Allen Edmonds Higgins Mill vs Thursday Captain

“I’ve encountered problems with ‘off the shelf’ Higgins Mill and other AE products. I’m also not a big fan of how they completely ruin the ‘weatherproof’ cxl, might as well remove the Horween name from that garbage. However, let me tell you that my shell Higgins Mill that they made when I placed an order (7 weeks) is one of the best boots I’ve ever worn. And it’s a damn shame that one has to pay $1k just for them to get the basics correct. Those off the shelf HM should be made just as well as the custom ordered shell pair I received, and it’s garbage that there is such a difference.”

“I've had such a suboptimal opinion on Thursdays, but it's only based off the one pair of Captains I had for a couple of years. Notably, the tongue sliding off center annoyed the hell outta me. So, I did watch the Rose Anvil video that featured his Thursday collab and it was validating for him to mention the tongue being gussetted. Kudos for sharing. As an everyday beater pair, sounds like it fills your use case pretty well. I just can't personally get over how 'off' and dull Thursday leather looks and feels. More contrast on the heel stack would really help too. Good to know, however, that the leather shank is serving you well, especially considering the pain you've endured from that motorcycle accident you mentioned, yikes! Thanks for sharing your experience with these!”