IHWE-MRLOU-BLK - Wesco® - 10" Horsehide Pull-On "Mister Lou" Engineer Boot - Black
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Just picked mine up! Had to do some cleaning as the chocolate bar in the box exploded all over the boots, managed to get most of it off. Fit is pretty good, a little hard to slide into and the instep is a wee bit tight, I imagine this will stretch?
I did notice that the strap on the one boot is WAY softer and much different texture, you can stretch it with your fingers and it already stretched one of the holes out after a few minutes, is that normal?
Also, the stitching on the other boot is a little wavy and is very close together in a few areas around the toe, is this something to be concerned about from a longevity and rebuild perspective?
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@nrtphotos It's all normal, it's the beauty of imperfection, enjoy them, in my opinion they are perfectly imperfect, just what you expect from well-tanned horse leather.
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@nrtphotos Stretchy leather is usually from the belly, and while it's not as strong as the parts closer to the spine of the animal, it's perfectly fine for a strap like that. It's not load bearing, and in my experience with engineer boots, the strap is never adjusted again after the initial fit.
My boots arrived today and I think the fit is pretty spot on. I also have some imperfections in the leather, but I'm embracing the beauty of the differences in appearance I'm seeing from boot to boot.
That being said, I'm a little disappointed that the boots didn't come with pull loops like they're shown with in the product photos. I've been wearing Wesco engineers for over a dozen years now, and I rather enjoy the pull loops on them.
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@seawolf yeah, I noticed the missing tabs too. Kinda bummed, oh well. The stitching on yours looks perfect! Chris did email me back, while the stitching isn’t perfect he says it shouldn’t cause any issues. As for the strap, he said pretty much the same as you, there are inconsistencies in the leather. I do still wish it’s something that wasn’t so obvious, seems like a weird thing to ship out the door as they are night and day between left and right. Chris did also say that were the strap to fail he would take care of me, let’s hope that doesn’t happen!
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@nrtphotos Leather inconsistency is totally normal. Using a piece of leather from a weak area of the hide is a poor choice. But at the end of the day, Wesco stands behind their products, so you don't have anything to worry about there.
As for the pull-tabs. That just sucks. I have weak hands, and really depend on those.
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re the pull loops on the heel stay, I posted this in the WESCO thread a while back after I got my Lou's direct from Chris. Kinda cool to me this design is a little more historically accurate.
@pechelman said in WESCO:
@Palmer, I'd reach out to Chris and see what he can do. Turns out he received a lot of customer complaints or something similar regarding the loop and reverted back to the original 1950s design that never had them. Honestly I don't really miss them. Just surprised me.
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@pechelman Thanks for sharing that! Cool little historical tidbit.
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It's cool that they're going to a more historical look without the pull loop, but practically speaking, I'd be bummed without it. I have two different engineers, one with and without a pull loop and having one does make a noticeable difference in ease of putting them on.
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@Luijim78 the consensus on the Wesco Facebook group is that these should either be returned or considered seconds. I do somewhat agree, especially with the strap. I’m really not sure how someone would look at that and think it’s good to go at full MSRP, these are by no means cheap. They are lucky there is a backlog of work, brands like Viberg get slammed for stuff like this.
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@nrtphotos yes I read the fb page, I'm sure it will go very well I hope so, in mine for example the skin of the torso of one seems different from the other, I consider it an advantage, the difference between an industrial product and an artisanal one
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@nrtphotos ps. if you read the web pages of more famous brands (Clinch, Role Club, Attraction..., which cost 2 or 3 times as much) the staff apologize in advance for any cracks, differences and imperfections of the leather. But as I wrote to you, the choice is yours and I am sure that in the end you will be satisfied. Have a nice day to all my friends
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@seawolf I'm really sorry for the lack of clarity between the models on the website, it was mentioned last week and I thought the images had been updated accordingly however the incorrect side-on shot remained, this is my oversight and I can only apologise.
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@AdamJ It's not a huge deal, and if it were something I was really upset about, I would have reached out to you via email to discuss a remedy. The boots are great, and I'm sure once I get them broken-in, it won't even matter. As I mentioned above, it was more about not being mentally prepared for the difference between my expectations and what showed up.
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@Ross has reached out to me and given me a few options, I feel very well taken care of at this point and have reassurances from both Iron Heart and Wesco. Excellent service as always!
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Just got my pair today, so far so good gonna start to break this badboy today
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Feeling a little pressure on my right instep (something that happens with every new pair of boots for me, due to my strangely high instep on my right foot), and I don't love removing the insoles, so I made some that are half as thick to use as "training insoles" until the boots are broken-in.
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@seawolf ihave the same problem with you always tight on my right foot for any new boots. I just take out the sole and everything perfect:)
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In the end I managed it and ordered a pair directly from Wesco. Too bad, I would have liked to buy the boots via IH (especially since Wesco charges horrendous shipping costs) so that I could have had them now and broken them in. At the next opportunity, I‘ll make sure in advance that there will be a restock also for my size.
Now I have to wait patiently (not my strong point), expected delivery date: Mid-October 2024…
Until then, I wish you all lots of fun with your new boots and look forward to seeing some pics here
