I recently made a documentary in Guatemala where I built a pair of boots from start to finish in 5 days, and did I ever learn that I know nothing about making boots. I knew there were known unknowns, but I was able to easily rack up a truncated list of ten things I had … Read more
More and more American brands are outsourcing their production overseas, and look, that doesn’t necessarily mean their products are becoming lower quality. Good and bad products are made in every country, and the producers’ nationality has a lot less to do with it than their business practices. But that doesn’t mean there’s no reason to … Read more
The term “Goodyear welted” is often used as a mark of quality for men’s boots. In fact, people quite often will not even consider buying a pair of boots if they are not Goodyear welted. In some ways, this is prudent. For entry level boots (less than $200), you will often find boots that are … Read more
Sutro is a San Francisco based footwear company, and the city is very much in Sutro’s DNA. The boots are all named after places in the city and even the company itself is named after Adolph Sutro, the 24th mayor of San Francisco. They’re pretty well known for their low prices, Italian lasts, and the … Read more
When a man decides to buy a pair of boots that can look good with any outfit, survive a downpour, and age beautifully, they’re often in for a rude awakening: high quality boots cost hundreds of dollars and there are so many aspects of a boot to take into account before pulling the trigger. I … Read more
In an industry where a lot of companies are over a hundred years old, Grant Stone is quite a newcomer. It was co-founded in 2016 by Wyatt Gilmore, a guy whose family has a rich tradition in Goodyear welted shoes: His grandfather Floyd worked at Alden for sixty years but Wyatt spent over ten years racing motocross … Read more
This boot has been discontinued — check out my review of its successor, the Taft Dragon 2.0! Taft is a direct-to-consumer footwear company that was founded in 2013 by Kory and Mallory Stevens. In less than three years, the two of them bootstrapped their company to considerable success — a 2017 Forbes profile put the … Read more
Even though it doesn’t refer to leather quality, or style, or country of origin, or the material of the sole, it’s fair to say that the words “Goodyear welt” have become synonymous with high quality footwear. In fact, the number one online forum for discussing high-end men’s boots on Reddit decided to take the term … Read more