Quote:
Originally Posted by baronsass
Re Boots from SMW... Their quality has deteriorated significantly despite the high prices they charge. I bought a pair last year. After two events, they were falling apart. Stick with the the Euro vendors. There sadly isn't a viable provider with a reliable product in NA at this time. God, I miss Robert Land.
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I have purchased 2 pairs of boots from SMW.. when I got them i saw right away that the the leather was in dire need of conditioning.
one pair I have had for 3 years .. the uppers have held up well the. soles.. I have had to replace some hobnails, and glued and nailed the half sole where it started to separate from the sole. but I expect to get many years of service from them.
kept clean, dry, regularly conditioned and repaired SMW boots will serve for years. Taken off the shelf and into the field with no preparation .. they will fail.
I do about 1/2 hour of maintenance for every 48 hours of wear.Because of this my boots are supple, waterproof and comfortable.
in WWII every company had a Schuster to maintain the footwear of the soldiers.. that is 1 guy for every 100 men or so who's job it was to fix and maintain boots.
The individual soldier was responsible to take care of his boots, cleaning, oiling was done at every opportunity possible.
European made boots are good, but they will fail as well if not maintained.