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WWII Imp Combat Boots - ugh


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Ugh. I write the following in particular because of the cost these boots and to serve as a buyer heads-up.

 

I recently decided to do a late WWII US impression, so I needed a pair of combat boots (aka double buckles). I looked into SM Wholesale and WWII Impressions - reviews tended toward WWII Imp for durability. So I called WWII Imp, made sure they had my size in stock, and I ordered. Three weeks later I have the boots in hand. In my excitement (yes I'm geeky that way) to finally have a pair of these boots I made sure they fit my feet and then I got to work on dubbing them (with Sno-seal).

 

Then I started to look more closely at the pair I received, photos of originals in collectors' hands, and the WWII Imp website photos of their boots - something didn't look right. What in theory are to be apx. 10" tall boots (originals) are 12.5" tall boots (my WWII Imp pair). The WWII Imp cuffs are 5", but they sit very high up on some very tall "type iii" shoes - almost 7.5" high and the cuffs sit just over 1" above the top eyelet. The boots from the WWII Imp website have the cuffs sitting just above the top eyelets as do almost all the two dozen or so original I looked at (with and without the rivet).

 

I dubbed the boots already - so no returns. They are my problem now. But I can post a buyer heads-up. These boots seem to be made from quality material (I haven't field tested them yet), but I cannot say that about quality control - especially for boots that are $250.00.

 

So I'm off to find a reputable cobbler and have them remove the cuffs, cut down the shoes, and then reattach the cuffs. Ugh

 

Jeff

post-6798-0-79419300-1466887219.jpg

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I agree the leather is nice, but the assembly of the boot is not. The leather for the uppers is too tall for the shoe and the cuffs are sewn to high. Also only two single stitched rows for cuff to shoe as compared to two double stitched rows on originals. Again my main comments are:

1) advertised as spot on with originals, yet they are not (web page for WWII Impressions show cuffs attached where they are supposed to be)

 

2) the cost of these boots from WWII Impressions warrants greater quality control

 

Here is what they should look like (not my photo - borrowed for comparison):

post-6798-0-51527500-1467546483.jpg

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Hi Jeff,

 

Thank you for your posting and sorry you were having so much trouble with these boots. When our factory made the cutting dyes for our buckle boots in the late 1990s they followed an original pair of boots for patterns. Dimensions varied between different manufactures so I considered these acceptable and to be honest you're the first customer to have commented on the height issue. I will address this with the factory as well as the eyelet location you described. But I have to be honest when I say that less sophisticated boots from other domestic manufacturers go for far higher prices than these so I feel the price for our product is very competitive. I know this because we get calls from customers all the time with that same conclusion.

 

Here is an example

 

http://www.brooksbrothers.com/Red-Wing-for-Brooks-Brothers-4556-Iron-Ranger-Boots/MH00388_____BRWN_11H__D___,default,pd.html?cmp=ppc_us_GG_pla_AllProducts&gclid=CjwKEAjw-_e7BRDs97mdpJzXwh0SJABSdUH0Yj4jVxktlOuwf8XA242Ur5EmmECzB90H_Qa2QQoX-hoCv2bw_wcB

 

Just curious, how much do feel the boots should be shorter?

 

Nevertheless we strive for making the best boots we can and I will take this up with the factory to help refine them further.

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My boots and the WWII Impressions boots image pulled from the WWII Impressions' website - not as advertised.

 

Jeff

post-6798-0-88576700-1467922914.jpg

post-6798-0-33482100-1467922923.jpg

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