Which Indo bookmaker to choose?

[jglf]

Anyone have experience with which Indonesian boot maker uses leather in the 5-6oz range? I have a pair from Benzeins and while very well made, it seems that all the leathers he uses is in the 4oz range and completely lined. It appears that all the makers, except for Onderhoud (hard to get in the queue) use thinner leathers and line their boots, even when using upgraded leathers. I would like the thickness of leathers that the PNW and flame panda use for their boots. I know I can dm all of them, but just checking if anyone here requested a thicker leather. Also, these makers might consider the leather they currently use as “thick” and measure leather weight differently than us.

 

[Modified_last_call]

I'm afraid I won't be able to help much.
I have a pair of Sagara Cordmasters (profile picture), and I specifically wanted museum calf.
Sagara's owner, Bagus, made sure that I was aware that the calf was a thinner leather.
Bagus is very responsive and very easy to work with.
I just bought a pair of Benzeins, and while the leather is thicker, they're nowhere near the weight of my White's or Wescos.

 

[Jin431]

That's true, I've got a few Benzein (2 Chelsea and 1 dress service boot) and they are all skived and I do wish thy were thicker as well. Maybe ask them not to skive the hides? I have Onderhoud engineer boots and the leather on the shaft is much thicker and unskived compared to the rest of the boot.

 

[TREEMAN]

LOL I thought your were looking to make a bet…

 

[dudewuttheheck]

Any reason why you need leather that thick? If you actually needed leather that substantial, you're better off with a PNW bootmaker because that's what their specialty is. If you want the finer detailing of some Indonesian makers, then you should be ready to accept some lighter leathers because their boots are not meant to be actual work boots the way PNW boots are.

 

[jglf]

I’m still waiting on a pair of Wesco Hendricks. Was told 3 months back in March when I ordered and heard it’s getting pushed back to a year now. White’s quality is shit now and Nick’s is too heavy duty for me, plus I heard their customer service is pretty bad.

The Indo makers seem to have less of a wait time and they are usually half the price of FP and PNW makers.

I like the shaft of the boot to be unlined, so 5-6oz seems to be the sweet spot and it also seems to be the ideal thickness to form a nice break on the shaft and vamp.

 

[Jin431]

@jglf It's about a 4 month average wait time from placing the order and DHL is pretty quick 4-7 days delivery from Indonesia to California. What boot are you trying to get and in what leather?

@dudewuttheheck does flame panda skive his boots? It looks thicker and beefier. Still waiting for my 102 last monkey boots to be completed.m

 

[dudewuttheheck]

I’m still waiting on a pair of Wesco Hendricks. Was told 3 months back in March when I ordered and heard it’s getting pushed back to a year now. White’s quality is shit now and Nick’s is too heavy duty for me, plus I heard their customer service is pretty bad.

The Indo makers seem to have less of a wait time and they are usually half the price of FP and PNW makers.

I like the shaft of the boot to be unlined, so 5-6oz seems to be the sweet spot and it also seems to be the ideal thickness to form a nice break on the shaft and vamp.

Something that I have to point out is that Indonesian bootmakers are not half the price of Flame Panda and PNW makers. My Nicks were under $600 and in a cheaper leather are something like $519. Wesco and Whites are similar and Whites has some very affordable stuff. Also, Flame Panda's offerings are usually around $650-$680.

If you want non-Indonesian leather (and I promise you that you do) the Indonesian makers usually are in the $450-$550 range in my own experience. That is less than FP and PNW, but definitely not half.

5-6oz still seems a bit arbitrary to me if you don't need thick leather for work. The quality of the leather and the quality of the last/design and the maker matters far more.

@jglf It's about a 4 month average wait time from placing the order and DHL is pretty quick 4-7 days delivery from Indonesia to California. What boot are you trying to get and in what leather?

@dudewuttheheck does flame panda skive his boots? It looks thicker and beefier. Still waiting for my 102 last monkey boots to be completed.m

I don't think that he does. It's not something I have asked him about specifically. The bottoms of his boots are very weighty. I have maryam horsebutt from him and Onderhoud and Flame Panda's seems just straight up better. It seems thicker, has better grain, and is better clicked.