WEAR & TEAR, REPAIR AND WARRANTY
Read on to learn about:
- How to identify Wear & Tear
- Quick tips on rectifying Wear & Tear yourself
- How to identify Warranty supported issues
Wear & Tear
We've listed the common Wear & Tear effects below. You wear your boots literally to accept damage from the environment and protect you so therefore Wear & Tear is inevitable, and therefore not covered by warranty. These niggles can be either, avoided easily or fixed cheaply by your local cobbler. Please also see our use and care page for more tips on technical boot care.
Issue |
Notes |
Lacehook bent or broken | Item has caught on something during use. Use of gaiters reduces this. |
Stitching worn off or cut | Mechanical damage and abrasion. |
Leather cracked, worn or cut | Incorrect and harsh drying technique, lack of using care product, mechanical damage and chemical damage. |
Sole tread worn or cut, rand worn or cut | Mechanical damage and abrasion. |
Decaying / crumbling sole material and / or sole failure or detaching if incurred after an extended period | PU / EVA Hydrolysis. Hydrolysis is a break down of the sole material exacerbated by seldom use, poor and too long storage and chemical exposure such as manure. More detail down page. |
Ripped internal cuff seams and / or collapsing material around cuff of boot | Caused by not opening up the boot fully for donning and doffing and forcing ones foot into the boot which pulls away the lining and padding. |
Ripped internal seams and / or holes worn into lining | Incorrect donning and doffing as above. Internal seam and lining abrasion caused by harsh sock material and foot movement. Toes and toe nails can wear holes inside toe box. |
Leather shrinkage | Wet to dry cycles and incorrect drying technique. |
Boot fit feels different or longevity is different to previous pair | Users feet change shape and size over time and longevity varies greatly by activities conducted in the boots. Ensure correct boot for purpose and correct size/fitting for feet. |
Rand separating from Leather | This is caused by mechanical damage and abrasion. |
Rand Shrinkage, splitting, damage. | Incorrect and harsh drying technique, mechanical damage. |
Footbed crushed and gone hard | The material will eventually crush and go hard after absorbing footfalls. Washing does rejuvenate them a little but will want replaced eventually. |
Rands pulling off the upper
This is worth discussing in more detail as it is a common wear and tear effect. Many of our boot models have a rubber rand over the parts of the boot that is likely to incur damage. Because it is positioned in these high wear areas it is likely to get pulled/picked off during use by something eventually. A "stitch in time" really applies here so do a quick repair as soon as you notice it and it'll keep them looking good.
It is very easy to repair.
- Clean the underside of the rand and leather thoroughly with fresh water and a stiff clean brush. We do not want wax in the area we are going to glue. Sacrilege for leather, but use a little dish detergent and fresh water if sport wax needs to be removed. Use brake clean to remove really stubborn wax. Rinse with water thoroughly.
- Dry thoroughly under the rand.
- Stuff the inside of the boot with paper very firmly to bulk it out to shape.
- Use masking tape to mask the edge of the rand join and cover the leather up to two inches above the rand. Excess glue will flow onto this area and will be unsightly.
- Apply flexible shoe glue to underside of rand and leather. Shoe Goo is the best product.
- Squeeze the rand down and wipe away excess glue.
- Tape the rand down into position. Use clear tape so you can inspect the repair and see the glue through the tape.
- Remove tape after several hours of curing. Peel it towards the upper, away from the sole.
- Apply Sport Wax to the area.
Sole Hydrolysis
This is worth discussing in more detail as it does catch out some people. It is a unexpected quirk of the PU and EVA material Vibram use on their midsoles. A chemical process called Hydrolysis can make the midsole material fail. It manifests as the material crumbling away or as the sole separating from the boot. There are two causes of this phenomenon:
The number one cause is lack of use.
The midsole materials must be regularly compressed and released to shift fresh air through them. When left in storage for extended periods the sole material goes brittle and will fail. It is exacerbated by storage before the boots are fully dry and storage in damp/humid conditions.
The number two cause is exposure to some chemicals.
Boot materials are destroyed quickly by exposure to harsh substances such as manure, urine, pesticides, herbicides, dips, fuels and oils. These chemicals really buggar boots fast. The substances dissolve or eat away at the sole and glues, and make the leather go extremely dry, hard and crack.
Tips are discussed on the "use and care" page to help try avoid this fate for your boots.
Warranty supported Issues
Here's a list of warranty supported issues we have experienced. They are rare but do happen.
- Warranty issues must be distinguishable from wear and tear to be supported.
- We generally warrant the boots for one year from date of purchase. But we do apply common sense to that and extend or retract the time depending on if the issue is distinguishable from wear and tear.
- We use Australia Consumer Law as our guide to warranty vs Wear & Tear.
Issue |
Notes |
Eyelet / lace hook pulls out of upper with only reasonable force early in boot life. | Eyelets are riveted in place. Normal lacing force should never pull them out unless they have been incorrectly installed. Please advise us to organise rectification. |
Stitching un-knots and comes loose due bad termination. | A bad stitching termination might unravel and is usually encountered very soon after purchase. Please advise us to organise rectification. |
Suspected leaking boot membrane | Check for obvious holes and broken seams inside the boot visually and by feel. Test for leaks by carefully filling the boot with water to just below the level of the Goretex lining. If there is a leak, the water will escape out through the leather near the leak. Check for holes worn inside the boot near the leak and check seams near the leak. If no signs of above please advise us to organise rectification. |
Lining / Padding separation | Lining or foam layers pulled away from the boot structure resulting in lumps inside the boot. Please advise us to organise rectification. |
To request warranty support, please email us with a quick note and pictures showing:
- The boots must perfectly clean and dry before taking images.
- An image showing overall condition of the boots.
- An image with the exact issue you have struck.
- An image of the tag inside the cuff of the boot; it must be clear so we can read the small digits on it.
Please note:
- Contact must be made before attempting to return a product. If a product is accepted for return, it must be thoroughly clean and dry. Returns without prior consent and dirty products will be rejected.
- We support boots bought from us and from our authorised retailers in New Zealand, Australia and New Caledonia only. Products bought from our authorised retailers must be returned to that place for support. Any other product bought overseas must be returned to that place for support.