Thursday Boot Company Men's Captain Cap Toe Lace-up Boot

Arrived ontime, OTP no problem.They smell gorgeous- something you'll never experience from a cheapo shoe or boot.Comfy AF once they're on, but as they're brand new today, TBH I struggled to get one on as the widest part of my foot is wider than the narrowest part of the boot- As they get worn in a bit, smoothed off etc, I'm sure they'll be fine.I was an odd feeling actually feeling 'proud' of footwear, but as it was Xmas day family altogether, I found myself showing them off- all of my extended family agreed they looked dead smart, felt like top end products ought to and yes, they all agreed that they smell gorgeous! (Hey, day one new leather smell, stop judging me!!)The most I've ever spent on footwear in my life, but no regrets so far!Fit as expected- I wear 47 to 48 Euro in more rigid boots (Like my over-armoured MX boots, always 48, or bog standard stuff like Scetchers in 47 Euro) so I ordered 13.5uk, 48 Euro in these Thursday Captains( R&T, burnt copper) and they are the right fit for me on day one. Will update if opinion changes

Finally took a delve into the world of GYW (Goodyear welted) boots with these Thursday Captains. I was a bit apprehensive of not ordering from a company like Redwing, but two months later these are holding up extremely well after almost daily use. The leather looks good, ages well, and is easy to clean and care for. The boots look smart under a pair of chinos, but are easily dressed down with rolled up jeans. I wear these no problem during the week as a teacher or casually at weekends. I would definitely buy again from this company. My only complaint is that the leather outer midsole lost its dye within a couple of months, but this can be touched up using brown shoe polish. Maybe it's just the way I walk. There was a short break in period for me, but nothing too painful, and after a week or so the boots feel as comfortable as any footwear I have ever owned. I have never owned shoes that received as many unprovoked compliments than these boots! If in doubt, I say go for it.Pros:- Leather looks beautiful (copper colour) at wide range of levels of formality- Leather seems resilient and durable- Extremely comfortable- Easy to clean and care forCons:- Needed a touch-up on the brown part of the sole visible when walking. Not a big deal, and probably from the way I drag my feet!

Black matte 7uk/7.5usI was in the market for a pair of new boots and after some research on YouTube, Thursday seemed like the way to go as they received almost universal praise. Here are my thoughts :Quality/Construction- Reasonably thick leather upper, free of marks or scratches which is always positive.- Pretty standard round laces that apparently are Kevlar reinforced….Annoyingly they tend to come loose for me a lot..- Eyelets and two speed hooks- Leather heel stack and rubber top lift- Goodyear welt construction, which from my limited knowledge on the subject means the boot can be easily re-soled- Black studded rubber sole- Leather insole with nice soft leather liningOverall I felt that the quality of the boot was great, no issues there at all. Easily the highest quality boot I’ve ever owned. Can’t really comment on how waterproof they are with much authority but I’ve worn them in fairly heavy rain a few times now and my feet have remained dry. I would say that unless you are treading through puddles or streams or something you should be fine.Style- Medium profile- Black matte leather- Toe cap style stitching on the…toe….shocking.I have had Dr Martens in the past and I’ve always felt that they were quite bulbous around the toe and had no real shape to them, all the review videos I watched on YouTube remarked that the captain boot had a slim silhouette - a big selling point for me. Once I opened the box and actually saw the boot in the flesh I was a little disappointed, I wouldn’t say that it’s slim or low profile at all. It has a slimmer profile than a Doc Marten boot but I certainly wouldn’t really describe the profile as slim.I ordered the matte black leather version of the boots, which at the time I felt would be the most versatile and I think they look great, very understated and don’t draw a lot of attention which I like. It remains to be seen how they will age and patina over time…hopefully nicely. The type of leather is also very resistant to scratches and marks, I think this is due to the leather being quite oily, which is an added bonus.Comfort/Fit- 7uk/7us- Solid, stiff upper and soleI usually take a 7.5-8 in trainers and usually a 7 in boots. I ordered a uk 7 and received a us 7.5 (as expected) and they fit me very well and for he most part are very comfortable. I do think the YouTubers making videos on these boots do exaggerate the comfort level somewhat but they are certainly comfortable boots. For me the break in period was pretty rough, it took around about a week of daily wear to “break” them in and get them to a point where they didn’t hurt me. Perhaps I just have delicate feet or ankles but I had several blisters for the first couple of days. One issue that I did notice, which could be totally unique to me, was that the left boot in particular for whatever reason was very uncomfortable for the first few days and rubbed against my ankle bone ALOT.Sole/ Grip- Adequate grip in good conditions- Poor grip in bad conditions- Sole is slim in profileThe grip level has been the biggest let down for me with these boots, it is adequate in dry weather but as soon as it rains or I’m on a less than rough surface the grip is very weak. I regularly find myself sliding all over the place while just walking around city centre…ground. I have not slipped to the point of falling over yet but I fear it will come and it will likely be embarrassing. I’ve never had a grip issue with any other boot I’ve owned. Grip aside I actually really like the look of the sole, it’s got a slim and low profile which I really like in comparison to the chunkier soles found on doc martens or timberlands.Conclusion- Fair price for the quality- Once broken in are comfortable- Grip is lacking- Feel like the online hype is probably a little exaggeratedOverall I’m pretty happy with the purchase and would recommend them to anyone wanting better than normal quality boots. Just bear in mind that there will likely be a break in period before the boots are comfortable and the rubber studded sole can have appalling grip.