The 2018 Beginners Boot Buying Guide
This guide has one primary purpose: to make sure you buy a good pair of shoes. It’s a minefield out there as many stores are filled with shoddy and deceptive options. But here at r/goodyearwelt, our community is committed to educating you on quality footwear. With proper care your shoes should last years.
Here is the third version of the infamous beginners boot buying guide. Put together for the 2018 year, this guide is a list of oft recommended and popular brands that GYW stands behind. Originally put together by, u/chickenfark, u/Deusis, and u/pirieca, this evolution seeks to offer a more concise overview of well made and familiar brands this subreddit has experience with.
I would like to personally thank the many people who collaborated in the drafting threads to make this guide possible. Thanks (in alphabetical order) u/DRAKRIDDAREN, u/dubbysmurf, u/feliksas, u/m635_guy, u/MonsieurLeDude, u/sakizashi, u/YourMoneyOrYourLife, for specific write-ups and everyone else who added to the discussion! If I did not give you the proper thanks, please PM me so I can give you the proper recognition here.
For 2018 I have attempted to shorten this guide to include only a curated core of solid, reliable brands; not every shoemaker mentioned on this subreddit. For a more exhaustive list, please check the comments for the honorable mentions. The options are listed in alphabetical order at each price tier. An additional tier has been added from the previous guide and many brands have been moved as their prices have increased or decreased in the past two years.
As you explore the world of footwear, hopefully you will encounter brands you haven’t before, and brands not listed here (check the comments to read why we excluded certain brands as well). But this guide’s goal is to give you a bit of direction before plunging into the world of high quality boots. It has been split into price tiers, so there is something for everyone. Here are some other useful threads to get you up to speed:
Lastly, please note that there are many wonderful stockists other than what is listed here and you are encouraged to search more on your own.
TIER 1: $200- $300
Bexley
French manufacturer offering a large range. Enfield model probably the most popular, but also offers a solid line-up of chelsea boots. Fantastic value (especially when taking advantage of their double-buy deal and weak Euro), and solid quality. A very good entry level option based upon other redditor's experiences.
Purchasing: Bexley Website
Canada West
Canada West makes boots in their Winnipeg, Manitoba factory. They don't sell direct to the public except through their warehouse/seconds store. They're a smaller operation that's been around since 1931 but in this organization since 1978. They have a selection of Western wear, uniform boots, and workboots. I believe they also have government contracts for police and military boots. Quality is comparable to Red Wing with a lower price point, especially with the current CAD-USD exchange rate. If you're in Winnipeg though, it's worth a stop.
Purchasing: Here's their website, search around, Also available on Amazon
Chevalier
Indonesian made-to-order bootmaker. Slim-profiled boots. Were banded around a lot a couple years ago, but haven’t seen many reviews recently. Low prices but with large shipping fees (unless bought off Massdrop). Good looking but questionable leather quality, and it’s always a gamble buying chromexcel leathers at this price. Read reviews before committing.
Purchasing: Chevalier Website
Chippewa
US-made work boot company. Became popular with introduction of ‘Apache’ model. Similar quality and aesthetic to Thorogood. Profile synonymous with workwear bootmakers. Have collaborated with J. Crew and L.L. Bean. Good entry-level pair that is often found on sale.
Purchasing: Amazon, L.L. Bean, Jcrew
Danner
US-manufactured Hiking boot brand. Best known for actual heavy boots, but also more fashion-orientated hiker models. Mountain-Light and Stumptown models in particular. Good quality if Hiker aesthetic is what you’re looking for.
Purchasing: Danner Website, Amazon
John Doe
Made in Mexico producing about 600 shoes a week, John Doe offers affordable, good looking, and well made shoes and boots with MTO options as well. Quality has been on point so far, look for more reviews this year. Send our very own u/anibaljds (a co-founder) a PM if you have any questions.
Purchasing: Website
Junkard
Indonesian boot company specializing in service boots that offers a very good MTO service as well as a limited selection of RTW models. They offer domestic leather boots for roughly 245$ and also carry Horween leathers for 275$. Their most attractive offerings are Rocado Shell cordovan models for around 450$ with the ability to pick from any colour stocked by Rocado and multiple construction options including stitchdown, GYW, and Norwegian. Many users have positively reviewed their shell and Horween offerings while their domestic leathers have mixed reviews. Line and Whatsapp seem to be the best way to contact them, but make sure to stick with one method of communication as it seems different employees handle each one and mistakes may be made. As with most Indonesian bookmakers, occasional slip ups with MTO specifications have been noted so make sure to confirm everything twice.
Reviews- Will have to do a manual search as most reviews aren't linked to the wiki
Purchasing: Website
Loake 1880
British shoemaker’s high quality line and perhaps only one worth considering. 1880 boots made in Northampton. Good quality, but below those of other English bootmakers. Known for dressier country boots and chukkas.
Purchasing: Herring Shoes, Pediwear
Meermin
A stylish Spanish shoemaker with arguably the best bang for your buck in this price range. Sold exclusively through their own website, they have a variety of attractive boot options around the $250-$300 mark. Particularly tempting given the weak euro. Interesting GMTO options on website as well which are regularly refreshed. Keep in mind shipping though - they come from Spain, but they arrive with great praise behind them. As of 1/25/18 They have opened a store in NYC which can help with returns.
Purchasing: Meermin Website
Red Wing Factory Seconds
please see Red Wing listed in the next tier for more information
An excellent value and very popular offering due to Red Wing’s solid reputation. Factory seconds are boots and shoes with small quality control issues such as scratches, blemishes and missed stitching. Always inspect your "seconds" boots before you wear them but overall RW factory seconds offer a great value and product.They are not always in stock so be on the lookout for sales and re-stocking announcements.
Purchasing: Sierra Trading Post, Nordstrom Rack
Sagara Indonesia
Indonesian MTO bootmaker. Upper end of this price range with price hikes. Selling boots with slim lasts and chunky welts. Quality of construction seems fine. Good option, but a tad difficult to order, and quite a wait time to stomach. Not seen too many recent reviews but were well received in the past.
Purchasing: Sagara's website
Story Et Fall
Massive rise in popularity given recent trends in men’s fashion, known for sleek chelseas and jodhpurs at cheap prices. Models range from goodyear welted, blake-stitched and cemented. Website is pretty poor at the moment, but can contact by email and see options here. Free international delivery a bonus, and have been relatively well reviewed.
Purchasing: Story Et Fall Website
Taft
A recent GYW addition, Taft offers sleek, fashion-forward styles at a reasonable price point. They began producing Blake-stitched shoes and boots in Spain and recently added a line of Goodyear-welted options made in Portugal. Taft is known for offering good construction, solid quality control, and great customer service. Overall, the consensus has been positive so stayed tuned this year for more reviews.
Purchasing: Taft Website
Thorogood
American heritage bootmaker manufactured by Weinbrenner. Similar aesthetically to Red Wing, but overall slighty lower in quality- but by no means bad! Known best for moc-toe boots (some prefer their's over Red Wings). Solid entry level boot which is often found on sale. Check out the Thorogood 1892 Dodgevilles for an Iron Ranger alternative.
Purchasing: Thorogoods Website, Amazon
Thursday Boot Co
Started in 2014 offering sleek service boot styles, Thursday Boot Co. has grown to a wide range of models since. Some people love them, others will recommend other boots. Decent budget option especially for Horween Chromexcel in this price range. Have also added shell cordovan models and a Made in USA line. Not without mishaps, but customer service has been very attentive to make things right.
Purchasing: Amazon, Thursday's Website
William Lennon
William Lennon boots are hand-made in the UK, with something like just 20 pairs of shoes or boots made per week. Order-to-delivery time is 8-12 weeks, since there is actually little stock on the shelves, and most items are built only after order. Their boots are Blake-stitched and then brass riveted, the brass rivet machinery being one of 3 still in existence in the world! What sets William Lennon apart from other bootmakers is that they offer bespoke options for a pittance where other companies charge hundreds of dollars more. For 200£ all in, one can have their choice of most Horween or other leather, full lining, a bellows tongue, brogueing, and the like. Libs, the owner and great granddaughter of the founder, will help you to make it so. So if you're interested in a lovely boot that will last you for years with minimal care, and priced at half the cost of Iron Rangers, consider buying from William Lennon. *See also Rufflander
Purchasing: Website
WWII Impressions
Don’t be fooled by the name - These guys make one of the better looking roughout boondockers out there. Manufactured by Corcoran, these boots run cheap, and are of decent quality. Sporadic shipping and availability is a downside though.
Purchasing: Website
Tier 2: $300-$400
Allen Edmonds
Probably the best known American shoemaker. Renowned for solid offerings in a range of styles- from dress to casual. Good quality, decent QC. Hard to go too wrong. The Higgins Mill Boot made quite a splash in the market and Daltons are another popular offering if looking for something dressier. Can also be found regularly on sale, and a wide range of factory seconds also offered at lower prices.
Purchasing: Allen Edmonds Website, Shoe Bank (Allen Edmonds’ factory seconds website)
Grant Stone
With decades of heritage stemming from some of the most iconic American brands and suppliers, a father and son team started a new company producing high-quality boots and shoes in Xiamen, China. Featuring classic style inspirations with a modern perspective and high attention to craftsmanship, Grant Stone offers outstanding value. They currently offer a collection of boots (plain-toe and hand-stitched Norwegian Split-Toe/NST) and bluchers (plain toe-bluchers/PTB and longwings), with additional products in the pipeline. See our resident Grant-Stone expert u/m635_guy 's reviews for more information.
Reviews- going to have to do a manual search as most aren't linked in the resources
Purchasing: Website
Quoddy
Traditional Made-in-Maine shoemaker, specialising in handsewn moccasin styles. Renowned for wide range, quality leathers, and comfort. Also have a brilliant MTO program with no upcharge, allowing for full customisation.
Purchasing: Quoddy website
Rancourt
Handmade in Maine, Rancourt is an American manufacturer of exceptional footwear. Known for their casual loafer, boat shoe and moccasin offerings, Rancourt has expanded their line to include more formal shoes and boots available in a large variety of materials. They utilize two types of construction, hand sewn mocassin and blake stitched for both boots and shoes. Rancourt offers their Made to Fit program to help take the guesswork out of sizing and is always open to custom orders. The Custom tab of their site allows for the personalization of the shoe or boot and it takes about three weeks from order to delivery. Generally well received, and makers of the most gorgeous boat shoe in existence.
Purchasing: Rancourt Website, Huckberry
Red Wing
The standard to which workwear styles are compared. Known for Iron Ranger, Beckman and moc-toe boots. Solid construction and respectable QC. Operates own tannery (SB Foot), which keeps leather quality high at this price point. Hard to go wrong. Can be had at a lower price with frequent sales. Will be releasing many new sleeker styles in 2018 and phasing out some older ones. May be the most popular shoemaker on reddit.
Reviews (warning – about a billion of them)
Purchasing: Too many to list really. Numerous department stores and high end clothing shops, as well as own stores. Everywhere from Amazon to unique online retailers.
Sanders
Sanders & Sanders make classic Northamptonshire boots of good quality. Often contracted by other brands (Thom Browne, Mark McNairy) to manufacture their boots. Good styles, often with chunky welts. Good value when considered alongside other Northampton makers. Can be found cheap.
Purchasing: Website
Wolverine
Oft-recommended American workwear bootmaker. Particularly well known for 1000 Mile range. Decent aesthetic with varying QC. Many examples have been subject to poor creasing. Extensively customizable, Viable at relatively regular sale prices, they retail around $350-$400 but ~$250 is a fairer price. Despite some issues, overall a very attractive boot with the potential for beautiful chromexcel.
Purchasing: Amazon, Wolverine's Customizer
Tier 3: $400-$500
Alfred Sargent
A classic, high quality English bootmaker. Manufactured out of Northamptonshire, they are a bit hard to come by, since they have no standalone stores. Have collaborated with J. Crew, and worked on behalf of Peal & Co.
Purchasing: Herring, A Fine Pair of Shoes, Tredders
Carlos Santos
Hailing from North Portugal, Carlos Santos makes sleek, high quality footwear at ~$400 price point. A European VAT of 21% applies, which puts Santos on par with European Red Wing pricing. Known for exceptional quality control, Santos offers a unique patina service with the ability to order shoes and boots in the patina of your choice, and Santos quality approaches but is not quite on par with Carmina. A relative newcomer, there are some early rumblings on the use of crust leather on both their patina service and MTO offerings. Stay tuned for more reviews this year.
Purchasing: Unfortunately Santos is not sold through brick and mortar stores in the U.S., so buying online is the only option for American customers. skoaktiebolaget has a great selection of Santos footwear and an excellent reputation.
Cheaney
Another classically British bootmaker. Known for their sturdy country and pebble grain boots. Quality akin to other English makers in this tier. Recently revamped website and store in London. Expanding and improving constantly.
Purchasing: Cheaney Website, Herring
Dayton
High quality, Canadian, made-to-order work boots. Highly renowned for their charcoal nubuck options. Have done successful GMTOs with r/goodyearwelt in the past. Small operation means exceedingly long wait times though in certain cases.
Purchasing: Dayton website
Nick’s
Pacific Northwest custom bootmaker. Company created by a former White's employee. For detail regarding this maker, see u/cathpah [+2]’s overview here. Known for sturdy workwear boots. Robust, good arch support, and great bang for your buck. All boots fully customisable, but advisable to order through Baker’s or Vermilyea Pelle, as Nick’s can be prone to order errors and mistakes.
Purchasing: Baker’s, Vermilyea Pelle
Oak Street Bootmaker
US Workwear style boots. Known for attractive trench boots with a modern aesthetic, and also moc-style handsewns. However, questionable QC and average construction given the price point. Have had issues with puckering in the past. Can be found on sale occasionally.
Purchasing: Oak Street Bootmakers, End
Rider Boot Co
US-designed, Italian made blake-rapid boots. Arguably some of the most attractive designs, with top drawer quality and pleasing last shapes. Ron makes some highly attractive and well sought-after options. Have also operated successful shell cordovan GMTOs. Usually in upper end of this tier, but recent Massdrops have meant they’ve been attainable at much cheaper prices.
Purchasing: Rider Boot Website
R. M. Williams
Tough Aussie bootmaker now more prized for attractive and fashionable boots. Best known for their Chelsea boots, which are the only wholecut chelsea at this price point. Also do lace ups, which have been reviewed but are pretty hard to come by. Buying from Australia is much more cost effective.
Purchasing: Website, Boots Online
White’s
Pacific Northwest Bootmaker known for solid work boots with high quality construction. White's makes boots for forest firefighters as well as daily wear, so you know they're going to be tough. Utilizes stitchdown construction and cuban heels but can be made with a block heel. White’s Bounty Hunter is an incredibly customizable boot (see u/cathpah[+2]’s ordering guide here that can be made to almost anyone’s tastes. You could knock down walls in these. Some of the better made boots out there. Durability is on par with Viberg, good quality control. Recently released a slimmer service boot
Purchasing: Baker’s
Tier 4: $500-$700
Alden
Quality American shoemaker. Known for classic styles, attractive lasts and nice detailing. Can occasionally falter on QC, but that is perhaps mostly down to massive hike in popularity recently. Well known for Indy boot, but arguable plain toes are even better. Shell cordovan options are highly sought after and very good, some wait years for certain shell models. Hard to go wrong. Please note, most options are in the $500-$700, their shell can be priced much higher.
Voted "Brand of 2017", u/Jolsen77 descibes them "they don’t give a crap about your trends, your GMTO requests, your demand for rare shell colors, your desire for faster turnaround. They don’t care. They're going to keep doing what they do, and I expect that they’ll retain their soul and be around a heck of a lot longer than AE."
Purchasing: Unionmade, The Shoe Mart - Sign up for newsletter for access to seconds quality boots for purchase., Leffot,Trunk Clothiers, J.Crew – sell a number of Alden options on occasion, including the much revered shell cordovan boots.
Carmina
High quality Spanish maker on the dressier end of the spectrum. Incredibly attractive boots with top quality construction. A darling of r/goodyearwelt having organised exclusive GMTOs through them. Recent price hike makes them slightly less good value, but still one of the best quality/price ratios out there.
Purchasing: Carmina website, Skoaktiebolaget
Crockett & Jones
Quintessential English bootmaker, manufactured in Northamptonshire. Known for high quality and attractive models. Variety of leather options available including shell. Skye and Islay models are particularly popular. Please note, some of their models are in the $600-$700 but other options are much more expensive.
Purchasing: C&J Stores, Barney's, Pediwear
Enzo Bonafe
Italian shoemaker known for high quality MTO shoes and boots in almost any style you can think of. High quality/price ratio given the MTO offers and handwelted construction. Ever-growing in popularity and for good reason. Generally on the dressier side of the scale. Please note shell options can be $800+.
Purchasing: Skoaktiebolaget, Solegarb Shop Mehra MTO
MOTO
Japanese brand known in particular for their simple designs and hand-dyed shell, which has some incredible colour to it. Unfortunately, they don’t cater for large sizes, and are pretty difficult to get a hold of.
Purchasing: MOTO Website
Truman Boot Company
Previously located in Pennsylvannia, Truman Boot Co. is a small, recently-opened, Colorado-based company that specializes in producing workwear boots of a variety of unique leathers using stitchdown construction. While the company initially gained popularity for being a less expensive, American-made alternative to Viberg boots, the company has lost some favor for QC issues, rising prices, and ending their MTO program. Still, it remains a popular and respectable option for workwear boots that aren't bulky or bulbous.
Purchasing: Truman Website
Tricker’s
Renowned English shoemaker, manufactured in Northamptonshire. Very well constructed, and are known for having reputable QC. Best known for use of chunky natural welts. Wide range of leathers and styles, as well as an extensive MTO/GMTO service. Also offer shell at a higher pricepoint.
Purchasing: Tricker’s Website, Pediwear, Leathersoul
Yuketen
Interesting shoemaker specialising in both handsewn mocs, GYW boots, and hybrids between the two. Well-known in particular for handsewn Maine Guide boots and Eric boots. Interesting if quite eccentric designs. Can often be had at cheaper prices and on sale.
Purchasing: (Website](http://www.yuketen.com), Mr. Porter
Tier 5: $700+
Here is where you can get into almost anything you want from any maker. Made to order boots in any material from some of the best shoemakers in the world. There would be too many to list, but we have put in some reviews of high end shoes that have been conducted by users in r/goodyearwelt. When you start to look at options over $1,000, (example, John Lobb) you can begin to go bespoke, at which point you can have anything you desire. For a good rundown of such makers if you’d like to investigate further, I would strongly suggest reading the discussion of shoemakers by The Parisian Gentleman:
Edward Green
One of the best English bootmakers around. Revered for their high quality, impeccable designs, and high price tag. The Galway boot is considered a grail for many. Most popular styles are those in grain/calf or suede/calf makeups. Please note, much more expensive than other options listed in this tier.
Purchasing: Brooks Brothers, Leffot, EG Website
Vass
High-quality Hungarian shoemaker, known for impeccable quality and beautiful designs on more formal end of the spectrum. Different styles and lasts to choose from. Particularly known for good brogue designs and a variety of shell options. Can be had for cheaper than $700, but you can also go a bit crazy with them.
Purchasing: Website, No Man Walks Alone, Shop Mehra
Viberg
Probably one of the best known high-end brands around here, Viberg make high quality workboots out of Victoria, Canada. Prized for their slim toe boxes, attractive styles and lasts, interesting and varied use of leathers, and unique collaborations. It’s difficult to go wrong with a pair. Expect new releases to sell out fast, and rarely go on sale. No exaggeration, shell options sell out literally in seconds. Recently started using GYW construction alongside stitchdown options.
Purchasing: Viberg website, Full list of Stockists, Collaborators: (3sixteen, Haven, Gentry, 14oz Berlin, Notre, Superdenim, Kafka, the Bureau Belfast etc.)
Posted Jan 17, 2018, 2:54 AM UTC · edited