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Just received a new pair of US Issue shoes from Jan Berger at Leder Arsenal. Wow! I spent quite a bit of time tonight going over every inch of them and cannot even begin to formulate a way to describe how pleased I am.
First, I have to mention how lightweight these things are. I wear a size 11 in most instances, and a shoe that size can certainly be heavy. But, with the thin leather, narrow cut, and probably the absence of a steel shank these shoes feel like cross trainers compared to my old reproduction US Issue shoes.
I ordered a very basic, single layer sole, pegged shoe. You guys won't believe how small the measurements are on these things for a size 11 shoe (Euro size 44). The single layer sole is only 1/4 inch. The heel stands at barely more than 1 inch at its highest point. And the main leather for the uppers is right on about 1/16 inch after I measured several different places! The heel at its widest point barely passes 3 inches and the sole at its widest is only 4 1/16th inches! That is awesome for a shoe my size, especially compared to other reproductions.
The narrow cut, taper of the soles, tiny stitching, nailed heel, and overall shape of the shoes is as close as I have seen to originals over any of the current reproductions. I'm still having a hard time just expressing everything that stands out about these shoes.
Jan,
Thank you, sir! These things are killer. I'll be in touch for some boots later.
All,
I was an advocate of MB&S for a long time, and still regard their reproductions highly. But, I can say with confidence that the current MB&S shoes don't hold a candle to Jan's reproductions. And I paid the exact same amount to Jan that MB&S is now getting for the same style shoe (plus a few extra for the trip across the Atlantic, of course). But, if anyone is looking for a new pair of shoes and may be on the fence about ordering from out of the country, I'll shove you off the fence and recommend you go ahead and order. Jan was very easy to contact, kept me up to date on what the production time would be, and was very involved with inquiring what exactly I wanted. Paypal made the dollar to euro conversion very easy, also. I couldn't be happier with my order.
Oh, and another thanks to John Wickett for having a good conversation with me about reproduction shoes that ultimately led me to ordering from Jan!
First, I have to mention how lightweight these things are. I wear a size 11 in most instances, and a shoe that size can certainly be heavy. But, with the thin leather, narrow cut, and probably the absence of a steel shank these shoes feel like cross trainers compared to my old reproduction US Issue shoes.
I ordered a very basic, single layer sole, pegged shoe. You guys won't believe how small the measurements are on these things for a size 11 shoe (Euro size 44). The single layer sole is only 1/4 inch. The heel stands at barely more than 1 inch at its highest point. And the main leather for the uppers is right on about 1/16 inch after I measured several different places! The heel at its widest point barely passes 3 inches and the sole at its widest is only 4 1/16th inches! That is awesome for a shoe my size, especially compared to other reproductions.
The narrow cut, taper of the soles, tiny stitching, nailed heel, and overall shape of the shoes is as close as I have seen to originals over any of the current reproductions. I'm still having a hard time just expressing everything that stands out about these shoes.
Jan,
Thank you, sir! These things are killer. I'll be in touch for some boots later.
All,
I was an advocate of MB&S for a long time, and still regard their reproductions highly. But, I can say with confidence that the current MB&S shoes don't hold a candle to Jan's reproductions. And I paid the exact same amount to Jan that MB&S is now getting for the same style shoe (plus a few extra for the trip across the Atlantic, of course). But, if anyone is looking for a new pair of shoes and may be on the fence about ordering from out of the country, I'll shove you off the fence and recommend you go ahead and order. Jan was very easy to contact, kept me up to date on what the production time would be, and was very involved with inquiring what exactly I wanted. Paypal made the dollar to euro conversion very easy, also. I couldn't be happier with my order.
Oh, and another thanks to John Wickett for having a good conversation with me about reproduction shoes that ultimately led me to ordering from Jan!
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