Jedi boots.

[Obi-Dar Ke-Gnomie]

I'm working on a Jedi costume, and the only thing I'll be needing when it's done is a pair of boots. I saw these on eBay, and just wanted to ask you folks what you thought of them.

http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=230180989903&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=013

They're not real leather, but I figure they are a good cheap alternative until I find better.

What do you think?

[Jay-gon Jinn]

Those are good boots for the money, I used a pair of those for a year before i bought my custom made leather boots from here:
http://stores.ebay.ca/TheLeatherBoutique

[Obi-Dar Ke-Gnomie]

I saw the ones from the Leather Boutique first and figured there was no way I could afford them. Then I found the ones I posted. I think I can swing that.

[Jay-gon Jinn]

yeah, I bought mine from TheLeatherBoutique when they were still $150.00 back in February....I can't figure out why he's gone up so much...if he keeps it up, he'll be as expensive as Motorcowboy. :?

[Barmic Rin]

Was gonna buy from him for my CE costume, but it got too late with his 8-week turn around.

Had mine custom made by a guy over here, cost £160, but so worth it!

Obi, whatever you do, DO NOT order from COSTUMEBAY or SMOKESPOON or whatever name he's using at the mo.
Sells costumes, boots, belts etc. & they're crud. Guy at CE had his Kenobi EP2 boots split as I was chatting to him! Unbelievable! Thankfully, the length of his robe hid it for the rest of the day!

[ArkaiHalon]

for 25 bucks, and an endorsement from Jay-Gon, they can't be too bad.

I was rooting through the closet and found my old riding boots. I think if all goes well, they will be part of my costume.
http://www.old-west-outfitter.de/Boots/boots9/cathstichbr.jpg

[Darth Lars]

Obi, whatever you do, DO NOT order from COSTUMEBAY or SMOKESPOON or whatever name he's using at the mo.
Sells costumes, boots, belts etc. & they're crud. Guy at CE had his Kenobi EP2 boots split as I was chatting to him! Unbelievable! Thankfully, the length of his robe hid it for the rest of the day!
Costume Bay calls himself/itself "Costume Base" on eBay.
I have seen mixed reviews about his other costumes, and supposedly he would be trustworthy as a seller.
For instance, according to one recent review, his X-wing pilot flightsuit is not perfect, but acceptable. I think some costumers in the 501st Legion use his Imperial Officer uniform with minor modifications.

[pockets]

i boguht those boots from "all costume" they're not the perfect solution but they're great for a typical jedi, and everyone but a hardcore costumer is gunna be impressed with the result.

they're one of the things you can skimp on and be happy about until you have the money to do it right with a nice pair of custom leather boots

[LAN-ED-TUL]

right now thats all the boots i have, theyre all from allcostume... nuttin wrong at all with them for 35 to 40 bucks, a great deal.

[Obi-Dar Ke-Gnomie]

Thanks for the advice everyone!

I think I'll order a pair. At that price, I haven't got much to lose.

[valeon]

I may pick up a pair of em, I need some for my costume anyway.

[Jay-gon Jinn]

Just keep in mind when using those boots, that they are made to be almost a one-size fits all. The 10-11 size is actually an 11. I wear a 10 tennis shoe and ordered the 10-11 and had to use some insoles to help them fit better. I recommend using insoles (Dr. Scholls) anyway, the ones that they come with aren't very thick.

[Obi-Dar Ke-Gnomie]

Good to know. Thanks.

[Obi-Dar Ke-Gnomie]

I got my boots in the mail on Friday. I was surprised at how fast they came. I was worried that I wouldn't get them in time for Halloween.

I was also surprised at the $11.92 COD customs fee that the driver wanted. Oh well.

Here's a picture. Not too bad for the price. When I can afford a pair of real leather boots, I'll get them. In the mean time, these will do.

Jay-gon, you were right. They were a little loose until I put some insoles in them. Now they fit pretty good.

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2007-1/1236148/boots3.jpg

Here is a picture I found of Obi-Wan's boots for reference.

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2007-1/1236148/boots4.jpg

I got my tunic finished this afternoon. Still have to do the obi and tabbards, and put the robe together, but I should be done in time.

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2007-1/1236148/Tunic_2.JPG

I'm not an experienced sewer, but I've kind of enjoyed putting this together. It's been fun watching it take shape.

[Jay-gon Jinn]

Very cool! That should look good when finished!

[DarrynVarson117]

Thanks to you all,
Unknown to you all I was just starting to look for some Jedi Boots and I find this post. Thanks all for the links to All Costumes and The Leather Boutique.

[Soulkeeper7700]

the pair on ebay were great for the money, good deal if you ask me..

[Obi-Dar Ke-Gnomie]

Just an update for anyone who is interested:

After wearing the boots all day on Halloween, I noticed that the vinyl was creasing and cracking wherever the boot bent across the instep. It's not horrible, but I was surprised to see it. I guess they weren't designed for heavy use.

I know a lady who runs a riding stable, and often deals in gently used riding gear. I have her on the lookout for a pair of real leather boots for me.

[Barmic Rin]

Any Brits interested in a quality pair, let me know.
I'll give you the details of the guy that made mine & post some pics. Bear in mind the price will be around the £150 mark, but they're so comfortable, they've made it into my everyday wardrobe (with bootcut jeans over the top)

The guy is only in Exeter & can do whatever style, whatever colour.

[Angelus Lupus]

Hmm, sounds pricey, but if you say they're good enough to be everyday wear...
Besides I was considering a new pair of boots now we have the colder weather.

[DarrynVarson117]

Just an update for anyone who is interested:

After wearing the boots all day on Halloween, I noticed that the vinyl was creasing and cracking wherever the boot bent across the instep. It's not horrible, but I was surprised to see it. I guess they weren't designed for heavy use.



Pics, this calls for pics. Curious how they look.

[Jedi-Loreen]

Once the vinyl starts cracking open your boots are done for. Those kind of boots are usually only good for wearing a few times, unfortunately.

Real leather is the way to go.

Buying boots can be a crap shoot, if you don't want to get them custom made. I got lucky and found some black leather motorcycle boots on closeout for $30. I wear them with my Rebel Fleet Trooper costume, will wear them with my X-Wing pilot costume I'm working on, and even wear them with my Jedi costume. I made some strap on greaves to dress them up and make them look taller. :)

[Obi-Dar Ke-Gnomie]

The cracks are on the inside of the foot, near the base of my big toe. They look big in these photos, but when I'm wearing them, looking down, I can hardly see them.

I wonder if I should have treated them with something before I wore them to make the vinyl more flexible.

Left boot:
http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2007-1/1236148/left-boot.JPG

Right boot:
http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2007-1/1236148/right-boot.JPG

I'm going to contact the seller, but I may be out of luck.

[Obi-Dar Ke-Gnomie]

Thanks, Loreen. I will probably only wear these a couple more times anyway.
I have some really sticky "Goop" adhesive. I'll try to repair them as best I can, but I'm on the lookout for real leather.

[Obi-Dar Ke-Gnomie]

Another update on my cracked boots:

I contacted All Costume by e-mail, and told them what happened and asked them what they would do for me. I got a reply right away, and they told me to send them back and they would replace them. No questions asked, no hassle, no problem.

Even if the boots are cheap, at least they have good customer service.

I'm still on the hunt for real leather though.

[Hasid Lafre]

Well thats awsome that they will replace them no questions asked.

[DarrynVarson117]

That is cool that they are replacing them. I get that they are vinyl and everything, but surely they should last longer than they did. Just my thoughts at least.

[Barmic Rin]

Well, here's some quick ones of my boots I took the other day before work.
For the benefit of those in the UK that haven't seen them & want a decent pair of boots:
http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t78/barmic_rin/19112007978.jpg
In the shade

http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t78/barmic_rin/19112007976.jpg
Daylight, to show up the colour

http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t78/barmic_rin/14072007822.jpg
Me, my boots & Cookie (he has desperate for this shot!)


Edit: Resized pics

[Obi-Dar Ke-Gnomie]

That is cool that they are replacing them. I get that they are vinyl and everything, but surely they should last longer than they did. Just my thoughts at least.

When I get the new ones, I'd like to do something to keep them from splitting again. Does anyone know if I could put something on them to make them more pliable and less prone to cracking? I know you can use Dubbin on leather, but will it work on vinyl?

[LAN-ED-TUL]

only thing happened to my vader boots, was the shins pointy end on one of them, poked or rubbed a small hole in the outside of my costume boots.

i think i fixed that by workin the points over and making them less sharp and pointy.

but, yeah, i still want real leather ones myself, but no more than i get to suit up, these costume boots last quite awhile.

i got 3 pair, for different costumes, and until the con in Oct, when the shin rubbed the small hole, theyre in perfect shape still.

2 of them i have had for 5 years now, and still look almost new. i clean them up after the events. and rub them down with armor all.

[Luke-SkyMarcher]

Well, I just recently got some jedi styled boots, so far the only part of a jedi costume I have, thought I'd share some pics.

http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u228/Luke_SkyMarcher/100_2300.jpg
http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u228/Luke_SkyMarcher/100_2302.jpg
http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u228/Luke_SkyMarcher/100_2303.jpg
When I looked through the complete sw visual dictionary, they looked closer to Qui-gon's than anyone else's

-Luke

[Obi-Dar Ke-Gnomie]

Those look pretty cool. What are they made of, and where did you get them?

[Jay-gon Jinn]

Those look like the Qui-gon Jinn boots that CostumeBase on ebay sells. If they are, they're probably made from pleather. They are good looking affordable alternatives to some of the custom made boots I've seen.

[Luke-SkyMarcher]

They're from Museum Replicas. Normally they were $165, but they were on a closeout sale. It does have a "real leather" stamp on the sole. Unfortunately they didn't have my size (11), so I had to get the next size up, which leaves a lot of extra room in the toes and heels.

[ArkaiHalon]

hey Obi...

did you ever get the replacement boots, and how have they held up since?

[Obi-Dar Ke-Gnomie]

I didn't bother sending them off. I figured that I would be paying for the shipping, and possibly paying duty on the second pair as well, just to get another pair of boots that would only last for one wearing anyway.

Besides, I found a great pair of boots and didn't need them. I got a pair of boots that look almost like combat boots, but they are really high. I guess you might call them jump boots, but they are taller than most that I have seen. They're not exactly "canon", but they are really comfortable, and I love the way they look.

[Barmic Rin]

Whoever said boots have to be canon?
The ones I have, I went into the shoe makers & pointed out 2 or 3 pairs with bits I liked & once his very cute assistant took my measurements, I left them to it.

I love them so much, & they could easily have come off the set of one of the movies, but they're certainly not canon!

[sfer1]

Mine are 17" Tall Men's Prada Riding Boots. I got them for 1/4 of their retail price on eBay. :)

[Obi-Dar Ke-Gnomie]

Mine are 17" Tall Men's Prada Riding Boots. I got them for 1/4 of their retail price on eBay. :)

Good find!

I have to clean these up, since I've been wearing them outside and they are a little salty. Once I do, I'll post pictures of them.

[Stinky Bantha]

I finally got a nice pair of boots! They're Red Wing workboots that were on sale for $50 at a boot warehouse out in the middle of nowhere. They're definitely short, but I was planning on getting a pair of greaves anyway, so they were a great find imo.

http://i29.tinypic.com/344z1mv.jpg

[Obi-Dar Ke-Gnomie]

Not bad. Like you say, they're a little short for "typical" Jedi boots, but if you are wearing greaves over the uppers, they should look OK.

[strengthofrage]

Those are nice boots Bantha, I wouldn't mind a pair to wear regularly. I'm not a big sneaker fan.