Sebago Hamilton followup

[xaphoo]

A few weeks back, there was a post on the Sebago Hamiltons, a cheap waterproof wingtip boot from a respected brand. A lot of people bought one; I was late to the party but found a sale and mine came in yesterday, in "dark brown". I'd like to know what people think about theirs before I begin to feel disappointed in mine.


See, I've never owned a boot which is even remotely dressy as this one is -- only hiking boots. Nor have I ever owned wingtips. This is why I wonder if my disappointment in two things is worth actually being disappointed about. The first is: the purplish-looking leather which, though it may be of good quality (I believe it is), has a strange purple sheen and feels waxy or plasticky. The second is the thin, thin sole, through which I can feel every contour of the ground.


What do other owners of the Sebago Hamilton think of these boots, if you've worn them for more than a few days? I'd like to know what I'm supposed to expect of them.

[xaphoo]

does anyone have any feedback on these boots?

[MagM]

I can't comment on the color, though I'd be a bit surprised by the purple tint judging by the site pic. That said, Sebago uses full grain leather. It's pretty good quality. My Beacon boots took a while to break in but they're now decidedly broken. Dunno about the Hamilton leather but I'd assume it's similar. If you don't like the purple-ish tint return 'em, but I think you'll eventually be satisfied with the leather.

[xaphoo]

Good to know that the leather is high quality. Can the purplish-brown hue -- which is what I seem to be hung up on -- be transformed to a more classic brown with the use of shoe polish or cream for not much money? I've worn them too much to return, and they are after all quite comfortable and practical.

[jason_carreira]

Yes, they can. It all depends on how adventurous you are


I thrifted a pair of Florsheim penny loafers that were a bit too red and plasticy looking for my taste, so I saw some advice on Styleforum to rub them down with alcohol to take off some of the outer coating and color. I then treated them with Lexol leather conditioner and dark brown Meltonian creme polish and they came out much better.


Then there was this guy, who went a bit crazy with going after the plastic look of his blue Weejuns:


http://maxminimus.blogspot.com/2011/10/weejun-blues.html


I guess it depends on how crazy you want to get... Good leather will tend to be dyed down in the leather rather than a coating like this, so it may not work exactly the same.

[sal_orlando]

I got the Sebago Hamiltons in brown when Joe first featured them and love them so much I also got the black ones recently when they went on sale. I won't wear the black as often as the brown but they are nice to have.


I don't notice any kind of purplish tint on mine, but I wonder if between that and the 'plasticky' comment you are referring to the fact that they have a waterproof coating?


I personally found the soles to be quite comfortable, though I wouldn't go hiking on rough terrain in them. Not really what they are intended for IMO.

[spartanlaw]

I have those in brown. They are my primary shoe right now for the fall/winter and get worn about 4 days out of the week. The leather isn't purple. I am disappointed a bit in the construction. The sole is starting to come away at the toe a tiny (I apparently drag my toes since a lot of my shoes suffer this fate). There are other noticeable imperfections including discoloration around the sole area. However, forthe price, two good seasons of full on wear will satisfy me.


I agree on the comfort issue. Will likely throw some insoles in them. If you've never worn wingtips and usually wear hiking boots, then yes the feel would be vastly different.

[weathernut123]

In case you've been looking for these, just wanted to let people know the dark browns are back in stock (for now), at lastcall.com