After putting on the laces, I did a quick quality control once over.  The stitching and welting are well done (really like the storm welt) for the most part.  There are a few uneven stitch lines on the heel of the right boot but nothing that would affect them negatively in terms of performance.  It is a meniscal cosmetic flaw that make my pair unique to me and remind me that these boots are truly handmade.

I really like the cork sole and Vibram heel combination.  Cork soles are more comfortable than most rubber ones for me, but of course the downside is that they provide less traction.  The rubber heel on the Beloits help balance that out and provide pretty good shock absorption as well.  After doing a little investigating, I found that the exact heel model is the Vibram 468 Comfort Cushion which main compound is SBR.  I have no idea what that is but I like it! 

The boots went through my usual conditioning method, which darkened the boots ever so slightly, on the first day and made the leather even smoother.  I love the way Chromexcel feels and often find myself running my hand over the boots when I am sitting down (Yes, I am weird).  The normal con, or pro depending on who you ask, with Chromexcel is that it scratches and scuffs easily.  In my opinion, it is cool to see the different shades of blue that appear after a few wears but if you are a person that likes a clean looking boot, you might be polishing these often.  Me?  I work for that patina!

Loose grain seems to be a popular topic in the boot community, particularly when it comes to Chromexcel.  Nick, from the Horween Tannery, explains that more here.  While my pair of Beloits may not be immune to loose grain, it is not prevalent and again, I like when my boots age and look beat up.  What's the point of buying them if you don't wear the heck out of them?!

Quite an impressive line up!  This Janesville model, in particular the 814-3781, is a collaboration boot with Clint Greendeer of Context Clothing.  Context Clothing (est. 2005) is located up in Madison, Wisconsin and is a specialty store for well made, heritage clothing; from denim to boots to wallets!  The store had the honor of being named one of of the top ten independent men's clothing stores in the US by GQ Magazine in 2010!

I had the privilege to get to know Clint and ask him a few questions about the Janesville Nantucket Boot and Heritage Clothing.

Boy am I glad I did!  Not only do they look great but they are very comfortable out-of-the-box, compared to other moc-toe style boots I have tried on in the past, and did not even need a day of breaking in.  The inclusion of a removable Thorogood Comfort Insole is one of the main reasons for this no break-in period and allows a person to have more possibilities with what socks they wear.  That is a big deal to me as I have the option of taking the insole out in the winter time in order to put on thicker socks!

When it comes to the price, the 1892 Collection is more expensive than other Thorogood boots (however, they do go on sale from time to time) and are competitively in line with the popular Red Wing Heritage Collection.  One of the reasons for the higher cost is that the leathers used to make these boots are of better quality and come from the infamous tannery Horween, which is located in Chicago.  Second, the sole is made by Vibram, which is considered one of the best sole makers in the world for  shoes and boots.  On Thorogoods' other boots, they use their own in house soles that are made specifically for certain work environments and saves on production cost.