[QUOTE=dfsaz;8914876]
Have you looked at Dehner?[/QUOTE] I have 3 pairs of Dehners …bought years ago.
They hold up well, but I am a convert to Kroops now. Wouldn’t got back to Dehner. Kroops are excellent quality and I’m a strong believer in supporting small US businesses instead of giving business to foreign corps.
[QUOTE=pluvinel;8914929]
I have 3 pairs of Dehners …bought years ago.
They hold up well, but I am a convert to Kroops now. Wouldn’t got back to Dehner. Kroops are excellent quality and I’m a strong believer in supporting small US businesses instead of giving business to foreign corps.[/QUOTE]
If I’m not mistaken, Dehner is an American business. The boots are made in Omaha, NE.
I have a pair of custom Dehners, which are still going strong and looking beautiful, 32 years later. I also have 2 pairs of “off the rack” DeNiros, which fit like they were made for me and which have stood up to 18 months of steady wear, horse after horse, day after day. That said, I take care of my boots - I don’t teach in them, I don’t walk around in them, I RIDE in them, and then they’re cleaned (every horse, every ride). I have a client with a pair of custom Tucci dress boots which have never fit properly, and the zippers blew out in the first ride. Tucci refused to do anything for her. I bought a pair of custom Koenigs which didn’t even begin to fit when they arrived (I have a 6.5 foot, and they had an 8 foot), which I eventually sold to a client whose foot was the right size for them, and Koenig was quite unprepared to make that situation right, so I’m not a fan of either Koenig or Tucci.
Of course Dehners are American made…the business started by making boots for the cavalry at Ft Riley in Kansas
[QUOTE=AllWeatherGal;8915072]
If I’m not mistaken, Dehner is an American business. The boots are made in Omaha, NE.[/QUOTE]
True…Dehner is a US company. As I said earlier, I have several pairs. I was referring to the references to factory made German, Italian brands being recommended.
As far as switching to Kroops, I like to support small “artisanal” companies and they are are willing to work with you to make highly customized products.
[QUOTE=Magicboy;8915394]
Of course Dehners are American made…the business started by making boots for the cavalry at Ft Riley in Kansas[/QUOTE]
I had to check. Lots of companies that were American have been purchased and are part of large “international” umbrella corporations.
I’m interested in learning more about Kroops for the same reason I was attracted to Dehner. 
[QUOTE=AllWeatherGal;8915574]
I had to check. Lots of companies that were American have been purchased and are part of large “international” umbrella corporations.
I’m interested in learning more about Kroops for the same reason I was attracted to Dehner. :)[/QUOTE]
I’m planning to talk with Randy again today. It is quite likely I’ll make the drive down to their shop, possibly as early as next week depending on their schedule and mine. If I end up going, I’ll write a full report on the visit for anyone who is interested.
Randy seems willing to work with me so that is a plus. I tried to work things out with my local rep for Keonig, but she continue to state that neither she nor Keonig will assume responsibility for fixing the boots if something doesn’t turn out correctly.
The barn I am at used to have a DeNiro rep come in regularly during clinics. She sold dozens and dozens of boots. The boots were GORGEOUS - tons of choices in leather type, color, trim, and other embellishments. Unfortunately there were also tons of complaints afterwards. Many orders took 3-4 months to arrive - some even longer. There were fit issues - too small in the foot, too tight in the shaft, etc., etc. Zippers started breaking in short order, the boots fell down around the ankles, etc., etc. Many people sent their boots back and ended up fighting to get their money back when the issues couldn’t be resolved in short order. (Apparently the boots became so popular so fast that the factory couldn’t keep up with orders, and they had to hire a bunch of “novice” workers, and quality control wasn’t as stringent as it should have been.)
The barn brought in a Fabbri rep after that, and the folks that have ordered those boots LOVE them. Fabbri doesn’t have quite as many choices in leather as the DeNiros, but there are enough different types of leather and colors to make most folks happy. I haven’t heard any complaints about fit issues, and people say they are super comfortable right out of the box, and hold up really well.
https://www.facebook.com/fabbriboots/
I have four pairs of deniros, made between 5 and 0 years ago, and all are perfectly fine and fit perfect.
No complaints from me.
[QUOTE=SnicklefritzG;8915576]
I’m planning to talk with Randy again today. It is quite likely I’ll make the drive down to their shop, possibly as early as next week depending on their schedule and mine. If I end up going, I’ll write a full report on the visit for anyone who is interested.
Randy seems willing to work with me so that is a plus. I tried to work things out with my local rep for Keonig, but she continue to state that neither she nor Keonig will assume responsibility for fixing the boots if something doesn’t turn out correctly.[/QUOTE]
Let us know your review…I’ve been thinking of ordering another pair.
Another thought if you need the shaft of the boot to open…instead of zippers which tend to break, try asking Randy about the 3-buckle boot that was the staple of the cavalry. You can google “3-Buckle Boot” and will see variants. I have a pair and love them.
https://www.google.com/search?q=dehner+three-buckle+riding+boots&biw=1227&bih=676&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjR3fuj6IfQAhWDeSYKHYVyAzsQsAQIIQ
[QUOTE=pluvinel;8915820]
Let us know your review…I’ve been thinking of ordering another pair.
Another thought if you need the shaft of the boot to open…instead of zippers which tend to break, try asking Randy about the 3-buckle boot that was the staple of the cavalry. You can google “3-Buckle Boot” and will see variants. I have a pair and love them.
https://www.google.com/search?q=dehner+three-buckle+riding+boots&biw=1227&bih=676&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjR3fuj6IfQAhWDeSYKHYVyAzsQsAQIIQ[/QUOTE]
I know you asked for her review, but here’s mine. 
I wanted to support a small American company as well, so I ordered some boots from Kroops. I’m on the west coast, so I did all my measurements exactly as I was directed, sent pix of my old boots, etc. She sent out a pair of beautiful paddock boots to see if we were close in fit. The boots that came did not fit well and were not nearly as pretty as the paddock boots I was sent. When I called her about it, I didn’t get much help, unfortunately. She just said she “never should’ve agreed to make the boots for me long distance”. (I agree, lol!) I took them to a local boot shop that made some minor alterations and I was at least able to get them on and they are useful. I would seriously think about the zipper, mine broke after just a couple months and when I called about that, I didn’t even get a return call. The local boot shop replaced the zipper and said that the type of zipper installed was incorrect. The zipper the boot shop used still works today. I also have some stitching that is coming undone on the boot, it’s just not wearing as well as I think it should, I’m just not that hard on my boots. I wish my experience would’ve been better, I was really bummed after the good reviews I had read about on this very forum! I think that if you are getting measured at the store by Randy personally, you should be ok in that respect. I would definitely ask about the type/quality of leather that will be used on the boot, especially if they don’t have the exact same boot in the shop to show you. I wouldn’t necessarily discourage you from giving them your business, but just ask a LOT of questions. My Koenigs are still my favorite boots to date, my Dehners a close second…
Update: I traveled down to MD in December of last year to talk with Randy. She and I had a lengthy discussion about custom boots and how to best fit my wide calf and narrow ankle. Visiting the shop was helpful as I could see the exact types of leather she planned to use. I also got to try on several types of paddock boots to assess fit, see patterns for different styles of top, etc.
I pick up my boots on saturday morning and will report back. Hopefully the news will be positive!
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