First Pair of Handmade Boots By Nicks

Someone on Reddit once said "Don't cheap out on things that separate your ass from the ground." and I agree with this especially for shoes considering the amount of time that we spend in them. Among the different types of shoes that I've purchased over the years—sneakers, running shoes, oxfords, and boots—work boots have been my favorite for walking, driving, hiking, and everyday wear regardless of the seasons. I love the toughness of work boots and they look great paired with jeans. Recently I upgraded in the game and ordered my first pair of PNW boots—also known as Pacific Northwest boots, are rugged, durable, and traditionally hand crafted leather work boots, known for their balance between functionality and timeless style—from Nicks Handmade Boots.

  • BuilderPro® HNW Moderate Arch last
  • Standard soft toe (had steel toe in other boots and don't feel I need them)
  • 7-8 oz leather in 1964 Brown Roughout for durability and abbrasion resistance
  • 8" height for more ankle support
  • Fully gusseted tongue for preventing debris from entering the shoe
  • Vibram V100 lug sole for strong tread and a block heel for traction and stability

First impression

These BuilderPro boots are really high quality and heavy duty. No more leather color dyed on my white socks, no more sweaty feet, and the left heel pain is gone! This is the first time I don't use any insoles. And I took a 2-mile walk in the park during break-in period, no compliants.

Due to the stiffness of new work leather and v100 lug outsole, it did happen a couple of times while I was driving that I pressed the gas paddle when I really intended to brake. Glad it didn't cause any safety issue and I started paying more attention.

Exchange due to unexpected issues

What turned out as a surprise is after wearing the new boots for a few days, I noticed two issues: the right boot outsole is 1/4" wider than the left and the stampped size is 8 D on both shoes even though I ordered 8 E... It almost feels like the left shoe is 8 D last and right is 8 E.

So I reached out to Nicks and their customer services team offered to take the boots back for inspection and will build me a new pair of size 8 E.

Material delay and decision making

Two weeks after retuning the boots, Nicks emailed me that the 1964 Brown work leather is out of stock and the new shipment is delayed until early May. This was very disappointing while I had been waiting for the new boots patiently. It's also a conflict with my travel schedule. I reached out again and was told the only in-stock work leather is the 1964 Mahogany, which I never really considered originally. After reconsidering, I decided to go with 1964 Mahogany Smooth. And luckily, with their marketing manager's kind and timely help, my order was added to their rush queue.

The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.

The 1964 Mahogany differences

Compared to the 1964 Brown, which I really like the roughout texture and color, the 1964 Mahogany has a softer touch and the break in is almost instant, super comfortable. The mahogany color is very rich and looks very different under different lightings. The leather color and heel stack dressing may not be me favorite, but I'm super happy since they got delivered right before my international trip.

Kilties

None of my previous boots ever came with kilties (false tongues). Generally, they have two uses aside from fashion: 1) protect the tongue leather and 2) use up volume above the instep for more confortable fitment. I've noticed that they tend to slide down unless you modify them. For the 1964 Mahogany, I like the look without the same colored kilties, very clean and simple. When I played with the old 1964 Brown kilties, the two-tone combo turned out to be harmonious and sophisticated to my liking. To work around the sliding issue, I started at the first cross of X lacing point.

The aftermath

I'd be perfectly happy if I didn't realize the wrongly stamped size and left vs right outsole width difference. On the bright side, I truely consider myself lucky during working with Nicks to fix the issues and they were able to switch to a different leather for me and get the final project delivered to accomdate my time constraint. Basically I got to experience two pairs.

I really like the color and texture of 1964 Brown Roughout, but the patina/aging result may not be what I wanted in long term. Others also pointed out that the roughout may pick up dirt more easily. With the 1964 Mahogany Smooth leather, the cleaning will be easier and I may choose to waterproof them down the road. So I'm still a happy man.

Be happy with what you have and are, be generous with both, and you won't have to hunt for happiness.