re: Looking for new pair of cowboy boots- what are the best exotics out right now

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He can get a pair of USA built custom exotics built in his price range

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Maybe ostrich or lizard. But alligator and crocodile are gonna be a lot more than that.

You should watch the YouTube channel, Trenton and Heath. They repair boots and shoes. And they talk about what brands they think are good. They recommend Tecovas for the lower price point.

Now I also realize there’s a lot of other brands out there that don’t have aggressive marketing. I thought about buying blackjack. Cavender has their own house brand now. There’s a lot of similar price point boots.

I also have a pair of Thursday boots which I really like. I have the captain. I was also intrigued by the redwing iron Ranger and would probably get that one next time.

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Maybe ostrich or lizard. But alligator and crocodile are gonna be a lot more than that.

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Not necessarily. You just have to know where to look and be patient. A couple weeks or so ago a boot company and exotic hide warehouse that I have purchased exotic skins from before in Waco, TX sent off a gorgeous gray safari giraffe hide to Black Jack in El Paso to make 4 pairs of custom corded top boots for their in house brand. Cost that they were offering was $750.

This place has much more croc and gator than giraffe and elephant. They are worth a follow on Facebook as they do these specials sometimes weekly.

I also go to another boot store in Bastop,TX since my grandkids live pretty close to there and we visit often. Black Jack also makes their in store brand and I wound up buying 3 pairs at one time a couple months back.

I got some rust colored capybara for $325, some sueded crocs with the "come and take it" flag inlayed on the burnished tops for $450 and a gnarly pair of beautiful black cherry snapping turtles for $900. I believe that every August or end of summer they offer a sale on all Black Jack boots in stock at 50% off.

I generally don't buy rack boots much anymore because I have a pretty extensive collection and also have a handful of builders in California, Plano TX, El Paso and Juarez MX who custom build my boots around my personal lasts that were made from the measurements taken of my feet. It was too hard for me to pass up the half price off deal.

Tony Lama pygmie rattlesnake skin

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Plano TX

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Who do you use in Plano?

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You should watch the YouTube channel, Trenton and Heath. They repair boots and shoes. And they talk about what brands they think are good. They recommend Tecovas for the lower price point.

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I don't follow any of the YouTube boot "gurus" nor watch many videos, but I have been present and even assisted in the shop when master boot builders have disassembled and resoled vintage pairs for me. So I am pretty well versed in traditional western boot construction and techniques.

The reason that I dont consider Tecovas a high end manufacturer is that they dont offer hand welted construction and it is instead mass manufactured in a factory by automated machines.

Although some stages of their builds are still done by hand, it is done on an assembly line with different craftsmen doing each step. You will never get the level of quality from those techniques that you would get from a single builder who completes a build from start to finish and hand sewing the welt on as well as using traditional lemonwood pegs instead of nails on the soles.

There is also something to be said about the quality of the skins that they use. I'm not hating on them, but they are your typical Leon factory boot but are marketed as a higher end product. Also be aware that some Tecovas products are made in Vietnam so obviously not as high of quality as the Mexican made products.

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Are black jacks worthy of cost??

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Yes. Custom ordered from Tims boots.com

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Are black jacks worthy of cost??


Yes. Custom ordered from Tims boots.com

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The are completely hand welted and hand stitched right here in the El Paso, TX. You can also custom order Black Jacks from a couple other outlets as they make these companies' exclusive in store brands.

City Ranch Boot Company and Texas Boot Company. These two are worth a follow on social media and sometimes offer half off sales and reasonably priced custom builds from Black Jack. The only caveat is for custom jobs be prepared to wait about 6 months to get them made.

The only thing that I would caution buyers about is that I have found big discrepancies in their sizing when trying on different pairs in stores. Make sure that you are certain that they will fit you before custom ordering a off the shelf rack boot size.

It's always best to have the sales outlet measure your feet, ankles and calves and send those numbers in to the builder when doing custom work.

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No longer made in Leon, Mexico?

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Yes they are still mostly made there. Some Tecovas products are made in Vietnam though. El Gaucho is trolling as usual.

Hyer. Don’t even bother with anything else.