Review of Beckett Simonon's Jodhpur Boots

[Disclosure: These shoes were provided to me by Beckett Simonon as part of their affiliate program, if you use my affiliate link I do make a percentage off of your purchase.]

As always, when purchasing from Beckett Simonon, use my code BRAD and get 20% off your purchase!

Hello everyone, I hope you had a great labor day as we start heading towards the fall/winter season what better way to start it than a review of a pair of boots! These boots aren't your typical, run of the mill, boots. These are what we call 'Jodhpur' boots. Jodhpur boots were originally introduced to the world in India with polo players wearing them as a riding boot. You may be familiar with the alternate version of a jodhpur boot: the Chelsea boot. Generally a jodhpur and chelsea boot will have nearly the same shape and last with one key detail: a jodhpur boot has straps and a buckle used to secure the ankle within the boot, whereas a chelsea boot utilizes elastic sides to secure the ankle.

Enough of the history of the jodhpur boot, let's get to the nitty-gritty of the review and see if you should buy them!

The Review

Beckett Simonon Douglas Jodhpur Boots

Price: $229

Construction: Blake Stitched

Size: 10.5US

Color: Oak

Direct Link (affiliate): https://www.beckettsimonon.com/collections/jodhpur-boots/products/douglas-jodhpur-boots-calfskin-leather-oak?rfsn=1727667.928b5&utm_source=refersion&utm_campaign=affiliate&variant=21520207970383

Starting with the overall packaging of the boots. They are packaged in a nice black box with the Beckett Simonon logo on the top embossed in gold. Each boot is wrapped in a nice, cloth dust bag. Included in the box is a booklet detailing a little bit about their company and how they work along with some of the artisans that make their boots.

The color of these boots is considered 'Oak' which is slightly darker than the tan version. I wasn't sure how I would like the color, but upon unboxing it I was pleasantly surprised because I absolutely love the color. It's the perfect medium brown color that goes great with many different trousers and colors.

The construction of these boots are the popular blake stitched which is one of the most popular choices for high quality shoe constructions. The shape is a very nice sleek boot that slopes nicely and tapers to the toe box. The width of the boot was perfect for me, sometimes boots can be a little snug on the sides, especially when it's a sleek last like a chelsea or jodhpur, but it balances sleekness while not sacrificing a nice width for your foot to rest as well.

Something you may be wondering about, and rightly so, is the comfort of these boots. I have only worn these on a few occasions thus far (but they will get plenty of wear this fall/winter), from what I have worn so far they were comfortable. Obviously a boot is not usually going to be as comfortable as say, an adidas pureboost sneaker, but it's not noticeably uncomfortable and if you find that most boots make your feet uncomfortable you can always size a half size up and grab a custom insole.

When reviewing a jodhpur boot I would be remiss if I didn't talk about the strap, which is what makes the boot. The strap is a criss-cross strap of leather that is sown into the boot on one side and wraps around the buckle around your ankle. The boots should feel fitted without the buckle tightened because the strap is strictly tightening the space around your ankle, not the base of your foot inside the boot. The opening of the boot remains quite slim which is great. I've tried on some jodhpur boots before and the opening can vary from too tight, to extremely wide. When you get a pair of jodhpur boots when the opening is too large it causes slim pants or trousers you wear to look a bit odd because of the contrast between the two widths.

Something that not all boots include, but I wish they did, is heel tabs. Boots are often a little bit harder to slip on because of their high structure so the inclusion of a heel tab on these jodhpurs makes it that much easier to slip these boots on. Although, I always recommend using a shoe horn to put all of your shoes on so you don't end up smashing the back of the shoe or boot down over time.

When it comes to figuring out the sizing of these boots, I would go with your natural size if not a half size up if you have a wide foot. These are some other brands that I wear and my sizes in them for reference:

Beckett Simonon: 10.5US

Mezlan: 10.5US

Nike/Adidas: 11US

Taft: 10.5US

Banana Republic: 10US - 10.5US

I hope that can help you distinguish which size may work for you. Now, please note that I have between 5-7 pairs of shoes/boots from Beckett Simonon and I wear 10.5US in all of them so the sizing is pretty consistent.

Overall, i'm really happy with these pair of boots. They're a style I have never tried before, but I am happy with how versatile they seem to be and of course the quality is great for the price, definitely on par with the rest of Beckett Simonon's shoes and boots. I daresay that if you are in the market for some jodhpur boots that these are going to be the best deal that you can get. As always, keep in mind that Beckett Simonon works on a group made to order basis so pay attention to the ship date when purchasing because they usually won't ship out for another 2 months or so from when you place your order. For those of us that are the instant gratification type (that's me) it isn't fun to wait for something you are anticipating, but the group order allows Beckett Simonon to keep their prices low so i'm willing to sacrifice for the great price and quality.

Thanks for joining me on this review, I hope if anything you learned more about jodhpur boots while reading. If you have any questions/comments then please reach out to me on here or on my social media accounts and I would be happy to try to answer any questions you may have!

Tech Review: Model O Mouse

If you guys didn't know, I actually am really into checking new technology out. From mice, to headphones, to microphones, etc. I'm a gamer and i'm always keeping my eye out for keyboards and other peripherals that are coming on the market. So, I know many of you read this blog to see various menswear brands or commentary on men's style, but I wanted to also merge my hobby and passion of menswear with my hobby of technology, I hope you enjoy!

The Review

I want to preface this review by saying that I am in no way a mouse expert, in fact I am more of an amateur when it comes to mice. That being said, I want to give you my honest opinion on this mouse from Glorious PC Gaming Race and why I think you should own it.

The overall design of the mouse is great. I have had no issues whatsoever with it, but please note that there have been various issues with some models such as the LMB being loose and being able to press the side buttons when you squeeze the side of the mouse. Shoutout to /r/mousereview for pointing out those issues, but for the most part, for how much hype this mouse has received from the mouse enthusiast community it's nice to see a product actually live up to the hype.

I'm a huge sucker for good packaging, and the packaging on this is great. It's not a crazy #gamer looking package. It features some nice holo-foiling on the top and bottom of the package along with all of the specs for the mouse. On the inside you're greeted with the mouse itself in a plastic mold. Now here is where a slight issue could be: the way that the cord is folding downward into the bottom of the box could potentially damage the wires, so maybe in the future they could change the way the cord is situated within the box. If you pull out the bottom plastic mold you will find a couple of nice stickers, a thank you letter for buying their product, as well as a quick start guide for using the mouse and advertisements for their other products.

One of the biggest selling points of this mouse is of course the fact that it is a very light, 67 grams for the matte version and 68 grams for the glossy version. This light weight, paired with the very light cable makes it feel like it's gliding on ice.

Speaking of the cable, they call it an "ascended cord". Now, I have no experience currently with paracords on a mouse so I can't really speak to how much better or worse this cord is compared to a paracorded mouse, but the cable is extremely light. It isn't as small as a paracord and if you feel the cord you can feel the individual wires, so i'm not sure why they didn't just make the cord tighter around the wires to prevent that. Anyways, if you're an amateur mouse enthusiast like me, you won't feel the need to paracord your mouse unless you want a cool custom color because you will feel little to no drag from this cord even without a mouse bungie.

Moving on to the mouse itself: the Model O features hexagonal shaped cutouts along the top of the body, about a quarter to half inch of the left and right mouse buttons, and along the bottom of the mouse as well. This is obviously to cut down on weight to reach that low 67 grams. The hexagons are small enough that the palm of your hand doesn't notice them when you are using the mouse. The only time you can actually feel them is if you run your finger along the hexagons. So, if you're worried about the open spaces feeling awkward, don't worry you won't even feel or notice them.

There are a total of 6 buttons on the mouse. The left and right mouse buttons (which are Omron switches, rated for 20M clicks), a DPI switch, a scroll wheel, and the two side buttons on the left side of the mouse. Here's a sound test of all the buttons for you guys (queue audio and video of sound test). Here: https://i.imgur.com/B5mGvwD.gifv

I love the tactility of all of the buttons, the left and right mouse buttons are nice and crisp with a light click, it doesn't take much to activate them, so if you're a fan of a heavy click, keep that in mind. The side buttons are equally as satisfying to use, but personally, in the games that I play I don't find myself using them very much.

The scroll wheel is good and the click is satisfying, but I don't find it overly amazing, but remember this is just MY personal opinion, others may find it the best in the business.

If you do not like branding on a mouse at all then this may not be for you because the mouse does feature the Glorious PC Gaming Race logo on the left side of the mouse as well as the word "Glorious" quite minimally on the right side. Personally, I am a fan of this branding. It's not over the top and in your face, but it looks cool.

The software is relatively easy to use. I'm someone who mainly uses the software just for changing the RGB effects, but you can create macros, change the polling distance, and more in the software. Speaking of RGB effects, the RGB on this mouse looks awesome. With the open back design it really allows the RGB to be seen much more than other mice with a closed back, i'm a big fan of it. Good news is, if you don't like RGB effects you can simply turn them off in the software.

The sensor on this mouse is a Pixart PMW-3360, now to be honest with you I have no idea what that means but I have heard it's a great sensor. The skates on this thing are great, they legitimately make it feel like the mouse is gliding on ice and i'm sure they are almost or on par with hyper glides. The fact that Glorious also sells them on their website makes it even better so if you plan on modding I would pick an extra pair or two up since the cost is minimal.

You may be wondering if you can mod this mouse, and yes you can. I have not personally modded this mouse yet, but I have seen videos of others swapping out the bottom half of the mouse for a different color, i've seen some remove the strip of rgb lighting on the side to save weight, and you can paracord the mouse as well.

In conclusion, I can definitely recommend this mouse to anyone. For only $50 for the matte version and $60 for the glossy version it's a great deal when you compare it to other mice in the market right now and I can't wait to see what Glorious comes out with next. You can find the mouse at their website: https://www.pcgamingrace.com/products/glorious-model-o-glossy-white

NOTE: They recently released another Model O mouse, but it's a smaller size for those you like a smaller mouse, it's called the Model O- and it can be found here: https://www.pcgamingrace.com/products/glorious-model-o-minus-matte-black

A Review of the Beckett Simonon Morgen GAT

[Disclosure: These shoes were provided to me by Beckett Simonon as part of their affiliate program, if you use my affiliate link I do make a percentage off of your purchase.]

Few things can be compared to a clean, minimalist sneaker and that's exactly what the Morgen is. The GAT, formally known as the German Army Trainer, which, you guessed it, was known for it's use in the German army in the late 1970's were brought back to prominence by the brand Maison Margiela and their replica of the GAT sneaker (for more info on the GAT see this article: https://www.grailed.com/drycleanonly/history-of-the-gat-sneaker) . That being said, the Maison Margiela version is a designer shoe which also comes with the designer price tag, which leads some to search for an affordable, yet high quality version of the GAT. Which leads the way for companies like Beckett Simonon to provide their take on the GAT sneaker. I digress, enough of the history lesson let's proceed to the review.

The Morgen sneaker features the traditional GAT styling. Much of the piping is done in black suede while the rest of the shoe is in black leather. The sole is a gum sole that contrasts nicely with the all-black exterior of the upper. You may have some trepidation regarding the suede and it's longevity especially if you live somewhere that has a rainy climate. I would recommend that you coat the suede in a water repellent so the suede can maintain it's color and longevity. Saphir has several products that can help repair or prevent suede damage from the elements and I highly recommend them for any of your shoe care needs.

As you can see from the pictures scattered throughout this post, the Morgen has a relatively low profile and is especially flat in the toecap area of the sneaker. The profile is quite sleek and not bulbous at all. The sole is tapered very close to the upper of the shoe which makes the sneaker look very streamlined. I know some have preferences as to the profile of the shoe, with many preferring a low profile, sleek design which is exactly what you are getting with the Morgen.

In the image above you can see that I have removed the insole that is in the Morgen sneaker (In the box with your Morgens you will also find additional inserts to insert in the shoe on top of the already existing insole). With the insole removed you are left with a relatively hard inner of the shoe which is a vegetable tanned leather so the majority of your comfort is relied solely on the insole pictured above. The Morgen is a comfortable sneaker with a lot of padding in the heel of the insole and significantly less padding towards the toes. This did not bother me, but depending on your joint/foot makeup you may find that you need more padding towards the front of the shoe, which can be easily remedied by the extra insoles provided or other third party insole manufacturers.

I will say, compared to the dress shoes that I own from Beckett Simonon, I found that these sneakers were a little snug on my foot despite being the same size I usually wear with Beckett Simonon. If you have Beckett Simonon dress shoes already and find that they are on the edge of being too tight, then when buying their sneakers I might size up a half size to compensate for the sizing difference (Please note, this is just my isolated experience after only a couple of days of wear, so take it with a grain of salt.)

Although I am reviewing the all-black pair of Morgens, there are an additional 10 colorways of this same shoe that feature some with a completely full-grain leather upper as opposed to the combination of full-grain leather and suede. They are traditionally listed at $200, but you will find that if you wait for a coupon code you can snag them at anywhere from $99 to $149 which are both great prices for the quality that is in this shoe.

Something to be noted when generally ordering from Beckett Simonon: they work on a group made to order basis. What this means is that when you purchase one of their shoes, you usually have to wait until a listed date before they are crafted. The date is always listed on the page of the shoe you are looking at, but some do not notice this so I wanted you to be pre-advised. The use of a GMTO structure allows them to keep a low price on their shoes and boots.

As a general overview of the Morgen, I found it to be a really nice shoe with a solid construction and high-quality materials given the low price of the sneaker. This type of sneaker (the GAT) is something that I have never owned before and it's a nice change from your traditional sneaker while still being comfortable and relatively casual (although with some of the other colorways you could dress them up).

I hope you have a good understanding of the Morgen sneaker and my experience with them thus far so you can decide if they are a good match for you or not. If you have any additional questions that I did not address in this review then please reach out to me via here, social media, email, etc. and I will do my best to provide you with a satisfactory answer.

You can purchase the exact same shoes that are pictured above from this link: https://www.beckettsimonon.com/collections/morgen-trainers-classic-all-0801/products/morgen-classic-full-grain-leather-black?rfsn=1727667.928b5&utm_source=refersion&utm_campaign=affiliate&variant=12378929037429

and you can view the entire Morgen collection from this link: https://www.beckettsimonon.com/collections/morgen-trainers-classic-all-0801?rfsn=1727667.928b5&utm_source=refersion&utm_campaign=affiliate