Author Topic: Should I buy the Brasher... or the Brasher? Or the Brasher?  (Read 2319 times)

Hoppit

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Hello. I'm new, and I'm trying to replace my faithful old leather Brashers. I've had this pair since I was 16, and that was over 25 years ago. That's a long time, but they had lots of wax, gentle dog walking use over winter and only occasional intensive use, such as two or three weeks being lived in on expeditions to silly places like Tanzania. And they did fine. But I think the clock is ticking on Lefty: I think lefty got a slightly less good piece of the cow and is creasing a lot more than Righty. It's probably only a matter of time...
So off I went to Go Outdoors, because I anticipate long dog walks over beaches, hills and nature reserves, and because I may be doing ecology stuff in fields over the next two years (no more desk jockeying), so the new boots might get slightly more intensive use.
I looked at two contenders: the Brasher Men's Country Walker and the Berghaus Supalite II GTX.

The Brashers are a bit heavier and taller. I don't think I need that level of ankle support, but they lace up better than the Berghaus.

The Berghaus are silky smooth inside and out (leather inner) and the outer may shed the wet muck better than the Nubuck of the Brashers, and I think I felt slightly better balanced in them, although I imagine the Brashers would catch up in that department after they break in.

On leather interiors: what's the view? My old pair have leather inners, and I did sometimes have cold toes despite wearing two layers of good socks on cold days. Asking as a total noob, is the leather lining intended to make it easier to wear walking socks?

The new Brashers are fabric lined, which made me um and arr a bit, but in the end I went with the Brashers... so why this question if you've already bought them, you might ask? Well, I haven't got them dirty yet. I'm having second thoughts! And I'll tell you why...
I got home and looked at my old boots, which were bought in 1995. I realised they are almost identical to the Berghaus boots I was just looking at in Go Outdoors. And on closer inspection, they are identical. It's the same boot! Right down to the Goretex liner, the location of the hooks and the 'Supalite' embossed on the sole. Then the internet told me that Berghaus took over Brasher in 1996!
Doh!  :o
So, for what I want, should I stick with my "old" boots, just with Berghaus written on them instead? Are the Country Walkers, with their extra high ankle, intended for more serious gradients than I'm likely to be climbing with my three-legged dog?
FYI they are the same price, so nothing to choose, there.
Cheers

Mel

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Go for the ones that fit best, are the most comfortable and suit your purposes now.  It really is too easy to over-think these things due to so much choice nowadays.


Welcome to the forum, by the way  O0

richardh1905

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In a word - No. Take them back and get a refund whilst you have the chance.


I have had two pairs of leather Brasher 'Hillmasters' fail on me - an eyelet fell out of the first pair the first time I used them in anger so I took them back and got a refund.
A year or so later I bought a second pair, a triumph of optimism over experience, but these let me down in less than a year - the leather became deeply creased where it flexes above the toes, and eventually split along the rand, resulting in wet feet on a wild camping trip. I did a DIY repair, which I was quite pleased with, but a month or so later the boot lining started coming away around the heel, rubbing and making the boots unwearable.


I will not buy another pair of Brashers (or Berghaus - they are one and the same).
WildAboutWalking - Join me on my walks through the wilder parts of Britain

richardh1905

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I am currently using another budget leather boot, the Hi Tec Ravine (not the pro version), which cost about £100. I've done several hundred miles in them, and they seem to be holding up well so far.
WildAboutWalking - Join me on my walks through the wilder parts of Britain

Hoppit

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Go for the ones that fit best, are the most comfortable and suit your purposes now.  It really is too easy to over-think these things due to so much choice nowadays.


Welcome to the forum, by the way  O0
Hi Mel, you sound like my father! He always said never buy a pair of boots that need breaking in!
On the subject of leather lining, for or against as a practical feature? Is it primarily to make wearing boot socks easier? They slide in and out without catching?

Hoppit

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At the moment I'm knocking about in a pair of Dex "shoe" style boots. They're quite good. I was in Merrells before that. My first pair of Merrells were brilliant, so I walked them into the ground and went back for another pair. The new ones only lasted half as long, and the price had gone up! Yesterday, I saw Merrell walking boots in the shop for £100 or more, and they looked as cheap as Regatta's, and had plastic hooks and other tacky features. Gone down hill? (Literally and figuratively?) Seems so. :(

gunwharfman

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I've had three pairs of Superlights to date, and my feet like them a lot. The first pair was changed because the heel wore down at the outside edge of the heels, my problem not the boots. In the end walking became uncomfortable.

My second pair were fine because by now I had fitted an angled piece of pubber under my boot inserts to ensure that when I walked my ankles were in the 90-degree position. The soles now wore evenly. I then walked the GR10 route across the Pyrenees, and in the last 7 days of the hike, the leather inside the boots (the right one was worse) cracked across my toes. So painful, my toes became redraw, so I threw them away, bought a cheap pair of trainers and finish my hike in them.

My third pair are fine as well, they fit me very comfortably and I really like how they grip around my ankles. They are also, for now anyway, are waterproof. I had very sore feet when wearing them in the late summer but I do not blame the boots, I'm confident that the issue was my feet. I've worn my boots a fair amount since that time and they are now (because they are truly bedded in) superbly comfortable.

Mel

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Hi Mel, you sound like my father! He always said never buy a pair of boots that need breaking in!
On the subject of leather lining, for or against as a practical feature? Is it primarily to make wearing boot socks easier? They slide in and out without catching?


No idea about the leather lining.  I'd have thought it more to do with breathability of the boot rather than preventing velcro sock syndrome. Can't say I've had that problem though  ???


Sorry for sounding like your father  ;D   My point was, the boots you had years ago are no longer made or have been "improved" (ahem!) and the ones you've found are no longer "quite right" for you.  So look elsewhere.  Loyalty to a brand name/company means nothing anymore.  All I'll say is, when you find the perfect for you boot, buy 10 pairs because you can bet your bottom dollar when you need to replace, they'll no longer be made  :D




kinkyboots

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Probably not what you want to hear but I agree with richardh1905 send them back an look elsewhere while you still can.

What you really need to understand is that Brasher is not the same Brasher that existed in 1995. Brasher made the fatal mistake of moving their production first to India and then to the far east without having any adequate quality control procedures in place. This stupidity literally ruined the company's good name overnight and bankrupted them a short while later. Shortly after Berghaus sensed a market opportunity and bought the Brasher brand name and production rights to the Brasher range of boots. I have no idea why but believe it or not the Brasher Hillmaster was the best selling boot in the UK at the time. Berghaus continued to produce the range with some minor modifications but still manufactured them in the far east. It made no difference at all as rubbish boots are still rubbish boots at the end of the day. In 1993 the Berghaus brand was itself bought out by the Pentland Group so nothing is as you remember it being in 1995. There has been a gradual deterioration in build quality over the years in an attemp to shave every last penny off manufacturing costs to increase their profit margin and quality has suffered as a result.

Re you comment regarding leather linings unfortunately Brasher chose to use cheap sheeps leather for their leather lined boots. Leather lined boots breathe better in warmer temperatures and are generally more comfortable to wear. Unusually Brasher/Berghaus chose to combine both a sheeps leather lining with a Gore-Tex lining - perhaps they don't trust the sheeps leather lining to be able to keep the water out?

For you stated current use (i.e. gentle dog walking use over winter) and for a better quality boot I would recommend that you have a close look the Altberg Defender military boots available via ebay usually for less than £100. If you are prepared to look after the leather properly they will last. Lightly used second hand examples are often available and worth considering.

WhitstableDave

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At the moment I'm knocking about in a pair of Dex "shoe" style boots. They're quite good. I was in Merrells before that. My first pair of Merrells were brilliant, so I walked them into the ground and went back for another pair. The new ones only lasted half as long, and the price had gone up! Yesterday, I saw Merrell walking boots in the shop for £100 or more, and they looked as cheap as Regatta's, and had plastic hooks and other tacky features. Gone down hill? (Literally and figuratively?) Seems so. :(

I can't agree that Merrell has "gone down hill". Of course, my experience only covers about half-a-dozen models from their extremely extensive range so perhaps I've just been lucky.

I've used Merrell walking and trail shoes for all of my longer days on the trails over the last couple of years. I've done six marathon and ultra distances so far this year. I wore Merrell Cham 7 (non-GTX) shoes for the first two and, because I discovered I liked to run some of the way, I wore Merrell Moab Speed shoes (non-GTX) for the rest - including a day on a very wet 42 mile hilly trail. The shoes have been absolutely brilliant!  O0

I recently wanted to replace my worn out Cham 7 shoes (they were my fourth pair) with yet another pair, but they were no longer available, so I bought Merrell Moab Edge 2 shoes for long-distance walking instead. It's early days, but they're extremely promising.

My wife does these longer events with me and, after deciding that Inov-8 Trailroc shoes weren't great for long distances, now always wears Merrell Moab Flight trail shoes - because she loves them!

I'd be more than happy to explain exactly what it is that I like about the Merrell shoes I've worn...  :)
« Last Edit: 14:03:23, 15/10/21 by WhitstableDave »
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