$56.00 double buckle boots from Tacticalboy. (As seen on fB)

[2ndbat2]

I was seduced by the low price and impressive pictures of the Tacticalboy WW2 double buckle boots. Having just sold two genuine pair on Ebay auction for big money I felt flush with cash and felt a void in my collection.  The  soles on the real boots were quite stiff and with my new prosthetic legs would no longer fit me anyway.  So I ordered a pair of tacticalboys double buckle Army boots and took the gamble.  The wait as expected was a long one and they took about a month to arrive from China.  During that time I heard more and more nightmare stories about horrid quality or even people getting totally stiffed.  In looking more closely at the photos in the ads i could clearly see that they had photographed ACTUAL WW2 boots.  How I missed that is amazing.  I think we view such adds with wishful eyes.  They arrived with far less quality that I had hoped for but far nicer quality  than I had feared.  They are very light weight (This for me is both a good and a bad). The leather (If it even is leather) is thin and smooth throughout rather than roughout.  The soles are not the iconic rubberized goodyear,waffle pattern soles of GI issue boots.  These would probably anger a hardcore reenactor and be returned.  I see them for what they are,  a great value for the money.  At $56.00 delivered, they will look fine once caked in mud and with a little field aging.  Will they hold up?  That remains to be seen.  I mowed the lawn in them, did some yard work and went on a rocky 5 mile hike in them and they didn't eat their young, destroy my feet or fall apart.  I kinda thought they would?  I have some plans for improving the looks of the soles and their grip but in all candor I am happy with them as they are. (Not thrilled and delighted but happy)  I ordered a pair of their replica Okinawa boots which were a rare, early advisor jungle boot from Vietnam at the same time.  These rare boots I always thought were really cool.  They seem to bring $1,200.00 plus when ever Legitimate ones come up for sale.  I suspect once again the pictures they show on Tacticalboy  are original Okinawa boots  or someone elses high quality reproductions.    Reproductions on Nam reenactor sites are $275.00.  (Not in my budget)   I am anticipating that they will be on parr with the ones I just got and if so I'll be fine with that.  Okinawa boots had synthetic leather lowers, thick rubber Panama type souls.  Leather and canvas uppers in A WW2 double buckle pattern.  I am hoping (and expect) that what I receive will be a closer reproduction to the original  type 1 jungle boot than the ionic Ww2 double buckle boots are due to the fact that Okinawa boots were mostly synthetic leather and breathable nylon.  The soles on the originals wers an exaggeration of the Panama sole on Vietnam jungle boots.  I ordered them on the same day as the WW2 style boots and expected to get them together.  I contacted Tactical boy and they promptly responded to say they were a week out.

[2ndbat2]

My wife and I took another hike and I again wore these boots. They are no where near the quality of issue combat boots when it comes to foot and angle support but with thick wool socks and soft supportive arch supports they worked fine and continue to soldier on. As flimsy as they initially appeared I am a little suprised. As they get worn they are looking better and better in my opinion. I havent attempted to apply the "Flex shield" to the soles and tried that out but I will this weekend.

[2ndbat2]

If anyone would like close up pictures of these boots so my descriptions will be more easily visualized just leave me a pm with your email.

[hardslack]

I'd love to hear more about the advisor boots. The VN airsoft zealots I see on facebook seem to have a low opinion of them but that is par for the course for them...
For either, Im curious if you can compare them the NVA/PLA liberation boots/converse and or palladium boots? I quite like my palladiums because of the light weight and thin soles, so it might be just the thing for me!

[2ndbat2]

Hardslack you think exactly like I do. Somehow my order for the adviser boots got lost and I still havent received them (both the WW2 double buckles and "adviser" boots were ordered and paid for on the same day). In follow up contacts and multiple email exchanges I have been assured that I'll be getting them shortly. We'll see? I dont expect these to be comparable tothe $275.00 reproductions listed on Moore Militaria. At $56.00 lets get real. In Vietnam the issue jungle boots didnt agree with my feet (at all) so I wore captured NVA canvas booties and a pair of canvas boots I bought through Cabellas. I wore WW2 OD Leggings to provide a little more bug protection and ankle support.

[2ndbat2]

The "okinawa" boots arrived yesterday. They were actually more disappointing than the cheezy reproduction double buckle boots. I say that because I had somewhat higher expectations. Like the earlier boots the pictures shown in the add were totally different boots. In both cases the advertised boots used pictures of actual boots. For a domestic company that of course would be illegal and there would be ramifications for false advertising. I was hoping since the actual "Okinawa Boots" had synthetic leather and quite a bit of fabric that these inexpensive copies would come closer to reproductions. The Okinawa boots were the US Armys attempt at a viable jungle boot. They were developed in 1947 and had limited issue in the 50s. Early Vietnam Advisers frequently wore them and since many were transfered from Okinawa the nickname stuck. They were also called "Adviser" boots. They are quite rare so they are a highly sought after collectible bringing hundreds and even thousands of dollars! Moore militaria just received some German made reproduction that they price at $375.00. I knew at $56.00 delivered that the quality wouldnt be there but the disappointment is that it would have cost the Chinese company no more to have gotten the canvas colors right, proper shoe laces and soles that looked closer. I will tweak them somewhat to make them useable and I will live with my purchases which reinforce the old adage that you get what you pay for. In the future I will take heed and know that the pictures shown in these bargain/ clearance/overstock Facebook adds mean nothing. I could no doubt lodge a PayPal complaint or use my credit card protections to get a refund but I took the gamble and it is what it is. The WW2 double buckle are actually decent for the money. Kinda like saying...for a fat girl she doesnt sweat much.

[2ndbat2]

I started in on both pair to make them visually more acceptable. I sanded the thin Leather on the WW2 style to create a rough out look where appropriate and a lighter share than the polished russette brown they had when new. Amazingly I had a pair of WW2 uninstalled combat boot soles in a box of stuff. There waa also a set of leather upper double buckle panels. Where I acquired them I cant say? For now they will be saved for who knows what future project. Perhaps i'll find some speudo appropriate boots and sew them on?

The WW2s should end up looking pretty decent? The Adviser boots very quickly took on a better look. The icky light green canvas dyed nicely to an appropriate OD green. The tanish white laces were replaced with dark brown and the shinny chrome buckles were painted flat black. Huge difference! The soles are the final challenge and I have some thoughts for them. I'll have some before and after shots. The buckles on the Okinawa boots are extremely low quailty and probably won't hold up. An easy fix at a fabric store.

[2ndbat2]

I wore the Okinawa boots while mowing the lawn. The straps and buckles are a bit flimsy so care must be taken when putting them on (in fairness thats true when i wore my originals. I broke one strap on a vintage pair some years ago. The Okinawa boots held up fine and their rubber sole is better for field walking than the smooth leather sole on the "WW2" boots. Something I hope to address fairly soon. I am finding that both pair look better and better to me as they get worn. I dont regret the purchase. Neither will suit the demands of hardcore reenactors (does anything?)

[2ndbat2]

I taped off the WW2 repo boots leaving the smooth leather soles exposed. I sprayed multiple thick coats of the black rubberized "flex Shield". To the soles. I have to wait 24 to 48 hours for it to harden and then the plan is to file a crisscross pattern as you would see on original WW2 boots. Will it work and hold up? Who knows? If it works Im going to do the same thing to the Okinawa boots.