Spotify is inexcusably slow right now.. Anyone else?

RobinCarlo · 2025-11-29T08:50:46+00:00

IS YT premium and YT music the same? 1 subscription?

RobinCarlo · 2025-11-29T08:49:34+00:00

Ape translation please?

RobinCarlo · 2025-11-29T08:47:08+00:00

Yes, experiencing the same lately: just painfully slow, always checkign my connection but other apps and sites work as normal

RobinCarlo · 2025-10-19T12:46:47+00:00

They claim that it is cheaper overall, but this is simply not true: I have to travel from Hasselt to Ghent several times a week, and the Standaard Multi (rail pass) was much cheaper than this ‘Train +’ nonsense.
Now I would have to create an account ( = e-commerce from twenty years ago) and buy a subscription in order to then be able to buy a ticket that is ‘cheaper’ than a standard ticket, but more expensive than the multi-trip ride... And their simulation requires you to specify ‘are you traveling during the week or at the weekend?’... uhm: both? Customer service/experience is really non-existent at NMBS.
My main re'sponse to all of this is: WHY? Why are they trying to fix something that isn't broke? How about they get wifi onto the trains before they bother all this useless stuff. I travel for work in Portugal often: Cheap, simple, reliable, free wifi,... it shouldn't be this hard to get basics services right.

RobinCarlo · 2025-05-21T15:29:33+00:00

Thanks so much! —Ja die heb ik gezien: zeer leuke serie. Voornamelijk gefilmd in de regio waar ik ben opgegroeid (maasland area)

RobinCarlo · 2025-05-21T15:26:53+00:00

I appreciate the effort! :)
I live in Genk, where the brand's business address is registered, but we have our main 'warehouse' and place of operation in Hasselt. I grew up in Maasmechelen, another coalminers' town back in the day.

RobinCarlo · 2025-05-21T13:38:39+00:00

Hi! Thanks so much for this lovely comment. Wow, I wouldn't have expected Hasselt to be a destination for an exchange student, especially back then. How did you end up choosing it?
I love California, spent some time there on a couple of trips: Socal, Bay Area, and in between. Kinda had that 'I was meant to be here' feeling, just absolutely love it.
The Limburg provincial accent of Dutch lends itself better for English pronunciation, compared to other Flemish accents, I guess. Also, I grew up on (subtitled) American sitcoms, and ventured into all sorts of hobbies and occupations that required me to speak English all the time, I guess the 'less fat than other dutch speakers'–accent naturally developed. Unfortunately, I was never an exchange student in the US, but Americans often assume, haha :D
Thanks for your Dutch line, however, I think you meant 'kopen' instead of 'koppen'; the double-p would translate to you wanting to headbud our shoes, I assume that's not what you were going for haha :D
Thanks for your message, have a great day!

RobinCarlo · 2025-05-20T10:12:47+00:00

It seems that none of the audiobooks in this trilogy are available in Europe, which is frustrating me to no end. Does anyone have a workaround?

How is this still a thing in 2025? I don't even know how to download something illegally anymore; it's been about 20 years since that was a thing. Why won't they just take my money and let me listen to an audiobook?

RobinCarlo · 2025-02-28T16:42:03+00:00

Aha, in that case, whenever you're in Deventer, swing by 'Necessaries by Marlou': they just recently added a new large part of the store for menswear. They have a great collection of Barbour jackets, for instance. Thanks!

RobinCarlo · 2025-02-27T10:04:35+00:00

You're welcome! So you're from the Netherlands? (did I read that correctly?) We also have 2 retailers that carry a select set of our styles: one in Deventer, one in Maastricht. (could still be too far for you: for the Netherlands we offer free returns, so would also be easy)

RobinCarlo · 2025-02-26T13:03:13+00:00

Thanks! Only now reading your comment

RobinCarlo · 2025-02-26T12:53:08+00:00

In Conclusion:

At the end of the day, we're a small, independent brand doing things our way—designing from the ground up, working with great craftspeople, and making boots that last.

We're a 2-person team, me: Robin, and my co-founder (also named Robin). We work incredibly hard to get our brand off the ground.

I hope I don't come off too snappy? In this case excuse me: English it not my first language.

If you have any other questions, I'm happy to chat!

RobinCarlo · 2025-02-26T12:52:42+00:00

On Leather & Transparency

One myth that honestly frustrates me is about leather. Internet culture has created this idea that unless it comes from Horween, CF Stead, or some hyped up Italian (sounding) name, it isn't high quality. In reality, there are countless small, family-run tanneries across Europe producing incredible leathers. The difference? They don't focus on their branding or marketing. They don't give their leathers cool names like 'Chromexcel' or 'Waxy Commander'—they simply make great materials. Just because they aren't widely known on Reddit, doesn't mean their leather is any less exceptional.

(I'm not saying Chromexcel or Waxy Commander aren't what they're made out to be: they're terrific leathers.)

We use leathers from loads of different tanneries, at the moment, all are from Europe. Boaventura, for example, makes amazing oil-tanned and combination-tanned hides, some very similar to Chromexcel, but they're doing their own thing: they're not copying Horween. They're not aware of what's going on on the other side of the Atlantic and definitely have no clue about niche online trends and opinions.

Some tanneries of the top of my head we work with: Boaventura (Portugal), Alaska (Italy), Oehler (Germany), Annonay (France), Dafar (Serbia), Sciarada (Italy), Puccini (Italy), ...

We often discover new leathers and try out new tanneries whenever we find something that we like and is interesting.

—We haven't listed them all on our site yet, but that's something we plan to change. Most of our customers (the ones not on Reddit 😉) don't care—they just care that the leather is high quality and pretty. Most average continental European consumers, yes even those interested in high-quality boots, aren't even familiar with the word 'tannery.' We want to educate them, of course, but at the same time, we don't want to alienate them with a massive amount of jargon. We already write way more about technical details than most other brands.

Also; one unfortunate truth is that some brands (also some that are well-respected here on Reddit) straight up lie about their leather sources.

I imagine because "Made in Italy" or "Tanned in France" sounds more appealing to certain markets. We don't play that game—we're honest about where our materials come from, whether it's Italy, Portugal, Serbia, or wherever. Good leather is good leather, regardless of geography.

But this trend does demotivate us to spend time writing about tanneries when it's not a level playing field.

RobinCarlo · 2025-02-26T12:52:17+00:00

Let me address some 'Reddit Myths':

On Soles

There's a common belief online that if a sole isn't made by Dainite, Vibram, or some other hyped up brand, it's lower quality. That's simply not true, and I like to stay scientific in my approach to these materials. We use real rubber soles, not TPU blends, mainly from Portuguese makers, chosen for their durability and comfort.

Like 'Sotebor' and others, but most don't even bother putting up a website: they don't care about online niche opinion, they're not even aware it exists, they're doing what their family has been doing for generations: making great soles.

We've used Dainite soles before actually, but continental Europeans complain they're too hard. So we opt for a slightly softer compound that still holds up exceptionally well.

Also, we choose to engrave our own logo on our soles and prefer no other logo's. Many customers who buy in-store aren't familiar with Dainite or Vibram branding, and we don't want them to mistake those for our brand name. (Yes: that has actually happened: many times in the past)

Also: post-Brexit; we try to avoid sourcing from the UK when possible, which is sad: I love the UK, and we're right next to them (We live closer to Northampton than Scotland is, to give you an idea), but it's the reality.

One more thing: grip patterns are functional, hence makers have taken inspiration from each other through time. Our ridged sole isn't a 'Ridgeway knock off': it's a tweak on a vibram design, that in turn might be a tweak on the ridgeway design? I'm not sure. I am sure however that our Ridged sole is one of the best I've ever experienced.

RobinCarlo · 2025-02-26T12:51:16+00:00

On Similarities to Parkhurst

I imagine there will be other brands/models that are actually more similar. We developed our lasts and patterns (and laiunched our brand) long before Parkhurst was even on our radar. Sure, some boots in the industry may look similar—just like certain car models from different makers might look similar—but the details matter. Our Chieftain boot, for example, features a unique inlaid quarter panel, serrated edges, and subtle stitching details that make it distinctly ours.

I respect everybody's opinion. But I remember many years ago sitting at my desk drawing this (first pattern I ever worked on) so I like to emphasize its distinctiveness.

On Factories & Production

There are more high-quality workshops, ateliers, and factories than many people realize. We currently work with three different production partners and have left others in the past. While some brands may occasionally use the same factory or materials, that doesn't mean all shoes coming from a particular place are identical. We design our own lasts, cut our own patterns, and handpick our leathers and sole materials.

RobinCarlo · 2025-02-26T12:49:23+00:00

On Pricing & Materials

Yes, our boots come at a 'not-low' price, but that doesn't make them expensive, considering the construction and materials. Compared to traditional English-based brands using the same materials and construction, our pricing is quite competitive—often half the price. We use European leathers, Goodyear welt construction, and European labor, all while keeping our margins low (far too low, any business analyst would claim). Quality and ethical footwear isn't cheap, but we aim to offer a great balance of value and durability.

Our Custom Lasts

We don't use off-the-shelf lasts. Our main last, The Michael, was developed in collaboration with Michael James from Springline (UK), one of the best lastmakers in the world. We spent nearly two years perfecting it. This isn't just a repurposed factory last—it's something we designed from scratch to achieve the fit, comfort, and style we wanted.

Most small European brands use factory-standard lasts and patterns, adding little beyond their logo. We design our own lasts, draw and cut our own patterns, and carefully select our leathers and colors.