06/06/2026
This is a variation of a custom Viberg Service Boot we ran for our 35th Anniversary, crafted with Horween’s Black Teacore Chromexcel, which offers a heavier weight and greater patina potential than most of Horween’s Black CXL. Since this is a teacore hide it is still brown on the backside, and that brown interior will show through more and more as these boots see wear. These Black Teacore CXL Service Boots are constructed atop Viberg’s 2040 last, so it offers significantly more volume than the 35th Anniversary boots.
Chromexcel is a hot-stuffed combination tanned leather that goes through a lengthy tanning process at Horween’s facility in Chicago, where it spends a month traveling from floor to floor, becoming heavily impregnated wiith grease and wax in the process. The end product is a soft, supple, and flexible hide which is packed full of oils, which gives Chromexcel the excellent pullup that it is known for - when the leather is flexed or bent, the oils are displaced and beautiful tonal highs and lows become visible. CXL only gets better with age, and taking care of the leather is as simple as it gets. Frequent brushing will blend scuffs and bring wicked patina, while the inherent oils in the hide keep it from drying out quickly.
