Although I’ve long internalized the lesson that buying better quality products is often more economical than buying cheaper ones, I do occasionally need to reinforce it on occasion. Amusingly, the most recent refresher on Vimes’ Boot Theory involved me getting into men’s dress & dress casual boots.
I’ve worn cowboy boots since I was 4 years old*, but after retiring my last pair after 20 years of wear, I decided to try dressy lace ups. My first pairs weren’t cheap compared to my sneakers and other shoes, but they were only a fraction of the price of some of the more expensive ones I saw…or even the cowboy boots I favored for most of my life.
And, with one exception, all of the first pairs I bought had problems I found disappointing enough that I donated them within a year or so. (They were still functional as footwear.)
I watched a ton of YT vids by cobblers & fashion “influencers” (for lack of a better term), and when I started buying the NEXT wave of boots- including one pair of cowboys- I was easily spending 2-4x as much per pair. And what I got was OBVIOUSLY better. The oldest ones from that 2nd wave are 5 years old now, and will probably last at least another decade.
* and hikers since I hit my mid-20s.
