TAFT JACK BOOT REVIEW - Are Wool Boots Worth It?

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*** THE JACK BOOT IS ONE OF MY TOP 5 FAVORITE BOOTS - SEE THE REST:    • THE 5 BEST MEN'S BOOTS YOU CAN BUY - ...  

Taft is a direct to consumer footwear brand that’s based in the United States, but all of their boots are made in Europe with European leather, but the Jack boot — indubitably their flagship model — doesn’t contain that much leather.

TAFT JACK BOOT OVERVIEW

These are very, very distinctive boots. With a woolen upper and oxblood leather toecap and counter, they’re sometimes described as something like what the Great Gatsby would wear.

Because it has a Blake stitch and rubber soles the shoe is very lightweight and flexible, with a svelte silhouette and fully calfskin lining. It’s such an unusual shoe that it’s not super versatile — that’s just a necessary byproduct of a memorable shoe — but if you can find the right outfit I think they look great.

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TAFT JACK BOOT UPPER

Mostly raw Portuguese wool with oxblood leather on the toecap and counter. The leather is called crust leather, which means it’s dried after it’s been tanned but it hasn’t’ undergone additional finishing. You might call it semi-finished or maybe describe it as an intermediary stage in leather production; I just think they used crust leather so they could paint it themselves. And that’s an interesting aspect here: the leather is hand-painted.

It’s also vegetable-tanned and chromium-free, so it’s better for the environment than a lot of chrome-tanned leathers out there which have really screwed up a lot of areas, particularly in India and Vietnam.

** SEE MY REVIEW OF TAFT’S HARDIER DRAGON BOOT HERE:    • Taft Dragon Boot 1.0 Review - Does It...   **

TAFT JACK BOOT LEATHER CARE

This leather is not particularly hardy and it scrapes very easily. You can’t clomp around the city or in rough weather the same way you would something like a Red Wing or a Thursday boot.

According to Taft, you should use Kiwi’s Oxblood polish for the leather and just use an all purpose upholstery cleaner on the wool.

Does a wool boot hold up well in the rain? Well, it should do OK in a light shower but honestly it’s best to avoid wearing them in a downpour. Taft told me that if the boot gets “super wet it will go through the wool and affect the lining somewhat.”

TAFT JACK BOOT SOLE

The sole is a very soft rubber that has pretty solid grip, after which there’s memory foam, a wood shank, leather, and cork. All of which sounds very bulky but since it has a Blake stitch the shoe is actually pretty damn flexible and light.

There are some downsides to the Blake stitch: it’s not that water resistant, which adds to the problems you might experience in wet weather.

The sole is very soft which I quite liked, but it takes nicks and cuts very easily and the heel is relatively high and when you combine that with a soft sole you’ll find that it doesn’t feel super stable. But that’s kind of the trade off you often have with soles: soft but not so sturdy, hard but not so comfy.

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TAFT JACK BOOT FIT & SIZING

I ordered a half size down from my sneaker size and they fit pretty well, plus they didn’t feel as narrow as the Dragon boot. It’s fortunate that they run a half size large because I’m typically an 11.5 and this company doesn’t offer half sizes or any other widths, which could be a big disappointment for some consumers.

TAFT JACK BOOT PRICE

At $250 these are cheaper than a lot of boots on the market — most guys don’t take a boot seriously unless it costs over $300. That said, this is a direct to consumer company and the shoe is mostly wool, so honestly, I was expecting it to be a little cheaper.

PROS

* Eye catching
* Comfortable
* Flexible

CONS

* Not versatile
* Not great in wet weather
* Sole isn’t that durable

READ THE FULL REVIEW, GOOGLE: STRIDEWISE TAFT JACK