Thursday Boot Company

I've had these for a couple of months now. I own better boots, but they cost twice as much. With these, the leather is a little thinner, and the rubber is a little harder, and some seams might not be triple stitched, but all in all, it checks the boxes for a good city boot. They wouldn't be my choice of boots for slogging through slush, or tramping through the bush, but they're very wearable on a day to day basis. They're comfortable enough to wear all day at the office, or to walk many kilometres in a city, where a big stompy boot is going to be excessive. The rugged and resilient leather in Tobacco is a nice sharp oiled leather, which might not be something to wade through ditches with but it does a great job of beading and repelling water. It broke in easily, and scuffs tend to disappear with a bit of rubbing with one's fingers, which is handy because I often wear these while cycling and I'm always banging them against the pedals. The cut is sharp and trim, and lends itself well to being dressed up a bit even if not a proper dress shoe. And even if they're a city boot, they're not flimsy. If you use shoe trees and let them dry out between wearings, clean them, and apply a little Cobbler's Choice leather protector from time to time, the uppers should last a good long time and it's just a matter of getting a cobbler to put a new sole on them when they wear out. In terms of sizing, I've found that the best fit is my true Brannock size, where with many Goodyear welted shoes and boots I'm a half size down. This sees to boil down to the last used by Thursday for this boot being a little less roomy in the toes, perhaps relating to the focus upon a very trim style. I think Thursday has done a pretty good job here. It's a real leather boot. There's better leather out there, but this one is good. There's better soles out there, but this one is good (and an actual 360 degree Goodyear welt with a cork bed midsole).

I prefer boots over shoes even for dress wear. I bought these boots for dress wear and I have worn them about 20 times. They look nice and are light and comfortable to wear. Very little break-in needed. They are not as quick to get on and off as dress shoes but I knew that would be the case. I bought my normal dress shoe size 8 and they were a perfect fit. Quality is good and they are holding up well. The flat waxed laces are a nice touch. This is my first pair of boots from Thursday Boots and they are exactly what I wanted.

Both were different colours to each other and yet neither matches the pictures. The quality of the leather is lower than expected. I'd recommend not following the size down recommendation.

I've tried several competitors in this price range including other offerings from Thuraday boots and here's my opinion. Looks: very subjective and a matter of personal taste but IMO the Captains look far better than Redwing, Canada West, Kodiak and also look better than the Thursday Chelsea type boots. This is my opinion only. Sizing: they DEFINITELY run on the large side. I wear size 10 sneakers, the size 9 Captains fit me perfectly. I also have wide feet. If you have narrower feet you may even have to go a tad smaller. Just be aware that you'll have to order a size down. Comfort: surprisingly comfortable right out of the box. It usually takes a while to break in new boots and they hurt the feet quite a bit initially. These haven't hurt as much for the 2 hours or so I wore them. Ruggedness: it's clear these are not as rugged as Redwings or Canada West boots. However they're clearly well constructed and seem to be the right balance of rugged and practical every day shoes. They're like a set of premium all season tires. You can use them on the trail or dress them up. I'll update this review if needed as I use them longer.

These Thursday cadets are beautifully made. I had to order the same size as I usually wear in runners even though the recommendation was for half size smaller. The half size smaller in the Cadet was too tight and I couldn’t get my foot into the shoe. The captains I ordered a few weeks ago were sized as recommended. Glad for Amazon’s return policy as it was easy to return.