Club Obi Wan

Hi folks

On the Youtube channel Rose Anvil,you can see a dissection of Alden Indies boots. The guy literally cuts them in half and examine every part of it: leather, midsole, outsole, heel stacks and so on. Long story short - it is far from a perfect boots in Rose Anvil's opinion.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P11e6SW_1T8

Very interesting, thanks for sharing! No wonder that Indy has given them the, er, boot for the new film

I own Alden Indy’s and Redwing Iron Rangers. I think my Iron Rangers are a better boot for the price.


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While I like my Aldens, I agree there are much better boots for the price. For example, for about the same price as Aldens you can get a pair of Nicks which probably would have survived the “Doomtown” situation Indy was in without having to be in a fridge.

I have a pair of Nicks moc toes and they really are built far more robustly than the Aldens. That said, Aldens are more comfortable out of the box and they are a perfectly good boot for normal every day type situations. The Nicks are HEAVY but they are conforming and breaking in, but they're definitely not "casual" boots at all -- they look really nice but they're some serious footwear.. It's kind of like with the jackets and comparing horsehide to like a good lambskin. They're made for different things.

Illinois_Jones wrote:I have a pair of Nicks moc toes and they really are built far more robustly than the Aldens. That said, Aldens are more comfortable out of the box and they are a perfectly good boot for normal every day type situations. The Nicks are HEAVY but they are conforming and breaking in, but they're definitely not "casual" boots at all -- they look really nice but they're some serious footwear.. It's kind of like with the jackets and comparing horsehide to like a good lambskin. They're made for different things.

Do you have these?

https://nicksboots.com/moc-toe-robert-w ... tage-boot/


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MikeMac wrote: ↑Sat Oct 01, 2022 10:28 pm

Illinois_Jones wrote:I have a pair of Nicks moc toes and they really are built far more robustly than the Aldens. That said, Aldens are more comfortable out of the box and they are a perfectly good boot for normal every day type situations. The Nicks are HEAVY but they are conforming and breaking in, but they're definitely not "casual" boots at all -- they look really nice but they're some serious footwear.. It's kind of like with the jackets and comparing horsehide to like a good lambskin. They're made for different things.

Do you have these?

https://nicksboots.com/moc-toe-robert-w ... tage-boot/


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Yup. Moderate arch, moderate heel stack, mini lug, 1964 leather. They're very much Indy boots, just the dreadnought version. I have a few pairs of Nicks that I wear while out in the field, but the moc toes just look nicer and can be dressed up a bit so to speak. I'll post some pics when I have some time.

Dang! Thanks for posting. This was really interesting. I still love my Aldens, but ummm... yeah, they are way overpriced, and it looks like quality has suffered over the years.

Illinois_Jones wrote:

MikeMac wrote: ↑Sat Oct 01, 2022 10:28 pm

Illinois_Jones wrote:I have a pair of Nicks moc toes and they really are built far more robustly than the Aldens. That said, Aldens are more comfortable out of the box and they are a perfectly good boot for normal every day type situations. The Nicks are HEAVY but they are conforming and breaking in, but they're definitely not "casual" boots at all -- they look really nice but they're some serious footwear.. It's kind of like with the jackets and comparing horsehide to like a good lambskin. They're made for different things.

Do you have these?

https://nicksboots.com/moc-toe-robert-w ... tage-boot/


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Yup. Moderate arch, moderate heel stack, mini lug, 1964 leather. They're very much Indy boots, just the dreadnought version. I have a few pairs of Nicks that I wear while out in the field, but the moc toes just look nicer and can be dressed up a bit so to speak. I'll post some pics when I have some time.

That’s what I was thinking and considering purchasing. Would you post some pics?

I wish they had a visual menu of leather choices. That would make choosing the leather much easier.

Nice boots!


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Tennessee Smith pointed out to me last night Indygear is mentioned quickly in the video around the 3:19 mark. It’s the message box at the top of the screen in the 1981 section.

Rey! Michaelson

Those Nicks have a pretty tall heel. Don't think I could get used to that, but if you’re used to a western heel they look indistructable.

Tibor wrote:Those Nicks have a pretty tall heel. Don't think I could get used to that, but if you’re used to a western heel they look indistructable.

I’m pretty sure you can have a lower heel upon request.


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Actually, Rose Anvil made a second part of the video, on his other channel:

He bought a second pair of Indy's, made of Horween cordovan, and wore it for a month. Here is the review:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpTtwklUKS0&t=1054s

The results? Great last, comfortable, but quality issues, splitting outsole, heel block that started to separate and so on ...

He just cut a 30-plus year old pair in half to compare them. Overall, the verdict was the older boots were a bit better. I love the Rose Anvil channel, but I have to confess it made me a bit sad to see how overpriced the Alden’s are, quality-wise. I was always planning on getting a pair one day, but now I’m not sure I’d spend the money. Ah, well! I’ll just have to buy a Herbert Johnson hat instead…