BuilderPro® - HNW Moderate Arch

Spec : Nicks builder pro Moderate arch, black roughout all over, celastic toe, 8 inches shafts



Build : 10/10 The quality of these boots is impressive. Leagues above the cheap company-issued work boots I used to wear on construction jobs, which would barely last me a few months. The sole and leather are at least twice as thick as anything Ive ever worn. With care I expect many years of use out of these.


Fit : 10/10. I had some apprehensions being fitted via brannock-sheet but it turned out perfect. I guess unless your feet are very special the regular boots lasts nicks use are fine.

Customer service : 10/10. I asked for several modifications on my order and all were answered and treated promptly.

Style : it’s a damn sexy boot. Brush the dirt off and they are a great for casual wear.



Overall I’m a happy customer. Next time I need a pair of boots it will be at Nicks.

Nick’s Handmade Contender Boot review.

Build Quality-10 out of 10

Finish-5 out of 10

Fit-10 out of 10 Note: This is after one weekend of break in and two full weeks of wearing to work.

Packaging-1 out of 10

Customer service -10

I’ve been needing new boots for a while. I’ve been having trouble with Red Wings. After almost 30 years of wearing nothing but Red Wing work boots it was time for a change. After looking around at several different companies I decided on a pair of Nicks. One of the YouTube websites that discuss Nicks handmade boots said that you can call and just ask if they have a pair of them on the shelf in your size. I did and was fortunate they had an 11 FF Contender in Chocolate ten inch tall. I called them Friday afternoon Central Time about 2:30 PM and I had them at my house by Monday afternoon about 1:30 PM. After having them for two weeks this is my review.

Build Quality-10 out of 10.

After almost thirty years wearing nothing but boots to work. I even wore work boots when I work in an office. I thought I’d seen it all. I’ve done logging, welding, high iron work, and now I work in an office. The speed lace eyelets, I don’t think it’s possible to bend them like it is with other brands. The sheer thickness of the sole even though I seen it numerous times on the internet I found it shocking when I had it in my hands. The weight of the boot, the height of the tongue, which is sewn clear to the top, the thickness of the leather laces, all of that I’ve never actually had before. Most of my time working either as a welding fabricating in the field or heavy iron work. I kind of felt like an ironworker design these boots. I also kind of had the feeling that somebody thought, Well if this is good enough what can we do just to make it a little bit better? And then did that.

Finish-8 out of 10

I do feel like these boots were designed by somebody like an ironworker or someone who worked in the timber. The build quality is impeccable, but the finish looks of the boot leaves something to be desired. There’s deep scratches and rough edges in the sole. After 2 weeks my brand-new socks that I had to buy because the boots are so tall are still being stained brown from the dye inside the boot.

Fit-10 out of 10 Note: This is after one weekend of break in and two full weeks of wearing to work.

One thing that I find amazing is as heavy as the boots are they really don’t feel like they weigh that much. The boot itself is formed perfectly for my feet. The extremely high arch support is exactly what I need, and, in the past, I paid hundreds of dollars for orthotics that only last several months. I’m also surprised that as heavy as the boots are and as stiff as they are, I never had any blisters appear which was a pleasant surprise. Though I will say that having steel Fetters on my ankle couldn’t have hurt any more. I ended up not lacing them around my ankles for the first week. Also, the high arch support is not for everyone. It was kind of strange at first, I felt like I had to learn how to walk in them. But after I got used to it and after break in it were extremely comfortable. Oh, and one other thing it was almost impossible for several days to walk down steps I even started to walk around to the far side of the building when I had to go down from my office and use the elevator.

Packaging-1 out of 10

The box that I received from Nick’s is just a plain cardboard box. It was sort of smashed up and smelled a little bit like motor oil. In fact, it was so dirty I just threw it away I didn’t even want it in the house. Again, I felt like an iron worker or a rough carpenter designed the boots. Even the packaging while extremely heavy duty is rough it just looked bad.

Customer Service-10 out of 10

Because of my strange feet shape and size, I had a very difficult time just trying to get questions answered. However, I will say that Nick’s handmade boots did a wonderful job answering all emails and telephone calls promptly. Because of the ease of customer service, the overall quality of the boots I’ve went ahead and ordered a pair of made-to-order Builder Pro pair. I will be buying primarily boots in the future from Nick’s. I would recommend others to do so as well.