@StrayReviews Grant stone Diesel saddle tan , and there diesel crimson ..I also like my Alden indy calf leather . I have 2 thursdays but rarely wear them .
I got a pair of nautral CXL Trench boots during the Labor Day sale, and was later contacted by customer servise about QC issues, namely the leather having significant scarring and wrinkling, and they offered my a further discount or i could wait 3-4 weeks for a restock. I took the discount, and honestly while there is a lot of loose grain, i think they have a ton of character, and i am using them in this winter's Thunderdome for fun. I got my Oak Street boots for the about the price of a pair of Thursdays. In terms of quality, the OSBs are pretty good. I own 3 pairs of Grant Stone boots, and the GS are noticeably even better about their attention to detail, leather selection, and overall material quality. Even at full price, the Grant Stone boots are hard to beat. I doubt I would have paid full price for the Oak Street boots, now that I can see how they compare overall to their competition. I'm not saying the Oak Street boots are bad by any means, it's just that we are spoiled as consumers by so many awesome brands, the competition is fierce, and a lot of other brands out there are doing the same thing or better for a better value.
Good luck in the Patina thunderstorm! Great review! I definitely plan to pick up a pair at some point. I got a pair of their camp Mocs this spring and love them. Huge step up from my sperrys. I just got a pair of the Oxfords in the green chamois and love them already!
Awesome review... Oak Street started my boot addiction...Cap toe trench boot in brown chromexcel. Only thing that bothered me was they recommended true to size and they were too big. Also...i really hope.they use cork now...in my boot they used crap fiber board garbage...they got so uncomfortable...i brought them to a cobbler and now they are amazing.
Nice review of this boot! I bought this model during a recent sale, and for the $362 discounted price they are definitely a great value. And as you say, they are beautiful and nicely done overall. I have been wearing them daily since 10/01 for the Stitchdown Patina Thunderdome. No real break-in required. I can wear them all day. I think they are great in almost every way and am interested in seeing how they will look in April of next year. For anyone who might care about things like this, I will report that on my pair the edging stain was applied with a bit less care than I would have expected from this maker. The edge stain was accidentally painted onto the beautiful roughout leather in multiple places, and parts of the sole that should have been stained were missed. To my untrained eye, I saw these imperfections as soon as I took them from the box, so I would have expected a quality assurance person at the maker to have said "Nope, go back and get this guy another pair." Still, this doesn't take anything away from these great boots, really.
I have around 20 pairs of boots of various brands and styles but, at 63, I have developed some arthritis pain in the ball of my right foot. So I'm going to have to start wearing boots that are super comfortable and “squishy” out of the box. My two most comfortable boots, currently, are "cheapos” compared to several of the other brands I own. I have a pair of glued-together Rocky Boots and a pair of glued-together Under Armour boots that are bot extremely comfortable. Are these Oak Street Boots THAT sort of comfortable? They're awesome to look at and clearly built to last, but would they be worth the $500.00 for this aging, old cripple?
Great question. They definitely don’t have that cushiony comfort of a padded, cemented boot, but they’re one of the most comfortable heritage boots I own.
@@bassheadlife492 Nope. Shoes aren't the cause of arthritis. I was wearing Franks hand made boots which are like walking on concrete blocks when I started noticing the pain.
I recently bought a pair of Oak Street Lakeshore boots and Grant Stone Diesel right around the same time. I really wanted to like the Oak Street pair and I do, but the finishing is really not comparable despite the $200 price difference. The welt on the Oak Street is noticeably sloppy, there are tooling marks on the leather close to the welt, and they accidentally sliced into the leather where the welt join is. One of the boots is near perfect and the clicking on the other was obviously really poor as evidenced by the grain break not matching the other boot. Plus, the upper isn’t aligned so when lacing up the boot the speed hooks don’t even line up. These are factory firsts, btw. While I think I’ll enjoy wearing them, I won’t be purchasing another pair from them.
@@derekhoff232 yes and no. Tooling marks and sloppy welt joins: agreed, who cares that much? A gash sliced in the leather and crooked stitching on the uppers: that matters to me even now that they’re broken in. While I’m generally quite forgiving of inconsistency in a hand made product, excusing bad craftsmanship is not something I’m prepared to do at their price point, especially not with vastly superior options at the same price like Grant Stone, Parkhurst, Caswell, Truman, etc.
Agreed, speed hooks are the primary reason what stops me from buying these. I have the loafers and after 1 month of breaking- they are great. I personally would want one field boot for dress up and international travel pair with chromexel all leather soles and one with rough out with a dantie or vibrant sole.
I've been daily driving a pair of smooth side natural since April, I agree about the speed hooks. Watching natural chromeexel age is fun, but if I had it to do over, I'd get a darker color.
Have the same type boot from John Lofgren. Just waiting on the first real stain they get.....lol I usually mink oil that type of leather due to staining.....lol
@@StrayReviews Got bored today and gave them a coating of Pecards leather conditioner. Just makes them brown. Stains will not be an issue now. Have done the same on a few Red Wing boots with the reverse on the outside.
Does not hurt the boots at all. Now any scuffs will show lighter than the brown they are now for a cool patina or just brush them to look uniform again.
@@StrayReviews I emailed them to get more info, as I am interested in these boots. Unfortunately they have a steel shank (i'd prefer leather in this style of boot), and disappointingly, the heel counter is a "polymer infused textile". At this price point, I would hope for a veg tan heel counter. If they had a veg tan mid sole, shank, and heel counter, I would buy them asap.
I spoke to Oak Street yesterday via instagram DM’s and they assured me their reputation for using synthetics was unfortunately from the year of early Covid when they were forced to use synthetics due to factories shutting down that provided leather insoles and heel counters. They also told me their cork machine broke during Covid and there was no one available at the time to fix it. But they told me everything since the year 2021 is built traditionally with the natural materials we expect
so you basically want a red wing ( vibram mini log, veg tan insole and speed hooks 🤣) maybe this on the review are a little less bulky and more refine leather, but altmost twice the price.... i´d still prefered the IR (or blacksmith if the make it on roughout)
I have a pair of Field Boots in Natural CXL. They're fine. I wouldn't buy them again. For me, the toe box is too round. They almost look like clown shoes. The sizing recommendation on OSB's website is also bad. They recommend true to size and my boots are definitely a half size too big. I think quality wise, Parkhurst and Grant Stone are way better and $120 cheaper.
i bought Oak street boots. within 5 wears the shoelace snapped, withing 10 wears one of the speedhooks came undone. within 60 wears (to the office) one of the heels had worn down to the leather. i have iron rangers i wear twice as much in much harsher conditions that don't have any of these issues. in my opinion Oak street is crap.
Ok i understand your approach on this review , that being said , im a consumer who will say the truth , oak street is over price and should be slap down to 350.00 Oak boot looks good BUT for the buck and fit and comfort Grant stone knocks them out in the first round , parkhurst at a lower price also knocksoak out in the 2nd round lol You raved about gs and now say oak is the best boot you reviewed lol , again i understand your job 😂
Grant Stone is an excellent boot for sure. I own four pairs. The two biggest differences between Grant Stone and Oak Street is that Oak Street uses Vibram outsoles while Grant Stone uses their own rubber soles. Vibram is the gold standard. Also, Oak Street is made in America, which is always going to mean a higher price tag. They're both great boots.
For heaven's sake, don't compare these delicate darlings to pnw boots. I have a pair of these and have multiple Pacific Northwest boots and Oak Street boots do not compare. They don't have the build quality or the arch support or the heft or the thickness of the uppers. Oak Street boots are overpriced junk IMO, especially since a pair of Nick's officer boots costs me 560 with all leather construction and none of that cork filler junk that's in these boots.
These hold the current Stray Reviews crown for best boot. What’s your favorite?
@StrayReviews Grant stone Diesel saddle tan , and there diesel crimson ..I also like my Alden indy calf leather . I have 2 thursdays but rarely wear them .
@@Angel-AbC9 That crimson chromexcel is great leather!
I got a pair of nautral CXL Trench boots during the Labor Day sale, and was later contacted by customer servise about QC issues, namely the leather having significant scarring and wrinkling, and they offered my a further discount or i could wait 3-4 weeks for a restock. I took the discount, and honestly while there is a lot of loose grain, i think they have a ton of character, and i am using them in this winter's Thunderdome for fun. I got my Oak Street boots for the about the price of a pair of Thursdays. In terms of quality, the OSBs are pretty good. I own 3 pairs of Grant Stone boots, and the GS are noticeably even better about their attention to detail, leather selection, and overall material quality. Even at full price, the Grant Stone boots are hard to beat. I doubt I would have paid full price for the Oak Street boots, now that I can see how they compare overall to their competition. I'm not saying the Oak Street boots are bad by any means, it's just that we are spoiled as consumers by so many awesome brands, the competition is fierce, and a lot of other brands out there are doing the same thing or better for a better value.
“spoiled as consumers” - so true!
Good luck in the Patina thunderstorm! Great review! I definitely plan to pick up a pair at some point. I got a pair of their camp Mocs this spring and love them. Huge step up from my sperrys. I just got a pair of the Oxfords in the green chamois and love them already!
Nice picks! Good stuff!
I have their indigo dyed oxfords. They are incredible! Can't wait to see how they fade.
Sounds amazing!
Awesome review... Oak Street started my boot addiction...Cap toe trench boot in brown chromexcel. Only thing that bothered me was they recommended true to size and they were too big. Also...i really hope.they use cork now...in my boot they used crap fiber board garbage...they got so uncomfortable...i brought them to a cobbler and now they are amazing.
Thanks Brian! I don't think they use fiverboard any more. According to my source there, they use a layer of cork.
@@StrayReviews Thank the boot Gods 😂...now if Alden could change their construction or lower their INSANE prices for an "office boot"...
Will you review British made boots such as C&J Coniston
Those look nice! I'll have to see if I can get a pair for review.
Thanks, new sub here. support from SE Asia
@@byN91 Thanks so much!
Loake is a really nice brand and cheaper than C&J and Trickers, they are a steal..
@@HeritageCast The Davy chelseas look pretty cool.
Nice review of this boot! I bought this model during a recent sale, and for the $362 discounted price they are definitely a great value. And as you say, they are beautiful and nicely done overall. I have been wearing them daily since 10/01 for the Stitchdown Patina Thunderdome. No real break-in required. I can wear them all day. I think they are great in almost every way and am interested in seeing how they will look in April of next year. For anyone who might care about things like this, I will report that on my pair the edging stain was applied with a bit less care than I would have expected from this maker. The edge stain was accidentally painted onto the beautiful roughout leather in multiple places, and parts of the sole that should have been stained were missed. To my untrained eye, I saw these imperfections as soon as I took them from the box, so I would have expected a quality assurance person at the maker to have said "Nope, go back and get this guy another pair." Still, this doesn't take anything away from these great boots, really.
Wow! $362 is a great price! Good luck in the Thunderdome!
If you reach out to OSB, they probably would’ve exchanged for you but you may have needed to wait for them to restock.
I have around 20 pairs of boots of various brands and styles but, at 63, I have developed some arthritis pain in the ball of my right foot. So I'm going to have to start wearing boots that are super comfortable and “squishy” out of the box. My two most comfortable boots, currently, are "cheapos” compared to several of the other brands I own. I have a pair of glued-together Rocky Boots and a pair of glued-together Under Armour boots that are bot extremely comfortable. Are these Oak Street Boots THAT sort of comfortable? They're awesome to look at and clearly built to last, but would they be worth the $500.00 for this aging, old cripple?
Great question. They definitely don’t have that cushiony comfort of a padded, cemented boot, but they’re one of the most comfortable heritage boots I own.
The squishy shoes might have caused the arthritis for all we know
@@bassheadlife492 Nope. Shoes aren't the cause of arthritis. I was wearing Franks hand made boots which are like walking on concrete blocks when I started noticing the pain.
@boldlygo3469 ahh okay, maybe it was the Franks that did it
@@boldlygo3469 your best bet would be to go with a boot that has a wedges sole. That should give you the most cushion!
Great video, I actually just ordered a pair! What are the green pants you are wearing with the boots?
Thanks! Just a pair of Levis 511s.
I recently bought a pair of Oak Street Lakeshore boots and Grant Stone Diesel right around the same time. I really wanted to like the Oak Street pair and I do, but the finishing is really not comparable despite the $200 price difference. The welt on the Oak Street is noticeably sloppy, there are tooling marks on the leather close to the welt, and they accidentally sliced into the leather where the welt join is. One of the boots is near perfect and the clicking on the other was obviously really poor as evidenced by the grain break not matching the other boot. Plus, the upper isn’t aligned so when lacing up the boot the speed hooks don’t even line up. These are factory firsts, btw. While I think I’ll enjoy wearing them, I won’t be purchasing another pair from them.
Wow! Sorry you had such a disappointing experience with these.
I had a similar experience with Allen Edmunds in 2018. I returned the boots and purchased a pair of Beckett Simonon Dowler cap-toe boots.
@@jamestapscott9400 The Dowlers are nice!
After they are all broken in and have patina....it won't matter
@@derekhoff232 yes and no. Tooling marks and sloppy welt joins: agreed, who cares that much? A gash sliced in the leather and crooked stitching on the uppers: that matters to me even now that they’re broken in.
While I’m generally quite forgiving of inconsistency in a hand made product, excusing bad craftsmanship is not something I’m prepared to do at their price point, especially not with vastly superior options at the same price like Grant Stone, Parkhurst, Caswell, Truman, etc.
They are very good looking boots. I like them a lot. I wish the leather was a little thicker for the price, but they are super nice boots.
I've been really happy with these. They're really well constructed, and look fantastic.
Agreed, speed hooks are the primary reason what stops me from buying these. I have the loafers and after 1 month of breaking- they are great. I personally would want one field boot for dress up and international travel pair with chromexel all leather soles and one with rough out with a dantie or vibrant sole.
The speed hooks do make it easier.
@@StrayReviews I don't like them because they always fall out.
I've been daily driving a pair of smooth side natural since April, I agree about the speed hooks. Watching natural chromeexel age is fun, but if I had it to do over, I'd get a darker color.
Yes, their brown chromexcel Trench Boot looks stellar.
Have the same type boot from John Lofgren. Just waiting on the first real stain they get.....lol I usually mink oil that type of leather due to staining.....lol
The struggle is real. I’m paranoid about staining boots when they cost so much.
@@StrayReviews Got bored today and gave them a coating of Pecards leather conditioner. Just makes them brown. Stains will not be an issue now. Have done the same on a few Red Wing boots with the reverse on the outside.
Does not hurt the boots at all. Now any scuffs will show lighter than the brown they are now for a cool patina or just brush them to look uniform again.
What is the midsole made out of? You said in your wishlist you would have liked it to be veg tan.
When I reached out to Oak Street, they said cork.
@@StrayReviews I emailed them to get more info, as I am interested in these boots. Unfortunately they have a steel shank (i'd prefer leather in this style of boot), and disappointingly, the heel counter is a "polymer infused textile". At this price point, I would hope for a veg tan heel counter. If they had a veg tan mid sole, shank, and heel counter, I would buy them asap.
@@booleann___ Ah, bummer. I'm surprised to hear the heel counter is synthetic.
I spoke to Oak Street yesterday via instagram DM’s and they assured me their reputation for using synthetics was unfortunately from the year of early Covid when they were forced to use synthetics due to factories shutting down that provided leather insoles and heel counters. They also told me their cork machine broke during Covid and there was no one available at the time to fix it. But they told me everything since the year 2021 is built traditionally with the natural materials we expect
Nice!!
I had a pair arrive yesterday that definitely has a leather heel stack and not leather board.
What about sizing? Are they really true to size?
I would say true to size but on the roomy side.
Love the buster keaton vid 😂
They don’t make physical comedy like they used to! 😂
Is this good for all day standing ?
Personally, I would put a nice cushy footbed in these before standing all day in them.
@StrayReviews Thanks. Are tge footbed available in this brand ?
@@prasannagunarathna3475 I don't think Oak Street makes footbeds. You'll want to check on Amazon for something.
Love the boot, but in my opinion, all the other leathers look much better! Cheers, mate!
Those other ones do look amazing.
How big is the heel?
so you basically want a red wing ( vibram mini log, veg tan insole and speed hooks 🤣) maybe this on the review are a little less bulky and more refine leather, but altmost twice the price.... i´d still prefered the IR (or blacksmith if the make it on roughout)
😂 If only Ref Wing made a roughout Blacksmith.
I have a pair of Field Boots in Natural CXL. They're fine. I wouldn't buy them again. For me, the toe box is too round. They almost look like clown shoes. The sizing recommendation on OSB's website is also bad. They recommend true to size and my boots are definitely a half size too big. I think quality wise, Parkhurst and Grant Stone are way better and $120 cheaper.
It's definitely a roomier toebox. I's like to get a pair of their boots built on the Lakeshore last. It's supposed to be narrower.
see that oxford shoe? with the heels rocking no good
Wind 😂😂😂😂
😂
That color and suede side of it its a no no because wearing dark jeans will start to leave marks on them
Raw denim is especially bad for that.
i bought Oak street boots. within 5 wears the shoelace snapped, withing 10 wears one of the speedhooks came undone. within 60 wears (to the office) one of the heels had worn down to the leather. i have iron rangers i wear twice as much in much harsher conditions that don't have any of these issues. in my opinion Oak street is crap.
Wow, that's really disappointing. I hope these issues aren't common with their boots.
Ok i understand your approach on this review , that being said , im a consumer who will say the truth , oak street is over price and should be slap down to 350.00 Oak boot looks good BUT for the buck and fit and comfort Grant stone knocks them out in the first round , parkhurst at a lower price also knocksoak out in the 2nd round lol
You raved about gs and now say oak is the best boot you reviewed lol , again i understand your job 😂
Grant Stone is an excellent boot for sure. I own four pairs. The two biggest differences between Grant Stone and Oak Street is that Oak Street uses Vibram outsoles while Grant Stone uses their own rubber soles. Vibram is the gold standard. Also, Oak Street is made in America, which is always going to mean a higher price tag. They're both great boots.
For heaven's sake, don't compare these delicate darlings to pnw boots. I have a pair of these and have multiple Pacific Northwest boots and Oak Street boots do not compare. They don't have the build quality or the arch support or the heft or the thickness of the uppers. Oak Street boots are overpriced junk IMO, especially since a pair of Nick's officer boots costs me 560 with all leather construction and none of that cork filler junk that's in these boots.
Ok, now I’m motivated to start saving for a pair of Nicks. $560 you say?
They put speed hooks on them. I’m not buying them.
👍