Taft Men's The Douglas Plain-Toe Boot

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] The quality is always impeccable and the fit perfect. Extremely comfortable and looks amazing.

While these are still excellent boots, I can definitely see why they are being discontinued. The craftsmanship is NOTICEABLY considerably lower quality than Taft’s usual offerings. I’ve worn them three times and the inside seam on the left shoe was starting to pull apart after the first wear. Yes, seriously! Had I bought them at full price, I would have been extremely dissatisfied instead of just “fine” with them. The fact that they are made in El Salvador also makes for an uncomfortable association due to recent political occurrences. 😬 Had I known that at time of purchase, I would have passed. I’ll read listing more carefully from now on. That they are gumshoes makes for an interesting experience, because the soles grip so differently than those with leather & rubber combo soles. You can feel the texture of the ground beneath you so well that it is genuinely startling at first (especially on some tiled surfaces), but not bad. The combination of smooth leather and suede means they have to be brushed more thoroughly and more constantly than most shoes, too, and the suede gathers dust to an irritating degree. Nothing awful, but occasionally inconvenient/annoying.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] Boots were very nice but longer than I had expected. Returned and my size was no longer available at the time I needed boots.