FIBREBOARD Midsole VS LEATHER Midsole // Jim Green Footwear 

I really hope the 719's will be put into production. That is the Jim Green service boot I have been waiting. The right look, and the right leather. Just beautiful.

the right tool for the job. i'd bet a lot of folks who want a leather midsole dont even need it. it's like denim heads that want the heaviest, thickest, stiffest jeans possible. or car guys who want the stiffest, lowest suspension set up and widest possible wheels. or truck guys who want the highest truck with the biggest possible wheels. they're not thinking about how they're actually gonna use the thing, they're just fixating on a chosen characteristic and not considering what makes something effective is a balance and how suited the item/tool is to the conditions it will actually be used in.

I have multiple Jim Green's with and without the leather midsole. There is definitely a noticeable weight increase with the leather midsole but it's nothing crazy. And so far I have had no issues with the fiberboard midsole's durability at all. The Jim Green brand is all about value. The boots are durable, well made, and they are a super good deal for what they cost vs what you get. It makes sense to want the leather midsole if you're getting a custom pair, you're already paying a premium for the boots so you'll want them made with the best materials offered. But I feel like most people like the Jim Green brand because they don't cost an arm and a leg but you still get a super sturdy, traditionally constructed boot. So it makes sense that the fiberboard midsole is the default option, but I love that they still have the leather midsole as an option.

Looking forward to the 719's when they come out. Will they be priced similar to the Numzaan boots?

The 719s in bronco brown look amazing. I can’t wait till those are officially released and we can buy them

I’m so looking forward to the 719 boot! Can’t wait to talk about it on my channel!!

I get that the fibreboard midsole is a high quality product, but at the end of the day it's less durable than leather. Most of your US customers are attracted to your boots because of the high quality construction. I've noticed most of your custom boots on Reddit have leather midsoles. I think many US customers would happily pay the extra $10 for a leather midsole in your current boots, but the price if customs is out of reach for many. If you dropped fibreboard from the US line, I bet sales wouldn't be affected and you would have less custom work gumming up the factory.

Those tire wedge ARs look incredible👌

Have you ever considered making an engineer boot? I bet they'd be quite popular, especially since it's difficult to find good quality ones for reasonable prices.

Great video I wonder how the Poly board handles more damp conditions over time. I am in Ireland so wet a lot of the year

You might also mention that if you frequently get your boots wet; the leather lasting sole will get heavy and take a week to dry, with the poly lasting sole just remove the sock liner and dry overnight. Also over time; ( like a decade plus if you have your boots that long ) the leather will begin to show signs of shrinking.

Makes sense to me. Switching to trail runners made hiking and backpacking a hell of a lot easier compared to all leather hiking boots. So lighter sounds better to me.

Plenty of shoes do not use leather for insoles and midsoles. They wear just fine.

Man I love the looks of your boots!👌🥰👍 I prefer the leather midsole.

I got the brown African ranger and am loving them so much I had to custom order a pair of work boots. They are razorbacks in Huston black, steel toe, leather toe cap, leather mid sole, and lasting board. Mini lug EVA sole with red stitching. I am anticipating a tough break in, but am stoked to wear them for hopefully a decade.

After wearing a pair of Shoelies I ordered another pair with leather midsoles and FG soles. The second pair is heavy and took weeks before they were comfortable. Now they are great.

Honestly I prefer lightness, especially for barefoot models and also since it seems like the board is plenty durable enough for my uses.

Personally I think the woven fiberboard midsole you guys use is better than any texon type paperboard material that you see in most footwear today. That stuff cracks and breaks, but the stuff you guys use is thicker and has much more structure to it. I still went with a leather midsole for my custom vellies, but have absolutely no complaints with the midsole on the standard Vellies I bought last year.

My leather midsoles have never had issues, even when they have not had time to dry between days. But with the fiberboard: -I have had issues with mold and harder to clean (wipe solid leather material vs scrubbing porous board) -Cracking at the bend in the foot (on the inside/foot side, this just seems to be an aesthetic issue though), the underfoot durability is questionable as it has slightly worn down in high friction areas -Delamination/curling of the midsole/upper is far more significant. The board does offer lighter weight and better underfoot grip (barefoot and with socks) when dry, wet no difference discernable Wax seems to offer better water resistance with leather and lasts longer In my opinion there is also the aesthetic advantage to leather as the board ages into a white/greyish eyesore, so regular touchup is required with sole coloured wax (which could cause issues with eg. black wax transferred to your carpets if not done right). This is with experience from urban/field/mountain and rain/sand/mud/snow conditions. I have JG laceups and slipons for my personal boots, I cannot wait for the JG Trooper to come out in December, for me to start replacing my combat boots.

My razorbacks are nice, and the fiberboard midsole hasnt caused me concern yet. I've worn them almost daily, on work days, in Colorado, Alaska, and Arizona. And for a lot of non work hiking days. I actually appreciate that they aren't super heavy and have gotten less stiff over time.

Wow the Bushcat and the worn bronco leather look amazing

Had a pair of your Vellies with the woven board for about 3 years now. They've held up well to hard use. The board has taken some shape to my foot, but the steel shank has also started to create a slightly raised area that can become uncomfortable on long walks. I recently got a pair of Razorbacks with the leather midsole and lasting board and am very happy with them. They're definitely on the heavier side, but I think it's a good tradeoff for the longevity and style. Overall, I've been very happy with my Jim Greens!

I like the leather midsole because it’s not plastic like polyester, my feet are really happy being covered with nothing but leather and it really helps against keeping my feet from smelling. I’m not in the African bush, and the BAR are plenty light for me. Keep up the great work

In my line of work, upper leathers do not last long enough to justify the durability of the leather midsole. Metal dust and oil is my major boot killer, not the board. I don’t expect two resoles out of any boot

No issues with mine 8 months of daily wear. Comfy and light

Very informative video.

I find that my fiber board midsole (classic african ranger) seems to soak up water quite easily despite tryng to treat it with dubin and beeswax. when i take the insole out after walking in wet conditions, I can see the wter bleeding in from the edjes

I prefer the leather mid sole. My African Rangers with the fiber board mid-sole have more of an odor than my leather midsoled boots by another maker. I believe the smell comes from the fiber midsole. But I still love my African Rangers.

Can you please add the tire sole as an option to the custom barefoot African Rangers.

Is the 719 on the STC last?🤞

any chance the new African trooper is going to come out in vege tan?

Just ordered my 1st pair of ARs cant wait to test them, got bored of rockys and welcos combat boots.

I am in construction, so being hard on boots is a given. I have found that the polyester mid sole just doesn’t hold up to the trade. My African Rangers outsole is almost ready to be replaced and the poly board is cracked in about 3 different places on each boot. They have been in mud, concrete, 100+ f heat, so they have been abused, but I always brush, clean with saddle soap and condition when needed. The leather midsole would definitely hold up a lot better in the trades. I may try my hand at a resole myself and replace the midsole with leather and maybe add a rubber slip sole as well. The uppers look great with scars and “patina” from work that I love.

thanks man i really appreciate the weights. what is ideal for me is a leather midsole and a lightweight wedge like the vibram 2120.

Waiting on my second custom pair of JG boots. Waiting for more cape buffalo hide to become available before I order the third custom pair.

I really appreciate you for making a video on this topic. So far the fibre board option is the only thing I could complain. But honestly I didn’t have a real issue with it so far. Nevertheless I maybe noticed that this midsole soakes water inside faster than (non Jim green) boots with leather midsole I have. Maybe you could propose a product to waterproof the fibre board material???

I’ve had my African rangers for almost two years. The synthetic midsole is cracked at the point that my foot bend. I love the boots but when I buy a second pair I’m planning on getting the leather midsole

No issues with my poly midsole JG boots, but I have to say that leather feels much nicer under your feet. Couldn’t wear my Razorbacks or AR without insoles like my Red Wings. The lighter weight is an advantage though, if you use them as hiking boots.

You should give use the options when purchasing also with the outsoles.

Love from America! Can we see more of the tire tread sole please!

Wonderful presentation. Keeping an eye on availability of your buffalo hide African Ranger barefoot in size 11.5

What is that green boot with that aggressive sole on the left? Those look amazing

Loved this video and the explanations.

The Jim Green synthetic mid-sole is already miles better than other options, which are often made of compressed paper or re-constituted "leather."

Polyester woven. I am not sold. Every model should have leather and poly woven as options. Then we can all get what we want.

If I have a choice between plastic and leather, I'm picking leather every time.

Have you dropped a video about the collaboration with Carl Murawski?

Question for the JG team: Where can we get a last for the AR? I am going to be stuck resoling them myself since there's no cobblers near me. And mailing/paying for them ends up costing me the same as a new pair...

Will you make a review on the new bronco leather?

Anyone else feels like the 719 is similar to the Chippewa Apache?

Forget the midsole. Have the eyelet issues been fixed yet? I'm still seeing some people talking about the eyelets on their boots coming loose. It's happened on my AR and Numzaan boots too. I just can't pull the trigger again until it's confirmed that it's been fixed.

when will the new tyre wedge sole be available for resoling option

Will the 719 have the lug option available?

When will we get bronco leather in the custom shop?

2.86 LBS per boot on the African Ranger with fiberboard midsole??

the weight is for pair or one shoe?

Is the leather midsole available for the African Ranger? I don't see it on the website. Just on the USA website for 2 color boots.

I love my African Rangers, but the steel shank began to pop out after about 500 miles, the boots still look brand new and I am sure I would have gotten another 300-400 miles out of them. I hope they restock the Vellies! Numazan boots- had to return not wide enough, pretties boots I've ever owned. Stockman's are nice but don't quite fit the same. The Vellies, pure comfort, and the cuffs of my pants cover them, so they look better for work compared to my Rangers. I hope they make more boots on the STC last. And please RESTOCK your Vellies...put Clarke's out of business!

Can anyone let me know where to check out these 719s? I can't seem to find them on the website.

Maybe I missed it, but which one is less dense? The leather looks more flexible. In my BFAR the leather is quite hard underfoot which seems to be exacerbated by being zero drop. I really wish the sock liner was full length in my rangers as it has a nicer feel underfoot than the lasting board leather with just a tiny bit of give when you walk. Not tapered at that (truly zero drop). Anyway, love the new Bronco leather option. I need a pair in that!

Save up and just buy one of each ! problem solved 😁

Can a poly board be replaced with a leather midsole when resoling?

Most shoes in the world do not have leather insoles. There's a global industry of shoe lasting boards, and most people's feet have not fallen off.

The only crime here is that he’s wearing ankle socks with boots. Atrocious

Keep telling people that polyester woven is better than leather. Someone will believe it. Not me. But someone else.