jbaky OP t1_jd3bn7d wrote on March 21, 2023 at 3:19 PM

Reply to comment by thats_your_name_dude in Size 18 Work Shoes/Boots??? by jbaky

Thank you, and yea I should have included a budget, as you said I do spend like 400 on 3 pairs of NB, and was hoping to top out at the 500 mark, but the idea of custom boots certainly aren't off the table

SloChild t1_jd3jdzt wrote on March 21, 2023 at 4:09 PM

I'm just here to upvote the White's. My father, who is over 80 and doesn't wear anything else, would tell you that you're wasting money repeatedly buying anything else. It's no joke, they are a very large investment. But one you'll never regret. Just be sure to get the custom built ones, not something "off the shelf". If you can't swing the investment at this time, that's totally understandable. But it's something well worth starting to save up for.

jbaky OP t1_jd3lknm wrote on March 21, 2023 at 4:23 PM

I like the idea for sure, is there a way to have a different (read as cheaper) person do the measuring? I can swing the price of the boots, but the measuring costs seems steep

SloChild t1_jd3m4hu wrote on March 21, 2023 at 4:26 PM

I wish I could help with that. I know my dad originally did plaster castings, back in the day. He says they still keep them "on file". I have no idea what method they use now. Sorry I couldn't help.

thats_your_name_dude t1_jd3r5oq wrote on March 21, 2023 at 4:58 PM

Unfortunately, building a made-to-measure last is an extremely rare skill these days, requiring a great deal of time, labor, and expertise. Anyone you could go to with a legitimate level of skill will likely charge in the thousands of dollars range for a custom last.

A cheaper way these companies can size larger feet is to take an existing last and build up material over it to meet your measurements. This may cost in the $50-$150 range to get sized as opposed to the thousands of dollars range. The downside is that they can only build up so much material on the last, so your feet may be too big to go with the less-expensive option.

Whichever route you end up going down, I hope you find a solution that works for you. This really is a difficult challenge to solve.