John Lofgren Steel Gang
Shinki Dark Brown Teacore Horsebutt
Taken on October 6, 2024
Maker
John Lofgren
Model
Steel Gang
Leather
Last
120 Last
US Men's Brannock: 8.5D
120 Last: 7.5E
No customizations
Fits .5 size larger than Alden Barrie last (size down an additional .5 size from Alden Barrie or 1 full size down from brannock). I typically wear a 9 in Adidas Sambas, an 8.5D brannock, & 8D Alden Barrie. I bought a 7.5E in the John Lofgren Steel Gang and they are extremely comfortable.
Sole
Heel
Purchased from
Standard & Strange
More about this item
Due to the nature of the Shinki Hikaku horsebutt, significant variation in texture will exist between boots.Why I Own This
I work in tech and have no need for a pair of boots that look like they were built to take on the world. That said, most people don’t NEED to wear boots at all. Enter: John Lofgren. These expertly-crafted boots are made in Japan, utilize the best materials and heritage touches, while remaining completely modern and extremely comfortable. When my wife had to be out of the country for 2 months, I bought these as a consolation for myself for single parenting while she was away. A pat-on-the-back in beautiful boot form, if you will.
How I Sized
Standard & Strange and Freenote Cloth both have very clear guidance within the product descriptions to assist with sizing. I followed what they both mapped out - size .5 smaller than your Alden Barrie size or 1 size smaller than brannock. The size is spot-on, even if my ego has a hard time saying that I’m a 7.5.
Ordering Process
Ordering from Standard & Strange was effortless. They had my size in stock and I was able to request that they send me the pair with the most texture available in my size. The boots arrived 2 days after they were shipped and were better in-person than they looked online. Prior to ordering, I had seen the Steel Gang and Donkey Puncher boots at Freenote Cloth’s San Juan store but had not tried them on.