 This is an unboxing and first impressions video of the Cordoba's Boots MTO service boot. You'll also want to stay tuned to the end because I'll give you details on how you can win a pair of these or similar boots through their MTO process. I wanted to thank my subscribers here and my followers on Instagram for their support during the year but especially during a very difficult time for me and many of you will know what I'm referring to when I receive a vile message. Thank you and watch to the end. Welcome to Boot Lossophy and my name is Tech. I acknowledge the traditional custodians of the lands I live and work on, the widget people. This is a different introduction to my usual unboxing videos, but we'll get there. I wanted to first announce that I'd like to do a giveaway of a pair of Cordoba's Boots in which you can choose the components for yourself using their MTO system. I'll talk about their MTO system during the video and at the end I'll tell you how you can win the giveaway. To put this into context, I have been thankful for the support and friendliness I have received from my viewers here and my followers on Instagram during the year. I only started in YouTube in February of 2022 and already I count many of you as pretty close personal friends but in particular I was shocked and actually quite shaken. I was shaken when I received a message on Instagram from some guy who wanted me to measure a pair of boots and take photos so that he could size himself. I hadn't read that message over a weekend but he sent another a couple of days later full of vile and racist and personal abuse because I hadn't responded to his first message within 48 hours. I put a photo of that message up on a community post here on YouTube as well as in an Instagram post and many of you would have seen one of those posts. What really blew me away was that I received over 120 messages of support on the YouTube post and another 130 or so messages of support on Instagram. I wanted to thank you all so I've arranged to pay Cordobes for a pair of the MTO boots that will go to the winner of a random pick. I'll explain how it works at the end of the video but for now let's take a look at these Cordobes boots MTO plain toe service boots. So let's open this box. It's covered in stickers and for the first time ever it's been x-rayed. Now I don't wish to offend anybody but I think there is a bit of an issue here with Australian customs where if packages come from South America they do tend to get some special attention including x-raying because I say I don't really want to offend anyone but that's the problem with getting packages from overseas. Oh that's a super tough packaging. Okay here we go FedEx box and inside is the Cordobes box so let's just put this out here and of course it opens the other way. So immediately you have what I assume is a spare set of laces. We'll see what's in there. A thank you card from Cordobes team thank you. We are grateful you've put you put your trust in us and we placed our long waking hours our experience and all of our heart in these boots. We hope you wear these boots for years to come our Fonso Ignacio. Really nice. A boot bag made of a kind of satin material really nice no logo but that's okay and here they are oh my goodness gracious they look pretty amazing. So those are not spares they those are the laces for the boots make sure there's nothing inside and I might take them both out get rid of the box and let's take a look at these boots. So I'll describe these as I go on as I said they're they're MTO boots and what I ordered was the service boot in their D25 last which is I think a more almond shaped last the other one is a wider circular last. The leather is chocolate colored leather if I remember right the tongue leather is brown so it doesn't quite match it's a slightly contrasting leather I chose all of these features by the way the stitching is matching so it doesn't stand out you can order contrast stitching of different colors the toe structure is unstructured which I don't have a lot of boots with unstructured toes so I'm sort of looking forward to these the construction is stitched down you can choose between stitched down and good year welding I wanted to stitch down just I don't know just to be different the edge finishes brown and again you can get contrasting edging and of course a leather sole look at that stitching gosh that's good okay so that's the makeup let's have a look at what I think I do like the leather it's a pull-up I believe it's from Lafac in in Mexico I might be wrong but being a Mexican made boot I do like that sort of pull-up effect it's got on it it's a matte brown leather so it's not a formal boot by any means but it gives you those casual vibes hardware is bright brass and antique speed hooks which is interesting one two three four five eyelets with one at the top and two antique speed hooks they're pressed down securely enough that's fine as you can see it's a semi-gusted tongue comes up four eyelets so it gives you a little bit more water protection up to there and what's more important for me is the tongue's not going to slip to one side which is always what happens to my boots the construction looks solid enough as a cross hatch rubber heel top lift nailed in it'll be glued of course I mean with four nails down here and I assume more nails coming in from the bottom leather stacked heel leather midsole good quality one too by the looks of things and the leather sole now take a look at the stitching if the camera focuses that's really really fine stitching you know I it's I think there's a channel so that the stitch goes in there really nice the sole the leather sole doesn't feel like it's a waterlock sole so I will put some Australian colour lock oil sole protector on it it's a very nice looking shape has a small leather pull tab not a loop but a tab very clean looking let's check out the other one see again the detail on the hardware is very nice it's not rough I can run my finger that's that one is a bit rough but on the other boot it wasn't rough yeah I think the speed hooks might be a little bit more rough because there's a different material so I guess the speed hooks will scratch it up a little bit but I don't mind that it's all patina isn't it the leather feels beautifully supple it really does it's beautifully supple that's going to break in well and talking about breaking yep leather sole so that will take a bit of time to flex that in the breaking process stitching is very clean very neat single piece backstay very cleanly stitched onto it the heel counter feels firm I suspect it's elastic rather than leather at this price point but it feels firm feels good and as I said it's unstructured toes there's nothing there again on this other boot the stitching is very fine slightly off-center but it's a handmade boot I see nothing wrong with that really I mean it it's slightly off-center but you know I say to myself it's at a certain price point it's a handmade boot it's actually aesthetically a lovely looking article really nice indeed okay so let's try them on feet hi editor tech here just before we go on to the on-feet vision I wanted to tell you about Cordoba's boots and the way the MTO system works there's a link to their website below by the way uh Cordoba's handmade boots was founded by Alfonso Ignacio in the small town of San Mateo Atenco in the outskirts of Mexico City now apparently San Mateo Atenco has a history and tradition of skilled artisans who made handmade footwear but had been underappreciated and certainly poorly paid for their skill Alfonso started Cordoba's to properly appreciate his artisan skills and the great production value of the materials made in San Mateo Atenco he aimed to make a high quality product with the high level of skill his artisans offered and properly honor the artisans and their families while also producing a unique product Cordoba's offers three types of boots at the moment their plain toe boot which is a service boot their cap toe boot and their Chelsea boot they also offer them in two different ways on demand with fewer options and made to order or MTO with a full set of options but a longer wait using their MTO page on their website you choose the style of boot you know service boot or cap toe boot or Chelsea boot and then you choose one out of their two lasts your size and width the type of outsole you want the color and finish of the uppers the type of construction the edge finishing the whole nine yards sizing by the way is recommended to be true to size but if you're in any doubt you can always email them Alfonso I have found is incredibly responsive okay so let's get these on feet now I don't know if I said early in the video that these are priced at 299 US dollars and for an MTO boot where you can specify every oh well it's slid in rather well for a an MTO boot where you choose just about almost every element it's very similar to choosing an Indonesian handmade boot so I do find that price of 299 really very interesting I mean most Indonesian handmade boots using local Indonesian leathers will sell around 350 US so these compare favorably in my opinion laces are a bit long but the fit is really good also I'm not sure if I mentioned it earlier in the video but they recommend true to size so I'm an eight and a half D US sizing and these are eight and a half D and the fit is really good fits like a glove no hot spots anywhere the uppers feel nice and supple and soft on my feet and the laces are a little bit long but you get to live with them I guess or I can swap them over yeah so as you can see they slipped in really easily now I don't do this usually but I will cuff my jeans up so you can take a look at the whole boot comfort factor is really good the length where's my toe there's there's that much room between my toe and the top of the boot so that's about the recommended thumbs width it's quite snug across the ball of the foot but the leather will stretch from the feel it's pretty snug around the heel which I like because it means you it captures your heel I already I feel a bit slippery but that's what happens with with leather soles you will have to scratch them up a bit they are extremely comfortable underfoot though and the the fit is otherwise good around the waist as well so in terms of the feel I can feel the layers of leather and cork under my feet and I do like the flexibility of the leather sole on the carpet it's slippery on timber flooring not too bad because I I think there's a little bit of oil in in those in the leather soles there's a little bit of heel slip so that's that's fine that's to do with breaking in and making sure that they flex where your feet flex so that you you know you part of breaking is you train your boots to to flex and move just as your ankle and your joint does in the ball of the foot I like them I do like the look I do like that last oh you see I slip there slip I do like that last the shape of the almond toe with a slight hint of a wedge at the tip I like it so my usual break in is two weeks wear these don't feel like they need all two weeks to to break in but that's what I'll do right let's sum up well there you go in summary I think these are really impressive boots of course as usual I'll wear them for a few months and then come back to you with a full review and then you know maybe a year later a few months but at least at at least a few months I'll come back with a long-term review to see how they went but before we finish here's your chance to win an MTO Cordoba's handmade boot all you have to do is first if you're not subscribed subscribe to my channel then make an appropriate comment below no inappropriate or stupid stuff or you will be banned all you have to comment is even just say hello but of course I'd love to hear what you think about these boots in two weeks time closing on the 7th of January Australian time I will enter all commentators names into a randomizer and choose a winner I will announce the winner in a YouTube boot loss of a community post as well as in an Instagram post under my account and I will also try to find the original winning comment if I can find it and reply in there in the announcement I'll ask you to contact me either on Instagram or by email I will give you once you contact me a 100% off discount code and you can go to the Cordoba's website choose your boots and all the MTO options using that code on checkout and Cordoba's will make you your boots but send the bill to me once again that's to thank you for your support if that shocking disgusting message was the worst you are the best also of course I wish you the season's cheers merry christmas and a happy new year and in terms of new videos I'll be back after the second week in January I'm just going to take a short break so before you go click on like please subscribe if you're not and type in a comment below for a chance to win a pair of Cordoba's boots until I see you in the new year take care stay safe and I'll see you soon