Thursday Boot Company Captain Men's Lace-up Boot

This was my second attempt at a pair of Thursdays. My first was the Dukes on the old RT3 last. These Captains came on the new Kingmaker, which is rounder. I don’t wear the Dukes because of too much pressure on the tops of the toe box, a problem which unfortunately seems to replicate itself here, despite having ordered a different boot, in a different size, made on a different last. But, I can’t fault the obviously high quality and build of this product. So I will speak to that first.I loved the workmanship on the Captains. I ordered these in Arizona Adobe. The leather was beautiful, thick, and durable. I would agree with other recent reviewers that it was definitely more of a chocolate brown than the burnt orange that is pictured. Some folks have theorized that a certain batch of Arizona Adobe leather came in darker that others this time, and that this batch just needs to work its way through the product line. If you’re looking for something closer to the burnt orange pictured, try another color or wait until other folks (or the company itself) can attest to a batch that more closely matches the Arizona Adobe pictured. That all being said, I actually liked the chocolate brown these turned out to be, so your mileage may vary.Regarding construction, there’s no question they would hold up to years of hard wear, the studded sole is tough and the leather remarkably scuff resistant. Laces felt strong and durable. Welt was clean and there were no errant stitches that I could find anywhere on the boot. The rubber studded sole was beautiful and high quality. The quarters seemed a little flimsy, I was expecting something similar to cowboy boot quarters which are often firmer leather or reinforced with plastic, but these felt more like dress shoe quarters to me. Obviously in a boot like this, and any shoe really, your heel doesn’t bend or flex or move much compared to your instep and forefoot, so the need for super tough heel quarters may be unnecessary, I only mention it because it felt strange given the heavier duty feeing about the rest of the boot. Apart from that, craftsmanship was truly punching above its weight class on these, and they represent a great value on construction quality alone.The problem, and it’s why I returned them, is the shape and design of the last does not work for my feet for some reason. I’m a 10.5E on a Brannock device but I fit a 10D in most shoes and cowboy boots with a few exceptions depending on the boot maker. 10.5D in Vans. I followed Thursday’s recommendation of sizing a half size down and ordered a 10D. The resulting fit was appropriate for most of my foot. They fit well everywhere, perhaps even a little wide in the midfoot. Heel felt comfortably snug despite my reservations about the quarters. The issue is the toe box. I can feel the toe box with the tops of my toes and it exerts a mild to medium but constant pressure on them. I’ve had trouble with ingrown nails in the past and after a few days, my toes just hurt and I start to feel that if I keep wearing them, my ingrown nail issues will return. Maybe I have abnormally large Big Toes on both feet, but this issue is usually not a problem with other shoes in similar sizes, including multiple pairs of Dan Post and Capitan cowboy boots with R toes and cutter toes respectively. Never had a problem. Going a half size larger with these, (as I did with my other Thursdays Dukes) makes my foot swim in the boots, they are much too large. Half size down or wide size wouldn’t fix a toe box that isn’t tall enough.The only thing I can chalk it down to is that the shape of the last just doesn’t work for my feet. Every bootmaker and shoe maker has different lasts around which they build their shoes to make a consistent product across multiple size and width configurations. I’m sure last development is very difficult, and based on the huge number of five star reviews on these things, Thursday has obviously created a great product that works well for a lot of people. I wish they had worked for me.I suspect I might have more luck with the heavier duty models that come with lug soles and puff toes, but I find lug soles unfashionable for my sense of style. It may just be that I’m out of luck on Thursdays. I really wanted to like these and to have them work out, but for that reason I had to return them.

This is my second pair of Thursday boots, and I couldn’t be more satisfied. From the moment I slipped them on, I was reminded why I came back for another pair. The comfort is outstanding — the cushioned insole make them perfect for long days on your feet, whether you're working, walking, or just out and about.What really sets these boots apart is their look. They strike the perfect balance between rugged and refined. The leather gives them a tough, lived-in character, while the sleek silhouette keeps them looking classy enough for casual nights out. They pair effortlessly with jeans and always draw compliments.If you're looking for boots that are as comfortable as they are stylish — and built to last — these are it. Highly recommend!

Great boots, on size I bought a size 10.5, they fit good when I use a pair of sock that is little thicker than a dress sock, and they would also fit with a normal boot sock, they are not too tight. My OC on-clouds tennis are US11, my NB new balance are 11, all my slip on Sketchers are US 10.5 and my new Nike tennis picked up in the Mexico City Nike outlet are US 11.5 and fit good if this helps. I did feel like some say a slight pressure across the top of my foot when I wore them the first time, so knowing they need to be broke in, I stood at the kitchen counter and stretched my legs back and went to work on flexing and bending the tops to help break in a little, then wore them around the house a little while that afternoon, then wore out shopping the next day with no complaints, they are boots and heavier than any of my other shoes run around in, wore them to work on Friday with jeans and well didn’t bother me at all. Look good with jeans and is the first pair of regular type dresser boots I have bought in well can’t remember, maybe ever since want count cowboy boots wore when young and riding boots for bikes that are different. I plan to mostly wear them around on weekends, I may still revert to my tennis when know will be walking all day, but like the style look and feel for my first boots in 30/40 yrs. They are not winter boots and see than was well built for durability, I live in a hot climate but didn’t have any issues with hot feet. Designed in US and assembled in Mexico which is fine. They been making boots for years!!

I love these boots. I ordered the regular black captain boots. They look amazing, have excellent workmanship and are probably the most comfortable boot I have owned. That being said the toe box is cramped and my pinky toe is in pain by the end of the work day. I did order by their sizing guidelines by ordering half a size down, so maybe ordering my regular size would have been better, but I've worn them for 3 weeks so I could give an honest review. I will keep them and take good care of them, but maybe won't enjoy them as much as I hoped.Edit: I bought a second pair of their captains in the Arizona Adobe and they look stunning. Not to mention I lucked into a pair that used their 2nd last that they stopped using that has a wider toe box. They feel heavenly, and I now understand why others rate them 5 stars. That being said, they discontinued the last they used to make these, so don't get your hopes up that they won't have a smaller toe box.If you look at the picture attached you can clearly see the difference in the narrowness of the toe box, and the general shape of the toe of the boot. I'm not sure if my original black pair are the original last, or the most recent last. The most recent last is supposed to be in between the really narrow, original toe box, and the wider toe box of the 2nd last. I'm sure if you order from the website itself, you will get the most recent shoe shape.

Super elegant and comfortable for every day wear. The quality is great and ordering on prime gets you two day shipping.