the top of the top of the top, which we’ll get into later. The Iron Snail It’s also a rather thin leather, which is not a big deal—it will break in quickly and be comfy, especially for this price point. My favorite fun fact about these loafers is that their outsole is made of buffalo, while the rest of the loafer is made of cowhide. I think buffalo is cheaper than cowhide, but it’s still very thick and strong, so putting that on the outsole is a genius way to cut costs a little bit. The Iron Snail These loafers are also made in Italy; they have a leather lining, and they are not just cemented construction. You’ll see that there is actual stitching between the vamp, the insole, and the midsole. You’ll also notice that we now have a removable insert that is made of three pieces: two of undyed natural leather and then just a regular-looking foam insert. American Craftsmanship: Allen Edmonds Leeds Plain Toe Bluchers The Iron Snail Okay, next up is the Allen Edmonds Leeds Plain Toe Bluchers. These are possibly my favorite shoes on the entire list, and no, you don’t have to spend $395 to get a Goodyear welted pair of dress shoes. They’re beefy compared to everything else that we’ve seen. These are almost double the weight of the Astorflex Dartflex loafers. You notice that the leather is way thicker. The lining is basically as thick as the Astorflex. These are also made in the United States of America, which increases the price. The Iron Snail The entire upper of the shoe is a beautiful calf leather, and we also have leather on the bottom, but if you look, you will also see stitching because these are Goodyear welted, AKA bench welted, AKA recraftable, AKA resoleable. That means when these shoes are worn down, and they look like they’re at the end of their lives, you can just rip the bottom off and put a new bottom on. It’s good to go. The Iron Snail The way Goodyear welting works is that obviously, we have the leather vamp that bends on there, but we have a little lip, which is the welt of the shoe, and with that little lip, there is a gap between the midsole and the vamp that is then filled with cork. And that is why a lot of people say Goodyear welted shoes or fancier leather shoes will mold to your feet over time, because you’re compressing cork, you’re compressing leather, you’re moving leather, you’re breaking it in in certain areas, and that is also great for long-term comfort. Vastly upgraded materials, more materials, a very complex way to make a shoe when compared to something like the Daeful men’s loafer or even the Astorflexes. We’re increasing complications, the location of manufacturing quality, and everything else. The Final Boss: Viberg 145 Oxfords The Iron Snail And then we get to the beast. If you go on Reddit r/goodyearwelt and you say, “Hey, why do Vibergs cost so much money?” you may accidentally start real-life World War III. To many people, a Viberg is one of the most beautiful boots that you could ever hope to get. This is essentially a Viberg boot with the top chopped off—this is the Oxford 145. The Iron Snail It’s essentially a double stitch-down logger boot, which we’ll get into in a second, but slim and sleek. It’s not wide and bulbous, which a lot of those boots were because the main purpose was to fit a lot of people, but this is more fashion-oriented while still being incredibly tough and having a lot of cool features. The Iron Snail Also, compared to all the other brands that we talked about today, it is a very, very small company. Things aren’t being pumped out, they sell out immediately, they have a cult-like following, people always freak out at the new releases—there’s a lot of hype around this very small boot company, and everything is made in Canada. The Iron Snail This is my first pair of Vibergs. I was very excited to get it. I actually made a film with them when I went to Amsterdam. The Viberg Difference: Construction and Materials The Iron Snail The first thing we’ll look at with these is the beastly construction of them. These are 10 ounces heavier than the Allen Edmonds. You’ll see how much thicker the heel is and how much thicker the outsole is. Obviously, we have leather and rubber here. The Iron Snail Speaking of leather, these also smell very nice, but Viberg uses some of the best of the best leathers from the best of the best leather manufacturers, Horween being a huge one. They use Chromexcel from them, they use shell cordovan, but they also use very weird leather. Just to name a few: kangaroo, kudu, I think one of them was reindeer—all very exotic leathers that you don’t see in a ton of boots. And they don’t make a lot of those boots, so they’re not ordering a lot of the leather. There probably isn’t a lot of that leather to order, so the price keeps going up. The Iron Snail They also use a construction called stitch-down construction with a double stitch. That is not Goodyear welt construction; it is different. Instead of folding the vamp down and then putting the welt on, you fold the vamp out and stitch it down, and this is so you can keep moisture and water and other things like that out even more. And the double line of stitching—a fun fact I just learned today—Viberg was really the one to bring that wave to mass appeal. Hipsters getting coffee all of a sudden and want a double stitch-down constructed boot that costs over $800. The Iron Snail Also, I think they just look dangerously close to elf shoes, which I like. I like that a lot. What you’re looking at right now is a natural waxed flesh, which is very cool. This is actually a rough out, so it should look fluffy, but there’s so much wax holding that rough out down that it looks almost like a smooth leather. But over time, it’ll start to fluff out and rough out a little bit and have a lot of cool patina. A very legendary name in the boot world that pioneered this very slim, sleek, but work boot look. Interesting, rare, harder to find on the market leathers. Handmade boots and shoes in Canada to a painfully high degree of quality. Great quality control, very limited supply numbers, very very small company, a cult-like following that increases demand a lot when they don’t increase supply. Final Thoughts: The Price of Quality The Iron Snail People will argue all day why Vibergs cost so much, how much they should actually cost, and how much they actually cost to make, but the simple answer is those cost $740, and I bought a pair so they can sell them for $740 because they always sell out. They are essentially the complete opposite of the Daeful Men’s Comfort Anti-Slip Dress Shoes Party Glossy Men’s Wedding Low Top Flats Leather Shoe Loafers Black—made to appeal to everybody and nobody at the same time versus made to appeal to a very small group of people who will say “if you know, you know.” Watch This Review   Bye Bye That’s about it for cheap vs. expensive shoes. There’s pandemonium going on at Iron Snail HQ. A lot of big things are changing, and I’m very excited to tell you about them. I hope you’re having a good day. I’ll see you all very soon. Thank you for reading this article, goodbye! This article was adapted from Michael Kristy’s video on The Iron Snail, with edits from FashionBeans, and was reviewed by Michael to ensure the integrity of his original content. Watch the full video here. The Iron Snail is a men’s fashion vlog (and now article series!) starring a young man named Michael and featuring a snail no bigger than a quarter. The two are set on taking over the world of fashion by creating a clothing line to end all clothing lines. Until then, we’re here to tell you EVERYTHING you need to know about the best clothing out there, from the highest quality raw denim jeans to the warmest jackets to the sturdiest boots…the Iron Snail has got you covered. Source link

[permanentstyle]

https://www.permanentstyle.com/2024/03/how-does-paris-compare-to-pitti-pendleton-frizmworks-viberg-and-more.html

How does Paris compare to Pitti? Pendleton, FrizmWorks, Viberg and more

[oliviajoyice21]

We independently evaluate all recommended products and services. Any products or services put forward appear in no particular order. if you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. The Iron Snail The Battle of Budget vs Luxury: A Deep Dive into Shoe Quality I have the Viberg 145 Oxfords in natural waxed flesh, retailing for a wild $740. These are considered by many to be the best silhouette of a shoe or boot of all time. The leather is also some of the rarest leather in the world. Secondly, I have the Daeful Men’s Comfort Anti-Slip Dress Shoes Party Glossy Men’s Wedding Low Top Flats Leather Shoe Loafers Black that retail for $19. They’re also surprisingly made of leather, and they reek of stale cigarettes. The Iron Snail After I asked ChatGPT what that smell could possibly be, I got two answers: Number one, while these shoes were being made, maybe someone was smoking a cigarette. Two, the chemical most commonly associated with the stale cigarette-like smell in consumer products is formaldehyde. Short-term exposure to formaldehyde can lead to eye, nose, and throat irritation as well as respiratory symptoms. Long-term exposure? Much worse. Anyway, I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about because Walmart always has my back! We’ll dive a little deeper into cheap vs. expensive shoes today. So what’s the difference between a $20 shoe from Walmart that, if it gets too close to my face, makes me cough and an $800 shoe from Viberg that, if it gets too close to my face, makes me want to put it on my feet? Today, we will be talking about that—from leather quality, to how it’s made, to where it’s made, to different materials that you probably didn’t know about, to support for your feet, to all these crazy things. Michael's Picks from Best to Worst   The Iron Snail At a Glance: The Shoe Lineup Product Key Features Materials Construction Price Daeful Men’s Comfort Loafers Anti-slip, basic cushioning Low-quality leather with plastic coating, paper inserts Mass-produced, minimal quality control $19 Adidas Gazelles Durable, real suede, cushioning Real leather, suede, rubber outsole Quality control ensured, well-constructed ~$100 Astorflex Dartflex Loafers Affordable, thin leather, buffalo outsole Cowhide leather, leather lining Stitched construction, made in Italy $175 Allen Edmonds Leeds Plain Toe Bluchers Goodyear welted, recraftable, long-lasting Thick calf leather, cork-filled midsole Goodyear welt construction, handcrafted in the USA $395 Viberg 145 Oxfords Double stitch-down, premium leathers Exotic leathers (e.g., kangaroo, kudu), natural waxed flesh Handmade, small-scale production in Canada $740 The $19 Wonder: Analyzing Walmart’s Budget Loafer The Iron Snail What’s up, everyone? Michael here. Let’s compare cheap vs. expensive shoes. Starting off, of course, with Walmart, we have the Daeful Men’s Comfort Anti-Slip Dress Shoes Party Glossy Men’s Wedding Low Top Flats Leather Shoe Loafers Black. This is the first-ever product on the Iron Snail that I think is actually bad for your health if you touch it or if you wear it. The Iron Snail Interestingly, the first thing about these shoes is that they are made of leather, or it should probably be said that they contain some form of leather. Usually, very cheap leather is leather with plastic sprayed over it. It’s called the top coat, finished leather, or something like that. It’s used to hide flaws in the leather. I think this is something different because what you can also do is get really, really, really cheap, terrible, horrible quality leather, grind it all up, mash it together, and glue it, and you get technically leather. The Iron Snail I think essentially what they’re doing is using that incredibly cheap, thin piece of leather as a backing for the plastic. So it’s not leather with plastic on it. It’s reversed—it’s plastic with some leather on it. And then there is also an insert on the shoe, which is great because they could cheap out with the inserts and not give you cushioning and have a very rock-hard shoe. It’s essentially a piece of paper that you can rip very easily, but it is an insert. I translated the text on it into English, and it says “fashion business casual” and then “business.” The Secret of Budget Pricing The Iron Snail But here is how they get them so cheap: Almost the easiest one to start with is the country of origin. These shoes are made in China, but also they are not shipped to the US to be sold in different places—they are shipped directly from China. So when I ordered these shoes, I didn’t really get a confirmation or tracking number, and three months later, the postman just threw them at my door and walked away, and I was like, “Oh great, the shoes are here!” The Iron Snail The other thing that they do is that these shoes are white labeled, so they’re not fulfilled by Walmart, they’re fulfilled by whoever made them in China. But Walmart is not the only place that carries them—they can be carried at a million other stores and a million different locations for cheap, cheap, cheap. So, instead of selling a million at Walmart and getting the price that low, they could sell 20 million around the world to all these different brands, change tiny little details for each brand, and bring that cost lower and lower and lower and lower until it’s practically nothing. The Iron Snail First off, these shoes come with the California Prop 65 warning, but also you’re probably familiar with off-gassing to the point where you don’t even think about it. If you buy something made of plastic, when you open it, you expect it to smell a little weird, and then that smell goes away. It’s all good. I got these shoes, opened the bag, and the smell first off was stronger than anything I had ever smelled before. You could smell it in my entire apartment when I opened the bag. So I let them air out outside for a few days, and I let them air out in my apartment after that for a few weeks, and they still smell almost just as bad. These are made to be worn for a night or a week and then disintegrate. They’re made if you forget shoes before a wedding or something like that. But thrift shops are a great deal, so do not get these shoes, please. They are very bad. Moving Up: The Adidas Gazelles The Iron Snail You’re probably familiar with these next shoes—these are the Adidas Gazelles. They are five to six times more expensive than the loafers, and you notice it right away. There is a definite hallmark of Vietnamese manufacturing if you look at the lip on the side…I’m just kidding! Materials are just immediately vastly better. We’re actually using real leather. We’re using suede, so we have leather. We split it in half, and we have actionable suede, not a little thin piece of glued-together board. We also have actual cushioning; the outsole is a softer rubber, and there is an insert that is not a piece of paper. The Iron Snail There is actual quality control, so Adidas will make sure that the shoe is good, which is also very important, and you also kind of have to pay for Adidas. So you have to pay for the marketing, you have to pay for the storage, you have to pay for the US customer service—everything like that does get wrapped up into the cost, but in the end, you get a much better product. Mid-Range Excellence: Astorflex Dartflex Loafers The Iron Snail This is where things get interesting. We’re talking about the Astorflex Dartflex loafers, which increase quality, change construction methods, and go back to an older-world-looking shoe. These are great quality loafers on the more affordable end, but there are still some interesting facts about them. The Iron Snail Number one, it’s completely naked leather, or it could be considered completely naked leather because even Chromexcel leather, which is a very famous leather, has some slight corrections on top of it. Either way, leather comes in grades, and this is not the highest grade because if you look at the leather, you can still see some scuffs, some marks, and some wrinkles on the leather—it’s not a totally smooth texture. That’s not going to hurt the durability of the leather or anything like that, but not the top of the top of the top, which we’ll get into later. The Iron Snail It’s also a rather thin leather, which is not a big deal—it will break in quickly and be comfy, especially for this price point. My favorite fun fact about these loafers is that their outsole is made of buffalo, while the rest of the loafer is made of cowhide. I think buffalo is cheaper than cowhide, but it’s still very thick and strong, so putting that on the outsole is a genius way to cut costs a little bit. The Iron Snail These loafers are also made in Italy; they have a leather lining, and they are not just cemented construction. You’ll see that there is actual stitching between the vamp, the insole, and the midsole. You’ll also notice that we now have a removable insert that is made of three pieces: two of undyed natural leather and then just a regular-looking foam insert. American Craftsmanship: Allen Edmonds Leeds Plain Toe Bluchers The Iron Snail Okay, next up is the Allen Edmonds Leeds Plain Toe Bluchers. These are possibly my favorite shoes on the entire list, and no, you don’t have to spend $395 to get a Goodyear welted pair of dress shoes. They’re beefy compared to everything else that we’ve seen. These are almost double the weight of the Astorflex Dartflex loafers. You notice that the leather is way thicker. The lining is basically as thick as the Astorflex. These are also made in the United States of America, which increases the price. The Iron Snail The entire upper of the shoe is a beautiful calf leather, and we also have leather on the bottom, but if you look, you will also see stitching because these are Goodyear welted, AKA bench welted, AKA recraftable, AKA resoleable. That means when these shoes are worn down, and they look like they’re at the end of their lives, you can just rip the bottom off and put a new bottom on. It’s good to go. The Iron Snail The way Goodyear welting works is that obviously, we have the leather vamp that bends on there, but we have a little lip, which is the welt of the shoe, and with that little lip, there is a gap between the midsole and the vamp that is then filled with cork. And that is why a lot of people say Goodyear welted shoes or fancier leather shoes will mold to your feet over time, because you’re compressing cork, you’re compressing leather, you’re moving leather, you’re breaking it in in certain areas, and that is also great for long-term comfort. Vastly upgraded materials, more materials, a very complex way to make a shoe when compared to something like the Daeful men’s loafer or even the Astorflexes. We’re increasing complications, the location of manufacturing quality, and everything else. The Final Boss: Viberg 145 Oxfords The Iron Snail And then we get to the beast. If you go on Reddit r/goodyearwelt and you say, “Hey, why do Vibergs cost so much money?” you may accidentally start real-life World War III. To many people, a Viberg is one of the most beautiful boots that you could ever hope to get. This is essentially a Viberg boot with the top chopped off—this is the Oxford 145. The Iron Snail It’s essentially a double stitch-down logger boot, which we’ll get into in a second, but slim and sleek. It’s not wide and bulbous, which a lot of those boots were because the main purpose was to fit a lot of people, but this is more fashion-oriented while still being incredibly tough and having a lot of cool features. The Iron Snail Also, compared to all the other brands that we talked about today, it is a very, very small company. Things aren’t being pumped out, they sell out immediately, they have a cult-like following, people always freak out at the new releases—there’s a lot of hype around this very small boot company, and everything is made in Canada. The Iron Snail This is my first pair of Vibergs. I was very excited to get it. I actually made a film with them when I went to Amsterdam. The Viberg Difference: Construction and Materials The Iron Snail The first thing we’ll look at with these is the beastly construction of them. These are 10 ounces heavier than the Allen Edmonds. You’ll see how much thicker the heel is and how much thicker the outsole is. Obviously, we have leather and rubber here. The Iron Snail Speaking of leather, these also smell very nice, but Viberg uses some of the best of the best leathers from the best of the best leather manufacturers, Horween being a huge one. They use Chromexcel from them, they use shell cordovan, but they also use very weird leather. Just to name a few: kangaroo, kudu, I think one of them was reindeer—all very exotic leathers that you don’t see in a ton of boots. And they don’t make a lot of those boots, so they’re not ordering a lot of the leather. There probably isn’t a lot of that leather to order, so the price keeps going up. The Iron Snail They also use a construction called stitch-down construction with a double stitch. That is not Goodyear welt construction; it is different. Instead of folding the vamp down and then putting the welt on, you fold the vamp out and stitch it down, and this is so you can keep moisture and water and other things like that out even more. And the double line of stitching—a fun fact I just learned today—Viberg was really the one to bring that wave to mass appeal. Hipsters getting coffee all of a sudden and want a double stitch-down constructed boot that costs over $800. The Iron Snail Also, I think they just look dangerously close to elf shoes, which I like. I like that a lot. What you’re looking at right now is a natural waxed flesh, which is very cool. This is actually a rough out, so it should look fluffy, but there’s so much wax holding that rough out down that it looks almost like a smooth leather. But over time, it’ll start to fluff out and rough out a little bit and have a lot of cool patina. A very legendary name in the boot world that pioneered this very slim, sleek, but work boot look. Interesting, rare, harder to find on the market leathers. Handmade boots and shoes in Canada to a painfully high degree of quality. Great quality control, very limited supply numbers, very very small company, a cult-like following that increases demand a lot when they don’t increase supply. Final Thoughts: The Price of Quality The Iron Snail People will argue all day why Vibergs cost so much, how much they should actually cost, and how much they actually cost to make, but the simple answer is those cost $740, and I bought a pair so they can sell them for $740 because they always sell out. They are essentially the complete opposite of the Daeful Men’s Comfort Anti-Slip Dress Shoes Party Glossy Men’s Wedding Low Top Flats Leather Shoe Loafers Black—made to appeal to everybody and nobody at the same time versus made to appeal to a very small group of people who will say “if you know, you know.” Watch This Review   Bye Bye That’s about it for cheap vs. expensive shoes. There’s pandemonium going on at Iron Snail HQ. A lot of big things are changing, and I’m very excited to tell you about them. I hope you’re having a good day. I’ll see you all very soon. Thank you for reading this article, goodbye! This article was adapted from Michael Kristy’s video on The Iron Snail, with edits from FashionBeans, and was reviewed by Michael to ensure the integrity of his original content. Watch the full video here. The Iron Snail is a men’s fashion vlog (and now article series!) starring a young man named Michael and featuring a snail no bigger than a quarter. The two are set on taking over the world of fashion by creating a clothing line to end all clothing lines. Until then, we’re here to tell you EVERYTHING you need to know about the best clothing out there, from the highest quality raw denim jeans to the warmest jackets to the sturdiest boots…the Iron Snail has got you covered. Source link

[theurbanhippieswe]

DRESSING UP.

Feeling good in my jacket, shirt and pants by 1stpatrn. Beret from H.W. Dog and boots by Viberg.

Photo: @streetphotomoffe

@1stpatrn

@thehwdogandco

@vibergboot

#1stpatrn

#thehwdogandco

#vibergboot

#styleinmalmo #menswear #fashion #heritagestyle #pinterest #instagram #vintage #agingwithstyle #theurbanhippieswe #ruggedstyle #dailyruggedstyle

#ruggedguy #vintagestyle #fashionblogger #styleblogger

[cleverhottubmiracle]

10 January 2025 The Iron Snail We independently evaluate all recommended products and services. Any products or services put forward appear in no particular order. if you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. The Iron Snail Hey Snailiens, Here’s the Deal I’m assuming that you’re already familiar with one of my pairs of boots. They are the first-ever boots to hike the entire Appalachian Trail. They are the Russell Moccasin Back Country boots. After 100 years, they have some tiny updates, but they are close to the original boots that Earl Shaffer wore on his first walk. Handmade in Berlin, Wisconsin – absolutely beautiful, my favorite boots of the entire collection. I think they’re so good-looking. The Iron Snail What’s up, Snailiens, it’s Michael! Today, we are looking at my entire boot collection, and you may have noticed recently that I have been doing these large collections – eight things I love, eight things I hate, whatever, whatever. The reason for that is because a certain girlfriend of mine, my only one, to be honest, Taylor is moving in with me, and I have a very small apartment in New York, so we can’t fit all this stuff. So the goal of today is to go over my 15 boots and basically get rid of all of them except three. The Iron Snail Boot Collection Quick Overview Boot Features Usage Construction Notes Russell Moccasin Backcountry Boots Handmade, durable, heirloom quality Everyday wear, hiking Hand-stitched, Berlin, Wisconsin Favorite boots, passed down for generations Doc Martens 1460s Classic design, versatile Stored for comparison use Goodyear welt Useful for reviews and comparisons Blundstone Work Boots Steel toe, fire-resistant Heavy-duty work, casual Slip-on Chelsea design Height-boosting, highly water-resistant Red Wing 8833s Beefy leather, work-ready Workwear Heavy-duty leather Planned for experimental use Jim Green Razorbacks Comfortable, durable Hiking Stitchdown construction Favorite Jim Green boots Hoka Kaha GTX2 High-tech design, ultra-cushioned Hiking Maximalist design “Space-age” hiking boots Rhodes Portland Sleek, stylish Casual Stormwelt construction Sold to make room for new boots Blundstone 585s Highly water-resistant Everyday wear Slip-on Chelsea design First boots reviewed L.L. Bean Boots Classic, waterproof Casual Rubber and leather Oversized; selling for new pair Viberg 145s Waxed flesh leather Casual, travel Heavy-duty leather Legendary design Wolverine Thousand Mile Classic leather, nostalgic (for me) Casual Goodyear welt First boots that sparked obsession   The Iron Snail So, we’ll start with the boots I’m wearing right now. Why not? Say hello again to the Russell Moccasin Back Countries. I will never sell these. I talked to the current CEO, Luke, about these boots, and he sent them to me for free. I feel very honored to have them, and that’s not the only reason I’m keeping them – they’re also my favorite. They’re incredibly beautiful, and the way they’re constructed means that they will last literally forever. If my great-great-grandson has tiny little ballerina baby feet like me, he’ll be rocking these until he passes them down to his grandson. The Iron Snail The first boot that I will be holding above the townspeople and chopping its head off is the Doc Martin 1460s. I actually do really like these boots. I am selling them but not selling them – I am keeping them. I’m probably just going to put them in long-term storage or something like that because having this gig means they’re a good comparison for other brands. Like I’m doing a Timberland review very soon, Doc Martens are going to come up, so I kind of have to keep them for that reason. And a very cool brand reached out to me and said, “Hey Michael, we made Doc Martin Killers, so can you compare those for us?” and I said, “Yeah, sure,” I could do that. The Iron Snail If there’s any interest in these boots, I’ll talk about them in a different article, but these are my Blundstone super heavy-duty work boots, whatever Blundstone calls them. They’re essentially like a Chelsea boot equivalent to Timberland Pros – steel toe, fire resistant, electrical hazardous resistance. They’re crazy. I saw someone wearing them on my block, and I was like, “Excuse me, what are those?” I thought they were waterproof – they are just a very, very water-resistant nubuck. My other Blundstones that we’ll talk about later are virtually waterproof for all intents and purposes. These are insane boots, and they add like two inches to my height. Every time I wear them, everybody thinks that I’m dressed way cooler than I actually am. These are the shoes that I was wearing when the fashion director of J.Crew saw me on the street and gave me an up and down. But they have to go because my beautiful queen is moving in. The Iron Snail The Red Wing 8833s – I talked about these literally in my last article. I said I didn’t like them and that I regretted buying them. I realized I love to look at them, but I don’t think they look that good on my feet, so who actually knows? The leather on them is incredibly beefy and may look soft, but it’s very rough and hard to move and bend. They’re work boots. And famous commenter Stacy Graham something, who I frankly can’t decide if this person likes me or if they hate me, but either way, they trashed all of my clothes, but they said boots are okay, so I am selling them or getting rid of them. The Iron Snail Next are the Jim Green Razorback boots in fudge. Jim Green has a really cool story – Gareth from Jim Green, like I’ve said before, sent me essentially every single boot that Jim Green has ever made. Razorbacks are by far my favorite and that is why I am keeping them. They’re super comfortable, they feel like tanks, they’ll age beautifully, they’ll last for a very long time, and they have a lot of padding, so if you’re going hiking for a long time, that’s good stuff. The Iron Snail Hoka Kaha GTX2 6000, whatever it may be – these are essentially computers for your feet. I don’t have a lot of techware. These are the first ever hiking modern maximalist crazy boots that I have. Whoa! I am writing an article comparing Russell Moccasins to these Hokas. I’m gonna go for hikes, and I’m gonna figure out what I like and what I don’t like about both of them, but these are something else. Even the way your feet go in, it feels like it’s this perfectly molded spaceship that locks your feet in and then floats you across the ground. So I’m keeping them for now. I’ll let you know my thoughts on that article. I have to hike up the same trail like 10 times. I got those boots from Huckberry, by the way, so thank you, Charles, for sending them to me for freezies. The Iron Snail Speaking of Huckberry, next are the Rhodes Portland boots, which are one of my favorite boots from a stylistic standpoint. I think they are absolutely gorgeous. I love the silhouette; it’s sleek, and it makes me, for some reason, want to shift the gear on a motorcycle. I’ve never even been on a motorcycle. I really love the boot. I am selling the boot just for the room because I’ve talked about this boot many times, so I have to let it go to get a new boot in the collection. The storm-welt construction and weather-resistant suede are really, really lovely. The Iron Snail These Blundstones hold a very special place in my heart because this is the first-ever review I did on the Iron Snail. It was these Blundstones, the 585s. You can tell I’ve worn them constantly since I got them – the leather is all beat up, it’s super shiny, there’s old wax conditioner, whatever it may be. They’ve held up through it all. They’ve remained probably my most water-resistant boots through it all. Blundstones are just incredible. I’m a big fan of them, I’ve always loved them. Some people seem to really not like them. I will get to RM Williams one day and test those out, but I think it’s time to retire these Blunnies. The Iron Snail I am on record saying that the Red Wing 3335s are my favorite Red Wings of all time, and they still might be, but they probably are not. The 875s, the 1907s, and the Iron Rangers all have their own characteristics that I really really like. The 3335s, though, I like because they’re stitch-down construction, they’re lighter weight, you can feel more nimble in them, they’re a little easier to go walking with, maybe a light hike or something like that, but they’re going. The Iron Snail I don’t really think of myself as a lazy person. I don’t step on the back of my shoes when I need to put them on quickly – I put my fingers in the back, and I slide them on to preserve the heel at all costs. Birkenstocks, Blundstones, and shoes I can just kind of flop on really quick – I love those because half the time, I’m just running to the post office. I’ll just put on regular sneakers really quickly. That’s why I love Xtratufs because Xtratufs, Blundstones, I guess they can be categorized together – they’re just shoes that, no matter the weather, I could flop on really quick and go grab something with, or if it’s raining, I’ll put them on. I don’t really care what shoes I’m wearing when it’s raining. I don’t care what they look like. That’s not true. I am a little self-conscious, so I’m keeping these, but I could easily put them on the sell list. The Iron Snail I’m making a last-minute change to these next boots – I’m changing whether I’m keeping them or not. They are my Solovair monkey boots. I’ve talked about these many, many times. I’ve talked about the QA issue I had where by the seventh wear, one of the laces ripped, and the back tab ripped out, and then Solovair sent me the wrong things and said, “Repair it yourself” – they said it a little bit nicer than that, but still. But through all of that, I really like these boots. The leather isn’t super thick or anything. They’re comfortable, but it feels like when I put my feet in the boots, they don’t know where to go. Not that there isn’t enough room for them, but there’s almost too much. They’re sliding about; they’re sliding forward; they’re sliding backward. It probably just means I sized wrong, but I would sell those, probably only to get another pair of monkey boots. The Iron Snail Hello Bean boots! Since I saw them, I’ve always just thought wow, those are just some of the most beautiful boots of all time. When people are wearing them, sometimes I don’t agree, but when they’re splayed open up top with the gusseted tongue and everything like that, I just think they are gorgeous boots. I have a pair that, if you want to know the truth, I was with a girl at the time when I was buying them, and I have very small feet, uncharacteristically small. Up until 8th grade, I was like a size four, but they got bigger eventually, and they’re like at eight or nine now. But when I was with that girl, the guy said, “Oh, I’ll go get your boots from the back. What size are you?” and I was like, “I’m a size 10.” These are just way too big on me, so I’m probably gonna get another pair, but in the meantime, I’m going to sell them. I didn’t want to tell you how small my feet were – I told Luke from Russell Moccasin the size of my feet, and he laughed on the phone in my face. If I told Luke that my size was anything smaller than a size eight, Russell Moccasin would have had to make me a custom boot. The Croc Western Boots Are Staying The Iron Snail Croc western boots – you could pry these from my cold, dead hands! There’s also apparently a substantial secondary market for them, so maybe I’ll make some money. Just kidding, Huckberry, I’m not gonna sell them! I would never do such a thing. I don’t even like money. I’m really not gonna sell them, though. In all honesty, I just feel like that would be bad from a brand-to-brand perspective. Or would it? No, I won’t sell them! Or will I? No! The Iron Snail The Viberg 145s. Incredibly legendary shoe boots – I thought they were discontinued, but apparently, they’re not. These are natural waxed flesh, absolutely gorgeous shoe boots. I wore them all through Amsterdam, and I rode bikes in Denmark with them. I had a lovely time, and I haven’t connected to them yet. I don’t think they’re fully broken in yet, maybe something like that, but they just didn’t grab me as much as I thought they would. I was like, “Wow, my first pair of Vibergs, I can’t wait to finally feel happy,” and then I didn’t. The Iron Snail And finally, the grand finale and the boots that started it all – long before the Iron Snail, I had my Instagram called Eighth Weekday, and Wolverine, the boot company, said, “Hey, we’re running a contest, take a picture of what you would wear with a pair of Wolverine Thousand Miles if you had them, and if you win we’ll give you a pair of boots.” I submitted like 800 pictures to this contest, and I won. I remember I won while I was in class in high school, and I thought this was the greatest day of my life. The most popular kid in high school actually said to me, “You know Michael, I think you’re gonna do really big things when you graduate high school and college,” and I said, “Thanks, Eric Steele!” I got the wrong size. They don’t fit me really well at all, the back heel is worn down, but when I got them, I remember I was so excited to open the box. I had never smelt leather before, like real leather, so I ran up to my dad and told him it smelled like a baseball glove. I asked him if it smelled right. I told them about the leather bottoms, how I had to be careful with what I walked on this and that. I wore them in college all the time, and I was like, these are the greatest things that I’ve ever seen, and since that time, I have been obsessed with clothing. It would just feel really weird to sell those boots because they were more than gold to me for a very, very long time. It’s a crazy full-circle thing. I’m very grateful that people watch this channel, and brands sometimes reach out and are really nice about it. I can’t thank you all enough for that. Watch This Review Wrapping It Up Anyway, that is about it because Taylor is finally living in the United States of America again, and I’m going to her grandparents’ house right now to go see her, so I’m very excited about that. Thank you for reading this article. I will see you very soon, goodbye. This article was adapted from Michael Kristy’s video on The Iron Snail, with edits from FashionBeans, and was reviewed by Michael to ensure the integrity of his original content. Watch the full video here. The Iron Snail is a men’s fashion vlog (and now article series!) starring a young man named Michael and featuring a snail no bigger than a quarter. The two are set on taking over the world of fashion by creating a clothing line to end all clothing lines. Until then, we’re here to tell you EVERYTHING you need to know about the best clothing out there, from the highest quality raw denim jeans to the warmest jackets to the sturdiest boots…the Iron Snail has got you covered. Source link

[norajworld]

10 January 2025 The Iron Snail We independently evaluate all recommended products and services. Any products or services put forward appear in no particular order. if you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. The Iron Snail Hey Snailiens, Here’s the Deal I’m assuming that you’re already familiar with one of my pairs of boots. They are the first-ever boots to hike the entire Appalachian Trail. They are the Russell Moccasin Back Country boots. After 100 years, they have some tiny updates, but they are close to the original boots that Earl Shaffer wore on his first walk. Handmade in Berlin, Wisconsin – absolutely beautiful, my favorite boots of the entire collection. I think they’re so good-looking. The Iron Snail What’s up, Snailiens, it’s Michael! Today, we are looking at my entire boot collection, and you may have noticed recently that I have been doing these large collections – eight things I love, eight things I hate, whatever, whatever. The reason for that is because a certain girlfriend of mine, my only one, to be honest, Taylor is moving in with me, and I have a very small apartment in New York, so we can’t fit all this stuff. So the goal of today is to go over my 15 boots and basically get rid of all of them except three. The Iron Snail Boot Collection Quick Overview Boot Features Usage Construction Notes Russell Moccasin Backcountry Boots Handmade, durable, heirloom quality Everyday wear, hiking Hand-stitched, Berlin, Wisconsin Favorite boots, passed down for generations Doc Martens 1460s Classic design, versatile Stored for comparison use Goodyear welt Useful for reviews and comparisons Blundstone Work Boots Steel toe, fire-resistant Heavy-duty work, casual Slip-on Chelsea design Height-boosting, highly water-resistant Red Wing 8833s Beefy leather, work-ready Workwear Heavy-duty leather Planned for experimental use Jim Green Razorbacks Comfortable, durable Hiking Stitchdown construction Favorite Jim Green boots Hoka Kaha GTX2 High-tech design, ultra-cushioned Hiking Maximalist design “Space-age” hiking boots Rhodes Portland Sleek, stylish Casual Stormwelt construction Sold to make room for new boots Blundstone 585s Highly water-resistant Everyday wear Slip-on Chelsea design First boots reviewed L.L. Bean Boots Classic, waterproof Casual Rubber and leather Oversized; selling for new pair Viberg 145s Waxed flesh leather Casual, travel Heavy-duty leather Legendary design Wolverine Thousand Mile Classic leather, nostalgic (for me) Casual Goodyear welt First boots that sparked obsession   The Iron Snail So, we’ll start with the boots I’m wearing right now. Why not? Say hello again to the Russell Moccasin Back Countries. I will never sell these. I talked to the current CEO, Luke, about these boots, and he sent them to me for free. I feel very honored to have them, and that’s not the only reason I’m keeping them – they’re also my favorite. They’re incredibly beautiful, and the way they’re constructed means that they will last literally forever. If my great-great-grandson has tiny little ballerina baby feet like me, he’ll be rocking these until he passes them down to his grandson. The Iron Snail The first boot that I will be holding above the townspeople and chopping its head off is the Doc Martin 1460s. I actually do really like these boots. I am selling them but not selling them – I am keeping them. I’m probably just going to put them in long-term storage or something like that because having this gig means they’re a good comparison for other brands. Like I’m doing a Timberland review very soon, Doc Martens are going to come up, so I kind of have to keep them for that reason. And a very cool brand reached out to me and said, “Hey Michael, we made Doc Martin Killers, so can you compare those for us?” and I said, “Yeah, sure,” I could do that. The Iron Snail If there’s any interest in these boots, I’ll talk about them in a different article, but these are my Blundstone super heavy-duty work boots, whatever Blundstone calls them. They’re essentially like a Chelsea boot equivalent to Timberland Pros – steel toe, fire resistant, electrical hazardous resistance. They’re crazy. I saw someone wearing them on my block, and I was like, “Excuse me, what are those?” I thought they were waterproof – they are just a very, very water-resistant nubuck. My other Blundstones that we’ll talk about later are virtually waterproof for all intents and purposes. These are insane boots, and they add like two inches to my height. Every time I wear them, everybody thinks that I’m dressed way cooler than I actually am. These are the shoes that I was wearing when the fashion director of J.Crew saw me on the street and gave me an up and down. But they have to go because my beautiful queen is moving in. The Iron Snail The Red Wing 8833s – I talked about these literally in my last article. I said I didn’t like them and that I regretted buying them. I realized I love to look at them, but I don’t think they look that good on my feet, so who actually knows? The leather on them is incredibly beefy and may look soft, but it’s very rough and hard to move and bend. They’re work boots. And famous commenter Stacy Graham something, who I frankly can’t decide if this person likes me or if they hate me, but either way, they trashed all of my clothes, but they said boots are okay, so I am selling them or getting rid of them. The Iron Snail Next are the Jim Green Razorback boots in fudge. Jim Green has a really cool story – Gareth from Jim Green, like I’ve said before, sent me essentially every single boot that Jim Green has ever made. Razorbacks are by far my favorite and that is why I am keeping them. They’re super comfortable, they feel like tanks, they’ll age beautifully, they’ll last for a very long time, and they have a lot of padding, so if you’re going hiking for a long time, that’s good stuff. The Iron Snail Hoka Kaha GTX2 6000, whatever it may be – these are essentially computers for your feet. I don’t have a lot of techware. These are the first ever hiking modern maximalist crazy boots that I have. Whoa! I am writing an article comparing Russell Moccasins to these Hokas. I’m gonna go for hikes, and I’m gonna figure out what I like and what I don’t like about both of them, but these are something else. Even the way your feet go in, it feels like it’s this perfectly molded spaceship that locks your feet in and then floats you across the ground. So I’m keeping them for now. I’ll let you know my thoughts on that article. I have to hike up the same trail like 10 times. I got those boots from Huckberry, by the way, so thank you, Charles, for sending them to me for freezies. The Iron Snail Speaking of Huckberry, next are the Rhodes Portland boots, which are one of my favorite boots from a stylistic standpoint. I think they are absolutely gorgeous. I love the silhouette; it’s sleek, and it makes me, for some reason, want to shift the gear on a motorcycle. I’ve never even been on a motorcycle. I really love the boot. I am selling the boot just for the room because I’ve talked about this boot many times, so I have to let it go to get a new boot in the collection. The storm-welt construction and weather-resistant suede are really, really lovely. The Iron Snail These Blundstones hold a very special place in my heart because this is the first-ever review I did on the Iron Snail. It was these Blundstones, the 585s. You can tell I’ve worn them constantly since I got them – the leather is all beat up, it’s super shiny, there’s old wax conditioner, whatever it may be. They’ve held up through it all. They’ve remained probably my most water-resistant boots through it all. Blundstones are just incredible. I’m a big fan of them, I’ve always loved them. Some people seem to really not like them. I will get to RM Williams one day and test those out, but I think it’s time to retire these Blunnies. The Iron Snail I am on record saying that the Red Wing 3335s are my favorite Red Wings of all time, and they still might be, but they probably are not. The 875s, the 1907s, and the Iron Rangers all have their own characteristics that I really really like. The 3335s, though, I like because they’re stitch-down construction, they’re lighter weight, you can feel more nimble in them, they’re a little easier to go walking with, maybe a light hike or something like that, but they’re going. The Iron Snail I don’t really think of myself as a lazy person. I don’t step on the back of my shoes when I need to put them on quickly – I put my fingers in the back, and I slide them on to preserve the heel at all costs. Birkenstocks, Blundstones, and shoes I can just kind of flop on really quick – I love those because half the time, I’m just running to the post office. I’ll just put on regular sneakers really quickly. That’s why I love Xtratufs because Xtratufs, Blundstones, I guess they can be categorized together – they’re just shoes that, no matter the weather, I could flop on really quick and go grab something with, or if it’s raining, I’ll put them on. I don’t really care what shoes I’m wearing when it’s raining. I don’t care what they look like. That’s not true. I am a little self-conscious, so I’m keeping these, but I could easily put them on the sell list. The Iron Snail I’m making a last-minute change to these next boots – I’m changing whether I’m keeping them or not. They are my Solovair monkey boots. I’ve talked about these many, many times. I’ve talked about the QA issue I had where by the seventh wear, one of the laces ripped, and the back tab ripped out, and then Solovair sent me the wrong things and said, “Repair it yourself” – they said it a little bit nicer than that, but still. But through all of that, I really like these boots. The leather isn’t super thick or anything. They’re comfortable, but it feels like when I put my feet in the boots, they don’t know where to go. Not that there isn’t enough room for them, but there’s almost too much. They’re sliding about; they’re sliding forward; they’re sliding backward. It probably just means I sized wrong, but I would sell those, probably only to get another pair of monkey boots. The Iron Snail Hello Bean boots! Since I saw them, I’ve always just thought wow, those are just some of the most beautiful boots of all time. When people are wearing them, sometimes I don’t agree, but when they’re splayed open up top with the gusseted tongue and everything like that, I just think they are gorgeous boots. I have a pair that, if you want to know the truth, I was with a girl at the time when I was buying them, and I have very small feet, uncharacteristically small. Up until 8th grade, I was like a size four, but they got bigger eventually, and they’re like at eight or nine now. But when I was with that girl, the guy said, “Oh, I’ll go get your boots from the back. What size are you?” and I was like, “I’m a size 10.” These are just way too big on me, so I’m probably gonna get another pair, but in the meantime, I’m going to sell them. I didn’t want to tell you how small my feet were – I told Luke from Russell Moccasin the size of my feet, and he laughed on the phone in my face. If I told Luke that my size was anything smaller than a size eight, Russell Moccasin would have had to make me a custom boot. The Croc Western Boots Are Staying The Iron Snail Croc western boots – you could pry these from my cold, dead hands! There’s also apparently a substantial secondary market for them, so maybe I’ll make some money. Just kidding, Huckberry, I’m not gonna sell them! I would never do such a thing. I don’t even like money. I’m really not gonna sell them, though. In all honesty, I just feel like that would be bad from a brand-to-brand perspective. Or would it? No, I won’t sell them! Or will I? No! The Iron Snail The Viberg 145s. Incredibly legendary shoe boots – I thought they were discontinued, but apparently, they’re not. These are natural waxed flesh, absolutely gorgeous shoe boots. I wore them all through Amsterdam, and I rode bikes in Denmark with them. I had a lovely time, and I haven’t connected to them yet. I don’t think they’re fully broken in yet, maybe something like that, but they just didn’t grab me as much as I thought they would. I was like, “Wow, my first pair of Vibergs, I can’t wait to finally feel happy,” and then I didn’t. The Iron Snail And finally, the grand finale and the boots that started it all – long before the Iron Snail, I had my Instagram called Eighth Weekday, and Wolverine, the boot company, said, “Hey, we’re running a contest, take a picture of what you would wear with a pair of Wolverine Thousand Miles if you had them, and if you win we’ll give you a pair of boots.” I submitted like 800 pictures to this contest, and I won. I remember I won while I was in class in high school, and I thought this was the greatest day of my life. The most popular kid in high school actually said to me, “You know Michael, I think you’re gonna do really big things when you graduate high school and college,” and I said, “Thanks, Eric Steele!” I got the wrong size. They don’t fit me really well at all, the back heel is worn down, but when I got them, I remember I was so excited to open the box. I had never smelt leather before, like real leather, so I ran up to my dad and told him it smelled like a baseball glove. I asked him if it smelled right. I told them about the leather bottoms, how I had to be careful with what I walked on this and that. I wore them in college all the time, and I was like, these are the greatest things that I’ve ever seen, and since that time, I have been obsessed with clothing. It would just feel really weird to sell those boots because they were more than gold to me for a very, very long time. It’s a crazy full-circle thing. I’m very grateful that people watch this channel, and brands sometimes reach out and are really nice about it. I can’t thank you all enough for that. Watch This Review Wrapping It Up Anyway, that is about it because Taylor is finally living in the United States of America again, and I’m going to her grandparents’ house right now to go see her, so I’m very excited about that. Thank you for reading this article. I will see you very soon, goodbye. This article was adapted from Michael Kristy’s video on The Iron Snail, with edits from FashionBeans, and was reviewed by Michael to ensure the integrity of his original content. Watch the full video here. The Iron Snail is a men’s fashion vlog (and now article series!) starring a young man named Michael and featuring a snail no bigger than a quarter. The two are set on taking over the world of fashion by creating a clothing line to end all clothing lines. Until then, we’re here to tell you EVERYTHING you need to know about the best clothing out there, from the highest quality raw denim jeans to the warmest jackets to the sturdiest boots…the Iron Snail has got you covered. Source link

[ellajme0]

10 January 2025 The Iron Snail We independently evaluate all recommended products and services. Any products or services put forward appear in no particular order. if you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. The Iron Snail Hey Snailiens, Here’s the Deal I’m assuming that you’re already familiar with one of my pairs of boots. They are the first-ever boots to hike the entire Appalachian Trail. They are the Russell Moccasin Back Country boots. After 100 years, they have some tiny updates, but they are close to the original boots that Earl Shaffer wore on his first walk. Handmade in Berlin, Wisconsin – absolutely beautiful, my favorite boots of the entire collection. I think they’re so good-looking. The Iron Snail What’s up, Snailiens, it’s Michael! Today, we are looking at my entire boot collection, and you may have noticed recently that I have been doing these large collections – eight things I love, eight things I hate, whatever, whatever. The reason for that is because a certain girlfriend of mine, my only one, to be honest, Taylor is moving in with me, and I have a very small apartment in New York, so we can’t fit all this stuff. So the goal of today is to go over my 15 boots and basically get rid of all of them except three. The Iron Snail Boot Collection Quick Overview Boot Features Usage Construction Notes Russell Moccasin Backcountry Boots Handmade, durable, heirloom quality Everyday wear, hiking Hand-stitched, Berlin, Wisconsin Favorite boots, passed down for generations Doc Martens 1460s Classic design, versatile Stored for comparison use Goodyear welt Useful for reviews and comparisons Blundstone Work Boots Steel toe, fire-resistant Heavy-duty work, casual Slip-on Chelsea design Height-boosting, highly water-resistant Red Wing 8833s Beefy leather, work-ready Workwear Heavy-duty leather Planned for experimental use Jim Green Razorbacks Comfortable, durable Hiking Stitchdown construction Favorite Jim Green boots Hoka Kaha GTX2 High-tech design, ultra-cushioned Hiking Maximalist design “Space-age” hiking boots Rhodes Portland Sleek, stylish Casual Stormwelt construction Sold to make room for new boots Blundstone 585s Highly water-resistant Everyday wear Slip-on Chelsea design First boots reviewed L.L. Bean Boots Classic, waterproof Casual Rubber and leather Oversized; selling for new pair Viberg 145s Waxed flesh leather Casual, travel Heavy-duty leather Legendary design Wolverine Thousand Mile Classic leather, nostalgic (for me) Casual Goodyear welt First boots that sparked obsession   The Iron Snail So, we’ll start with the boots I’m wearing right now. Why not? Say hello again to the Russell Moccasin Back Countries. I will never sell these. I talked to the current CEO, Luke, about these boots, and he sent them to me for free. I feel very honored to have them, and that’s not the only reason I’m keeping them – they’re also my favorite. They’re incredibly beautiful, and the way they’re constructed means that they will last literally forever. If my great-great-grandson has tiny little ballerina baby feet like me, he’ll be rocking these until he passes them down to his grandson. The Iron Snail The first boot that I will be holding above the townspeople and chopping its head off is the Doc Martin 1460s. I actually do really like these boots. I am selling them but not selling them – I am keeping them. I’m probably just going to put them in long-term storage or something like that because having this gig means they’re a good comparison for other brands. Like I’m doing a Timberland review very soon, Doc Martens are going to come up, so I kind of have to keep them for that reason. And a very cool brand reached out to me and said, “Hey Michael, we made Doc Martin Killers, so can you compare those for us?” and I said, “Yeah, sure,” I could do that. The Iron Snail If there’s any interest in these boots, I’ll talk about them in a different article, but these are my Blundstone super heavy-duty work boots, whatever Blundstone calls them. They’re essentially like a Chelsea boot equivalent to Timberland Pros – steel toe, fire resistant, electrical hazardous resistance. They’re crazy. I saw someone wearing them on my block, and I was like, “Excuse me, what are those?” I thought they were waterproof – they are just a very, very water-resistant nubuck. My other Blundstones that we’ll talk about later are virtually waterproof for all intents and purposes. These are insane boots, and they add like two inches to my height. Every time I wear them, everybody thinks that I’m dressed way cooler than I actually am. These are the shoes that I was wearing when the fashion director of J.Crew saw me on the street and gave me an up and down. But they have to go because my beautiful queen is moving in. The Iron Snail The Red Wing 8833s – I talked about these literally in my last article. I said I didn’t like them and that I regretted buying them. I realized I love to look at them, but I don’t think they look that good on my feet, so who actually knows? The leather on them is incredibly beefy and may look soft, but it’s very rough and hard to move and bend. They’re work boots. And famous commenter Stacy Graham something, who I frankly can’t decide if this person likes me or if they hate me, but either way, they trashed all of my clothes, but they said boots are okay, so I am selling them or getting rid of them. The Iron Snail Next are the Jim Green Razorback boots in fudge. Jim Green has a really cool story – Gareth from Jim Green, like I’ve said before, sent me essentially every single boot that Jim Green has ever made. Razorbacks are by far my favorite and that is why I am keeping them. They’re super comfortable, they feel like tanks, they’ll age beautifully, they’ll last for a very long time, and they have a lot of padding, so if you’re going hiking for a long time, that’s good stuff. The Iron Snail Hoka Kaha GTX2 6000, whatever it may be – these are essentially computers for your feet. I don’t have a lot of techware. These are the first ever hiking modern maximalist crazy boots that I have. Whoa! I am writing an article comparing Russell Moccasins to these Hokas. I’m gonna go for hikes, and I’m gonna figure out what I like and what I don’t like about both of them, but these are something else. Even the way your feet go in, it feels like it’s this perfectly molded spaceship that locks your feet in and then floats you across the ground. So I’m keeping them for now. I’ll let you know my thoughts on that article. I have to hike up the same trail like 10 times. I got those boots from Huckberry, by the way, so thank you, Charles, for sending them to me for freezies. The Iron Snail Speaking of Huckberry, next are the Rhodes Portland boots, which are one of my favorite boots from a stylistic standpoint. I think they are absolutely gorgeous. I love the silhouette; it’s sleek, and it makes me, for some reason, want to shift the gear on a motorcycle. I’ve never even been on a motorcycle. I really love the boot. I am selling the boot just for the room because I’ve talked about this boot many times, so I have to let it go to get a new boot in the collection. The storm-welt construction and weather-resistant suede are really, really lovely. The Iron Snail These Blundstones hold a very special place in my heart because this is the first-ever review I did on the Iron Snail. It was these Blundstones, the 585s. You can tell I’ve worn them constantly since I got them – the leather is all beat up, it’s super shiny, there’s old wax conditioner, whatever it may be. They’ve held up through it all. They’ve remained probably my most water-resistant boots through it all. Blundstones are just incredible. I’m a big fan of them, I’ve always loved them. Some people seem to really not like them. I will get to RM Williams one day and test those out, but I think it’s time to retire these Blunnies. The Iron Snail I am on record saying that the Red Wing 3335s are my favorite Red Wings of all time, and they still might be, but they probably are not. The 875s, the 1907s, and the Iron Rangers all have their own characteristics that I really really like. The 3335s, though, I like because they’re stitch-down construction, they’re lighter weight, you can feel more nimble in them, they’re a little easier to go walking with, maybe a light hike or something like that, but they’re going. The Iron Snail I don’t really think of myself as a lazy person. I don’t step on the back of my shoes when I need to put them on quickly – I put my fingers in the back, and I slide them on to preserve the heel at all costs. Birkenstocks, Blundstones, and shoes I can just kind of flop on really quick – I love those because half the time, I’m just running to the post office. I’ll just put on regular sneakers really quickly. That’s why I love Xtratufs because Xtratufs, Blundstones, I guess they can be categorized together – they’re just shoes that, no matter the weather, I could flop on really quick and go grab something with, or if it’s raining, I’ll put them on. I don’t really care what shoes I’m wearing when it’s raining. I don’t care what they look like. That’s not true. I am a little self-conscious, so I’m keeping these, but I could easily put them on the sell list. The Iron Snail I’m making a last-minute change to these next boots – I’m changing whether I’m keeping them or not. They are my Solovair monkey boots. I’ve talked about these many, many times. I’ve talked about the QA issue I had where by the seventh wear, one of the laces ripped, and the back tab ripped out, and then Solovair sent me the wrong things and said, “Repair it yourself” – they said it a little bit nicer than that, but still. But through all of that, I really like these boots. The leather isn’t super thick or anything. They’re comfortable, but it feels like when I put my feet in the boots, they don’t know where to go. Not that there isn’t enough room for them, but there’s almost too much. They’re sliding about; they’re sliding forward; they’re sliding backward. It probably just means I sized wrong, but I would sell those, probably only to get another pair of monkey boots. The Iron Snail Hello Bean boots! Since I saw them, I’ve always just thought wow, those are just some of the most beautiful boots of all time. When people are wearing them, sometimes I don’t agree, but when they’re splayed open up top with the gusseted tongue and everything like that, I just think they are gorgeous boots. I have a pair that, if you want to know the truth, I was with a girl at the time when I was buying them, and I have very small feet, uncharacteristically small. Up until 8th grade, I was like a size four, but they got bigger eventually, and they’re like at eight or nine now. But when I was with that girl, the guy said, “Oh, I’ll go get your boots from the back. What size are you?” and I was like, “I’m a size 10.” These are just way too big on me, so I’m probably gonna get another pair, but in the meantime, I’m going to sell them. I didn’t want to tell you how small my feet were – I told Luke from Russell Moccasin the size of my feet, and he laughed on the phone in my face. If I told Luke that my size was anything smaller than a size eight, Russell Moccasin would have had to make me a custom boot. The Croc Western Boots Are Staying The Iron Snail Croc western boots – you could pry these from my cold, dead hands! There’s also apparently a substantial secondary market for them, so maybe I’ll make some money. Just kidding, Huckberry, I’m not gonna sell them! I would never do such a thing. I don’t even like money. I’m really not gonna sell them, though. In all honesty, I just feel like that would be bad from a brand-to-brand perspective. Or would it? No, I won’t sell them! Or will I? No! The Iron Snail The Viberg 145s. Incredibly legendary shoe boots – I thought they were discontinued, but apparently, they’re not. These are natural waxed flesh, absolutely gorgeous shoe boots. I wore them all through Amsterdam, and I rode bikes in Denmark with them. I had a lovely time, and I haven’t connected to them yet. I don’t think they’re fully broken in yet, maybe something like that, but they just didn’t grab me as much as I thought they would. I was like, “Wow, my first pair of Vibergs, I can’t wait to finally feel happy,” and then I didn’t. The Iron Snail And finally, the grand finale and the boots that started it all – long before the Iron Snail, I had my Instagram called Eighth Weekday, and Wolverine, the boot company, said, “Hey, we’re running a contest, take a picture of what you would wear with a pair of Wolverine Thousand Miles if you had them, and if you win we’ll give you a pair of boots.” I submitted like 800 pictures to this contest, and I won. I remember I won while I was in class in high school, and I thought this was the greatest day of my life. The most popular kid in high school actually said to me, “You know Michael, I think you’re gonna do really big things when you graduate high school and college,” and I said, “Thanks, Eric Steele!” I got the wrong size. They don’t fit me really well at all, the back heel is worn down, but when I got them, I remember I was so excited to open the box. I had never smelt leather before, like real leather, so I ran up to my dad and told him it smelled like a baseball glove. I asked him if it smelled right. I told them about the leather bottoms, how I had to be careful with what I walked on this and that. I wore them in college all the time, and I was like, these are the greatest things that I’ve ever seen, and since that time, I have been obsessed with clothing. It would just feel really weird to sell those boots because they were more than gold to me for a very, very long time. It’s a crazy full-circle thing. I’m very grateful that people watch this channel, and brands sometimes reach out and are really nice about it. I can’t thank you all enough for that. Watch This Review Wrapping It Up Anyway, that is about it because Taylor is finally living in the United States of America again, and I’m going to her grandparents’ house right now to go see her, so I’m very excited about that. Thank you for reading this article. I will see you very soon, goodbye. This article was adapted from Michael Kristy’s video on The Iron Snail, with edits from FashionBeans, and was reviewed by Michael to ensure the integrity of his original content. Watch the full video here. The Iron Snail is a men’s fashion vlog (and now article series!) starring a young man named Michael and featuring a snail no bigger than a quarter. The two are set on taking over the world of fashion by creating a clothing line to end all clothing lines. Until then, we’re here to tell you EVERYTHING you need to know about the best clothing out there, from the highest quality raw denim jeans to the warmest jackets to the sturdiest boots…the Iron Snail has got you covered. Source link