I'll start out by saying I love Schott. I have a navy peacoat that I absolutely love and I will soon own a Perfecto jacket. I'm very biased toward Schott because of their quality and style. So naturally I was ecstatic when I discovered they now offer boots. I placed a preorder for my size immediately. That being said, I have owned a handful of different service boots and while these are certainly nice, I hate to say it but I've had better. From a quality standpoint, these are up there. It's definitely Schott quality but some of the other features (and lack thereof) and design choices leave something to be desired.
MATERIALS & CONSTRUCTION: Like I mentioned, the quality of the materials used in the construction of these boots is top notch. I'd have expected nothing less from Schott. The leather is flawless. The moron insole is comfortable enough but the heel padding is almost nonexistent. More on that later. The goodyear welt is pretty standard for any service boot over $100. Nothing special there.
FIT: Out of the box they looked pretty narrow but to my surprise, they were actually a little roomy in the toe box and that's with wearing them with thick wool socks.. Not loose or anything. Just enough room to not feel constricted. Now, I am a slimmer guy and I have feet to match so it's not really a problem for me but people with wide feet may have a problem fitting into these, But even still. they do look narrow even once on. So narrow that I feel like they look long. I checked and double checked to make sure I didn't buy a size too big but I didn't. They're just narrow and look long on my feet. Not something I'm really digging, to be honest. I want to feel like I'm wearing a boot, not a shoe.
DESIGN & AESTHETICS: The overall design of the boot is just okay. It's very much a service boot. There is no toe cap, no stacked leather heel, no brogue pattern along the seams. It's a very bare bones, utilitarian design. Not much personality at all, really. Which is what I think I'm most disappointed about. Schott is iconic for their style and attitude. But these look so...blah. At the very least, a toe cap would add just a little something to the aesthetic while also adding a layer of protection to the most vulnerable part of the boot above the sole. The aesthetic is something I'm really struggling to like.
Another feature I'm not crazy about is the sole. The chevron tread is not very functional and the rubber is hard so your step is loud and makes you sound heavy footed when you walk. It also doesn't grip well on hard, smooth surfaces like tile or wood and I have to imagine spending any more than five minutes outside in the freezing cold will make the soles rock hard and slippery.
The leather laces are impractical for everyday use. They look cool but they do not fit in the lace hooks at the top of the boot very well at all. They keep popping out when I pull to tighten them. The laces are just a little too thick. Additionally, because they're thick, they don't stay tied and double knotting them creates a big ugly knot. So it looks like I'll be spend more money to swap them out for something more practical.
COMFORT: The general comfort of the boots is 50/50. My foot fits in the boot and nothing is rubbing or chafing but the heel in the insole is hard as a rock. There isn't any shock absorption at all. After a couple hours wearing them around the house, my heels started to ache. This is exaggerated by the fact that the rubber sole is hard, making heel strikes while walking that much harder and more uncomfortable. This is pretty typical of many service boots, unfortunately. I don't know why the insoles are such a difficult thing for boot companies to make well.
OVERALL: I really wanted to like these boots. I really did. But in the end I feel like I overpaid for what I got. Value for money is on a tilt. There isn't anything particularly special about them other than the quality of the leather itself, they're not very comfortable to walk around in, and there are a few quirky things like the laces and robber soles that just leave me feeling like I overpaid. For $300 and from a company like Schott, I wanted and expected to be wow'd and I didn't feel that at all. Quite frankly, I expected better from Schott. Unfortunately I'm stuck with them now because they've been worn, which kind of sucks. How do you know you like a pair of shoes if you can't try them on? Really kinda bummed out about all this..