Amazing collection Regius. How are you liking the Craft Rites? I'm seriously considering a pair.
Craft Rites are nice shoes. The lightest so far and possibly going to be the lightest, even lighter than the RRL Murdock, considering the Murdock is smaller overall and has a flat heel. I have not had a chance to wear them too often, but I think they are very stylish and comfortable, there is definitely room to wiggle but your heel won't lift up to the extent of flip flopping, whereas the Wesco size 8 for me is a bit like flip flopping, thats' why I kept the 7.5.
You should consider getting the craft rite, wear it as along as you like, then send to Brian to get re-soled or modified. It's worth it.
Thanks for the answer! It seems like they are a great option. Like you said, they seem quite stylish. I considered the Attractions as well, but I prefer the aesthetic of the Craft Rites.
Out of pure curiosity, do you have a favorite pair of engineers?
Hard question to answer!! The reason being my standard comes and goes. Sometimes I want a pair to look just like that in some movie, such as Rebel without cause, in which case the cherry Chippewa or the Wesco would do, they both have high woodman heels and a chizzeled front facia, tall shaft, however, the Wesco for example, is not the most comfortable fit for now. On the other hand, my RRL Julien fits snug and never slip, so I can walk with confidence although it doesn't look like the boots in the movies at all, it looks like some kind of warped cowboy boots/military combat boot hybrid. Then it's the Redwing, very high quality for a mall brand, steel toe but doens't hurt and looks tough, reminds me of the Terminator 2.
The Attractions are just beautiful on their own, although I haven't seend any movie boots that look like them. I think the upcoming RoleClub and the RoadChamp are going to be the best of both worlds, 50s look and fit (i know they actually mean to look like 30s, but some flat toe design continued into the 40s and 50s).
I'm waiting on a pair of black horsehide Role Club. The Road Champ is very uniquely retro also, the leather is just awesome, thick and supple, but not puffy, very dense and not too smooth like the chromexel.
Rebel Without a Cause is the movie I hold dear to the engineer boot and my Wesco's, but I do prefer the Roadchamp look. That however is just not possible due to my size. Chippewa is a decent look but I cant wear those due to rubbing the front of my ankle; the boot is just too small there. Got brand new pair in the garage worn twice. My RRL's are still too tight. You all have some impressive looking boots and as an old Wesco fan for years may have to look at the others you guys have introduced here. Still hoping for a size 13 Roadchamp.
Bloody oath it is. I'm glad I stuck to my guns. I was so crushed when the first pair arrived, particularly after about 17 weeks wait.wow. That really is night and day there.
Rebel Without a Cause is the movie I hold dear to the engineer boot and my Wesco's, but I do prefer the Roadchamp look. That however is just not possible due to my size. Chippewa is a decent look but I cant wear those due to rubbing the front of my ankle; the boot is just too small there. Got brand new pair in the garage worn twice. My RRL's are still too tight. You all have some impressive looking boots and as an old Wesco fan for years may have to look at the others you guys have introduced here. Still hoping for a size 13 Roadchamp.
Makes the originals look even worse doesn't it?
I like the chunky sole on the grinders, Edward. Reminds me of some made by skechers I had back in the 90s. I was dubious at first of what I'd considered more of a fashion brand, but they turned out to be fairly well made and stood up to almost 10 years of near daily wear. Engineer boots always were my favored footwear back in the day, and definately Brando had some part in it, as well as Sid.
Back to the grinders, I'm surprised they don't offer them in a burgundy/oxblood, all their other styles seem to be available in that color as well as black. In fact, I don't think I have ever seen any color other than those two.
Do your grinders have the screwed on soles? Best I remember, that was the thing about those. Looking back, it seems grinders became popular here about the time DMs began to be readily available in the malls. I guess they just weren't punk enough anymore if just anybody could get them.
fwiw - I currently have a pair of Frye engineer boots that I'm pretty happy with, and they didn't break the bank. I got them on sale for
about $130USD, and about three years in they're still going strong. Chippewa or Carolina are also good options to consider without breaking the bank, but I'm not sure you could get any color besides black.