* 11 WAYS TO SAVE MONEY ON BOOTS: [ Ссылка ]
* THE BEST INDONESIAN BOOT BRANDS: [ Ссылка ]
* FULL REVIEW + PICTURES: [ Ссылка ]

SEE MY PICKS FOR THE 5 BEST BOOTS: [ Ссылка ]

READ MY INTERVIEW WITH SANTALUM’S FOUNDER: [ Ссылка ]

SHOP SANTALUM: You can go to this website [ Ссылка ] but your best bet is emailing them, because the website is a bit janky and doesn't have everything they have to sell: santalum.indonesia@gmail.com

I get a lot of requests to review more Indonesian boots, but many people still don't know that the world's most populous Muslim majority country is Asia's unofficial boot headquarters. Here I'm taking a look at Santalum's Mile 85 moc toe.

FIRST GLANCE

People have mistaken this boot for a Red Wing moc toe before and the crepe soles are pretty similar, but it's a bit slimmer and has much more conspicuous stitching.

The big difference is the Norwegian welt, which looks like two rows of sharks teeth going around the body of the boot.

*** SEE MY RED WING MOC TOE REVIEW: [ Ссылка ] ***

LEATHER

Indonesian cowhide from an Indonesian tannery, this is a copper tan pull up leather that's quite waxy — Santalum wax it themselves after cutting it by hand.

The leather has accrued some scratches while I've been wearing them around Brooklyn but honestly, I want them to get more beat up. These are the kind of boots that are made for adventuring, not for worrying about the last time you conditioned them.

LEATHER CARE

Again, these are meant to be beaten up but Santalum does recommend Venetian Shoe Cream every few months to keep things waxy and moist. Brush them with a horsehair brush as well.

*** SEE MY VENETIAN SHOE CREAM REVIEW: [ Ссылка ] ***

SOLE

This wedge sole is called the #3060 Cushion Sportsman from Taiwanese cobblers Dr. Sole.

It's nowhere near as flimsy as the crepe from Clarks Desert Boot and is closer to the crepe on Red Wing's moc toe, but a tad spongier.

There's also a leather midsole, steel shank, and the Norwegian welt. This is an old timey way of making boots water resistant and Norwegian welts were favorites of old timey outdoorsmen and adventurers.

The two stitches are conspicuous: one holds the upper, midsole, and outsole together, the other keeps the upper and the insole together.

FIT & SIZING

They do European sizes. The last is a bit narrow, to be honest, though the leather did stretch I still have trouble wearing them with thick socks.

PRICE

Just $200 for handmade boots, plus about $60 for shipping.

PROS

Crazy cheap
Nice, rich leather
Soft crepe sole
Good shock absorption
No break in
Norwegian welt is very cool

Cons
They need a better website
Not the mot versatile boot
Leather creased relatively quickly and had some loose grain
Narrow fit

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