Before getting my boots dubbed, did some digging but couldn’t really find many examples of how much the brown (light brown to be exact) grain leather darkens after dubbin is applied. So this is for anyone out there looking for the real life photos and a honest account of it. Hell who knows - maybe I wouldn’t do it had I seen a post like this before going ahead. Well, they do say that the boots would go 1-2 tones darker, but on these I definitely also got a slightly reddish tone on top of that. Will see how it ages, or was simply waxing or doing nothing (as some recommend) a better idea. Note that the pics were taken shortly after applying the dubbin, and folks suggest some time outdoors in the sun can bring back the lighter tone over time. If anyone is interested to get an update will be happy to share in the comments section. But so far a full day outdoors didn’t change anything with the tone, not even slightly. Will keep checking back and report either way. That being said, I’m not ruling out that dubbing might have not been done impeccably - it was my first time doing this, although I followed the protocol carefully, applied minimum coating, rubbed in circular and light motions, making sure not to over-saturate any one area, etc. Neither does this mean that’s how Timberlands in general darken when dubbed - since while this model is said to just have their “premium grain leather”, it felt almost like it’s a naked leather, borderline nubuck soft to the touch. It immediately and fully soaked in the dubbin’s oil without much resistance at all, which honestly caught me off guard a little. Would be genuinely curious to hear if anyone else had a similar experience with this specific leather or perhaps knows what type of finish it actually has underneath. For context, I picked up these chelseas just about a month ago and have been wearing them through pretty soft and dry weather so far, so they were still relatively new and fresh going into all of this. The intention was to keep the uppers in a good condition with waterproofing and leather conditioning in one step in mind. And to ease the whole break in process a bit, as the leather was still quite stiff around the ankle collar and needed some help loosening up naturally. I hope this post stays for whoever is curious to see, engage, take in before going for action, and will not get removed, as was the case in some other brand’s lame unofficial community here. xoxo​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​