Wilcox Boots Review – My feet are happy which means I’m happy!

I’ve been wearing this pair of boots since November 2016 so about 3 months at the time of this review and the bottom line is this. I’m a big fan of these shoes. It took me about a year of contemplation before committing to buy a pair of Wilcox boots.

The value provided by these boots exceeds the money I paid for them but there are couple of things worth noting. I love how I don’t have to worry about a bit of water when I walk out to my car. I love how I can follow Monty anywhere he goes without worrying about wet socks.

Now at the time of the video review, the boots haven’t gone through their first cleaning or polishing. I’m trying to figure out what to do (conditioner, polish, wax, etc.). I have a gallery on the cleaned up boots at the bottom of the post.

Why I went with Wilcox Boots

I won’t go into detail about the background of Wilcox Boots. I was introduced to Wilcox Boots through Kickstarter a couple of years ago before I seriously needed shoes. Now I’m an entrepreneur and money is generally tight so Wilcox’s marketing message of good, long lasting boots appealed to me. Why? I’ve become quite frugal.

Over the last few years as I’ve been pumping all my spare cash into my other endeavour, Mobile Reviews Eh. I told myself that before I buy a pair of Wilcox boots, I was going to wear out all my other shoes first.

The pair that I got is a rust brown pair of Shiloh boots, size 9. My feet are 8.5 and I’ve always purchased 1/2 a size bigger but the Shiloh boots were too big. I had to add a heel insole on the back of the shoe to improve the fit of the boot.

What I’ve noticed

Before doing my Wilcox Boots Review, I’ve worn these boots at least 3-4 times a week for the last few months. It is winter in Calgary right now and the city uses salt on roads and paths so it’s not a friendly place for leather boots. Nothing has happened to them to indicate issues regarding wear/tear.

One of the selling features of Wilcox are the athletic shoe insoles. I’m don’t know if they’re actually for athletes but I will say they are quite comfortable. The extra thickness is noticeable when compared to other shoes.

Now I do have an issue with the threads on the Wilcox Boots. First of all, rocks tend to collect between the treads so you’ll end up being a amateur tap dancer at the mall. The second issue I have is that soft snow tends to collect along the heel of the boot which makes it the boot feel uneven until you scrape off the bottom.

I’m unsure if these issues are specific to Wilcox as I’ve never owned a pair of shoes with these types of treads. I have a feeling that other boots with similar grips will have the same issue.

Wear and tear

When it comes to wear and tear, I haven’t noticed anything that is alarming. The leather wears well which is expected for leather shoes. The last thing I’ve noted is the little loop on the back of one of my shoes started tearing. Which is a bummer.

The last thing I will note is that I can’t wear these boots with short socks. I need longer socks to cover the scar I have from breaking my ankle as the boots do irritate that sensitive part of my body.

Other than that, I love these boots. As I mentioned above, I love how I don’t have to worry about a bit of water when I walk out to my car. I love how I can follow Monty anywhere he goes without worrying about wet socks.

The true test will be to see if these $280 dollar shoes (I live in Canada) is worth the money. I’ll probably do a follow up review on the shoes after a year or so. So check back then!

About their customer service

Before you get to the gallery with the oiled/cleaned boots, I will talk about Wilcox’s customer service. I had sent a question regarding how to clean/condition the boots early on in January 7, 2017. Wilcox Boots finally replied to it on the day that I’m publishing my Wilcox Boots review (February 14, 2017). A bit late but a reply is a reply.

My Shiloh boots after the first cleaning/conditioning (Updated)

Wilcox Boots’s website isn’t terribly clear on how to clean/condition the boots. I scoured the internet for any thing useful but couldn’t get my head around what I actually need to get to keep my boots in good condition.

Thankfully Wilcox Boots’s customer service did come through and they suggested that I use KIWI Saddle Soap. They added that if I wanted add a bit more waterproofing, I could use KIWI Mink Oil lightly with the saddle soap. I ended up using Moneysworth Best Saddle Soap and Mink Oil as KIWI didn’t qualify for Amazon Prime.

The entire process of cleaning the boots was straight forward. After everything was done, I was surprised at how dark the boots got. I know they’re going to lighten up after a few weeks of usage so I’m not too concerned.

Have any questions about my Wilcox Boots review? Ask them below! Interested in what else I’ve produced? Check out all the reviews I’ve done for iOS accessories! Follow me on Instagram and Twitter!