Anyone heard of Tom Rich Shoes before? Malaysian brand, made in Indonesia.
http://tomrichshoes.com/

Got a bit excited because it came up when I searched for handwelted. Turns out that was because they use the term "handmade leather welt" lol.

But hey, RM590 for Goodyear welted boots is cheap.

just got me a pair of viberg...

album

Nice haul there. How much the damage?

darn its getting more expensive these days... especially the currency thingie and also viberg steadily increasing the price....

it's bison leather

darn its getting more expensive these days... especially the currency thingie and also viberg steadily increasing the price....

I have bought and own boots from Viberg, White's, and Wesco. I was a Red Wings guy until I got older and my feet got weird...I have very "lean" feet and extremely skinny ankles, but my foot flares way out on the outside at the ball. Skechers makes some sneakers that fit perfect, so you may know what I mean. Long story short, I had to go with custom fit bootmakers.

Everybody has different wants and needs so opinions on each boot brand will differ. Here's what I have experienced so far:

White's:
-strengths --> craftsmanship, custom fit, service, leather choices, turn around time
-weaknesses --> boot choices...only lace-up with a couple different toe options
-things to note --> "arch-ease" design takes mucho breaking-in. Be patient with White's boots...like 2-3 months patient and you will be well rewarded.

Wesco:
-strengths --> custom fit, service, website, marketing, boot choices(pull-ups with multiple toe options, lace-ups, oxford), craftsmanship (just OK, but not White's or Viberg...but still damn good compared to most others)
-weaknesses --> leather choices are limited, very popular bootmaker so turn around time is long...12 weeks long
-things to note --> can be very workbootish from a style perspective and their craftsmanship kind of aligns to a workboot mentality

Viberg:
-strengths --> craftsmanship!!!, boot choices!!!(pull-ups with multiple toe options, lace-ups, oxfords, hikers, multiple last options, you name it), leather choices, turn around time, style...style....style
-weaknesses --> custom fit just so-so (too busy I think), website could use some help
-things to note --> very mom and pop...16 or so employees and they are busy as hell now so service is suffering a little...give them a break though. Brett Viberg is awesome and usually responds to sound requests on his blog

Leaders in different categories...IM MY OPINION ONLY, SO DON"T TAKE THIS AS GOSPEL:

Craftsmanship - White's...mmm, Viberg...no White's...too close to call. Both are incredible!
Custom Fit - Wesco with White's a close second
Boot Choices - Viberg with Wesco a close second
Service - Wesco with White's a close second. Viberg will get back there once business settles
Leather Choices - White's with Viberg a close second
Rebuild Option - all are equal
Price - White's, then Wesco...Viberg's Street Collection is mucho expensive, but their work boots are the best priced...go figure

I'm done now...sorry

A lot of crease here... Maybe natural for bison

http://horween.com/101/by-request-whats-the-difference/

MTO white's are like 1.8k are the not as good as viberg?
Interesting comparison
http://www.styleforum.net/t/209029/viberg-...-any-experience

yes, i thought that looks like loose grain... but maybe it's what bison looks like... I'm not sure...
tbh, just bought viberg to see what's the hype... also white and nicks seems too complicated to order...

According to the horween faq bison is so

A lot of $$ for me to look at hype. Complex to order but is labor worth the 1.6k diff?

I may look into whites in the future as I don't make that kinda money in 1 hour.

eh, different people spend money on different thing... after a point, it becomes a hobby... and we spend absurd amount of money on things we want but don't need in the name of hobby...