William Lennon Boots
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Yeah, they're really hob-nailed. Seriously old school. I found the sizing to be a tad large; I'm consistently a size 11US, a 10 in Viberg (UK sizing) and have a pair of Tricker's in size 9.5. My William Lennons in size 10 required a fairly thick insole to work for me. A 9.5 might have worked, but WL doesn't do half sizes.
Can't make a comparison to White's, as I don't have any, but I'd call them well built and sturdy, though a touch unrefined- some untrimmed threads, rough edges here and there, slightly sloppy glue work, seams that aren't always perfectly aligned, that sort of thing. Nothing that affects the comfort or durability, or even is noticeable without close inspection, but there if you're looking for it. Comfortable, once they break in, which takes a while.
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Very cool, when the weather improves I will be spending more time in mine.
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Dunno about zug grain v smooth, but in retrospect, I would have gotten the commando sole instead of the leather sole.
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Chris's analysis on the build quality is spot on, if you're only used to wearing Vibergs or Whites then you might find them a little sloppy by comparison. What they are is functional, built like a tank in the oldest of old school ways, and something a little different to what we usually see.
At the price, you will not find many better boots, they are not £100 worse than Whites or £200 worse than Vibergs, which is where they do bear comparison.
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Chris's analysis on the build quality is spot on, if you're only used to wearing Vibergs or Whites then you might find them a little sloppy by comparison. What they are is functional, built like a tank in the oldest of old school ways, and something a little different to what we usually see.
At the price, you will not find many better boots, they are not £100 worse than Whites or £200 worse than Vibergs, which is where they do bear comparison.
Repeated with emphasis, as they are, I think, the most relevant statements about William Lennon that can be made.
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Yes and they are lining them in calf for me, for £10 a boot. I might go for a bit of rubber on the tips, I like that touch, or maybe even blakies for supreme impact. Lovely simple boot. I do love the brass stud on the WW1 boot, might see if I can merc that on these. Thanks boys.
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For sale, for cheap. £50 plus your chosen method of shipping, UK10.
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Damn, they look cool! I went with the Burgundy Zug Grain, but no sign of them yet…
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Dem's cool, like the texture and the unfinished edges.
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TOW [tug of war] model in reverse kip butt. they're built tough really & not easy to break in. 'my entry for the HBC challenge, as it turned out, became [my] personal challenge.
i have not posted anything with regards to [my entry] boots on HBC except the initial post cuz i was having 2nd thoughts about the boots. i almost gave up when they developed an annoying squeak [on the outside side seam], on both. 'wondered if [this] was just a normal "stage" of the break in process, or maybe the choice in leather &/or model … or prolly i just gotta accept i might have gotten a lemon, plain & simple
thought it might be damaging to WL to post my experience w/o checking with them 1st, so i emailed WL a couple of times. ... but, queries were ignored. 'almost gave up if it weren't for the advice of simonc & michaeljcr. thanx for the heads up guys!
fast forward: after 6mos = 3mos effective wear, the squeak is suddenly gone. "farting", as simonc's son described it, was just a break in "stage", indeed … at least for [these] kind of boot build, i suppose.
the "farting stage" is finally over, TG! the leather has softened quite a bit & the triple sole is giving some flex. with the "Superfeet" half-insoles, the wearing experience have greatly improved. i've been wearing them a lot more lately.
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talk about boots "fart" … 'just posted about couple of weeks back that the annoying squeaks were gone.
anyway, 'put them aside for a week & took the LW Wireman instead for a trip to the west coast. came back & wore them for work a week later__ squeaks are back :o. but, after the 3rd consecutive day of use, squeaks went away
,,, damn boots are begging to be wornnoisy boots get more attention, after all
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Hey BrownIcon,
The noise might be coming from the material they use to fill the space where the upper meets the insole. Usually cork, leather or even cardboard is used and the later two can squeak when rubbing between the insole and outsole. I only know this because it happened when I made my first sample boots.
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@Hemi_ hey, tnx for the insight. initially, i was worried maybe its a production flaw, like sole separation or something. but, i've been constantly checking/closely examining the bottom construction__ from a non-bootmaker point of view, i think, [damn!] they're built solid tight.
anyway, i noticed that the squeak returns every time i oil them. although, not as pronounced as when boots were new. then, after a few wears, once the oil gets absorbed &/or dry out, [it] dissipates & eventually goes away
interesting quirk, since this is the 1st time i broke in a pair that cusses back every step i made
but, that was then.
"foot rebellion" has been quelled & now [we] walk in harmony
