 This is the Parkhurst Allen and CF Steads Gaucho Moose. And this is the Richmond boot, also in Steads Gaucho Moose. And knowing that the Gaucho in Gaucho Moose is a description of the colour... What the heck? Why are they different? And what else is different? Let's compare. So let's start with their different patterns. This is Parkhurst's Allen boot design. It's a plain-toe service boot. Since Lake 2022 has been made mostly on their proprietary commando lugged soles. Although studded soles are making an appearance since October 2023. It's a simple service boot design. Six inches high at the shaft. Single-piece Boondocker-style backstay covering the exterior heel counter. Combination of antique brass eyelets and speed hooks. Antique natural edge and split-reverse Goodyear welt. And a simple block heel made of a leather stack and a rubber top lift. The construction, as are all Parkhurst boots, is Goodyear-welted. Where the uppers are connected to the sole by the addition of a welt or a strip of leather. Sown around the edge of the boot to the insole on the inside. And then sewn to the outsole on the outside edge. The welt is what's called a split-reverse welt. Meaning that it's partly split horizontally. The top lift being pushed up or reversed against the uppers. While the bottom lip is sewn to the insole as usual. And then the unsplit outside edge is sewn to the mid and outsole as usual. The split-reverse welt increases water resistance. Already a feature of Goodyear-welting. This other boot is Parkhurst's Richmond boot design. The Richmond boots are cap-toe boots. Meaning there's a piece of leather at the toe. Sown onto the vamp piece. In some cap-toe boots, it is a real cap-toe. In the sense that it is a second piece of leather that's sewn onto a full vamp piece. Basically a plain-toe boot with an extra toe cap sewn on. This is not a real cap-toe. The toe-cap piece is sewn to the vamp piece that ends where they join. Most of Parkhurst's Richmond boots are 6 inch high boots. But this one is about 5 inches high, a little lower. It is also a service boot design, of course. But it has a two-piece backstay. The backstrip up the middle. And then the heel-cup over it that covers the external heel counter. Another point of difference is that this model has all-brown painted eyelets. No speed hoax. It's also built on a commando lug sole. But this time, from the UK, it's hide company. The sister brand to day-night. It also has a split-reverse welt. And the leather-stacked block heel is also similar. Both uppers are from Charles F. Stead, the famous English tannery out of Leeds. That is famous for making suede. And in recent years, exotic leathers like kudu, elk and moose. As well as shrunken suede variants like rambler used by Truman boots. Both are in a leather called moose. And both are in the color called gaucho. So let's not bury the lead and go with that. Hi, editor Tech here. Just showing off an insert into this video to show you these leather cuffs made by Dale at Dale's Leatherworks. Go check out his website, Dale's Leatherworks.com. This is a double and a single that I've clipped together. And I find that works better for my very skinny wrist. But Dale also makes these in a whole lot of different leathers. So go to Dale's Leatherworks.com and go check these out. Indeed, what are the differences starting with the very different looking gaucho moose from Stead? The Richmond was made by Parkhurst in 2021 and the Allen was made by Parkhurst in 2023. So the batches of hides from Stead are obviously a couple of years apart. I couldn't believe my eyes when I opened the box of Allen boots this year because the leather is so different from the 2021 Richmond's. Andrew Saviska, the founder, owner, designer, quality controller, shipper, warehouse laborer and chief bottle washer of Parkhurst, he really does everything. Andrew tells me that game leathers have incredibly unpredictable coloring at the end of the tanning process. Apparently this kind of off-white bone color that the Pale Richmond boots started with is incredibly hard to make and to duplicate. The elk hides also vary a lot from animal to animal in texture and feel. Some hides, like the one used on the Allen, have great big scars on them and indents everywhere that take on more color during the tanning process and so they end up being a bit darker as well as emphasizing the darker spots in the grain and texture. In fact, the pair of Richmond's have seen a lot of wear in the last two years and got a couple of conditionings with Big Four. So through conditioning and wear they have darkened as they gain patina. I will insert a photo when they first arrived to show you how much paler they actually were. The texture is also quite different. The older Richmond, and I'll insert photos here as well, is more even and open poured. The newer Allen is much more scarred and has a mottled grain about it. Now Stead's moose leather is actually Scandinavian elk. In Sweden and Norway especially elk hunting is apparently a thing and they are culled sustainably every year. The culling keeps the herds healthy and also protects the forests that they live in. elk meat is a delicacy in Scandinavia and I understand that in Sweden in particular it actually forms a big proportion of the meat that's eaten there especially in stews or meatballs with a cranberry-like condiment. I've never eaten it but I'm game for anything. Back to the boots. The coloring being so different, I find that I wear different colors with each of these. Either very contrasting black jeans with the paler Richmond or light sand or cacichinos to go with them. With the darker and in sunlight almost greener Allen's I tend to wear mid-browns, grays or denim. Other differences. I already rattled through some at the beginning of the video. Slightly different heights. Cap toe versus a plain toe. Different hardware. Different backstage designs. Different makes of the Commando Souls. In fact the difference in the Commando Soul makes it another good starting point about differences. The 2021 Parkhouse Richmond was made in the original partner New York factory and the 2023 Allen's were made in the new partner factory in Spain. If you catch up with my interview with Andrew Savisco up there you know that Parkhouse was incredibly badly affected by the pandemic. Andrew had always supported his local suppliers and factories to the extent of paying a bit more to order imported supplies for example like UK made outsoles from his local wholesalers rather than directly. When COVID hit his suppliers slowly lost supply or even closed even his partner factory in Western New York closed. In 2022 his offerings dwindled to almost nothing because he couldn't get materials and he couldn't find a factory. He was helped by his other factory partners who introduced him to a Spanish factory and since mid 2022 he has had his boots made in Spain. This has also met that he also now sources material from Europe. In this way he has secured his own proprietary souls manufacturing Europe as well as some innovative core levels from Spanish tenories. Another difference in the soul construction are the shanks used. Back when they were made in Western New York and Batavia the shanks were fiberglass, very airport friendly. Now from the Spanish factory they use steel shanks. I travel a lot for work and I can wear the older boots no problems but sometimes with the newer boots the new body scanners that we use in Australia will still pick them up. The other differences are a bit more extrinsic. The feel in the boot and the fit is slightly different. Both are built on Parkhurst's 602 last designed by Andrew but the newer Spanish made Allen boot feels slightly roomy at the ball and in the toes. Again if you watch the interview Andrew says he didn't make a change to the last then although a modified version has since appeared on his website. Andrew says that the lasting of a boot can vary from factory to factory from line to line even and from leather to leather from hide to hide. For example I imagine that a factory with more consistency will apply the same sort of pressure on the uppers when they're being lasted or pulled over the last. From the stitching of the welt and the outsole even they can stretch or slacken the boot a bit more each time. But whatever the newer boot the Allen definitely feels a little roomier not that I complain. Both fit me very well at the usual half down from true size just that one is a snug firm handshake and the other is a little more loose. The comfort in the boot and shock absorption are not that different. So Kudos to Parkhurst for finding a rubber compound that's very similar to its hide and for ensuring the leather midsole and insoles and cork filling remain the same or at least feeling the same. Another difference I feel is the slightly better manufacturing quality from the Spanish factory. I now have 10 pairs of Parkhurst boots 7 from the Batavia New York factory and 3 from the Spanish factory I'm going to get more don't worry. In my opinion the quality is more consistent from the Spanish factory. Previously the welt ends didn't meet and sometimes lifted over each at the end. Stitching was sometimes inconsistent. I found that the three Spanish ones I have to be finished finer with consistent stitching and welting. Again I'm not complaining you know I find the older Parkhurst boots rugged with a rugged charm and if it wasn't structurally problematic who cares if it looks put together ruggedly. But today's product is definitely more finely put together. Now that I've had the Richmond pair for a couple of years and the Allen pair about 10 months what do I think of longer term wear? Let's be honest I have a hell of a lot of boots so my rotation is kind of crazy. This means that I'd be lucky to wear a particular pair more than once a week. However out of all my boots Parkhurst do get a really good outing because they are so comfortable on me and I like the 602 last the iconic service boot design and the complexity of the different uppers that they offer. So I want both of these more than their fair share in my rotation. Long term I like them both. They have become more and more comfortable with wear and the patina that they develop is light but distinctive. My preference is for the darker Gaucho mousse because I think they're more distinctive and I find them to be more versatile than a lighter pair even though now that I have these that have darkened considerably I might review that thinking. In 2021 the Richmond boots cost me US $378 and in early 2023 the Allen boots cost me $398. Not a great difference despite inflation and the post-pandemic economy. In value terms I'm very happy with them. Made from solid natural materials or leather and cork I think they're the right price for the value that I get from them. Parkhurst isn't offering the Gaucho mousse at the moment but who knows they now have a core range of uppers but will bring out some limited runs in really interesting leathers every now and then. I'll leave a link to their website below now I'm not sponsored to say nice things I genuinely like Parkhurst as one of my favourite brands go take a look and even if there's nothing there that meets your fancy now sign up to their newsletter and keep in touch to see what comes up. Hey so there it is a short video on catching up with earlier reviews of these boots and taking a look at the differences in the two Gaucho mousse offerings by Parkhurst I hope you liked this video if you did help me out by clicking on the like button down below and if you haven't subscribed yet or not, please click on the subscribe as well don't miss the boot reviews boot unboxings boot comparisons and reviews of lots of other boot related things until next time take care and see you soon