Yanko Cap toe service boot dark brown chromex

Many have asked for a cap toe service boot from Yanko, so here it is. Made in dark brown chromex leather, on the W934 last which is a classic service boot last with a round rather spacious toe. Goodyear-welted so they easily can be resoled, inside entirely in leather, heel stiffener of leather board that adapts well to your feet. Equipped with a very durable Vibram rubber sole that also has good grip. 

Chromex is a so-called pull-up leather that is aniline dyed and then fed with waxes and oils for extra durability. When stretched, it lightens in these areas, meaning a natural, lovely character develops over time. Chromex is made from larger cowhides to be thick and durable, which also means it has a more natural character. Depending on the batch, the waxiness of the surface may vary, for more lustre you can polish it with a damp cotton polishing cloth or a dry nylon cloth.

These are relatively sturdy shoes that are made to be worn hard. We're pleased to be able to offer welted boots fully made in Europe from full grain leather at such a competitive price. They need to go through the factory a little quicker and the level of finishing is a bit more basic, but it's surely a lot of shoes for the money, and after all it's footwear that's meant to take a beating.

Yanko is one of the oldest still active classic shoe brands from Spain, founded in 1961. They were one of the world's largest manufacturers of Goodyear welted shoes in the late 20th century, producing over a million pairs of shoes each year. Today they are much smaller, but have a solid reputation as an affordable manufacturer of everything from men's dress shoes and boots to classic Belgian loafers.

Construction:
Goodyear welted.
Leather board heel stiffeners which adapt to your feet (cheaper brands usually use plastic heel stiffeners which makes the shoes hard to break in). 

Sole:
Vibram rubber sole.

Sizes:
Sizes are considered normal, they are comparable to other Goodyear welted shoes like Skolyx, TLB Mallorca, Loake, Crockett & Jones and Carmina. Here you'll find an extensive size guide to all our shoes. It's common for boot users to use a thin insole in leather when using the boots with thin socks, and then remove the insole when using it with thicker socks. If you are still uncertain on your size, please e-mail ktj@skolyx.se for further guidance.

Shoe care:
If you want to maintain a natural patina, it's recommended to use Saphir Medaille d'Or Crème Nappa conditioner (which is like Bick-4 but without silicone). If you want to keep the original look as much as possible or cover larger marks, use Saphir Medaille d'Or Creme Pommadier shoe cream in Havana or dark brown. We do recommend using shoe trees in cedar wood to prevent cracks from excessive creasing and prolong the lifespan of the boots.

Construction:
The Goodyear welted construction method is a relatively advanced way of building shoes that requires a high level of craftsmanship, produces durable shoes that easily can be resoled several times.
Learn all about the Goodyear welted shoe construction in this guide.

Below an image that gives an overview of the construction:

All shoes have leather board heel stiffeners (cheaper brands usually use harder plastic heel stiffeners) which adapt to your feet are used for all our shoes, except TLB Mallorca Artista and Midas which have real leather heel stiffeners, which can conform even better.

Leather:
All Goodyear welted shoes we offer use smooth full grain calf leather, quality embossed calf grain leather or fine calf suede from well-renowned European or American tanneries. Most of the leathers are sourced from Annonay, Du Puy, Ilcea, Zonta, Charles F. Stead or Horween.

Sole:
There are three different types of soles used for the Goodyear welted shoes we sell (under the tab Product details and on the photos you see which are used for respective model).

Leather sole - High quality, durable Super Prime soles vegetable tanned in Italy with among other things chestnut bark. Here the sole stitch is hidden inside a closed channel, a more time consuming operation that gives a cleaner look.

Thin rubber sole - A so-called city rubber sole with a slim profile just like a leather sole, with a rubber composition that offers good grip and excellent durability.

Rubber sole - In most cases these are Vibram's praised Eton studded rubber soles, which has a rubber compound that also can handle minus degrees, are comfortable yet highly durable.

Which shoe care products to use:
Use Saphir Medaille d'Or Creme Pommadier shoe cream and Saphir Pate De Luxe wax polish in Dark brown or Havana for regular care. It can be good to use Saphir Renovateur Crème 1-2 times / year for surface cleaning and extra nourishment. For more thorough yet gentle cleaning we recommend Saphir Medaille d'Or Leather Cleanser. We recommend using cedar wood shoe trees to prevent unnecessary creasing and extend the lifespan of your footwear.

Read more about how to use these products on the respective product pages, or in the shoe care guide linked below.

Basic shoe care:
- Don’t use the same pair for two consecutive days
- Brush / wipe the shoes off after use
- Use shoe trees and shoehorn
- Treat regular leather with shoe cream, treat suede and textile with waterproofing spray
Learn more on these steps in this guide.

Further shoe care info:
Read this thorough guide, which also includes video, on how to clean, nourish and shine leather shoes.