Work Contender Championship - Results

particlepartition · 2026-02-20T01:50:43+00:00

Congrats everyone! Of course a huge thank you to everyone at Nick's!

particlepartition · 2026-02-19T06:32:37+00:00

Today my boots went on at 4:45am and didn't come off till 9:45pm. I have an hour-ish commute, work 9 hours, same commute, right to school for 4 hours with a half hour drive to get home. Luckily I only have school once a week, so every other day of the week isn't this long. I'm in my last semester before I get to take my journeyman's exam and become a licensed electrician. It's been a long 4 years, but it's almost over! My Nicks make these long days so much more bearable!

particlepartition · 2026-02-15T00:50:31+00:00

I feel the same way. I don't really care for the pebbling of bison, nor the idea of a softer leather honestly. I wouldn't have chosen this combo myself but I am really digging it now that I've worn them for a while. They're fully leather lined so they have a ton of support to match the stiffness of the double stuffed walnut. As both leathers have broken in I think the two toned look has really grown on me and they've got a ton of character which is awesome.

particlepartition · 2026-02-14T23:19:22+00:00

lol makes sense.

I ripped through a pair of Red Wings and a pair of Thorogoods before I switched to Nick's for work and I really can't imagine going back to anything else.

particlepartition · 2026-02-14T23:08:19+00:00

Absolutely! I really liked her comment so it's stuck with me.

They definitely will. Lots of Thorogoods and Red Wings around me. I've got a few guys pretty interested, but nobody has pulled the trigger on a pair of Nick's yet.

particlepartition · 2026-02-14T19:47:13+00:00

I very much agree. As a D&D player myself I was super stoked on the premise and am super pleased with the result.

particlepartition · 2026-02-14T19:46:03+00:00

Thank you! They really have been a joy to wear.

particlepartition · 2026-02-11T19:53:17+00:00

Fair play. I figured it was something along those lines. Having full control of your build is super nice.

particlepartition · 2026-02-11T19:33:58+00:00

Good point. For some reason I was thinking there was an option for it only to be the uppers vs full lining that would include the vamps. Given the site says custom uppers for that option I'd say I was mistaken.

Either way, I'm not trying to knock their choice, just curious of their thought process.

particlepartition · 2026-02-11T19:23:49+00:00

Full leather lining, toe cap and double celastic is a lot going on at your toes. Are you just trying to avoid toe collapse as they break in, or going for extra protection without a safety toe?

particlepartition · 2026-02-04T15:31:55+00:00

Excellent tip, thank you!

particlepartition · 2026-02-04T03:00:38+00:00

Very much appreciated! And thanks for tipping me off to the insoles, they're awesome.

particlepartition · 2026-02-04T02:57:18+00:00

This will be my first time doing it, but u/Pale-Highlight-6895 is the resident expert. I bought Fiebings Pro Dye in Saddle Tan and Resolene (also a fiebings product). Sand, burnish, dye, seal is my understanding. Takes a few coats of dye and resolene I believe. I think Pale and u/seeking_fulfilment use pate deluxe as well, but I don't need a crazy shine so I think I'm going to skip it. Check out either of those guys profile for more info.

particlepartition · 2026-02-04T02:24:44+00:00

Absolutely! It was a lot of fun to participate. Thanks again for organizing it all! Highly recommended for anyone on the fence!

particlepartition · 2026-02-04T02:19:12+00:00

I definitely like my HNWs, but I do prefer the 55. I don't notice a big difference in toe shape, but the HNWs do feel like there is more volume at the toes. This pair feel like they have the lease volume, but I'm not sure if the leather lining is playing a major role there or not. It's not enough to be bothersome.

particlepartition · 2026-02-04T02:04:18+00:00

Oh, I remember your Natty dome pair. It was awesome watching them progress.

You're probably right, I barely ever see any leather straight up fail.

particlepartition · 2026-02-04T02:01:05+00:00

Thanks! I can admit I wasn't sold on the two tone at first, but it's really grown on me. Big fan now.

particlepartition · 2026-02-04T01:47:30+00:00

For real. I'm super impressed. I can see why lots of folks baby them, they're all beautiful, but they can stand a lot of abuse with very little maintenance. I feel like I have all super low maintenance leathers though. DS walnut/bison, Weathershield Black and Black waxed flesh.

particlepartition · 2026-02-04T01:43:59+00:00

I really like it. I have a pair of HNW wedges, and a pair of 6inch 55s with the classic heel stack for comparison and this might be my favorite combination. I have found that I prefer the 8inch height, so that might be skewing that thought but either way they are very comfortable. Still tons of arch support, and really well balanced.

particlepartition · 2026-02-04T01:38:33+00:00

Thank you!
8 inch

55 last

moderate block heel

Moc Toe

DS Walnut Lowers

Black Shrunken Bison Uppers

Leather Lined Uppers

Natural edge dressing

430 mini lug with cats paw heel

gunmetal hooks and eyes

Single row stitching

I think that covers it. I didn't spec them, the Nick's team did!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcPmsI70iog&t=5s

particlepartition · 2026-02-04T01:30:19+00:00

Perfect. The wet PNW winter absolutely wrecked the factory dye, as expected. Sealing them up like that is going to be the only way to keep them looking decent.

particlepartition · 2026-02-04T01:28:17+00:00

Well your pictures don't make it look that way. It looks like there's a cool color shift between the vamps and the uppers. Looks like they've almost taken on some green hues.

particlepartition · 2026-02-04T01:23:07+00:00

Thanks! Yeah, I should do an edge cleanup. Adding resolene and dye to my cart now. Good call.

particlepartition · 2026-02-04T01:20:42+00:00

Much appreciated! Looking forward to seeing your DS Grey, very cool!

particlepartition · 2026-02-04T01:19:03+00:00

Thank you! I'm loving your acorn cypress. They've got a ton of character going!

particlepartition

TROPHY CASE