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09/16/2006 10:12:16 PM · #1 |
When is a good time to replace your old boots or shoes? Do you replace them when they start to look old and beaten?
The other day, I was sitting on my couch with not a single thing to do. I took a quick look out the window to see what the weather looked like and I caught my old pair of boots out of the corner of my eye on my porch just sitting there braving the weather. They looked twisted, mangled, used, beat up and overall abused from the past two years of my doings. These boots have just about every stain on them that you can imagine from just about every possible source that you can imagine. They are just your standard steel-toe, lightly insulated, work boot.
Anyway, I got to thinking that I should probably replace these boots with a nice new pair, so I went to Sears to look around. A nice new pair, exactly the same brand, size, color, material, and everything caught my eye. I remember paying $49.99 for these around two years ago, and that's what the price was this day. The brands is Sears, the size is 10 1/2. I didn't even have to try them on, I just knew they'd fit.
So I got home and tried them on. They fit perfectly. I looked down with pride at the nice clean leather that sticks out and is covered a little bit by my pants. I began to get worried that they might get stained or that water might hurt them, so I did what any normal human being would do. I proceeded to the closet, and got out the leather protector and I doused them good. I read the directions and they said something about waiting an hour to let them dry, but I was on my way out the door. I drove to my destination while it was raining in a truck filled with noxious fumes, but it was worth it because my boots were protected.
When I was out walking around and moving about, I realized that the new boots were rather stiff. They were hurting the back of my ankles because they just didn't flex right. When I walk, it feels like I'm walking in ski boots or space boots. I played a few games of table tennis with them on and couldn't move around like I normally could. I'm not very nimble when I'm wearing the new boots because of this. They may not be comfortable, but they sure do look nice.
I got home later that night and I neatly set the new pair of boots inside by the door right next to my older pair of boots and went to sleep. Today, I decided to wash my truck, so of course I threw on my old pair of boots to avoid damaging the new ones and they felt great. The leather is nice, worn perfectly and broken in. It flexes in all the right places to match the way that I walk and the way that I move. When I take a step, I feel like I'm barefoot. I barely know I'm wearing anything on my feet at all. They may not look nice, but they sure are comfortable.
Why am I telling you this story? I don't know for sure, but it's something that is affecting me, and it's something that I figured I'd share with all of you. You see, soon, the new boots will be perfectly broken in but they will be old, beaten, and no longer acceptable based on the way they look. When they get to the point where they are perfectly broken in and comfortable, I'll trade these ones in on a new pair of boots that are in serious need of being broken in and the cycle will repeat itself from now until forever.
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09/16/2006 10:28:31 PM · #2 |
I an not really sure why I took the time to read what you are not sure why you took the time to write but I was laughing the whole time thinking I have lived that story!
Thanks, for the story and good luck with the boots.
Message edited by author 2006-09-16 22:28:52. |
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09/16/2006 10:51:51 PM · #3 |
I go through this once a year, except for the rain and truck washing parts, with a pair of non-slip Wolverines at about $120+
Then again I work in them and have them on 12 hours/day and then some.
It's hard to let an old friend go sometimes...
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09/17/2006 12:00:26 AM · #4 |
Originally posted by BradP:
I go through this once a year, except for the rain and truck washing parts, with a pair of non-slip Wolverines at about $120+
Then again I work in them and have them on 12 hours/day and then some.
It's hard to let an old friend go sometimes... |
I like the wolverines too. I have a pair that I have been wearing for almost 6 years. I have had them re-soled twice already and I put new insoles in them about once per year.
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09/17/2006 12:36:03 AM · #5 |
I love my gortex hiking boots - they may be getting grungy looking, but they feel right so I'm not replacing them.
Yesterday I replaced my sneakers. I'm sitting here at work wishing I had the old ones on because these are stil too stiff and dont feel right yet.
I cannot for the life of me figure out why some people love new shoes.
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09/17/2006 01:05:52 AM · #6 |
hrmm...I miss my old boots.
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09/17/2006 01:11:36 AM · #7 |
Well, I get new boots maybe every 5 years or so, if that. The way I do it, though, is keep an eye on the ads until a too-good-to-be-true deal comes along, then I go buy a pair whether I need 'em or not, and they're in the ready reserve position, sort of. This means I can break 'em in real slow, and by the time the old ones are ready to be decommissioned the new ones ain't so new any more and they work just fine :-)
Odd fact: there are more shoe stores per capita on Cape Cod than anywhere else in America, I kid you not. I have no idea why. There used to be even more of them, but the independents are slowly dying out.
R.
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09/17/2006 01:38:27 AM · #8 |
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09/17/2006 01:41:02 AM · #9 |
I bet you do.  |
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09/17/2006 01:50:16 AM · #10 |
Originally posted by Judi:
I like my boots! |
yeah, well your boots and mine are way different. The only ones I own are either snow boots or hiking boots.
Nothing that would get Brad all excited here
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09/17/2006 02:05:53 AM · #11 |
 ------> 
Message edited by author 2006-09-17 02:18:32. |
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09/17/2006 02:37:47 AM · #12 |
I have a pair of Timberland PRO steel toed work boots that I wear all the time. They are banged up, worn, stained and otherwise look like hell. I won't replace them until they stop being waterproof. I hate breaking in new boots, but I hate wet feet more.
The absolute best ever pair of boots I've had were my Red Wings. I wouldn't replace them until they were literally falling apart. I had them resoled twice and they were broken in so well, they felt like slippers. |
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09/17/2006 02:50:40 AM · #13 |
so what I wanna know is:
Where are the pictures? ;) |
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09/17/2006 03:21:22 AM · #14 |
Originally posted by Shecoya:
so what I wanna know is:
Where are the pictures? ;) |
And Ala-Kazam Poof!
 <----- On the corner of my desk where they should be at midnight.
Message edited by author 2006-09-17 03:28:24. |
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