In Review: The JC Penney Stafford Deacon & Gunner Boot

Stafford Cognac “Deacon” Wingtip Boot or Black Cap-Toe “Gunner” – $51.99 ($99)

NOTE: You’ll need the 20% off code (there are always codes) VIPSAVE for that $51.99 price ^

How appropriate that they’re calling this new cognac Stafford boot the “Deacon“, being that it’s a nicer Camlin, complete with a better sole.

Hooray for Homophonic Humor*

These are legit. Both pairs. The new Deacon takes the old Camlin and improves on the few details that could have gotten a boost. The Gunner is a new model, and is on par in terms of quality & design as last year’s Camlin (only in a black, cap-toe option). Being that both, with sales, will go for between $50 and $70 a pair, JCP is once again the best place to find a great looking pair of boots for an absurdly affordable price.

About the Deacon: Four bits have been upgraded in comparison to the Camlin:

The Leather is even better: Forget using black shoe polish to give the Deacon’s leather some depth and color variation. They already have it. The leather is just as soft and pliable (ridiculously so for this cheap), but this time around there’s some more variation to the color. The Camlin’s color, while just fine for a $50 – $60 boot, was awfully uniform. The Deacon has more variation in shading, and it looks terrific.
The Sole is Sleeker: Gone is the slightly nubby sole of the Camlin. Instead, a still-grippy yet lower profile sole has been used. Much sleeker looking for city-wear, and thanks to the texture on the rubber/synthetic bottom, you won’t be sliding around as much as if it were an all leather or smooth synth bottom.
Eye up those eyelets: They’re now reinforced with grommets instead of simply being punched. It’s a small detail, but for a boot this inexpensive, it helps make them look a little more finished.
Sizing seems to be true: No more sizing down a full size. A 10.5 fits like a 10.5. Some say size down half a size, but a 10 on my normally 10.5D feet felt slightly cramped through the ball of the foot.

Styling is almost identical to the Camlin (the medallion is slightly different, and now there’s now an extra line of broguing up at the top of the boot’s shaft), the shape is still sleek without being pointy, and they’re once again comfortable right out of the box. They’re the Camlin, only better.

About the Gunner: Maybe it’s just because they’re all black (it’s black, none more black), and thus, can’t have the depth that color variation delivers, but the leather doesn’t look quite as good on the Gunner when compared to the Deacon.

!!!**NECESSARY PRICE PERSPECTIVE INTERRUPTION**!!!

They’re a $50 boot for crying out loud, and the leather is still great for the price.

Like the old Camlin, the leather just looks super-uniform out of the box (especially in bright sun, as seen above). Some wear and tear will probably help that out. there is some wrinkling already on the boot shaft, but again, the leather is quite soft and flexible. Those wrinkles shouldn’t crack and develop into flakes.

Silhouette, sizing, and sole are all the same as the Deacon. A quarter-brogue cap-toe with some perfs and pinking around the heel, there’s a lot of clean space on these. That can be a bit of a challenge for less expensive leather, but they look good and dressy here. Oxford-style closed lacing might have been a nice added touch, but that might be asking a lot, being that they’re built on the same chassis & frame that the Deacon is made on.

PRICING: Both the Deacon and Gunner were going for $55 with a code last week. They “retail” for $99, but it appears that JCP is applying their “always 30-50% off” model to these things when you combine ever present sale prices and codes. Going for $51.99 through tomorrow with the 20% off code VIPSALE. That’s good news. Seems like more than a few of you picked up a pair late last week or over the weekend. Feel free to leave your impressions in the comments below…