Club Obi Wan

I realized that many have had an issue, but I felt that by using the template as a guide, at least the mistake won't be mine if there is one. If I have to exchange, oh well. A minor expense if they are as nice as people say.

Well...After all the anticipation, my Coyles showed up!
I think they are fantastic! The leather, the weight, the quality .
They even fit perfect right out of the box. I was so glad I went with
the 9's instead of the 10's.

The only thing I'm not sure about is a square block under the heel
which is a bit uncomfortable. I'm thinking it must be the heel attachment.
I'll likely have to drop in a pair of insoles to make them really
comfortable.

Did anyone else find this heel thing? I might have it looked at when I
bring them into the cobblers for lugs.

Well done Todd...a bit more refinement and these will be perfect.

Kilgour Trout

congrats kilgour......glad you can finally join the club ......give her some time to break in before you decide to modify them. i was tempted myself.....i even thought they were too small at first.....now they are comfy and fit like a glove. i'd say it took me at least 2 to 3 days to break in nicely. at that time, i was surprised that someone took these to machu pichu (sp?)......now, i wouldn't even hesitate to do that with these bad boys.

good boots, great price....takes a beating with no ill effects so far

Hey G, I appreciate the advice
Even so...I brought them into my cobbler today and he is
going to pull the square heel tacks and replace them with 12 or
more proper nails. This will allow my heel to rest in the center rear
of the boot and not cause the pain I was getting from the tack.

We also looked at the sole of the shoe and decided a
winter grip tread would greatly increase the traction
and hardly effect the profile of the shoe at all. His feeling was
that the modifications would greatly increase the wearability
of the boot year round. All for about $45.00.

So..as soon as they're done I'll try and post some pics.
Cheers
Kilgour Trout

Indiana G wrote: at that time, i was surprised that someone took these to machu pichu (sp?)......now, i wouldn't even hesitate to do that with these bad boys.

Just don't do it when it's too wet and slippery!

Hi Everyone,

UPS delivered my new pair of 2nd run boots this morning. I went with a size 10 instead of my normal size 11, and I’m really glad I did. These new boots fit great. I wore them around all afternoon, and they’re very comfortable. Also, I don’t seem to have the heal problem that Trout encountered with his.

Compared to my 1st run boots, these 2nd run boots are definitely browner in color and have a little more weight to them. I really don’t notice much difference in the grain of the leather however. Here’s a picture of one of my new size 10 2nd run boots next to one of my size 11 (marked size 11) 1st run boots.



I really hope these new boots hold up as well as my first pair.

Scott

good god, that colour is even better than the 1st run

I got my pair of size 11's yesterday. I just love the color! Surprised how well it's put together....I gotta say it's just as good as my $320 Aldens!....No lie!..and just as comfortable!....amazing job by Todd's. I'm kind of surprised though how small the Todd's 11's are....it actually fits smaller than my Aldens 10.5's!

Well, my boots are here, and I gotta say; most of you people must love your shoes tight! These 12's fit me like any other 12 I've ever bought. Spot on, no problem. I think a lot of people (myself included until a few years ago) get in the habit of wearing the smallest shoe that fits them, rather than one with breathing room. Bad idea for foot health.

At any rate, I wouldn't wear dress socks in these, but then I rarely ever do. The only fault I can find is they smell like formalgehide! (I can't even imagine how to spell that). I'm sure than will go away, but man did the stink once my feet warmed them up!

For all my reservations, I am pleased with these out of the box. Now, let's see how they fair being worn.

Good, Im not the only one whose shoes smelled funky BEFORE I put them on:)

Chewbacca Jones wrote:The only fault I can find is they smell like formalgehide! (I can't even imagine how to spell that). I'm sure than will go away, but man did the stink once my feet warmed them up!

Hmm, formaldehyde smell? Well, at least the leather should be well preserved!

Scott

Ok so I assume that since my 405s are size 11s and they fit perfectly, then I should order an 11 in Todd's as well?

Kyle

That depends. Is 11 your normal (non-Alden) size?

Well, I got my exchanged pair of boots in today. These are a size 9 from the new batch. I have never in my life worn anything smaller than a size 10, but these 9s fit PERFECTLY; in fact they are roomy on the side of the toes. If you print out Todd's sizing charts you will see that the 9s are a few millimeters short of a size 10, so these worked out great. They are very comfy too. Again, the uppers in this second batch are very good. When the hooks/soles give out I'll get them replaced and move on. And, again, Todd's customer service is the best!

RaiderZee

My shoe size in sneakers is a 12, but my Aldens are an 11...

Kyle

knibs7 wrote:My shoe size in sneakers is a 12, but my Aldens are an 11...

Kyle

It's obvious you guys have not been following the recent trade agreements with China.
11 is the new 12 as 13 is the new 9. All that is required is that you multiply your shoe size by a factor of 1.278 X pie to a factor of 8.35. The denominator divided by .4 becomes your shoe size. Unless your left handed then it becomes a little difficult.

Actually, since it's a Chinese shoe, if they tell you you're a size 9, then you ARE a size 9

RZ

alphared6 wrote:

knibs7 wrote:My shoe size in sneakers is a 12, but my Aldens are an 11...

Kyle

It's obvious you guys have not been following the recent trade agreements with China.
11 is the new 12 as 13 is the new 9. All that is required is that you multiply your shoe size by a factor of 1.278 X pie to a factor of 8.35. The denominator divided by .4 becomes your shoe size. Unless your left handed then it becomes a little difficult.

My head hurts

Kyle

Maybe if you stop banging it against the wall...

Dan S

Scott63 wrote:Hi Everyone,

UPS delivered my new pair of 2nd run boots this morning. I went with a size 10 instead of my normal size 11, and I’m really glad I did. These new boots fit great. I wore them around all afternoon, and they’re very comfortable. Also, I don’t seem to have the heal problem that Trout encountered with his.

Compared to my 1st run boots, these 2nd run boots are definitely browner in color and have a little more weight to them. I really don’t notice much difference in the grain of the leather however. Here’s a picture of one of my new size 10 2nd run boots next to one of my size 11 (marked size 11) 1st run boots.



I really hope these new boots hold up as well as my first pair.

Scott

I received mine about 3 weeks ago and they fit fine, I wear a size 11 and ordered an size 11......however they still stink especially when the leather get a bit warm.
As for the colour, mine weren't originally as brown as Scott's pic, more like the first run colour so after a number of Pecards and hairdryer sessions plus a couple of coatings with a darker brown shoe cream then a final coat of Pecards to seal in the colour, I am reasonably happy with the outcome.

Marv wrote:

Scott63 wrote:Hi Everyone,

UPS delivered my new pair of 2nd run boots this morning. I went with a size 10 instead of my normal size 11, and I’m really glad I did. These new boots fit great. I wore them around all afternoon, and they’re very comfortable. Also, I don’t seem to have the heal problem that Trout encountered with his.

Compared to my 1st run boots, these 2nd run boots are definitely browner in color and have a little more weight to them. I really don’t notice much difference in the grain of the leather however. Here’s a picture of one of my new size 10 2nd run boots next to one of my size 11 (marked size 11) 1st run boots.



I really hope these new boots hold up as well as my first pair.

Scott

I received mine about 3 weeks ago and they fit fine, I wear a size 11 and ordered an size 11......however they still stink especially when the leather get a bit warm.
As for the colour, mine weren't originally as brown as Scott's pic, more like the first run colour so after a number of Pecards and hairdryer sessions plus a couple of coatings with a darker brown shoe cream then a final coat of Pecards to seal in the colour, I am reasonably happy with the outcome.

Do you wear a size 11 in boots or in sneakers? or both?

Kyle

Marv wrote:[
I received mine about 3 weeks ago and they fit fine, I wear a size 11 and ordered an size 11......however they still stink especially when the leather get a bit warm.

A word of advice. Don't put them in the box for first week or so. Leave them out in the open, tongue pulled out. I wore mine for the first time in the real world yesterday, after several days of airing out. After about 5 hours, they only smelled a little right at the end.

Also, I must say, I usually hate this kind of smooth sole. But I found myself unexpectedly sure-footed in these. So far, so good.

knibs7 wrote:

Marv wrote:

Scott63 wrote:Hi Everyone,

UPS delivered my new pair of 2nd run boots this morning. I went with a size 10 instead of my normal size 11, and I’m really glad I did. These new boots fit great. I wore them around all afternoon, and they’re very comfortable. Also, I don’t seem to have the heal problem that Trout encountered with his.

Compared to my 1st run boots, these 2nd run boots are definitely browner in color and have a little more weight to them. I really don’t notice much difference in the grain of the leather however. Here’s a picture of one of my new size 10 2nd run boots next to one of my size 11 (marked size 11) 1st run boots.



I really hope these new boots hold up as well as my first pair.

Scott

Do you wear a size 11 in boots or in sneakers? or both?

Kyle

My boots are all size 11, and so are most of my shoes - including my sneakers. I do have one pair of dress shoes that are size 10 1/2. My biggest concern with these boots (after reading all the posts and Todd's advice on picking a size) was the length. I really didn't want a lot of extra room in the toe, so I decided to drop a size down. I have a good inch to inch and a half in the toe with these size 10s. I think it would really bug me if they were any longer.

Scott

Welllll..................

I've been a vocal fan of my first run Coyle boots.. and have now started experiencing problems!

The sole on my left boot is seperating..



Note, the color on the sole is leather dye, I accidentally got some on there when I was redying and couldn't get it off. And the seperation goes all the way through to the other side of the boot.

It's been an interesting week for me gear wise. I was out Tuesday and the liner in my Keppler all but fell out when I touched it [I know VERY minor..], then the next day I noticed this! But on the good side, I got my Fed IV Deluxe!

I hate to see this! I love my boots!

Randy

The Mckay stitch on these boots is a fake, it's just there for looks. Have a cobbler re-glue the sole and do a real McKay stitch, and nail the heal on from the inside, then you'll be good to go.

I visited a cobbler today. I'll have to say, I won't be using him again. Kept going on about the shoes being orthodics to the point that I said I was dropping them off for someone else. [a lie, but the guy was making such a deal out of it, to the point of embarrassment.] This guy was closer/handier than others so I just went with him regardless of hassles.

He suggested just a reglue on the damaged sole and quite frankly I would do nothing more with the chap. Anything more and I'd have gone eslewhere.

All total it cost $10.60 and get them back tomorrow.

Randy

I understand if the guy didn't know when to shut up, but what's wrong with orthotics, and why was he going on about it so much? Especially since I don't think they are technically orthotic. They lack certain characteristics that I think make the difference.

I have no idea what his deal was. I never do what I did, but it shut him up.. He kept going LOUDLY on about people who wear them have bad feet blah blah blah. And there's nothing wrong with orthodics.. I've got to go pick them up in a bit. Very curious what shape they'll come back in. It just so happens I took photos of the shoes before, I'm really hoping there's no damage done.

Randy

::Edit::

Got them back. He did an ok job. Not great.. just ok. He sanded the outer edge of both boots.. kinda roughly. I'll need to hit them with sandpaper to even things out. Any Orlando area Todd's wearers needing repair.. don't visit the shop at Michigan and Orange Ave. across from the Boston Market.

The leather is seperating from my sole as well! They're still holding up, but c'mon!

Mississippi Jones wrote:The leather is seperating from my sole as well! They're still holding up, but c'mon!

How long have you had them?

Hey alpha: After having a rubberized sole put on and the heel re-tacked I was sad
to see that I'm getting the same heel separation as yourself. I've also noticed a
split or crack in the first layer of sole. I haven't had them on for more that a couple of
weeks and am not wearing them too often.

looks like I'll be seeing the cobbler again soon.
Rats.

Kilgour Trout

Sounds like this second batch isn't working out so well. I haven't worn mine yet but this isn't looking well.

Mine were first batch... With heavy wear.

Randy

I still havent had any problems

Good deal Jack, I didn't till last week. I don't think there was any immediate danger with the sole COMPLETELY seperating, but wanted to be safe.

Randy

I have a feeling that the wide variation of experience with these boots might be that we are wearing them differently. One man's "hard wear" might be gentle for another, especially when it comes to shoes. That said, if mine come undone, then there's a problem. I'm the kind of guy who has to throw away shoes in near-new condition because I outgrow them. At my age, that takes a while! The hardest action my shoes see is mowing the lawn... and I'm not mowing in these. Green toes are not very SA.

I have to say, though, it's comforting to know that I have a shoe worth fixing if something happens.

Well, I've intentionally been rough on them just to see how they wear. I've ran on concrete hunting for the mail man, kicked around the yard, done a little of everything in them. I just didn't treat them as gently as I normally do to give them natural distressing/character. I don't know that maybe they'd have been ok without the repairs, but didn't want to risk it.

That being said, I'm usually gentle on shoes. It took me close to a year before I wore my Dr. Marten's boots to do anything rugged in them.

Randy

The heals on my twice repaired boots are wearing thin. When I next take them in, my cobbler is going to completely replace the soles with leather and affix hard rubber heals to my pair. If I'm sent back to the desert I'll bring these, but I'll have my trusty combat boots as a back up.

umh...seems that these boots can't stand a little distressing. wore them in venice this week end, the third day it was raining, and today I noticed that the stitching has started to tear apart in a point.

how to solve the problem and prevent it for the future?

(I will post the photos of Venice in the Scrapbook section as soon as my friend give them to me. and yes, I've been in Campo San Barnaba too)

I have a pair from the first batch and have worn them almost every day since Jan 2 for 12+ hours a day, I don't work in an abusive environment, but I would call it more than average use. The sole on one shoe has just now worn through the first thin layer which seems to be a little soft and is now at the slightly darker layer, the heal is almost worn to the lighter layer in the back but wear has slowed down. I'll keep checking to see how they are holding up.

It's good to hear that leather soles can be put on, I like these boots and they are one of the most comfortable shoes I've ever had.

I hope all of you are able to work out the bugs on your shoe.

Regards,

HJoe

knibs7 wrote:

Ok so I assume that since my 405s are size 11s and they fit perfectly, then I should order an 11 in Todd's as well?

Kyle,
I also wear an 11 in Aldens, and I just got my Outdoorsman boots last night. From everything I was able to gather from reading the postings, it seemed the concensus was to order the same size, so I did. I was very relieved to discover that my size 11 Outdoorsmans fit perfectly, with room for insoles which I add to all of my boots. So, based on my experience, I would say order 11s with confidence.
I must say that it was also a pleasant surprise to feel the heft of Todd's boots out of the box. Despite what I have read, I was half expecting them to weigh considerably less, making them feel fake. But that was not the case. To me, they feel a lot like my Aldens did new. On a side note, the only reason I bought a pair of Todd's boots was that one of my dogs got a hold of my right Alden, and chewed a large chunk out of the upper back. I'll post pictures tomorrow. I'm actually thinking of taking them to a cobbler to see if they can just convert them into low tops. I'll also post the results, if they can do it.
I will note that the leather used on the Outdoorsman boots is not the same caliber as that of the Aldens, but this was expected. Where after two years of constant wear, my Aldens exhibited almost no signs of inset creases where the boot bends, the creases formed on the Outdoorsmans very quickly. This does not really bother me, though. Just an observation. I love the color, and the overall feel of the boots. The heel is slightly more forgiving that that of the Alden, so it's a bit easier to walk stealthfully.
Anyway, I am glad that I experimented with Todd's boots. For the money, I don't think that they can be beat. Plus, he shipped them uberquick. Well done, Todd.
Here are a few pics of my Outdoorsmans.




jkl,
Ron

As promised, here are a few pics of my Alden after my dog had spent a few minutes on it. It was a very sad sight to wake up to. Neddless to say, I no longer keep my boots at terrier level. Like I said, I'm going to see about getting them converted to low-top shoes, as soon as I get around to visiting the cobbler.





While I am very sad about this, at least it spurred me to experiment with Todd's boots, and I'm glad for that.

jkl,
Ron

OUCH!

Cap'n Ron:

A good cobbler could "patch" that hole in a manner that while not real attractive would nonetheless render them serviceable! You might ask.

I received my Todd's Indy Boots yesterday! First impressions:

Pro - Nice leather color; very comfortable shoes from the first moment; nice overall construction.
Cons - 21€ of Custom Fees (Ouch!); black rubber part of the left heel it's 2mm HIGHER than the right one!

In next days I'll go to the cobbler to install the soles protector and try to fix the heel problem.

Global impression: positive! A nice (and, of course, affordable) Alden alternative.

Okay, I just have a general question for any of you: where do you guys find cobblers? From the way some people are talking it sounds like there's just one in every town. I didn't even know that cobler's were around that much any more. I thought that they had gone the same way as dress hats (to tthe general public). Anyway, just curious.

Thanks,
-Bogart

Well Bogy, I guess it depends on where you live. In Oklahoma a lot of folks wear cowboy boots. Now good boots aint like sneakers, a good pair can last ya several decades so cobblers are in demand to replace soles and heals.
Check yer phone book for cobbler and boot/shoe repair.

Mike

Thanks alphared! I didn't even think about the phone book. I guess that's what I get for not thinking. Or it may just be that my brain is fried since it's almost the end of the semester.

Thanks,
-

Happy to help Bogy! (I loved you in The Big Sleep BTW!)

I know every one is wondering how well these boots are going to hold up, so here is an update on my first batch boots.

I've worn them for a little over three months continuous and the sole is wearing a little faster than the dockers of similar design that I used to wear, I usually can wear them to the pink in less than a year. The heals are just getting to the light colored band in the back so I decided to go ahead and have them replaced, the cobbler said that this type of corrective heal is no longer available, but after explaining to him what the boots are (Indy replicas) he said he could find a way to do it (turns out he is a fan also), I suspect he will cut a custom piece. He is also replacing the sole with leather which hopefully will last for a long time.
I caught a couple of hooks on something and bent them, but was able to bend them back so I asked about replacement, they look fine so he suggested waiting until they break.

The tack in the heal wasn't bothering me but I showed it to him, he was surprised to see it done this way and said that usually only ladies shoes were done like this, so he is going change it.

All in all these boots are very comfortable and Todd has done a great job, with proper maintenance they may last as long as Aldens at half the cost including maintenance, so I am pleased with the results.

Regards,

HJoe

alphared6 wrote:Happy to help Bogy! (I loved you in The Big Sleep BTW!)

Well, thank you.