Thursday's Vanguard Boot Review: Is American Made Better?

SHOP THIS BOOT: https://thursdayboots.com/products/me... FULL REVIEW + PICTURES: https://stridewise.com/thursday-vangu... Thursday Boot Company is a direct to consumer brand that sells handsome boots at low prices and I’ve received a ton of requests to check out their American-made Vanguard line. Here’s what I thought of the one in Burnt Copper. OVERVIEW It’s a bit reminiscent of the World War 2 service boot in that it’s rugged, but the silhouette is pretty refined and streamlined. Thursday’s M.O. is to create the perfect hybrid of the dress boot and work boot, and they carried that over to the Vanguard. It’s not quite as slim as the Captain Boot, but it’s still way more versatile than your standard work boot. Grab the Vanguard boot here: https://thursdayboots.com/products/me... LEATHER This Burnt Copper leather is part of their new Rugged and Resilient line of leathers and it’s got a lot of character. Right out of the box you can tell it’s made to be beaten up and it’s the kind of boot that will get prettier as it gets uglier. It’s vegetable tanned and oil tanned, which reminded me of the oil tanned boots you get from Red Wing: tough, matte, and doesn’t need babying. It is thinner than you see in most work boots at 1.7 millimeters but I think that makes for a more versatile boot — again, versatility and value are Thursday’s strong points. LEATHER CARE The Rugged and Resilient leather really doesn’t need much care. It’s quite moist and resilient, but if you worry about your boots drying out you might want to consider some neatsfoot oil, as that will help to maintain the color better than something like mink oil. SEE MY COMPARISON OF RED WING’S BOOT OIL VS MINK OIL HERE:    • Boot Oil vs Mink Oil - What's Best for Red...   SOLE Pretty similar to Dainite, this is a medium density rubber from Thursay that’s a good combination of durability, flexibility, and function. After that there’s a cork misole and a poron insole, which is an air permeable material you sometimes find in sneaker brands. (It also helps with foot stink.) It’s also secured with a Goodyear welt, which means it’s easy to resole. Note that it doesn’t have the EVA comfort strip like the Captain, so it feels a bit less bouncy and a bit more like a traditional work boot. WATCH MY COMPARISON OF THURSDAY AND WOLVERINE:    • Wolverine Vs. Thursday Boot Company - Whos...   PRICE $265. I wouldn’t be surprised if someone handed me these boots and they were a hundred dollars more expensive — it is pricier than their other boots, but still tremendous value. https://thursdayboots.com/products/me... Pros Tough leather and construction Leather doesn’t really need any care Versatile Anti microbial poron insole Sole has a great mixture of function and fashion Free returns Inexpensive Cons No wider sizes available Last is a little narrow Burnt Copper isn’t super dressy Pricier than other Thursday Boots No EVA strip