Viberg Engineer Boots: Out of My Comfort Zone?
Price: $800(ish) [SOLD OUT: Check eBay for Prices]
Why Buy?
The Viberg Engineer Boots offer incredible materials, a more approachable style, and better comfort than you expect from the brand.
Why Avoid?
The Viberg Engineer Boots can be expensive, doesn’t push the limits of the style, and are not currently in production.
Specs
| Model | Engineer |
| Height | 8″ |
| Materials | Horsebutt Leather & Rubber |
| Size | 11.5 |
| Weight | 1.361 KG / 3.00 Lbs |
| Construction | Stitchdown |
| Country of Origin | Canada |
History
Viberg as a brand has been covered here several times in the past. If you’d like to learn a little bit more about them, click here. However, while Viberg’s history is well known, their engineer boot history isn’t. One of the first to produce this was a collab for Himel Bros., that is fairly well know. However, it might surprise you to hear that Viberg has had this pattern since 2014. That’s only three years after their famous service boot in the 2030 last was widely available.
I have to admit, Viberg isn’t the first brand that comes to mind when I think of an Engineer Boots. Or the second. In fact, I bet there are a lot of people out there that didn’t even know Viberg had this pattern.
Produced almost exclusively as collaborations for the majority of its life, viberg.com ended up releasing a run all their own a few years back. If I described it to you, it sounds like a slam dunk. Horween Horsebutt – with shell intact, deadstock Cat’s Paw outsole, Japanese hardware. What more is there to ask?
Unfortunately for Viberg, people didn’t seem to bite. At the recent sample sale in New York, they had an entire table of these. Each in good condition, just not sold. And for a steep discount.
This seemed like the perfect time for me – someone who’s always been a bit intimidated by engineers – to strike. That gives us the chance to dive in and see if we all should have been paying more attention, or if there is a reason these sat in their warehouse for years.
Looks
Upper
The upper of the Viberg Engineer boots, at first glance, is a pretty classic Engineer Boot style. That means a plain toe, a tall shaft, and straps at the top of your foot and the top of the boot to keep everything in place. Nothing too surprising here – there just are not that many brands who make this style, so there is no need to rock the boat.
At the same time, once you get them in hand, you do notice that there are a few differences compared to what you might normally find. The first thing any Engineer-lover will notice is the shorter overall height of the boot. Don’t get me wrong, they are not a short boot, but at 8 inches tall they are 2 to 4 inches shorter than most other options out there. Further, the last that Viberg uses is the same as their Chelseas. This means the toe is quite slender for the design.
Judging by the discussions after the sale, it appears a lot of people are not thrilled with these changes. However, I have to say, as someone who is new to Engineers, I like them a lot. A 10-inch-tall boot with a wide toe box is extremely out of the norm for guys who have a closet full of somewhat dressy slim boots. Even most of the boots coming out of the other Pacific Northwest have a bit of slimness to them these days.
These updates make these boots much more approachable.
From a color perspective, the matte brown Workshoe Horsebutt leather has a nice amount of variation to it, though basically no pull up. It’ll be interesting to see how they patina.
Mid- and Outsole
The mid and outsole of the Viberg Engineer Boots are one of the most interesting aspects. The first thing you’ll notice is that the natural-colored midsole comes with a fairly sloped logger heel. In other words, the heel is curved inwards. This is fairly common on brands like Nicks and White’s, but much rarer in Viberg-world. Personally, I love it, but I know these designs can be a bit controversial.
Going with that curved heel is a higher heel. Again, more like a traditional PNW boot rather than what Viberg has been putting out for the last decade.
Flipping the boots over, you’ll find the “Cat’s-Paw” branded halfsole and heel cap. Famous for the white circles inside of them, Cat’s-Paw outsoles have seen a bit of a resurgence in recent years after they went out of production.
Interestingly, Viberg clearly used and advertised dead-stock outsoles, but the heel cap appears to be from a much more recent run. Older deadstock Cat’s-Paws have a distinctive yellowing of their white circles, only visible on the outsole here.
Speaking of those circles. The idea was that the white outsoles were a grippier rubber slightly inset into the longer-lasting black rubber. As you walked, the black rubber would compress, allowing the white to contact the ground. This would provide grip, without wearing down the softer compound rubber too quickly.
Does it work? Probably not, especially on pairs that could be decades old. But it’s a great story.
Summary
The Viberg Engineer boots are a slightly softer take on the engineer boot. With a lower shaft and tapered toe, these will be easier to style for the average man than something like Wesco’s taller options. It’s also important to highlight how the heel and outsole are bringing Viberg back to their old Pacific Northwest past. It’s great to see.
I’m still personally figuring out how I would style these, but I’ve found my comfort zone is decidedly in Americana. Something like these straight fit Iron Hearts, with a flannel. I do want to try and find something outside of this basic fit – I’ll be sure to report back after I have 100 wears on these.
Of course, that I’m still trying to figure out how to style these means they are not the most versatile option out there. You’re not going to be wearing these to the office, the beach, or anything like that. These are casual workwear, and only casual workwear.
Fit & Comfort
Fit
The Viberg Engineer Boots on the 41464 last (now called the 2050 last) have an… interesting fit. As a last designed for their slip-on footwear, it’s closer to a D width near the ball of the foot. It needs to be to keep your foot in place. However, it’s still quite wide in the heel and tall on in the midfoot.
This additional space is probably needed to get them on – a notoriously hard thing to do with Engineers. At the same time, it will leave a somewhat worrying amount of space in the back for the average person. I found the best option is to wear thick but light-weave socks. This will allow the forefoot to compress and not crush your toes, but will fill the extra space in the back.
All that being said, I don’t find it all that different than Viberg’s 2030 in overall size. Both are going to be generous in both width and length, and you’ll want to size down. Viberg has changed the 2030 several times, but in most make ups I take the 2030 in an 11.5, which is what I got these in.
For reference, I wear a 12 in most other stitched footwear, including Alden’s Trubalance and Barrie (boot socks) and Allen Edmond’s 5 last (dress socks). For a full list of sizing for every shoe reviewed on this site, click here.
Comfort
While I like the style of the higher heel on the Viberg Engineer boots, the comfort is the best part. Where most Vibergs have minimal arch support, the higher heel of this pair has great support. Not quite as high as Nicks or Whites in their high-arch 55 lasts, but as much as their medium-arch boots.
This goes a long, long way in making these comfortable for all day wear. This alone puts them in the “comfortable” box for me.
That being said, there are drawbacks. First is the fit problem I mentioned above. The last is a weird shape, and leads to more heel slip than I would like. I know that fit is subjective, but I’ve never actually met anyone who felt the 41464 / 2050 last fit them well.
Second is the weight. These things are obscenely heavy. Carrying these from the sample sale back to the train station left my arm sorer than hitting the gym. This is weight you can feel while walking around. Heavy boots are not bad per-se, however with no laces and a wide heel, it exacerbates the slip.
Finally, the break in on these is incredibly tough. I actually was talking to Brett Viberg as I bought them and his exact words were: “They will break you. Good luck.” Yeah, it’s like that.
Materials & Construction
Materials
The materials on this particular makeup of the Viberg Engineer boot are really impressive. Starting with the upper, all of the leather is Horween’s Workshoe Horsebutt. Well, technically the “Horse” part isn’t in the title, but last time I wrote it that way Google struck my website as not appropriate for minors, so I’m being more careful here.
Workshoe leather is a horse rump leather, tanned similar to their famous Chromexcel. What makes Workshoe leather unique is that every panel includes the shell cordovan membrane. In other words, it’s both shell cordovan AND horse rump everywhere on the boot. This leather is some really, really tough stuff and should last basically forever.
If you ever wanted to durability and rolls of shell cordovan, but didn’t like the plastic-y look or water staining concerns, this is the leather for you.
Moving down, the insole is a thick, veg-tanned slab, concealing a metal shank. As I’ve said before, I personally prefer fiberglass or wood shanks for travel and work purposes, but I don’t think these will be anyone’s go-to airport shoe. It makes sense here.
Further down, the half-sole and heel pad are the aforementioned Cat’s Paw branded rubber outsole. The combination of mid and outsole are incredibly thick here – around 1 inch. This is about double what most Vibergs have.
Honestly, from a materials perspective, these might just be the most impressive piece of footwear I’ve ever reviewed. And what make it even more so is that there is just so much of everything.
Construction
The Viberg Engineer boot is made with Stitchdown construction. For a more complete explanation, click here. However, in short, Stitchdown is one of the oldest ways of making footwear. To build in this way, the upper of the boot is flipped out, and sewn directly to the mid and outsole. On this pair, near the mid foot, the leather is instead flipped in and nailed in place.
The benefits of a Stitchdown boot are the great resistance to the elements, and somewhat more affordable cost of construction. The drawbacks are that resoling them takes a lot more skill. If you mess up on a goodyear welted shoe you can replace the welt, if you mess up on a Stitchdown the upper is done. Along the same lines, if you damage the leather that is sewn down by kicking the wrong thing accidently, the upper is toast.
It should also be noted that, while it’s entirely subjective, many find the Stitchdown style to be more visually appealing than other forms of construction.
Ease of Care
Horse leather boots, like what these Viberg Engineers are made of, are actually a bit easier to take care of than most cow leather. You can expect to condition them slightly less often, though you won’t hurt them by following the same procedures as your other leathers.
Viberg recommends using Venetian Shoe Cream on all of their boots, these included. I’ve personally found that Bick 4 does just as good a job and costs less, but either will be great. One thing you should know is that you don’t need to use shell cordovan products on these. The shell is under the upper layer, so keeping the outer skin conditioned is what is important.
You’ll also want to keep shoe trees in these when you’re not wearing them. With the thick midsole and heavy leather, once these start to curl it will be hard to undo it – better to prevent it from happening altogether.
When it comes time for a resole, that extra expertise it takes to do a Stitchdown resole means it will cost a bit more to do. As of September 30th, 2022, Viberg is no longer resoling their own boots so you’ll need to look at other options. Expect to pay between $150 and $200 per pair. Viberg suggests Bakers Boot’s for those in the U.S., but they won’t give a price until they have them in hand.
Pricing & Value
Price
The Viberg Engineer boots were originally released in 2018 for $750, but recent releases have seen the MSRP creep up to closer to $900. At the moment, there are none currently for sale new. However, lots of people proxied these at the Viberg Sample Sale. If you’re reading this near the date it was posted, I’d be sure to check out eBay for those looking to sell pairs that don’t fit.
You can also keep an eye out (or simply email and bug) Himel Bros to do another run. They seem to offer Viberg Engineers more than anyone else, so I’m sure you could convince them to if you were diligent enough.
If you want something sooner and directly from the manufacturer, you’ll need to go outside the world of Viberg. I’d recommend taking a look at these Wesco Mister Lous for $718. At 10 inches they are a bit taller, but are made using a more tapered toe, which should be a bit more wearable.
Value
To start off, it’s a bit hard to describe value without a price. Do I base it off the Viberg Engineer price of $750 when these were made? How about the $900 they sold for in 2021? Or the $1,000 they sell for on eBay? Maybe the $500 I paid for them? It’s impossible to land on one without feeling like I’m cheating you out of giving an honest answer.
In light of that, and since you probably can’t buy one new anyway, let’s just compare it to it’s rivals. Does a Viberg Engineer make sense over a Wesco or John Lofgren? I don’t think it’s hard to make the case for yes.
Of course, if you’re a hardcore Engineer fan on your 3rd pair, the Vibergs will probably let you down. They don’t push the limits on the style in a way to justify getting rid of your old pairs. However, if you’re just trying the style, the Viberg is approachable, incredibly tough, and from a brand you probably already know about.
Wrap Up
Up top we asked why the Viberg Engineer boots are no longer available, and honestly, I can’t answer that. The boot is comfortable, looks great, and uses materials that are just about the best in the business. Sure, the last is a bit weird, but they offered this boot on a number of lasts based on what the store wanted. If the 41464 / 2050 doesn’t work, there were other options.
No, I think the biggest problem with this boot is just that people didn’t know about it. When you think of Viberg, you just didn’t think of Engineers. I think that’s a real shame. If you see a pair for a reasonable price, try to pick them up. Maybe we’ll see another run before too long.