Reddit reviews Pedag 102 Royal Vegetable Tanned Sheepskin Insole with Natural Active Carbon Filter, Slightly Padded with Latex Foam, Tan Leather, Men's 11

Last week I snagged the last of my size, 8.5 D, in the Eben boot, which was in the sale section. That sale section Rider offers is impressive and made what would be out of my reach attainable. I love that he offers it. It's good for guys who want well-made boots that look suitable for the office and don't want to pay Viberg prices or Alden prices (which are almost never eligible for coupons). And I love my Alden JCrew cordovan cap toe boots, don't get me wrong. But once I got those last summer, that was my huge splurge. No footwear for $400+ for a long time for me. To get the Eben at $200 is amazing when I consider the alternatives at that price.

Update: added comparison pics to Alden JCrew cordovan boot

Background:

About a year ago, I realized I had gotten tired of disposable footwear that broke down and started to hurt my joints (and I'm only 37!), that I couldn't re-sole after breaking them in, that were a waste of materials, etc. So I splurged for the Alden cordovan and resoled in Dainite by Aram of AH One Shoes as a super-durable high-quality choice. If I was only going to buy one pair of quality, versatile, long-lasting while staying good-looking boots, those were them. And then my wife and I agreed I can't be spending $600 (including the discounts!) on shoes every year. Ok, deal.

I had seen the Rider Boot Co Eben boots on Massdrop after getting my Alden boots and really thought they were fantastic looking. A high quality Alden Indy boot alternative that looks sleeker in my opinion and perhaps sturdier, too. I was extremely pleased to know about the durability and low maintenance of waxed Kudu (and that it was actual antelope, unlike Alden's "Kudu").

Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago when my low-quality brogue boot in rotation finally started to get a hole in the sole. I told my wife "I'm shopping for new boots and after having the Aldens I really don't want another disposable thing on my feet. I'm tired of having to go through it all again every year. They breakdown structurally before the sole gets a hole anyway. It just doesn't seem smart." She understood, but at the same time there was no way I was going to be able to spend $400 or $500 on Alden Indy boots. The alternative seemed to be JCrew house brand Pacer boots, made in China with plastic welts, soft soles, thin leather, synthetic footbed...and those cost like $150 with discounts. And although they're Goodyear welted, they still seemed like "how many resoles will I actually be able to get on these before they start falling apart, really." Just didn't seem like money well spent. It began to feel like I either somehow magically get a $400 boot, or I resign to get a $75 boot once again. There are Red Wings and Wolverines and Chippewas that can be had around $200, but the toe shape and actual workboot aesthetic limited their versatility. I needed to be able to wear my new boots to my office job. There are some Allen Edmonds that can be found for almost that cheap, but limited in the boot selection and often leather soled or 2nds quality. If I'd found new Daltons in Dainite for $200 I'd be all over them.

Initial Impressions:

I received the Eben boots yesterday and they're beautiful! I love the color in person, and the Kudu leather is so soft and distinctive without calling too much attention to itself. They appear to check the box for durable, good looking, low maintenance, and versatile. Also, I noticed that the soles are Dainite while the heels are made in Italy--I assume Sestriere. Interesting anyway. I've been extremely satisfied with the Dainite but had heard Sestriere is slightly softer. If true then I'm even happier to have this configuration rather than all Sestriere.

They feel extremely comfortable on the foot--soft and supple, but somehow sturdy, as well. I'll have to weigh them, but they feel lighter than the Alden JCrew cordovan boots. Those hold me upright and keep me grounded, while the Rider Eben is ready to spring into action.
Update: I weighed them and they're actually 3 oz heavier per boot than the Aldens! They don't feel that way on the foot.

Seeing them in person confirmed my impressions from the photos: they look like a sleek version of the Alden Indy boot. When I mentioned my Indy alternative description to Mr. Rider, he said that was the idea behind the boot--that a more tailored version of the Indy would be a good description.

Fit and Sizing:

The Massdrop description I found recommended TTS Brannock, and Mr. Rider confirmed that in an email I sent him just before ordering. He acknowledged that they would be longer in the toes than the Alden Barrie last boots.

My first impression was that they were extremely comfortable, but a half size too large. Just a feeling. However, I can say that I think the ball of my foot is lined up with the widest part of the boot, so perhaps I was just not accustomed to a longer toe that the Eben has. That said, there's more volume to the boot than I expected. The fit pic shows a comfortably snug lacing. It actually looks similar to my Alden Barrie last boots (which are size 8 D) but those feel more snug overall--granted they're broken in. It's hard to know when trying such a stiff sole as Dainite.

I took some more time later that night to try to achieve a good fit. With my standard not-too-thin socks that I wear with my Alden Barrie lasted boots, I snugged up the lacing more than in the album pic and got a better fit. The heel to ball length lines up and the elongated toe seemed somehow not as surprising to me. Still, they were slightly large-volume feeling on the top of my foot at the instep. I tried thicker socks, and this was just a degree too far--too tight at the top of the instep. Then, I tried an old removable Johnston and Murphy insole--very thin foam topped with a thin leather layer. Those combined with my standard socks did the trick! It was a Goldilocks moment. The insole insert is about 3mm thick.

Therefore, I'm considering either Tacco 613 or Pedag 102 insoles that appear to be identical flat, leather-topped, latex/charcoal foam inserts. I also am thinking about some Saphir flat, leather-topped, cork inserts, and I see an identical version called Kaps Pecari Cork Insoles available for cheaper on Amazon. The holes configurations and the leather texture appears to the the identical as the Saphir product. I've emailed Kaps and asked whether they are the supplier to Saphir. Any of these three are 2.5 mm to 3 mm thick and they're all cheap at $15 or less. My instinct is to go with the Kaps since it appears the same as Saphir I'd like to keep with a traditional cork foot-bed feel. However, maybe there's a good reason no one else offers that type, and there are numerous recommendations for the Tacco version here and on styleforum. Does anyone have any thought for or against the latex vs cork?
Note: Unless I'm mistaken from Mr. Rider's posts on styleforum, Rider Boot Co's Blake-Rapid construction has no corkbed between the insole and midsole.

Long term outlook and maintenance:

First this from CF Stead's page on Waxed Kudu:
"The Kudu is an antelope from Southern Africa, living wild in the bush. The antelope family have traditionally provided skins, which make unique leather. A striking combination of softness with strength.
We have used our ‘Janus’ tannage which was designed to maximise the natural mellowness of a calf skin and we combined this with a full wax impregnation, making a feature of the natural grain blemishes."

From what I have read and from what Mr. Rider has told me, there's not much to do to maintain Kudu. It's oiled and waxed for durability and has a rustic appearance so I expect normal wear will not change the appearance for the worse. I'm really curious to see how these will crease and age. The Kudu is thick but supple. It's a completely foreign material to me, so we'll see!

Additional observations:

1. There is a thin, black thread I noticed coming out of the moc toe stitching, crossing over to the other side, going back in, and coming out again. The end is shaped as if it was burned down--a tiny ball shape. I mentioned this to Mr. Rider to see if he has any thoughts on it. Update from Mr. Rider: It's not a structural stitch so nothing to worry about.
   
   
2. There appears to be a nick in the Kudu just above the welt on the inside of each boot. One appears more significant than the other. My only concern is to maintain the health of the leather and structural integrity. I've asked Mr. Rider if there is anything I should do. Update from Mr. Rider: He apologized, explained that there was probably a slip when they did the storm welt (done with a glass shard entirely by hand). He said there should be no worries and told me to keep him posted if anything comes of it.
   
   
3. It's extremely difficult to find a Kudu belt! I'm now in the market for something dark brown with red undertones, contrast stitching...considering keeping my eyes peeled for something in nubuck and then applying some conditioner. Open to suggestions.
   
   Thank you to Ron Rider for being so available, responsive, and patient with my questions and concerns! This has been an extremely satisfying process and I'm extremely impressed with the boots and the customer service.

Someone else on Reddit recommended these which you can get from Amazon. I ordered the size 11 for my 9E Grant Stones which were just slightly too roomy with medium weight socks. The insoles fit perfectly and make the boots comfortably snug and I just take them out if I'm wearing heavy wool socks.

I have slightly different sized feet (which is very common). You have to size for the larger foot unless you want to go the MTO route. As was stated, AE will do this for the cost of the MTO fee ($125 IIRC).

Mine are about .25-.5 size difference. In most shoes, after they break in, they are fine. For others, I use a thin leather insole in just the left shoe. It feels strange for about a day and then I adjust.

For reference, I use these very thin Pedag insoles. I now have a nice collection of unused sz 11 right foot insoles if anyone has a larger left foot :)