I bought these boots after watching RoseAnvil’s review on YouTube. If you’re considering buying Chisos boots, check out that video.
These boots look amazing. I highly prefer vintage-looking boots, and the brushed brown leather and natural sole combo has a great lived-in look right out of the box. I would probably prefer not to have the layer of red rubber(?) in the heel stack, but in the natural heel stack color, it’s not as eye-catching as in black. I also love the shaft stitching on the No. 1: it is subtle but beautiful, and feels very Old Hollywood.
In terms of finishing, these boots are nearly flawless. A few slightly rough edges emphasize the hand-made nature of these boots and contribute to the old-school feel, so I mostly just have observations, not criticisms. I found a few thread-ends, but that’s usual for a leather boot, and they burn off easily. Two of the lemonwood pegs on the sole were slightly proud of the leather, but they trimmed down easily with a sharp chisel. My one criticism of the finishing is that one heel is shaped differently to the other. It’s wider at the front on one side (see picture). From the angle in the photo, it doesn’t look that bad, but when you put the boots on it’s pretty obvious. Hopefully I can get a cobbler to sand that heel to match the other. Aside from that, these boots seem very well-made.
These boots are also incredibly comfortable, thanks to the soft insoles and generous room in the toe. One question I have is whether the insole will prevent the boot from forming to my foot. After a few wears I can see my footprint starting to form in the leather top of the insole (good), but only time will tell if the cushion in the insole will prevent that locked-in feel of a broken-in boot with a leather and cork footbed.
I followed Chisos’ sizing guide and got a size that matches my other leather boots (Red Wings and Allen Edmonds). Since my feet are different sizes, the right boot is a little looser than the left. I add leather inserts under the forefoot (I also do this on my Red Wings), and I think I’ve found the right thickness for a perfect fit. If I had sized down another half-size, I’m not sure the left boot would have fit. I’m glad Chisos have enough room in the footbed to accommodate inserts.
In summary, a comfortable, fantastic-looking, well-made boot.