Warning: My favorite boots lasted 10 years but the soles crumbled over 3 weekends

I got some harsh feedback on my Red Wing 875s from a cobbler in downtown Portland after 6 years of solid use. He told me I was ruining them by letting the cork dry out and the soles crack, said I should have been conditioning the leather every 3 months instead of yearly. Since I started following his advice and rotating two pairs, my newer pair from 2018 still looks fresh. Has anyone else had a cobbler call them out on boot care they thought they knew?

2 comments

2 Comments

dixon.james14h ago

Call your cobbler out on overconditioning leather that actually makes it soft and weak.

the_olivia7h ago

Yeah wait hold on. @dixon.james I gotta call you out on this one. Overconditioning is a real thing but calling out a cobbler for it without knowing what leather they're working with seems harsh. I've seen guys soak shell cordovan in conditioner till it's floppy like a dishrag. That's bad. But if it's a stiff work boot leather a little extra conditioning isn't gonna ruin it.