About Us
The secret behind Son of Sandlar is simple: superior materials, superior designs and superior craftsmanship- these are the elements that go into every pair. Our boots are hand-crafted with pride in our workshop in Savannah, Georgia. The craftsmanship of our boots is unrivaled as we bring five generations of experience in making each pair. Simon is our master craftsman and boasts over 40 years of experience as a cobbler and footwear designer. He, like his father, and his grandfather before him, believes in one simple principle: take the utmost pride in your work. We bring that principle to every pair and produce the finest boots for our patrons. Rest assured that a boot carrying the name of Son of Sandlar bears the mark of excellence.
The casual renaissance fair goers will find their feet wrapped in comfort throughout a tough day of walking; and won’t find themselves needing to buy a new pair of “costume” boots every year. Those choosing to participate in more rugged LARPing activities will find that our boots are made of more durable materials and provide superior support and traction.
Only the finest of hides will be selected for cutting into our leather uppers. We use 6-8 ounce first-cut premium bull hides. Our boots are cut from full hides and are not lined; we do not use split hides or any sort of filler. The unlined uppers allow the leather to breathe well and provide increased comfort in warm weather conditions. The hides spend additional time in tumblers at the leather tannery until they are dyed through, treated with softeners and silicon to be water resistant. The additional time in the tannery’s tumblers is necessary for the leather to reach a deep rich color, allow the softeners and silicon absorb into the leather and ensure that the hides meet our stringent specifications for softness and long lasting durability. Our leather uppers – given the proper care – will last over 30 years.
Our insoles are custom designed out of a carbon-fiber blend and fitted with double riveted steel shanks. The steel shanks give you extra support and rigidity in your every step; particularly over uneven terrain. It’s that extra support that you need to make it comfortably to the end of a hard day of walking, running or swinging a battle axe. The insoles have direct contact with the upper and the rubber sole to ensure a firm contact and reduce any chance of separation.
Our soles are custom made and manufactured of the toughest rubber composition to be lightweight and durable. Our composition of materials is kept as a trade secret. The design of the sole is well suited to provide the traction needed to handle the conditions at a renaissance fair or on the battle field at a LARPing event with the SCA, DARCON, SOLAR or other groups. Our soling process – another trade secret – creates a bond so strong between the rubber and the leather that in tests and trials we were unable to separate the sole from the leather upper (at 150 pounds of pressure the leather tears but remains attached to the sole.). The bond is so strong that, when we re-sole the boots we are forced to cut the sole off and grind the rubber down to the leather.
Our goal is to hold true to our principles and proudly offer the highest quality footwear at a reasonable price. You have many choices [Link choices to Why Sandlar] in selecting your footwear; we hope to see you join our family.
