Kickstarter - Thursday Boot Co

Out of the three leathers, the natural one is using "Natural Horween Chromexcel Leather". It is still in the pre-sale phase, so the shipping is free. I am thinking to go for a pair of Natural President.

Out of the three colors, I would definitely pick the natural. However, I don't have any experience on wearing natural color boots with black outfit.

I can't say i'm not surprised. it seems Thursday Boot Co. is trying to capitalize on workboot buzzwords like goodyear welt, Horween chromexcel and Indy boot. I feel sorry for anyone that bought into it hook, line and sinker.

I think one of the more troubling aspects is that the pair that was cut open didn't match the construction as indicated. So either they aren't in control of the production and don't actually know their product, or were being dishonest.

This is the way I see it . . .

If you have "nice" boots, I'd pass on these.  Why?  I have several pairs $200ish boots that I bought because I thought they were a good deal or looked good, etc. (including a pair of bench-made Goodyear welted boots from Leon, MX with a triple leather sole), and where are they? In the back of my closet collecting dust, because I have "nice" boots to wear and they will nearly always be chosen over the cheapies. 

If you don't have "nice" boots, and you are in the market for that first pair of decent boots, then it might make sense to look a these.

Just my two cents/experience. 

you can get a pair of IRs or 1Ks at that price on sale.

Kendall and Hyde (I think they're in Austin) has a boot campaign going, I haven't decided if I wanna back it since I'm not interested unless they get to the cap-toe (150k stretch goal), but they're running $300. Kicktraq is saying they're trending to hit 132, so I don't know if it'll happen for me. Based on the construction cross-section, I'm almost guessing the Red Wing is making them for them, though I've never seen a cross-section of an OSB boot, so it could also be them. Difference is, if I order Iron Rangers, I could have them in-hand and likely re-soled by the time these ship, and likely for about the same price.

First review on the Thursday Boot Company KS offering. I just received mine today (after an adventure to find a mis-addressed FedEx Office location that is waaaay closer to my place than where I was driving). Nonetheless, got the boots. I have been feeling quite confident throughout this process with their "true to size" sizing on the boots. After speaking with Dirty Denim the other week, he mentioned he had heard they were running big...which enhanced my concerns slightly. Well, received the boots and I'm happy to report sizing is true to size, at least for the Diplomats. I picked them up in the natural chromexcel leather. 

First impression:

Thorough packaging in the box. Having these shipped, they were wrapped up nicely in enough paper, with paper filling inside the boots and cardboard support at the top of the boot. 

They are not as light as my Wolverine 1000 Mile boots (Courtland). The leather of the TBC is much stiffer out of the box (not a bad thing), and the boots feel substantial. Wearing them to check the mail and walk about the house, and they feel comfortable. No doubt as they break in, the fit and feel will improve. It isn't what I imagine the Red Wing break-in process to be like. 

Fit (sizing) - I got a 10. True to my size and this style is maybe 1/8-1/4" bigger, which is fine (I'm wearing a thinner style sock from JCrew for the fit test). The boots fit well. For comparison, my Wolverines are a 9.5 (also featured in the pics). 

Thursday Boot Company Diplomat pics and here

Features I like: 
- The extra edge of leather around the top of the boot, running down along where the laces cross. I think it's a nice touch given the abuse these areas will take over time. 
- The stitching of the leather upper to the sole - it's substantial and it doesn't appear that they cut corners. 
- Nice added touch of a thank you note from the TBC guys. It's not a Gustin holiday card, but it's good to get a thank you for supporting the cause. 

Feature/aspect I'm not wild about:
- On the back of the boot, where the heel reinforcement runs down the back of the boot - the stitching of the heel support gives the illusion of not being symmetrical. It is, but without the stitch across (as seen on the Wolverines), it gives the illusion of being slightly off center. 
- The laces are not as substantial as the Wolverines. Sturdy, but room to upgrade with some of the suggestions I've seen out here. 

Overall, I really like them. While they're not Alden or White's or Viberg, it's a really well crafted boot for the under $200 KS price. I did read the article on here with the deconstruction of the boot. Where they might be lacking in insole, you don't lose out on comfort. There aren't my only pair in rotation, so I can't speak to those who plan to wear daily and beat them into the ground. For a natural pair in my collection, these will look great with my denim. 

By clunkier, do you mean heavier? They are both narrower in the front than pics do justice for. Not like an actual narrow size, but on and laced up properly. 

Tale of the tape (TBC vs Wolverine Courtland 1000 mile):

Heavier - TBC
Wider - Wolverine (barely)
Taller - TBC (by a fraction)

They do have the "notify me" feature (like Gustin) to perhaps drive their future production. Possibly worth a notification. For $190, it's still a great deal for boots.