So, over the past few months I have been heavily pushing the Japanese brand, Adler. Part of this came from the fact that I really do like their boots. I have been impressed with their line up and performance has been great across the line with the Yatagarashu and the Horenso quickly working their way into my matchday rotation. Another part of the reason I have been pushing the brand so much is that I do have a massive soft spot for artisanal companies.

This is not the full picture, of course. Since starting this blog, I have always made sure to be transparent and honest about the articles that I write and the boots I review. Sometimes this means I go against the grain, and other times it confirms what other people think of boots. The situation with Adler is different from other instances. First of all, the brand provided me with every boot in their line up. Secondly, they are the first brand to give me a tour of their factory and I got to meet the head bootmaker, Mr. Nakamura. So, two massive positives for me. However, this did not colour my opinion of the boots. If they were terrible, I would have let everyone know because I have spent several years building up the reputation of this blog to be honest and cannot help but to continue to do so.

But the biggest thing about the relationship between Adler and myself is that I now work part time as a salesman for the company. What this means is that for every pair that is sold because of my reviews, or I help sell directly, I get commission. There is also the possibility that I will be further and more heavily involved in Adler in the future.

There are several reasons why I have decided to work with Adler. The first of which is that I have always wanted to get back into the industry as this is what I have the most experience with and I really enjoyed being around football boots. Secondly, I truly believe in Adler’s products and their project. Nevertheless, this does not mean that I will dismiss every other boot on the market. After all, there are still other boots that I love and other boots that I am sure I will give positive reviews of in the future. And I also do not expect people to see Adler as the be all, end all. They will not be for everyone. Which also means that I will continue to provide the best boot advice that I can.

This is not even the first time I have been offered a chance back into the industry. The first year I started this blog, I got an offer to be the sale representative for North America for brand that will remain unnamed. The issue at the time was that I did not think highly of their product and while I am sure I could have done OK selling their product, it is not something I would have been happy with myself doing. A good friend of mine asked me at the time if I would be willing to have my name on the boots as the producer and if not, I should not become their sales rep. So, I did not.

I have thought a lot about what my friend said when I was talking to Adler and decided that I would be proud to have my name on Adler’s boots. There is also the fact that my gut instinct was to get involved with the brand.

So, this is the long and short of it. I wanted to explain my decisions and I also want to add that I am not going anywhere, and the blog will continue to do reviews and I will continue to provide my honest opinions on boots and help with people’s questions about boots as a whole.

I also want to thank each and every single person who has supported me along the way and I wish for your continued support in the future.

Andrew Lockhart/Gaijinbootblog