Jim Green

[Fifty150]

How's the overall foot support in JG boots?

On my feet, they are fine. My feet don't hurt. No sore spots.


We all have different feet. There really is no "overall".


It's a stitchdown design. You are standing on a proprietary foot bed, the lasting board, a midsole, and whatever outsole. The boots are all wide, and will accommodate an Orthotics insert. The Jim Green foot bed is not special in any way, nor do they make any claims about it being engineered for comfort.

I have Steel Toe Razorback, built on their Steel Toe Cap last, and the Numzaan, built on their Ashley M Last. Both shoes were based on the fact that the main upper part of the shoe is a large single piece of leather. Not several small scrap pieces sewn together. The full leather lining was another factor which sold me. But what closed the deal for me was pricing. You get a lot for the price point.


My regular shoe width is medium. Jim Green shoes are extra wide. Equivalent to 2E. Plenty of room for me to wear 2 pairs of socks and wiggle my toes. Although I actually like to wear these boots without socks, because my feet are already wrapped in the full leather lining and leather foot bed.

 

[Fifty150]

Oiled. Lotioned. Laced. Ready for breaking in.

 

[jordan1776]

On my feet, they are fine. My feet don't hurt. No sore spots.


We all have different feet. There really is no "overall".


It's a stitchdown design. You are standing on a proprietary foot bed, the lasting board, a midsole, and whatever outsole. The boots are all wide, and will accommodate an Orthotics insert. The Jim Green foot bed is not special in any way, nor do they make any claims about it being engineered for comfort.


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I have Steel Toe Razorback, built on their Steel Toe Cap last, and the Numzaan, built on their Ashley M Last. Both shoes were based on the fact that the main upper part of the shoe is a large single piece of leather. Not several small scrap pieces sewn together. The full leather lining was another factor which sold me. But what closed the deal for me was pricing. You get a lot for the price point.


My regular shoe width is medium. Jim Green shoes are extra wide. Equivalent to 2E. Plenty of room for me to wear 2 pairs of socks and wiggle my toes. Although I actually like to wear these boots without socks, because my feet are already wrapped in the full leather lining and leather foot bed.

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Nice to hear you're happy with your Jim Green shoes! The extra-wide design and full leather lining seem to be a great fit for your feet. The quality of the leather and craftsmanship looks top-notch in the photos you shared. And the price point is hard to beat!

 

[Ernest P Shackleton]

what model are those light tan leather ones with the triple-stitch toe cap? sharp.

 

[Fifty150]

what model are those light tan leather ones with the triple-stitch toe cap? sharp.

Numzaan

Historically, Amazon has offered discounts for Jim Green on Amazon Prime Day and Black Friday.

Today was Day One. I took them out on The Tract. Stiff. Hard. Many layers of new leather. I don't know if I'm breaking in the shoes; or if the shoes are breaking in my feet. The entire foot being encased in leather does feel good. The full leather lining. The extra leather piece inside the shoe at the back of the heel. You're standing on a leather lasting board and a leather sock liner. On the steep hills of Chinatown, every step felt sure-footed. Even those strange looking outsoles gripped the concrete sidewalks, and did not slip on metal utility access covers, storm drains, and manhole covers.


Because they are constructed from so much leather, these boots will be heavy. These are good boots if you like heavy, stiff leather. From my narrow exposure, the ASHM last used for the Numzaan is a wide last. I normally wear a medium or D width. I can feel the extra room for my toes to wiggle. The height is just right for ankle support and the gusseted tongue is good enough for light rain.

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[Fifty150]

These are the products I have used on these shoes. Right or wrong, it's what I have on hand.

First step is oil. Once that soaks in, I add the lotion. When the lotion is absorbed, I apply polish.

Oil and lotion, condition and moisturize the leather. Oil and water don't mix. Water will not penetrate well oiled leather. The shoe polish layer on top will repel moisture, rain, vomit, spilled drinks, and other bar room hazards. The layer of shoe polish makes it easier to wipe off anything that spills on it. This is why I only wear full grain leather now. I stopped wearing suede and nubuck because you can never get blood, pee, vomit, and fruity cocktails out of the nap.

This is sort of how I treat all of my shoes. What do you guys like to use?

 

[Fifty150]

2 coats of oil, lotion, and polish. Breaking in with 2nd wear. Still a little stiff. Much better than right out of the box. I suspect that these will be broken in to my feet with a few more wears. They're already starting to feel good

 

[Fifty150]

Maybe it's unique to the subculture of the working class poor in The USA. Work boots. Without any specific definition as to what kind of work. Any kind of work that may come your way. You needed to have a pair of boots. Whether it was a production plant or warehouse that needed extra labor to fill a big order. Or a large construction job where they needed more hands to do unskilled labor. Maybe the local garage needed a second pair of hands. O a neighborhood bakery needed an extra person who could lift 50 pound sacks of flour. We did all of the work around our own homes, from painting, to tree trimming, to unclogging drain pipes.

From the time I was old enough to work, which meant child labor, I had work boots. Steel toe. Ready for any kind of work that someone would give me. Steel toe shoes were important. If I didn't own any other shoes, my one pair of shoes would be steel toe boots. I would not be able to wash dishes at Panda Express wearing Gucci loafers.

As an adult, I still have steel toe boots. Now that I can afford it, I have several pairs. I didn't need another pair of steel toe boots. But I was drawn in by the clever marketing schematic of Amazon Black Friday. Half off.


What impressed me most was that the entire upper, the vamp, is a single piece of leather. And the entire boot is leather lined. Along with the leather foot bed insole, and the leather heel counter cover. The padded ankle and tongue were also nice touches.



These were thick, stiff, and took a few wears to break in. On my feet, I could wear 2 pairs of socks, and still have room for my toes to wiggle. They broke in with a combination of oil, lotion, polish, and wear. Maybe a few weeks, of wearing them every 3 days with 2 days in between to rub in more leather product.

Would I wear them every day? No. They are heavy.

I do like them when heavy work boots are needed. Even with the large, bulbous toe, they don't feel awkward. I'm able to shift gears on a motorcycle, and climb ladders. No problems at all with kicking debris in the urban environment. I feel very surefooted when pushing a shopping cart full of groceries. I've worn them on saltwater fishing trips, and not had an issue. The boots have performed well in the forest where there's loose dirt, gravel, mud, and who knows what under twigs and leaves. City sidewalks with rainy wet pavement, metal sewer grates, manhole covers, and utility access vaults - not a problem.


Would I buy another pair? Yes, if I "needed" steel toe boots. Would I buy these boots without the steel toes? Yes, if I "needed" boots. My reality is that I don't "need" another pair of these for any reason. I don't "need" any more boots at all. I own enough boots to last until I die. But like a consumer, I deep buying things that I don't "need". I just bought 3 dozen pairs of socks - for under $1 per pair. Now I'll have socks to last until I die.

 

[Fifty150]

Third wear. They're good. Already broken in. Very comfortable. These worked out for my feet.

 

[Fifty150]

I am really starting to like these. Once broken in, they feel really good.

 

[Fifty150]

Jim Green is fast becoming my shoe of choice. They just feel good. On my feet, and we all have different feet, they're comfortable.

 

[Ernest P Shackleton]

aren't some, or all, of their lasts based on the Munson? I know many people don't like the way Munson shoes look, but even though I don't have wide feet, I find it incredibly comfortable.

 

[大馬伕]

aren't some, or all, of their lasts based on the Munson?

I don't know. They have their own lasts. Here's how they describe their sizing.

 

[Fifty150]

I believe that Jim Green's shoe lasts are proprietary. Not a lot of information can be found.

 

[Fifty150]

This new model has caught my eye. Black tanned leather is polishable. Tyre wedge sole is soft and offers good traction. This model has a pull loop. It uses the Steel Toe Cap last which is very roomy.




Now I just have to justify to myself, why I need another pair of shoes.

 

[Ernest P Shackleton]

That's a crude eyelet choice they made there. Completely changes the aesthetics on a black boot. I think their standard eyelet works better on a tan than a darker leather. The lug profile makes me think of the original Brit monkey boots, which I have always liked. The thing about the eyelets is that if they're going to dip their toes into the fashiony and ravenous buyer markets, those tiny tweaks make a world of difference. I don't want to pretend like I understand what happened at Viberg, but I got the impression one of the younger family members (?) was in tune with the younger collector market, and then as the brand struggled, they gave him the job of watching the trends and moving the company along those lines. I wouldn't want to see JG follow that business model, but it would be understandable if they did. As they say, another one bites the dust?

 

[TLW '90]

I don't think Jim Green is really at risk of that.
Viberg shifted to target those who could afford their boots, while Jim Green is simply leveraging the value proposition of their products to expand but not completely move into other markets.
They still thrive on making footwear for blue collar shit kickers, and I don't see that changing.
As long as they don't overextend themselves with the dress boots and trendy custom options they should remain a good value proposition in work boots.
I would like to see them offer an outsole option that's oil & slip resistant ( maybe they do ? ) , but otherwise I have no complaints wants or expectations of failure from them.

 

[Fifty150]

they should remain a good value proposition in work boots.

I always thought that Jim Green, until the recent Baobab & Numzaan, were outdoors footwear. They were hiking boots. Boots made for going through the jungles, woods, bush, et cetera. There is only one model with a steel toe cap, and composite toe cap is a custom order item. The steel toe Razorback is a hiking boot with a steel toe. Depending on what you do, it may function as a work boot. 6" is a little low for some trades. A lot of work boot buyers want 8" or 10" boots for protection.

an outsole option that's oil & slip resistant

I don't think their focus is the industrial footwear market. None of the soles offered for retail make that claim. But they do claim that one of their soles will keep you quiet when walking through the African bush.



The lug soles on my Razorback and the V-Bar tread on my Numzaan are not slip and oil resistant. I can personally attest that they slip and slide on greasy floors. Not even safe to go to the bathroom. You could literally slip and break your hip in a public bathroom. Don't ask me how I know. You may be safe peeing behind a Baobab tree in The African Bush. But you are not safe in the men's room of a leather bar


One of the things that nobody has mentioned is that the Jim Green boots are wide at the sole. The front, the waist, and the heel, are wide. It may be difficult to glue aftermarket soles on to the bottom if the aftermarket soles are more narrow than the shoe.

 

[Ernest P Shackleton]

I believe raw Vibram soles are quite large to accommodate things like this. If you watch various bootmakers on youtube resoling, like Nick's, they have to trim off quite a bit. First, a bandsaw trimming, and then a beltsander finishing. If I'm right about Vibram, I would guess it industry standard.

 

[Fifty150]

Certain size and color combinations have been marked down for Amazon's Prime Deals.