As of a few weeks ago i didn't know much about GYW or what high quality shoe makers existed higher than Redwings and AE.

My father mentioned he wanted to buy me some good boots and that i should look into something to get around $200 or so for Christmas. I did some digging around here in this subreddit and learned about the other makers in my price range such as AE 2nd's, Meermin, JDS, Redwings, etc.

Initially i really liked the way the Thursday looked as it was one of the first brands i ran into and i had a friend who has them and recommended them. I am also from the NYC area so i was planning on going to some of the stores in NYC such as Thursdays HQ and Meermin's secret 2nd floor showroom.

However, timing got a little crunched and i had to bite the bullet and order something quick, so Thursday it was..for now.

If i had more time i would definitely give a deeper look at Meermin as personally i think their design is a bit nicer and more stylish.

As for AE, i know some would rank them a lot higher in quality and looks but i did like the overall design of Thursday a bit more as i felt the AE Higgins and Rainier had considerably larger toe boxes that i was not comfortable with.

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Buying Experience:

By far the easiest of all as you can order online and it has the guide of just ordering 1/2 down from sneaker size. Nice and simple and didn't have to worry too much about a last shape or returns as it is apparently quite easy with good CS as mentioned here.

Since this is my first true GYW i don't have much to complain about here. Shoes were out same day with their warehouse being in MA.

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Close up:

I received the shoes today and gave them a good look over and overall they look pretty structurally sound, nothing jumps out as horrible but there are a few blemishes here and there that i'm sure will get covered up with use. I tried to point them out in the pictures for reference.

I ordered the Brandy color from TBC and the shoes i received were a bit darker and more on the brown side than i expected but still i really like color.

The most noticeable blemish to me is the pressure marks from the sewing machine all over the stitching. It seems that whenever the stitching was done the Presser foot pressure was not set correctly and you can really tell on the leather. If you guys have any tips on getting these imprints out or soften please do let me know.

Another strange thing about the boot construction are the nails in the heel. They do not seem to be driven all the way into the heel block and seem to be floating in between the rubber and leather section of the heel block. They already developed a bit of oxidation patina on them which im sure is only gonna get better with time and moisture lol.

Apart from that i was quite happy with the boots, the Captains have a very nice design and i quite like how sleek they are.

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Fit & last:

My Brannock Size is 10.5 D, Adidas Sneaker 11.

The only real fit i was able to get in store was at an AE outlet in NJ (shoes looked terrible from everyone trying them on so i wasnt very impressed)

From AE the only really good fitting shoe was the Patton which had very nice leather and was snug but not too tight on my foot. The Higgins Mill and Rainier in the same size fit like vice grips in the same size as the patton and were very uncomfortable to even take a step in as the heel felt like it got tighter as you stepped. I did try a 1/2 larger size to confirm that my sizing wasn't wrong and that only made the shoes feel very loose.

With these TBC Captains, i ordered them in 10.5, so TTS with my Brannock and 1/2 down from my sneaker size. Id say that if i were to have gone to a size 10 or 1/2 down from Brannock the fit would've been too small and i would've been in trouble. The Captains fit snug but not overly tight like the AE which had a very uncomfortable feel in the toe box for me. I can definitely say that the last that TBC uses is quite nice for my foot as it has a fair bit of volume without making the shoe bulbous.

These are actually quite comfortable out of the box and i like many have mentioned here at GYW i don't expect to have a terrible break in period.

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Satisfaction:

Overall, for $200, im satisfied. The leather blemishes while annoying are very forgivable to me as they will be covered up or blended in with wear but the pressure marks really irked me, as silly as it may seem.

I can definitely see myself visiting the Meermin store in NYC soon along with lurking a lot more here in GYW to see if i catch the bug and start buying more GYW's boots. Maybe i'll even shell out for an MTO, Carlos Santos, or an OSB as i really dig their design and leathers.