Clarks mens Bushacre 3 Chukka Boot, Beeswax, 11 US Review

Well, it must have frozen over there as I am actually making a point to create a review.I am a shoe snob. Let's get that out of the way. Very experienced with fine shoes and clothing.Quite particular. Appreciate craftsmanship, pedigree, the lot. Will leave it there.Not a sneaker person seeking a casual, everything shoe. Also a craftsman, so there's that.Don't know how I'd never heard of these or this brand. Never considered a chukka.Came across Jim Green. Like many, liked the story, the concept, etc. Well, we must trust our instincts and appreciate it's marketing. They are a company like all others. Shoes are not attractive, face it. They are a workboot design, at best. One can wax nostalgic about their story and some old african lady sewing shoes in the african heat, but in the end, they are what their vids represent and your instincts tell you. I had bought and returned several of their Vellies as I liked their leather quality and possibilities as a work shoe with a proper insert.They were my entry upon all my research into these kinds of shoes.Fitment was all over the place, quality control issues too such as misaligned quarters. No they are not comfortable underfoot, at all. Quality inserts are not cheap. Playing around with sizing inconsistencies, quality control issues, and again, trying to convince myself on the aesthetics, I'd had enough.Clarks history is interesting. But no longer British owned or made? Big strike for me. Decided to ignore my snobbery and give them a try.Purchased on sale. 2 pair, thought I would return one.And you know, I learned a lesson. The idealistic claptrap, romanticism, snobbery etc all has been put to bed. Quality work is quality work. These, Grant Stone, et al. are such examples.Such a simple design, which remains authentic, unaltered, and original. How difficult is it to sew 2 pieces of leather together?These are my new favorite shoes. Probably will be the only shoes I wear 90% of the time now.And I am purchasing them like crazy, several pair. Love the varieties available.I kept both of these Bushacre3 purchased.Incredibly comfortable. The insoles are VERY well done on these. Not merely cushioning, but also cupping the heel properly and aligning the foot.Quality insoles are expensive these days folks.A very nice silhouette and Last shape which is both perfect for the normal Wide foot, but also attractive and can be worn within a variety of situations and environments.Personally, I have had recent achilles tendonitis and discovered I have a slight Haglund's deformity heel issue. Flared up due to poor quality boots and plastic heel counter which completely incapacitated me.The softness within these, the slight relaxed fit, the all leather construction of these Clarks B3 and Desert boots are just perfect.The leather is of outstanding quality once again, both the suede and beeswax.The beeswax is more of a Fall or Spring thickness. The suede is thicker, very soft.2mm+..a 3season shoe.Purchased another vintage pair of Clarks Originals DesertBoots out of curiosity. While the leather is of outstanding quality, the Bushacre 3 are superior in comfort. Oddly I cannot fit an insole in the Desert Boot Originals as I can the B3 without completely altering the heel positioning. Those also become too tight at the front too..fwiw.Researching this stuff, not much is known or described correctly on these, especially the Bushacre 3.Said often online that the leather quality was better on the Buschacre 2, though the comfort was not great. While I cannot compare, this version leather is very good once again and I cannot fault it.Also the B3 has a shank. The B2 does not.These latest B3 (and apparently Desert Boot versions) both have a reinforced toe unlike past iterations which will keep its shape and not become a squashed slipper in time. Very much appreciated.My foot length is a solid 11. A Wide fitment truly needed.Sized down to 10.5W on both the beeswax and the suede. Common cotton casual socks worn.The length is perfect on both allowing a thumbs width ahead of the toes.The suede, as it is softer, fits a bit bigger. I installed another insole I use atop the one that came with it, which is already very good once again.With double insoles I am walking on a form fitting cloud.The beeswax of same size is slightly tighter on the width, however they have stretched and formed to my feet already wearing them as house shoes a couple days.From what I have read online, the new Desert Boot and these have no difference in quality. Even the Desert Boot no longer will be using the crepe soles any longer.The prices one can find these at on sale (and gently pre-owned) cannot be beat.Even at full price and more they are worth it.These are my new shoes for life. No more snobbery from me.Highly recommend.

So, I was introduced to the "desert Boot" through Oliberque a few years ago - learned then that Clark was the original. Went down the chukka rabbit hole, decided to get the one and only. These things have memory foam - if you could craft a pillow shoe for yourself, you'd come up with this. Women love them. I have the beeswax, but am not opposed to buying more versions now that I've figured out my size. I ordered three damn pairs of shoes, and this third one works. Here's what you HAVE to know so you're not returning them and all of that...I need wide. Plain and simple. Have dealt with ingrown toenails all my life, and I absolutely CAN'T have any pressure on my left big toe. So, I usually order half-an-inch larger for most of my shoes to get that toe-box room. I wear USA size 11 on average (some of my shoes are US 12, some are US 10.5). I need wide. What fits me with this shoe - the size that I settled on - 10.5 wide. These shoes are wide to begin with, and they're only going to break in and get wider. So, if you're like me and have a morbid fear of narrow shoes, don't worry with these. Relatively speaking, they run larger than others for the size. So, if anything, size DOWN and go wide. I ordered the US 11 and could feel the shoe on my left big toe (the problem child operated-on toe). No bueno. I know from experience this will eventually suck for me. So, I ordered the US 11 wide and quite honestly it was too long. I didn't feel my left big toe but I just knew there was too much space left over in that toe box. A shoe still does have to function in its original intention... Floppy clown shoes aren't very practical. So, I ordered DOWN length-wise from what I would normally wear, and went wide. This worked. Just did a Costco run today and damn... Dude these are COMfortable. And I was just getting them to look classy, rugged, stylish, all of that.So, size down by half-an-inch - that's my recommendation. If your toes are claustrophobic, size down and go wide. Worked for me. Now I'm addicted. Going to have five pairs of these very quickly. This price is literally unbelievable. Looking at some Thursday Boots (Captain - maybe President) which I will most likely end buying, knowing myself, but seriously I can get five pairs of these Clarks for the price of one pair of those boots. But you're getting into Goodyear welts and all of that with those artisan boots, so not a fair comparison. My M.O. I personally will just buy something new if ish goes south. Time is money - diminishing returns if you start spending too much time looking for ish.So, just buy them. Bushacre 3 - not the earlier versions. Cheap as ish. And NOBODY knows what you paid for them. They just see that you're wearing them and size you up as someone who's interesting.

Look great. Comfortable sole. Seem to run a little big but hoping they break it and conform better to my foot.