VIBERG ENGINEER BOOT - 2000 LAST - HORWEEN NATURAL CYPRESS

The Viberg engineer boots arrived at my doorstep about 20 minutes ago, and I’m wearing them as I type this review. As background, I’m 6’4” and weigh 200lbs; I have the classic Munson foot - narrow in the heel and wide in the toebox, with a fairly high arch, and in the mid-foot I’m fairly wide with the bones (I can’t remember the name) about halfway between my toes and ankles on the outside apparently sticking out more than usual, which always creates problems at the seam overlap at the heel counter, vamp and uppers. I generally wear Nicks in a 12.5EE, and Whites 9338 swing last in 11.5FFFF (yes, you read that right), and Viberg 310 in 13E, 2030 in 13EE (a 12.5 would be perfect, but Viberg stopped making that size some time ago), and 2045 in 12E or EE. so, these Vibergs are a size 12, and I think the width is labeled as an E. I’ve owned and sold on a pair of Nicks Palouse (just didn’t work) and the elusive Motor Leathers engineers (EBay score, but the sizing was way off). From everything I’ve read I expected these Vibergs to be a beast to get on and off, but they weren’t; I did use the plastic bag trick the first time, but it was really only needed for my bigger foot. As soon as I got the first boot on I was sold. Not the “thunk” I get when I put on my well worn White’s, but very, very little heel slip; the mid and forefoot are a little tight, as is the instep, but that’s a good thing and it’ll get better with wear (I’ve heard a saying about leather jackets that “the worst fit for a leather jacket is the first time you put it on, and I believe it’s true for leather boots also). The length seems spot on, but, again, the width is a little narrow in the mid foot and instep. I did a little google research about the Horween Cypress leather before buying these, and apparently they are tanned similarly to CXL, but with the finishing touches being a veg tan; the Cypress apparently has a little less stretch than CXL, so we’ll see how it goes with the mid foot on these; I have no doubt that these boots, properly cared for, could last essentially forever. General impressions are: 1) these are heavy duty boots - I was surprised at the weight; 2) the finishing is the best thing - at the top of Viberg’s game); the clicking is impeccable - no loose grain found on a quick initial inspection; I love the look of these on my really big Munson feet - the almond shaped toe area looks as slim and refined as any of my (too many) shoes and boots; and 3) Freenote shipped these out almost immediately, and they arrived quickly and in perfect shape, with thick plastic bags over the boots and with the fabric Viberg boot bags. I’m older and have been buying and wearing quality footwear for 4 1/2 decades, so I have a pretty good idea of what a quality shoe/boot is, and these are that. Thanks to Freenote Cloth and Viberg for creating and allowing me to wear such a perfect example of high end boots.