Viberg x Wings + Horns Service Boots - 4 Months

Album

I got these boots right after Christmas 2014 and they've seen a decent amount of use in the past 4 months. I would say roughly 3 times a week on average. I definitely get the most compliments from strangers and co-workers with these boots. A lot of them mistake them for dress shoes until I pull up a pant leg to show them. Overall I am pretty happy with them and I need to give another shout out to u/les_diabolique who helped me acquire these when they were first released.

I have not conditioned these yet aside from the occasional brushing. I will probably give them some Saphir black shoe cream to get the scratches out on the toe area and give them a shinier look.

I have been pretty happy with the black CXL used on these boots. There is the expected micro creasing along the vamp but none of the big veiny loose grain greasing we occasionally see on CXL. The structured toe box area has not developed any creasing at all.

The pebbled moose grain leather has held up really well. You can see a few nicks in the leather from wear and tear but otherwise it looks pretty much the same as when I first got them.

And finally, the black roughout counter and pull tab have served me very well. I've had a few instances where I banged up the heel and simply smoothed the nap with my finger like nothing happened. These were also my first boots with a pull tab and I think any future boot purchases will have to have one as well. It just makes putting them on and off so much easier.

And finally, the greased leather sole gives me mixed feelings. When they were brand new, they looked dead sexy. But after some wear, you start seeing the natural leather underneath and I'm not sure how well the contrast works for this boot. In terms of functionality, I've almost landed on my ass a few times with these boots. Tile flooring is especially dangerous for me. I'm also sure that I definitely put a lot more wear than a typical person would have. When these are ready for a resole, I am probably going to opt for a Vibram 430 or dainite at the very least.