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Permalink Reply by Dish on October 3, 2012 at 12:59pm

definetly try em on, width will make a difference. I wear cowboy boots most of the year and the fit matters, careful with the heel style, it'll get yer knees. sole wise.. ariats have a soild peice, makes it more difficult to get them resoled. I spent 150+/- on mine.. wore em hard for 2 years, till I discovered I walk on the inside of my right foot and was begining to have back issues. upper material ranges from cowhide to alligatr and everythin between, just depends on the money and if they gonna be fancy dance or work.

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Permalink Reply by Ian M. Graham on October 3, 2012 at 1:22pm

You can't beat the price of Justin boots. I've owned a pair for 7 years and I've only had them resoled once despite heavy use on my family and friends' properties. The one downside is that about half of their boots are now made in China (you can blame Berkshire Hathaway for that). Aparently the quality of Ariat has declined in recent years but I cannot attest to that since I have never worn a pair of their boots. Do NOT buy a pair of boots without trying them on first. Sizes vary widely from regular shoe sizes and from brand to brand. I recommend you find a brick and mortar store in your area and try on a variety of brands and styles before you buy.

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Permalink Reply by Johnny on October 3, 2012 at 2:20pm

thanks for the tips yeah there's some deals on ebay and stuff but I think ill go try them on and make sure i get what i want and whats comfortable

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Permalink Reply by Johnny on October 3, 2012 at 2:32pm

im leaning towards lucchese. ill hav to stop in at a store and see my size in them and then like you said compare a few brick and mortars to some onine prices and maybe even pick up a used pair on ebay

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Permalink Reply by Chuck Knight on October 3, 2012 at 2:07pm

Since cowboy boots are slip ons, not laced up, they have to actually fit.

 

Go to a good sized western wear store, and find out what actually fits, and feels comfortable.  (no they're not both the same thing)

 

And, once you figure that out, you'll know what brand and style fits you, and you can order it anywhere, whether at a brick and mortar store, or an online retailer.

 

That's the beauty of boots.  They're still made like fine shoes, and the lasts (foot molds) used by each company vary...between manufacturers.  But, a size 10.5 Justin roper will always fit, within tolerances, like a size 10.5 Justin roper...and that fit will be decidedly different than the same size and style in Ariat, or in Jama, or in Olathe.

 

As to the price, it varies depending on a number of factors including date/season, detail, construction, quality, material, and even ornamentation.  I've seen cowboy boots start at $59 and go up to over $1000/pair.  $100-ish is probably a good number, for a first pair.  I paid $169 for some Justin elephant hide boots, a few years back.

 

My square toed boots were picked up for $59, last year, at a Black Friday sale!  Sales and coupons are always good.

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Permalink Reply by Ryan 'Goldy' Goldbach on October 3, 2012 at 2:45pm

I've been wearing cowboy boots for years. I love my Tony Lama's. For sizing you'll just have to try them on. Sizing and fit vary from brand to brand. Also, get them a little on the tight side, they'll loosen a bit as they break in. I too ride a motorcycle, and cowboy boots work just fine for riding.

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Permalink Reply by Johnny on October 4, 2012 at 11:49am

A little off topic but have you guys seen these MExican Pointy Boots lol. When looking I came across these. My gf who has family in mexico says they are super popular in mexico. They look ridiculous. Some are relatively short but some are like 3-4 feet long and they dance holding them. You couldn't even wear them in the car to the club or bar you'd probably have to put them in the trunk lol

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Permalink Reply by Paul Ammons on March 20, 2013 at 7:55am

I have been researching boots a lot lately and thought I would add a few thoughts.

Size. Not only do different brands fit differently, different types of boots made by the same brand fit differently. Luchesse Classic boots with a narrow rounded toe require a larger size than a pair of 1883 Ropers with a roper or wide square toe, for example. 

Variety. Bewildering. Choices of toe and heel, overall boot height, color of both the vamp and the shaft, type of leather....and so forth. 

Brands. There are many subdivisions here....mass produced factory boots, boutique "mom and pop" shop boots made in standard sizes, and bespoke boots made from a last taken from your foot measurements. 

Luchesse is generally regarded as the "Cadillac" of the well known brands. Some of their lines are made by hand (Classics) and some are factory produced (1883). The 1883's are made in Mexico and the Classics are made in the USA (El Paso).  Blackjack boots is a smaller boot company that is also highly regarded. Their boots are made in the USA. 

http://www.lucchese.com/ http://www.blackjackboots.net/Home_Page.html

The next tier of well known brands consists of Ariat, Nocona, Justin and Tony Lama. All of these brands except Ariat are part of the Justin Corp, owned by Warren Buffet. Ariat boots are made in China. The other brands are mostly made in the USA although some of their lines are made elsewhere. Check closely. 

http://www.tonylama.com/en/index.    http://www.justinboots.com/en/

http://www.nocona.com/

Among the "boutique" boot shops...those that make hand made  boots in regular sizes instead of made to measure, JL Mercer (400 and up), Beck Boots (500 and up), and Heritage Boots (375 and up) are good choices.  

http://heritageboot.com/ http://www.jlmercerboots.com/ http://beckboots.com/

Beck Boots will send you a kit for you to take an imprint of your feet. They offer stock sizes, but with a number of variations beyond standard full and half sizes. http://beckboots.com/How%20Do%20I%20Get%20a%20Size%20Kit''.htm

 

Some boot makers have standard sizes as well as making custom made to measure boots--JB Hill and Paul Bond are good examples. 

http://www.jbhilltexas.com/ http://www.paulbondboots.com/

Then there are the custom bootmakers who make boots to fit your individual measurements.  Boots in this category go for 1,000 and up, depending on the leather and whether you want inlays, hand tooled leather or stitched uppers. Good elephant boots by a custom bootmaker in my area of West Texas go for 1500 with up to 14" tops and 5 or 6 rows of stitching (no inlays). Calf, Kangaroo and bull hide start at  around a thousand. It will take between 6 months to a year to get your custom made boots. Most custom bootmakers will send you detailed instructions for taking your own measurements if you can't make it to their shop. Many of the custom bootmakers have client lists that include country music icons like Willie Nelson, Politicians like Texas Gov. Rick Perry, and flm stars like Sandra Bulloch. 

http://www.texrobinboots.com/

http://www.kimmelbootcompany.com/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/34485294@N03/

http://www.leddyslegacyllc.com/

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