The Gist
We’ve tested this boot in many different iterations and stiffnesses, and while it has always appealed to cabrio stalwarts and jib kids, for the old guard there’s always been the nagging question about whether the Full Tilt spiral Intuition liner has somehow besmirched the legendary Raichle Flexon lineage that spawned the First Chair et al—oh, for a traditional tongue liner again (and made with wool, they say). Well, no heavy mid-80’s wool liner, sorry guys, but this year you can have a traditional style Intuition Pro Tongue liner, thank you very much. Yeah, we may be old-school, but we’re pretty stoked about this new development!
The Fit
The new Intuition Pro Tongue liner makes all the difference in this latest version of the Fist Chair--it's a fully moldable job, but it's a stout beast of a liner. The liner tongue is buttressed by a stiff and contoured plastic front, and the upper cuff is similarly reinforced with a flexible plastic full-circumference gauntlet. This gives the First Chair an entirely new backbone, standing up the leg in a more upright fashion and addressing the shin in a full-length performance grip that's just padded enough to be comfortable, but this is a solid 130 flex and a game-changer for traditionalists waiting for a Raichle renaissance. The liner offers hook-and-loop attachment points for included L-Pads (or J-Bars as Full Tilt calls them) to further snug the heel pocket, but it's a good one out of the box. This is a snugly mediumish fit throughout but with a more controlled feel in the heel and ankles.
Performance
Where is Seth Morrison now? This is the strongest Full Tilt ever, say our testers who have been in this boot many times over the years. The look is updated, the buckles a bit more tech looking, and the overall feel is beefed up.
Cool Features
Testers like the newer version buckle system with the Widetrack buckles for their improved ease of use, and GripWalk soles are a welcome addition for better traction trekking on a boot pack or through the parking lot. Yes, there's still the option to make the forward lean more upright or more forward by removing or adding plastic wedges at the base of the cuff, and yes, the lateral cuff adjustment is still made with the vintage, oval plastic cams.
