Advice on Engineer boots

TartuWolf said:

Check craft and glory as well if you wanna try some cheap ones.

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I think they're good bang for buck but find their pattern rather lackluster. Hard to explain but it's like the shaft is too wide front-to-back as if the upper ought to be longer so the curve at the instep could be closer to the shin. Their standard D width (in their engineers anyways) fits fairly wide which isn't inherently a bad thing. The leather is decently stuff but almost dry - the straps curled up really quick but I gave them a condition before laying some Obenauf's Heavy LP on them as I inted to put them through their paces on the bike.

I'm not optimistic about the them resisting water since I opted for leather insoles which happened to squeak so I powdered them and out them back in to find that when I step down into them the powder spits out of the stitching around the toe. Finally, if I were to order again I would reach out and request a sole upgrade as I know they have Dr. Sole's as an upgrade option and I'm not fond of their in-house sole pattern/feel but am in no rush to resole them now.

But they are genuinely handmade, goodyear welted or stitchdown construction, made to order in a timely fashion, and ultimately more affordable than even many better options on the used market. I would just hate for any of the potential downsides aforementioned to dissuade anyone from upgrading from these or end up giving up on engineers altogether.

As for the original poster, I constantly see short Chippewa's on Ebay for sub $500, at least in my size. Some Red Wings but substantially higher prices with the occasional great deal.

@Luc Punksblood thank you for sharing your experience in so much detail. Great example of bringing value / contributing as a member!

r.biker said:

Does anyone have any experience or thoughts on shorter engineer boots? Example is a 7" Chippewa attached.

Any worn pics etc? Trying to source my first pair and unsure whether to go for the shorter or longer ones. Generally would like them for casual wear but also to wear on the bike but I'm wondering if the taller ones are going to be too much of a step up from my usual boots to feel comfortable.

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if the shaft is narrow like zip up boots it's fine to be an ankle boots, but if the shaft is wide and low, then as you bend your ankle a bit when you sit , the low shaft won't follow your ankle movement because it is wide enough and unaffected, and so there is probably a weird bent on your lower trousers leg because the short shaft poking underneath.

I've mentioned Sendra 13416 here and there in the past praising them.
I've had my size 41 pair for quite a few years now and as much as I love them they are just a tiny bit too small.
But 42-43 have always been out of stock everywhere, especially the black ones.
The brown ones look super nice as well, but I want my rugged lugged beater engineers to be black.
Recently trendbereich in Germany restocked on the black ones in size 42-43.
Pretty good price at 220eur per pair.
Great shipping price at 16eu to Estonia. Compare that to buying from Sendra directly or from shop-boots - they want over 50eur for shipping a pair, which is nuts.
And trendbereich offers free returns, even from Estonia!
So I grabbed both 42 and 43 for assurance.
Today they came and my fears/doubts about Sendra bullshit sizing were correct - their current 42 EU is the same size as my old 41. Sendra at some point were even signifying "Spain" and "EU" sizing separately. For example a had a pair that was 41 "Spain", 42 "EU", 8 UK and 9 US. Talk about confusing.
And since my pair is simply "41" without any specification I guess it's "Spain" 41.
I contacted Sendra support to get info about sizing but they are completely useless. Every single time I've ever talked to Sendra support it has been disappointing.
Anyway, I'm glad that the 43 fit me rather well, especially with an insert, so I'll be keeping them.
According to the box 42EU = 8UK = 8.5US and 43EU = 9UK = 9.5US. Such weird sizing...
Here are some shots of my old 41 (???) next to the new 43 EU ones.
Note that the photo angle exaggerates the last shape from above, it's not that drastic of a difference in person, but there does seem to be a slight difference.