REAL BOOT TALK with MIKE SMITH: Sizing Anomalous Foot Types + KREOSOTE/FRANKS/ WHITES/ NICKS BOOTS
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 1 ธ.ค. 2022
- In the video I showed a lot of my Grant Stone Boots, shop them here:
www.grantstoneshoes.com/colle...
Check out my website where I sell kilties, cuffs, insoles, and custom leather bags:
www.dalesleatherworks.com
Shop some of my favorite shops below:
Grant Stone Boots:
www.grantstoneshoes.com/?ktk=...
Viberg Boots:
viberg.com/?ktk=YnJHczJNLTg5M...
Division Road:
divisionroadinc.com/?ktk=YnJH...
Oakstreet Bootmakers:
oakstreetbootmakers.com/?ktk=...
Parkhurst Boots:
www.parkhurstbrand.com/?ktk=Y...
HELM Boots:
helmboots.com/?ktk=YnJHczJNLW...
Chisos Cowboy Boots:
chisos.com/?ktk=YnJHczJNLWQyM...
Dievier Boots:
www.dievierofficial.com/?ktk=...
Bordon Boots:
bordon.com.co/?ktk=YnJHczJNLW...
Jim Green Footwear:
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Warfield & Grand Shoes:
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WESN Blades:
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Great interview! Thanks Dale and Mike!
Thanks for checking it out guys!!!
@@DalesLeatherworks I think the best takeaway from this interview is the importance of customer expectations. We have hundreds of customers fitting themselves based off the Brannock with amazing success. Sizing is 100% subjective and varies person to person. Some like boots snug; Other like their boots long, etc. The goal is to get a size that meets the customer's expectation. There isn't a formula, but there are great great baselines: the Brannock measurement for length and the size you know to be roughly true in most brands +/- a little. Mike would be an anomaly case. More than likely when he submitted his measurements to us or did our DIY sizing guide his toes were near a 8.5 or 8. We sent a 8.5 try on pair of boots and the result was to come a 1/2 size back as the try on was long: "Boots are 1/8'' to 1/4'' too long". "Little more heel float on the right vs left and I personally feel 8 E is probably the way to go after this fitting." Mike's final sizing was 2 full sizes shorter than what his Brannock probably shows and a bit wider. Did we size him "wrong" or did Mike's foot prefer a size that is much shorter than his physically measurement? At the end of the day, it's all about customer expectations as sizing is very subjective. I, Grant, have been a size 7 a little narrow my entire adult life. 7C is the size I prefer, but I have worn 6 1/2 B, 7.5D, 7A and they all fit and feel the same once broken in. I hope this helps!
Please get a Podiatrist on the channel to go into detail what customers, and what docs need to do for people with jacked up feet. This would be really helpful...
I recently became acquainted with Michael, this dude is super smart! Awesome discussion
Great video. Love the Franks spotlight plus all the Pnw companies. Franks are great to work with custom builds.
Couldn't agree more!
This guest really knows his shit. I learned a lot from this.
Really enjoyed Michael's deep dive into boot fit and more. For future reference, the word “last” comes from the Old English “laest,” meaning footprint.
Best episode I've seen. You need to get Mike back again in the future.
You definitely need to have Mike on more often - he is the most knowlegeable person I have heard on sizing/fit issues. Maybe a " ask Mike " session every once in a while where he gives advice on brands/sizing issues .
I agree, an ask Mike segment would be excellent!!!
What a great idea! Something like a monthly or a weekly segment of "ask Mike" would be brilliant.
Fascinating, this is your best interview/conversation yet. 🤘🤘🤘
Absolutely incredible boot talk!!! I agreed with you guys on almost everything!!! I’m having issues with JK boots myself right now and I’m waiting to see how they fix their mistakes. I judge on how mistakes are fixed not how they happen. We’ll see but great talk guys !!!!
Man thanks for taking a listen Mario!!! Let’s hope they remedy those issues🙏
This is gold! I can't believe I watched this whole thing. We need more of Mike! I'm also hard to fit and never found a pair that fit perfectly. One side is a half size longer and full size narrower with a super high instep and arch while the other is short wide and flat. I can only get one side or the other to fit perfectly.
I think Whites or maybe Nicks will make you a pair to order and each foot can be made different. Check out Bakers.
@@aradoran I have a pair of HNW last Nick's, the ND1s about the best fitting i own. Fit great on the low side, a bit of pain on the other after a long day. I'm hoping one of thier higher arch shoes will work better.
Super interesting discussion about how one’s foot can “move forward” toward the front of the toebox, through repeated wearings. After I tried on my new size 13 GS field boots recently, I felt what seemed to be a large amount of space in front of toebox, but your guest has reassured me on this!
I haven’t gotten to that part of the video yet but I believe this is expected to happen because the shoe is creasing over time and it creates this effect that’s almost like the length in the toes shortens a tiny bit. If you look at a well worn in pair of shoes it makes more sense… I know Nick’s takes this into account when sizing folks
My foot does this, honestly sucks. It is why I have to have a last with the right volume and everything. I come close to the end of a lot of boots that a lot of guys would have a full inch forward in.
I have a lot of injuries which led to me going in heritage boots too.
What a lot of information I had no idea about! Great guest Dale!!!
Thank you both! This was very informative and you should do this again. I’m sure Mike has a lot more knowledge to share with the community.
Great interview. Thanks👍🏼
Glad you enjoyed it!
Excellent talk, thanks for posting.👍
I found this conversation so helpful. My experience with Nicks in particular has been hit or miss. Their answers to questions seemed pretty cookie cutter. Glad to know I’m not alone. Next pair of PNW’s I’ll try Frank’s. Thanks for the suggestions!
Listening to this whole podcast just brings me back to the quote necessity is the father of creativity cuz I'm sure before that foot injury he knew absolutely nothing about Footwear now is super knowledgeable
This was a video packed full of great information on sizing huge thanks this was incredible thanks to both of you !
Michael is the pnw wizard awesome knowledge in this video
Our Bootmaker doesn't use a gemming.He says it is a useless thing of you don't own the welt sewing machine.He sews the welt to the upper and then leaves a lot of leather curved under the insole and glues the edge of the left over leather to the insole .Then make a additional spiderweb between the welt to help the next cobbler .Last step is to glue a thin midsole on and Blake sew the midsole .That construction is bullet proof .No gemming failure.More flexible.Faster then a carved holdfast and resolvable.
Once the tucked upper has too many holes just sew on a new welt with some new leather to tuck under/ make a skived wide Welt .
I've found that sizing boots a little large and using off the shelf orthotic insoles such as Superfeet or the many alternatives, prevents most boot issues .
I've tried many of them and most work well with some offering more arch support than others and some available for specific conditions like Plantar Fasciitis. One that I used for a bout of sesamoiditis was the X-Line Pressure perfect insole which was prescribed by a medical professional.
Generally though something like Superfeet green insoles work well most of the time.
You wouldn't want to use super feet wwit a franks high arch boot. I believe it would never work.
@@deanhawk6050 No, you're right, any boot with an extended arch support wouldn't suit these insole and the arch support does half the job that these insoles do anyway. The other half usually being the stabilisation of the heel.
The advantage of using the insoles (for most boots) is that they support the feet independently of the fit of the boot, assuming the boot is not too tight of course. The disadvantage is that they raise the foot a little (though this varies ) and there needs to be enough room in the vamp if you have a high instep. Usually though this is less of an issue with boot than shoes.
Great episode! Thanks for all the great info! Subbed!
Very intresting. I also have had a foot injruy, and the shape of my foot actually changed. I also have enormous feet (Brannock 13E) so finding boots that fit me correctly has been a challenge. I am currently working with Baker's to have a custom (smaller) sized upper put onto a (larger) size lower as a plan to fid my strange foot. This will be my 4th pari of whites, and my previous pairs are all good, but not a perfect fit. I am hoping that 4th time is the charm . I am so thankful there are American Bootmakers out there that are still working directly with customers for custom fits. it's expensive to get it right. and thsi process has taken over 2 years. i don't know what else to do other than keep trying, keep waiting.
Man I hope it works out for you this role time! 4th time is a charm after all hahaha
Great talk, Thank you
UPDATE: I am watching thia video for the first time over a year later, and at about half an hour in they are talking about the McKay stitch in the inside. FWIW, for a number of reasons, Nicks no longer does the McKay stitch, leaving a smoother footbed.
Does this guy have a blog by chance? A wealth of knowledge in that noggin
He’s planning on starting a podcast
I believe brannock device is used incorrectly most of the time. You have to press the back of your foot into a flat surface, whereas tracing “adds” about 5mm to the length bc you are not putting a hard stop to any edge of your feet.
I think brannock actually measures UK size, which is about the length of your foot. And US size is about the length of the insole (hence why US size is always larger than UK).
If you go to a sneaker store and step on a brannock they will say to add .5-1 size because they are true to the actual length measurements (i.e. a size 28cm foot will not fit into a shoe with an internal length of 28cm. Or at least it would be very uncomfortable). This makes the most sense to me personally.
White’s sizes boots like this too, if I tell whites the size of my feet they will suggest a size too small, but if I tell them the size of insole length I need then they suggest the right size. They wanted to put me in an 8.5EE but I ended up going with 9.5E and with thick socks they are almost perfect but still 1/4” shorter than it should be for me … just my experience!!!
On a brannock my feet are 10 1/2 inches, my foot imprint on an insole of good fitting shoe is 10 3/4” !! And I would still need an internal length of at approx. 11 inches lol so I do not trust sizing devices
Shape/last is also very very important of course
Give a beer to this guy
Not my experience. I measure 11 on a Brannock and a US 11 shoe gives me an average of 3/4" of extra space in length. I measure a D at the ball of the foot and that also fits in shoes. My challenge is that my toes have a healthy splay and the tops of my feet are more horizontal across than average, so most last shapes don't fit me, and I sometimes have to go up a width even though that makes the heels loose.
45:34 Lee makes some of the most beautiful boots I’ve ever seen. Definitely check his stuff out
i tought of another question for next time: Nicks, Whites, and Franks all offer a "55" last. Are there any differences between those , or are the literally all the exact same last?
thanks Dale and Company
Same last
This is great! Always next level with the details and info!. Any advice for someone with narrow feet, size 11.5 in sneakers? I love boots but seem to always have slippage in the heel and loose in the ankle especially. I saw that Allen Edmonds makes a narrow width but I'm wondering if there are other (better) options out there for me. Thanks!
Most of the PNW boot companies offer boots in C or B width. I know Grant Stone does B width, too. Probably start with measuring your foot on a Brannock device in a shoe store/department. It's a good starting point, even though you'll still need to size with each brand as needed.
i like monk strap chukkas haven't found a pair were the strap is in the right place or have enough depth for a high instep guy, bought a used pair on ebay that fit perfect for me, from what the shoe says its from (the shoe club) made in mexico can't findout much about them
Good video. Dale, has anyone ever used your kilties with 8” high doc martens? Ox blood docs? Thanks
Not to my knowledge but they should fit!
When can we expect a review of those whites?
Already did the initial one!
Please track down that doctor he mentioned to do an interview on medical orthopedic boots... This information needs to get out there....
I don't like the idea of those rebuilds .It should be a bit longer serviceable
come on mold your foot in a shoebox filled with gel... backfill with plaster....
Very nice…I’ve learned quite a bit.
Glad it was helpful!