Novice Advice: Enough $$$ for one or the other--which?

[Mark Rippetoe]

Thanks, Rip! Let me guess: .5" wooden or stacked leather heel and an all-leather upper?

Why "boot"? Higher ankle support than a "shoe"?

Alas, probably too precious for me and too late. But enticing nonetheless.

It will be a 5/8" net stacked leather heel, all-leather shoe with a Goodyear welt. It will be built buy one of the best bootmakers in the world in Spokane WA, so we're calling it a "boot" -- the old term for weightlifting footwear. It will be of the highest quality, very expensive, and the last pair you will ever buy. It will not be something that everybody needs or wants, but it will be the best product in the industry, by far.

[hollowsocket]

Having tried on both the Adidas Powerlift 3.1 (in sizes 13, 13.5, 14) and the Rogue Do-Win (in size 13), here is my assessment. I have normal width but long feet, with a high arch and narrow heel. For what it is worth, the Do-Wins in 13 seem between the Adidas 13 and 13.5, but noticeably closer to 13.5. That confirms the general advice when ordering Do-Wins to order .5 size down from your normal athletic shoe. Also, the Adidas is a little lighter than the Do-Wins, though I lack experience to judge whether this is better or worse. Either will be heavier than my Vibrams.

Adidas Powerlift 3.1
Pros:
very grippy sole, with a little flexibility for walking around
While not as snug as the Do-Wins in the arch and forefoot, I rate the overall snugness/support of the Adidas as better than the Do-Win overall snugness (for example, upper snug around the ankle/heel, no slippage, while keeping good support for the other areas)
metal link on the strap
overall quality of construction seems better, though time will tell
if it matters, pretty slick look

Cons:
the high-density heel does in fact seem more compressible than the Do-Win (this almost made me decide for the Do-Win), but I've heard that this will only be noticeable north of 400 lbs
Definitely a little tighter width than the Do-Wins
One strap, though it is a good one--these may allow more pronation than then Do-Wins

Rogue Do-Win
Pros:
two straps make the shoes very snug without preventing my toes from extending (toe box pleasantly wide)
same two straps make pronation seem less likely in these shoes
heel is very, very hard (TPU)--these will wear out in the fabric/leather before the heel compresses
did not feel too wide for my normal feet, but I can see why guys with wider feet would prefer these to other shoes
metal links on the straps

Cons:
the upper around the heel/ankle is more open or loose, resulting in my heel slipping a bit up and down (this made me favor the Adidas--stability on my forefoot but loose heel leaves an overall loose feeling). I do not want to get to power cleans and my shoes feeling slippy in the uppers! I think this open feeling comes from the Do-Wins being cut lower in this area with less foam/thickness and from having a little synthetic leather lip on the inside of the ankle hole, making it slippery in comparison to the higher-cut, fabric lip and plusher foam opening of the Adidas.
the upper construction and laces are cheaper than the Adidas (both are made in China)
the rubber soles are not as grippy as the Adidas, both in the material and in the lost surface area from the huge hole under the heel
for me, the higher 0.75" heel did not feel to be an advantage over the 0.6" Adidas heel--this could just be my anthropometry! I definitely felt more "up and over" forward in the Do-Wins. Perhaps this feeling would go away with time.
the lower strap seems oddly placed--a little too proximate to the toes? kinda painful, but who says you would have to keep it tight?

I am planning on keeping the Adidas Powerlift in 13.5.

[Drewcar]

It will be a 5/8" net stacked leather heel, all-leather shoe with a Goodyear welt. It will be built buy one of the best bootmakers in the world in Spokane WA, so we're calling it a "boot" -- the old term for weightlifting footwear. It will be of the highest quality, very expensive, and the last pair you will ever buy. It will not be something that everybody needs or wants, but it will be the best product in the industry, by far.

You going with White’s, Nick’s, or someone else?

[Mark Rippetoe]

White's.

[Drewcar]

White's.

I have some Smokejumpers. Great boots.

[5hout]

I have very wide feet, just got Do-Wins for my birthday, they fit perfectly. My feet literally wear holes through the side of normal width shoes. The Do-Wins feel good, not tight in the toe box or anything. This means, in my experience, that they run wider than a standard "wide" shoe from a store.