I recently bought a pair of used pull-on Vogels that are a little too wide in the calf. I want to have them taken in a little bit and have zippers put in. I know Vogel will do it, and they are probably the most reliable, but I just want to look at other places in case I can save some money.
In case there is someone local, I live in Tucson, AZ. I’d be willing to travel to Phoenix for an excellent repair person. Or should I wait until HITS comes here? Are there good vendors?
Ask any local boot maker or shoe guy who works on boots, doesn’t matter if they are English riding boots or not, just higher top boots… I had a shoe guy put gussets and zippers in my custom Vogels after they got be about 8 years old and…shrank…yeah, they shrank, that’s it:cool:.
Ask around to find one that does that type work. The HITS vendors might be able to do it but you’ll pay a premium and they might send them out anyway and leave you without for weeks or longer. Ask the trainers around you and your fellow competitors. It’s a pretty common fix. Most important, try them before you take them home to be sure it’s right. That’s the problem with sending them out. If it’s not right you go back and forth leaving you bootless.
IIWM, I’d send them to Vogel.
I don’t know how it is in AZ, but shoemakers are disappearing species around me (Midwest).
Vogel is not all that expensive* & they know their product.
I had zips put in my custom Vogels over 25yrs ago & have had to send 1 boot back for a zipper repair in all that time.
Granted, I don’t wear the boots all that much now, but they got a lot of wear from 1989-2005.
*Okay: per the website it’s $275 to add zips
I’d still pay that considering new boots now cost $1275, adding ~$300 for a guaranteed repair seems like a decent deal to me
Yeah, I only paid $150 for them!!
Well, @MrsFitzDarcy&Feliks you got a Steal of a Deal!
Still - adding the repair to total $425 for Vogels is still worth it, IMHO.
Of course you need to be sure they are competent. I found my shoe guy via the MFH of the local Hunt Club, the shoe guy did a ton of boot adjustments and repairs,he didnt advertise and the shop was a hole in the wall. Wouldnt hurt to ask around locally especially looking for leather work in your area.
At the time Vogel was estimating 2-4 weeks for the repair and a friend had hers gone 6 weeks. It was mid show season maybe 15 years ago, perhaps the turn around time is quicker now or they were having problems at the time. I needed mine within 10 days.
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