From what I’ve read, Meermin is a bit of a unicorn since they offer Goodyear welted shoes that have thoughtful designs made from quality materials at an affordable price. For that reason they have a pretty strong following - but some shoddy experiences from customer service and quality control seems to leave some customers underwhelmed.

One thing that I especially appreciate is their own legitimate lasting system - that’s tonight to find from middle tier retailers. That means they design a unique mold to which they craft their shoes from, which takes a lot of research, revision, and trail and error. From my own experience with a pair of 114409 suede penny loafers, which utilized their NOD last for low insteps, it seemed Meermin was still lacking in terms of fit. The fit was good, but not perfect - they seem to run very narrow at the front of the shoe and I was nervous this might also be the case with the service boots.

But I absolutely loved the design of these and it checked a lot of boxes. Horween Natural CXL (my personal favorite leather), a hefty British made commando sole that will last years but still looks sleek, and a rugged but dressy shape. They remind me a lot of the Alden Plain Toe 86042H but way more affordable and with a sleeker finish.

It uses their HOK last which they describe one their site as roomier, with excellent balance and support, a snug heel fit, and a storm welt. Yet, it still has a sleek finish in the toe box for a dressier look. They recommend sizing down from some of their other lasts for a more snug fit and because I’m a firm believer in having a snug fit on boots, I sized down 1/2 a size.

Upon unboxing I was surprised at how big they looked especially because I sized down. But when I put them on, the fit was perfect! I think because of that tapered toe, my foot doesn’t occupy the entire interior (like European dress shoes) but my foot is very secure nonetheless. The heel fits quite snuggly with no slippage and the mid section is quite comfortable. I’m still not entirely sure how they make their footbeds, but it seems like a leather covered foam (I don’t think they’re cork filled). There’s also a leather heel pad as well.

Two things I was very satisfied to see: Firstly, I always get nervous when the two sides of the laces get too close together - usually for me that’s an indicator that my foot isn’t taking up enough space which results in a loose and insecure fit. But with these, although they do get less than an inch apart, they still hug my foot very well. Secondly, they curve inward above the heel, and get narrower at the collar. For me, this is crucial because it hugs my ankle and accommodates the width of my leg - sometimes the collar is too loose and there ends up being a lot of space there to the point I can fit a few fingers into the boot. Not the case here - and it shows a higher level of craftsmanship and design to me.

I also don’t have a lot of loose grain on my boots which can sometimes be prominent in Horween Chromexcel leathers. I have a bit on the sides but nothing on the vamp where most of the creasing would occur. This means that they’ll age extremely well and as I like to say, “hide their age” as time goes on. The stitching is all super tight, the storm welt looks fantastic, and the speed hooks are high quality as well.

Overall, I’m very pleased with these and they’ve snuck their way into my regular rotation for many of my business casual outfits. I did wear them for a quarantine mid day walk and got a blister on the side of my big toe and I think that’s due to the slim toe box - but that might just be a part of the break in process. Either way I don’t recommend walking too far in them as they aren’t really walking boots. So what do you think?