Rose Anvil needs to see this “leather midsole”. This is ridiculous. 😂😂😂

@antonioalvarez303

6 ай бұрын

Yes, indeed...

Damn… not me watching another of your videos like “oh cool another review”. My goddamn jaw dropped 10min in. Those were some intrusive thoughts, lol.

@aChannelAboutBoots

8 ай бұрын

Haha thanks for watching it. Me waking up in the morning all hungover and seeing what looked like a boot murder scene in my living room really was an experience. I’m probably going to be picking glue soaked cork pieces out of my carpet for months.

3 pairs of shell boots, takes one apart (quite well actually), then plans to send one to a cobbler. Im impressed, mortified, and enamored. I wonder what bro does for a living.

Holy sheet! Man was not expecting that! I have these in brown shell, yea they are comfortable and always wondered why they felt different than my vibergs, grant stones, trumans..

@aChannelAboutBoots

8 ай бұрын

It was you I was talking about in the video about enlightening me about the notched corner of the heel. Thanks for that.

Holy shit just hit 10:30 and I just about spit my whiskey out. Woah.

Holy cow! Wasn't expecting that. Good info, but damn son. I guess sometimes curiosity kills the boot. I like your experiment on comparing builds when you get the next pair resoled. I like the look of soft toes, too.

I agree with your sentiment; wish they used a veg tan leather insole/more leather components in general, but at the same time I'm glad I have mine and I would probably buy them again. I'm definitely more in the "real boot" camp on KZread and prefer a break-in of real leather, but I guess I make an exception for these Higgins Mill boots because they just work well for me. I beat them up a lot, but none of the cheaper components seemed to have held them back over the years. The shell shines up nicely with just a minute of brushing.

Haha, man, I was surprised when you introduced the torn down boot. I agree, boot companies should have a detailed breakdown of how their boots are made, along with pictures of each component used in each step of the construction. I'd also like to see how much a company saves by using texon instead of leather. Per boot, it's not a huge savings. I've made boots, and quarter inch oak bark tanned bend insoles cost me like $15 for a pair, and texon lasting board would cost me $10. So a $5 savings on materials to make a boot that won't last nearly as long. It's ridiculous. But the problem is the ignorant consumers who buy straight garbage like Nike. I also hate polyfoam, so I would never want it in my boots. It'd be interesting to see natural latex foam used as an insole material, but I don't think I've ever seen that in a factory boot.

Man, you are a star. Have a pair in black shell and subscribe to every word you said. Very comfortable boots, but could be made better with proper materials.

You need to have the deconstructed boot as your thumbnail pic and a you’d get a whole lot more clicks because I wasn’t expecting to see that boot all torn up. But I’m glad you did it because I’ve wondered forever what the guts are made of. And yes, I’d like to see a Rose Anvil version also😂.

@aChannelAboutBoots

7 ай бұрын

I thought about it. I didn’t start this channel to make money or to be E-famous. I’d rather my videos be watched by people that are genuinely into boots, not mindless clickbait chasers. Thanks for watching!

Well done 👏

So which dress boot alternatives are there besides the HM?

I am 11.5D brannock and tried on the normal Higgins Mill in an AE store. It seemed like the right size, but I was ordering the Natural CXL version they didn’t have in stock. Unfortunately it was some “all weather” variation and tighter. I wore them for a couple months and sold them. That was the last time I bought an AE product. Done with them.

@EDHBlvd

8 ай бұрын

Forgot to mention I bought them in 11.5D and they ran small.

@EDHBlvd

8 ай бұрын

Wtf you cut the sole off. Hahaha awesome.

@prplhze2000

3 ай бұрын

The storm welt is a little more snug

Wow, nice commitement! We don't need Rose Anvil video anymore! ;) Also, I don't think there is any point in leather midsole, especially this thin, if above that we have leatherboard and sythetic materials. I mean, it will not mold to your feet because there are those materials above. Also, it will probably split during resole as yours did, so it cannot be reused. And if not, it will have to be replaced anyways, because insole will most likely be ruined before that. Pointless.

Kudos to you(well, mostly to alcohol) for solving the mysteries I’ve had in considering AE.

@aChannelAboutBoots

4 ай бұрын

Haha thanks for watching.

you are right about the constant sales at allen edmonds. and the quick production time. the reason why the dainite soles dont say made in england is because companies like AE dont want people confused by that tag, since not everyone will realize that only accounts for the sole, not the whole boot. i have my pair with navy horween shell and itshide british made soles and the comfort has suspiciously gotten more squishy over the last few years. but if i save 300 to 500 bucks on them compared to other brands not made in china i will take it.

Yes!! You finally summed up what I've been thinking about AE Higgins Mills for years, and dismantled your own boot to prove your theory! I hate that they're hiding subpar materials under marketing fluff. Allen Edmonds can absolutely make a proper boot if they want, but they chose the squishy easy break-in foam and co. to appeal to more customers. (The AE x Barbour boot had a real leather insole). If you taken apart a "weatherproof" Higgins Mill you would have found a synthetic membrane between the lining and upper, which I find heavily stifles breathability. The leather lining used on shell Higgins Mills seems to be of higher quality, and notably lacking that awful weatherproof membrane. Speaking of breathability, the leather-topped Poron foam insoles in these boots make my feet sweat more: after any kind of walking effort I feel like my feet are swamped. Adding a thicker leather insole (if you have the room) has been a solution for me that helps absorb sweat. I have also had success with removing the leather footbed, scraping/peeling out the foam, and replacing both with a thick slab of leather. It's a shame since I own several Higgins Mills' and love the look and fit of them, but have found them not to hold up well. I will definitely consider sending a pair to a cobbler for rebuilding when the time comes instead of back to AE. Interested in seeing how your rebuild goes! Wyatt & Dad Cobbler Co. would do a fine job with them, no doubt.

The low quality insole and welt on these boots is what majorly holds them back. They cannot be considered a serious boot, more of a tall dress shoe that looks like a boot.

I have them in CXL and I love them. I wear them in rotation with Iron Rangers and they are soooo comfy and I don’t have to worry about beating the hell out of them at work because they aren’t like bespoke or anything. They look amazing all broken in with the soft toe. A pair in shell is a grail boot for me, but like a daily driver grail. Is that even a thing? It is for me.

@djhungzilla

8 ай бұрын

You're coping hard. The internals are clearly shit, a house is only as good as the foundation it's built on. Allen Edmonds is ripping their customers off, big time.

Where did you order a natural shell cordovan Higgins mill boot from? 25:08 On their site they only list (4) separate colors. Black, Brown, Burgundy & Chili…

@aChannelAboutBoots

7 ай бұрын

It was from their trunk show a little bit ago. They had denim, ultraviolet, and natural shell cordovan available.

Okay now I’m at 21:42 and the curveballs are outrageous. This is a hell of a video haha.

@aChannelAboutBoots

8 ай бұрын

Haha your series of comments really makes me enjoy making KZread videos. Thanks for watching.

👍👍👍

This is what I expected this to be assembled. They probably use the insole construction across all their product lines, so it’s less disruption to their make process. For a dress boot without of the box comfort/zero breakin that’s probably that they intended. Not sure how invested you are in that pair of boots, but you can have them rebuilt with the insole/midsole. You have a heavy hitter pair of boots.

@aChannelAboutBoots

7 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching. I’m actually using the shell from the boots to make stuff for friends and family for Christmas.

I do like these.. they can be pretty cheap second hand. simple, classy plain toe. but think of the value difference if they just did all leather. it would put it worlds ahead by doing the cordovan justice.. ppl want a semi casual dress cordovan boot that's all leather.. doesn't have to be a PNW beast of material.. thin works for casual and comfort.. but still., if it was only all leather.. it would really be a huge boost.. I don't want to buy Grant Stone casual dress boots.. id much rather support Alden and/or Allen Edmonds.. if only they just did it right.. and ill still likely never bother getting GS boots.. even though there's a couple I really like. i like the Brass boot, i like their Moc toe.. the Ottawa... but 2 out of 3 of those are Alden knock off designs anyway.. same with the Diesel.. and ppl can say the owners are American but it still doesn't change the fact that they outsourced to China.. not that im completely against buying anything from China, it nearly impossible not to.., I just gravitate toward other brands.. even White's, despite being Japanese owned now.., i still consider them my favorite boot brand of all

It defintely has a leather midsole. The cork is under for the foot bed. It's well known.

Well damn. I have a pair of HM Shell boots on order and the fact they don’t bother w leather insoles/lasting board bugs the hell outta me. :(

@aChannelAboutBoots

8 ай бұрын

Yeah, pretty much anything can be improved. The boots are nice. Them in the denim shell cordovan will be awesome.

@ladyeclectic

8 ай бұрын

@@aChannelAboutBoots Yeah I got a pair in the denim and I’m freaking stoked to get them. Or was stoked. *sigh* If it really bugs me I’ll get them re-lasted by Unsung House w all leather construction, but I don’t like how they’re cutting corners nowadays.

Great vid thanks. Been weighing up a pair of these. Looks like construction doesn’t align with the $$. Been hard finding advice on the sizing. Some say half down. Some say tts. Cool watch as well. Is that damasko? When the bean counters start cutting costs to save pennies. I wonder if they factor in the damage to a brands reputation and future lost sales. I assume they just do it to make the company look more profitable in the short term so they can sell it…

@aChannelAboutBoots

7 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching. Yeah it’s a Damasko. It’s a shame but it does seem to be following the standard margin expansion playbook.

are you going to rebuild the boot with the shell upper?

@aChannelAboutBoots

Күн бұрын

@@jasonc158 I actually cut the uppers on these up and made small things like key fobs and wrist cuffs to give my family and friends as gifts for Christmas, so I’m afraid not. Thanks for watching the video!

@jasonc158

Күн бұрын

@@aChannelAboutBoots I really enjoy your video we have a very similar level of collection just you have more whites nicks and I am more heavy on Viberg.

They say on the website what "custom cork" means. It means it uses a cork filler, like every other decent goodyear welted boot. Kind of stupid branding, but not a lie or hiding something.

Looks like a cellulose insole and thermoplastic toe stiffner and heel counter.

Your Damasko watch is very nice

@aChannelAboutBoots

8 ай бұрын

Thanks. Have had it for a few years now. Still keeps time well. Probably will go back for a service soon, though.

And I though I had a drinking problem… Jesus!

So WTF? I just ordered a pair of these HM Chili German Leather and they're god-damned sneakers disguised as a boot? Oh hell no! They're getting shipped right back for a refund.

After tearing them apart, you might've just tried to have them relasted instead of dropping another $800 for a new pair. You would've saved a healthy chunk and had better internal components of your choice.

You can replace the heal stack and midsole when having it resoled. Stay away from the boots next time. Cheers

you said it yourself, you have never done a resole, so of course it will be difficult and arduous. cobblers do it all the time, so they have experience and routine.

I don't drink, maybe you should consider stopping too. I think a DUI may have been cheaper. Lol

Texon for 800 to 700? nah even if it's shell cordovan

Allan Edmonds are dress shoes I own those shoes in calfskin. Great shoes especially for dress grant stones are big and bulky

It's ridiculous that you spent over $700,00 for shell cordovan, and it's made with cardboard heels and thin leather inner soles. Not at all good customer service. Terrible.

I ain’t wearing boots around bro while drinking lol no means no

@aChannelAboutBoots

8 ай бұрын

Fair enough. Bourbon and boots don’t mix for me either.

@averagejoe4101

2 ай бұрын

So maybe I missed it.. what dress boot alternatives are there to replace the Higgins Mill?