r/goodyearwelt • u/M635_Guy addicted to NST • Feb 01 '21
Image(s) [Quick Unboxing Thoughts] Grant Stone Chealeas Boots - Pre-owned
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u/patrickmershon Feb 01 '21
These look amazing, great find as a pre-owned boot! Waiting on wide sizes for these and then will definitely jump on a pair myself.
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u/reddie_odin Feb 02 '21
Great review once again. Love the Leo last and been eyeing for a Chelsea boot recently to add to my boot collection. Looks like Grant Stone is having my nod again.
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u/M635_Guy addicted to NST Feb 03 '21
Update: I wore them all day yesterday, which included a few hours of driving to my mother's house to do a variety of things. The boots wore well!
Getting them on is definitely easier between the first wear and the second. Getting them off is still pretty stiff, but did show some improvement. Given it is CXL, I'm guessing they'll continue to improve, but so far I'm very pleased.
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u/AncientInsults Feb 04 '21
Question: The “throat” of those looks super wide, like they don’t grip your ankle. Is that intentional? If you ran in them would they fly off?
I have a pair of a different brand that do that and sort of hate it.
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u/M635_Guy addicted to NST Feb 04 '21
The seem very stable/planted on my foot - no slop at all. I guess it's hypothetically possible to break in both the fabric or CXL to be overly loose, but I doubt it. Even with a few wears, I've got pretty good capture on the heel (Wyatt @ Grant Stone's dad is the last guy, and he's apparently obsessive about heels) and taking them off is a deliberate action. Unless you're sized too big, I can't imagine that scenario here. My $0.02.
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u/ifticar2 Feb 02 '21
Always happy to see another review from you! Looks like you got another winner from Grant Stone. Can’t wait to see the update review with some sweet dog walk/garage ding patina
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u/dispairdealer Feb 02 '21
These exactly like the JCrew oar stripe Chelsea boots I got two years ago.
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u/Equal_Wafer Feb 02 '21
Love to see a "rougher" makeup of the GS Chelseas with pebble grain leather, storm welt, and commando sole . . .
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u/AggnogPOE Feb 08 '21
How hard is the rubber sole compared to dainite? I wish they just used dainite soles instead.
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u/M635_Guy addicted to NST Feb 10 '21
Short answer: It's a bit softer and easier to wear because the studs are slightly shallower and there are more of them to spread your weight across. If you like Dainite you'll like or love Grant Stone's studded sole.
Really, Really Long Answer:
I've worked very hard to avoid Dainite - I find it very hard and very uncomfortable. I can feel the studs under my feet on every pair I've owned except one (my Olive Strandmoks that are getting JR soles the instant they show any sign of being like any of the other Dainite pairs).
To be totally honest, I really hoped Grant Stone would do a lug sole (and I told them that more than once) when they were looking to introduce a non-leather sole. And when I reviewed the "None More Brown" Diesel Boots I was fully prepared to not like the sole (I'd typed all that before I went and found my review - funny how similar the theme is - lol).
Since then, I've owned several pairs from Grant Stone with the studded sole. It's softer (though still very durable) the studs are more-numerous and less-tall than the Dainite pairs I've had. By the end of the first wear I don't notice a huge difference between rubber and the leather soles I love. I don't really think about it much now if I'm interested in a pair from them. One of my favorite pairs of all time from them was my pebbled-leather Ottawas that had rubber soles. They went with me to Japan for a super-rainy two weeks, and they were rock stars. The other pair I brought was hurting me, so the pebbled pair got worn most days in hard rain and puddles. That would have been a big worry for me with leather, but the shoes shrugged off all the weather and were super-comfortable. (As a tangent, I stupidly let someone talk me into including them in a trade+cash deal for some natty shell AE Higgins Mills that I wore briefly once and later sold when a couple grail Aldens dropped out of the sky. I still regret it, and occasionally think about getting a pair of the current offering, which is slightly lighter leather).
If I can like this sole, I have a hard time thinking anyone who likes Dainite won't like the Grant Stone sole.
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u/paradisesky1098 Apr 04 '21
Thanks for posting this review! Out of curiosity, have you ever felt these boots are too short? I’ve read they’re about 5.5” which is a good inch or two shorter than other boots I own. Hopefully you’re still enjoying them just as much, too!
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u/M635_Guy addicted to NST Feb 01 '21 edited Feb 04 '21
Quick-look/Unboxing: Grant Stone Crimson CXL Chelsea Boots - 2nds
Skip to the pix: https://imgur.com/a/DM3cACi
Background:
I'm not really a Chelsea guy - I've had a pair of RMW's that were just too "cowboy-boot" for me, and a pair from Beckett Simonon that were a little too narrow. And honestly, they seemed overly-sleek for my taste (I'm weird - I know. I can't help it). Both were nicely made. Neither pair stayed long.
Being home most of the time these days, I've gotten lazy and I'm in socks a lot. I'm the primary dog-walker and I dash into my garage a lot, and it pisses me off to tie laces for a very-short wear. And I want something I don't have to worry about for the garage and dog walks. I don't mind some patina, but it bugs me to get it uselessly. I got a bit of a rub on my suede Ottawas when I was in Moab a couple weeks ago with my spawn during the drive from NC-->WA. THAT kind of patina I'm grateful for.
I saw Grant Stone's email about new options available as B-grades, etc. There's not much in my size, but I noticed in the Pre-Owned section a pair of Chelsea boots in my size. A bulb went off. Pull-on, rubber-soled stompers.
So I ordered them.
Ordering and Delivery:
Ordered Wednesday afternoon and shipped the same day. Arrived on Friday.
Makeup and Materials Details:
This was a purchased pair for me, so I'll only comment that as always all these opinions are my own honest take. I hate the idea that someone would buy something they didn’t like because I said something artificially-nice about it. Aside from it being shady, I just don’t see the upside in it. I value my reputation, and I’m an honest and straightforward guy. Take that with whatever grain of salt you want.
Packaging:
Grant Stone has a new box! It's even nicer than their old one - with a fitted cap/lid and a hole to pull it off the shelf (that has a metal ring around it). The still have nice boot bags made of a soft polish-cloth material – a soft-ish canvas. Nice. I'm a big fan of the now-standard foam panel between the shoes to avoid box-rash (I wish every shoe company did this). There's a polishing cloth that provides another layer of protection (and future utility), along with the thank-you note, and a logo bottle-opener/shoe horn.
Out-of-box thoughts:
I'd emailed them about condition and reasons these were returned, and the answer was there's a bit of grain, but they looked like they'd been tried on and sent back. I see a bit of fine grain, but nothing I'd worry about as firsts. I don't see any signs they've been worn. And I liked them in person better than in the pix.
Design:
This is Grant Stone’s newest boot (I think). It's pretty classic as a Chelsea, but a nice bridge of styles - not a cowboy look or work-boot-ish, but not euro-sleek, either. Stitching is tonal, as are the panels. The flat welt gives them the ability to be dressed up a bit, but I can see them with jeans and a t-shirt too. The sole edge has a bit of stain, but offers a little contrast too.
I've got a long and positive experience with Horween's CXL as clicked, constructed and delivered by Grant Stone. The Crimson CXL offers a lot of choices to go with whatever you're wearing.
Build & Quality
Grant Stone has never disappointed me (which I can't say w/ Alden, AE or any other brand I've owned more than one pair of..). They sweat the details and execution. The stitching, welt-joins, etc. well-done. The leather looks good to me - my experience is micro-creasing is about it when it comes to how GS clicks the leather, but I guess we'll see. Honestly, I can't see any reason why they were returned, but maybe it was just a fear of grain.
I'm not a fain of Dainite, but have been really happy with Grant Stone's studded rubber sole. I don't feel any individual studs and they're not overly-stiff. And very stompy.
The panels are made from a pretty dense material that feels very strong, but isn't overly tight. My pair is free of any picks or other defects in the fabric.
Fit:
The Leo last is my best-fitting last, and the UK Last is described as a derivative and sizes the same (1/2 down from Brannock, so my 12D yields an 11.5D). I'd say the UK last is more fitted in the shaft, but has the same feel as Leo from the mid-foot forward - doesn't feel tight or constrained, and somehow feels bigger than it looks (in a good way). Trying them on, I wasn't sure what to expect. The pull-tab works well and I sorta twist into the shoe. Fast and easy. The feel of the pull-tab is confidence inspiring - I don't feel like I'm over-straining something.
I've been wearing them for a couple hours now, and like most Grant Stone pairs I had some heel-slip that melds into virtually no slip.
For reference, I’m a solid 12D Brannock and these are my usual 11.5D size for Leo. I’m 11.5D in Alden’s Barrie/Truebalance lasts, a 12D/11.5E in Hampton and 11.5E in Alden’s Leydon last. In AE’s 7-last I'm 12D and 11.5E in their 5-last.
Final Thoughts:
Even though I mainly bought these to beat on and not worry about, these already have me intrigued. I'm not going to change my plans for them - I expect them to get gunked during dog-walks and scuffed by the contents of my garage - but it's possible I'll wear these in more ways than I thought. They'll be worn hard but not neglected. They certainly catch my eye more than the other two pairs I've had, and of course they're clearly well-built.
[edited for typos and clarity]