Army boots comparison - Greek army boots vs British army boots

Two iconic, legendary issued boots, the underrated Greek army boots and the British army boots. The combat boots in greek history during the centuries called "Arvyla". These issued boots have the exact same name: "Arvyla". Is the most legendary boot name of all time which is still alive! The new "Arvyla" have of course a different design following the american standards of the past decades. The British Assault boots are legendary as well, because of the british missions during many wars around the world, using these boots in the last two decades.

[productstests]

For the boot lovers: Check also my new video! A comparison between the classic black army boots and the mountaineering army boots

[markosstaikos]

15 months greek marines 521, only one pair arvyla and still had them 21 years

[peterliapis]

An old Greek here, (living in London). I was issued a pair of arvila in my early 20's and still have them (I am 57 now) they were made by a Greek army factory unit named 700SE ... immortal boots, as I said still have them but are badly worn since I used them for hunting. However sometime in the 90's the quality dropped dramatically but it seems quality has recovered again. The ones I have (700SE) do not have the soft padding on top of the boots.
I also have the modern British army Haix combat liability boots and honestly you can not compare them to neither the Greek or the old British.
Nothing wrong with any of those boots. They are just environment specific. Greeks are not planning to fight in far away places so their boots are perfect for the Greek environment while the British now have many different kinds of boots.

[johnnymiherinas]

(I'm currently in the Greek army)Only a few of my comrades have been issued that exact type of "Arvyla"...Me...like many others in the Greek army have been issued slightly different type...it has a pillow at the back just above the heel so it can tilt more freely and the sole is kinda heavy...but it's still waterproof and the leather is great for polishing!

[HansensUniverseT-A]

The Greek's are very similar to the Norwegian M77 combat boots, I've got mine for nearly 7 years now and they're excellent, without a doubt some of the best footwear one can own.

[donarw]

During my service as an infantry officer at the Hellenic (Greek) Army i used standard issued arvyla and i have to say that my feet suffered. No protection from cold at wintertime and terribly hot in the summer . I praise the Lord i was able to afford US Paratrooper (jump boots old style) for the summer and German Para boots for the winter time

[zoro]

i wear those ARVYLA for over 26 years!!!no provlem!!!nice video!

[analabatearm]

Excellent review. The Greek pair you have is an older one (although it has many improvements from its predecessor). The most recent model has the codification DMS-2015 (the year denotes its manufacture date). Apart from the padded collar, they have a padded session in the Achilles tendon, speed lace eyelets in the first six places - from the top - and luckily for us, a new improved sorbothane pad for comfort.

[euclidoikonomidis]

my father had his ''arvyla'' for 20 years....after he left army

[ZEFOSXX]

in hellas we have mandatory service for a period that varies and after we complete it we are supposed to still serve as reserves, when i served i was issued 2 pairs of an older version ''arvyla'' and used only one for the 16 months of my total service... so i got to keep the second one after i was dishcharged in 1995 (brand new as they were) and still use for airsoft or hiking....i also dont recall any problems among other soldiers with the boots, just needed to break them in the feet at the begining and that was just about it. its a beast i am telling you.

[EmirRaushanAlif]

This guy is totally cool. Not only he told us all the details of the boots but he does a test on them too. I hope you keep creating more videos about boots. This is a really good video for those who like collecting boots for fun or trying to find the right proper boot. Cuz i never seen one make a video about boots so detail 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

[aokiaoki]

I wish they made everyday shoes like arvyles. I have mine 16 years they will outlast even my future shoes.

[alexgr]

I used the "first version" of Arvyla for 18 months as a conscript with no problems at all.
Now i use the "second version" of Greek Army's half boots as an every day and work shoe. Good shoes.
Sadly, i have no experience from the British Assault Boots.

[LOKgr]

Hello from Greece... Very good video comparing the boots...
Basically Greek arvyla has a long story... The arvyla you got there is something like second generation arvyla... When i served my duty on mountain ranger squadron on 2012...
The first boot they gave me was a first gen propably 90s boots that is absolute the same but has minor changes; the hole for laces where big and unpainted and very durable, there were no padding on the upper part of the boot and the leather is more harder, the first 20 days my feet were red and hurt, i put stones at night so to open them...
The second gen you got is like from 2000 to 2013, I have two pairs of them...
Third gen is 2013 onwards that they are very thick leather beige lining padding inside but they got an another padding on the ankle to make them more comfortable that makes the boot vulnerable to tearing on the ankle....
I didn't buy modern boots... i like them and when all other guys put sholes inside i prefer the greek simple one and did 35 mile marchings without problem with my first gen the other pairs have them more for the official squadron reports or when i went outside etc....
I still have my 2nd gen pairs like new and now 2017 my first gen is serving me on farming work every day, but i take care of them and paint them...
They are horror for cold, not good boots for cold for that we wore 2 pairs of socks when are on patrol duty or on watch; for that i bought a mil surplus german para boot for patrol and watch, very thick boots not for running and marching but very comfortable and appropriate for cold weather....
The greek army bought machines i think about 2006 that costs millions for producing alcantara beige boots but they never strarted produced them, it s another story with much inside, but this is propably the future some time...
Anyway I dont want to be tiring, for a conscription army of 150.000 now, somewhen 250.000 that need 2 pairs of boots at least dont account for officers and other men on army the greek boot as it is now is appropriate for the situation, most soldiers buy boots from army shops... There is also a special edition of 2nd gen that you buy from shop but they issue them on officers when are on mil schools... Its named duetto aeropelma... The army boots like thise tou got is produced on 700th army base factory. The specs is changing every year now i believe they are using second gen with more changes, they cost from 50 euros to 70... The production cost i believe is somewhere on 30 euros...
That's for now... Keep the good work....!!!

[HGL-iqqg]

Interesting comparison. Well some facts that you have already presented reveal the logic behind the manufacturing. Greece needs a hard-durable boot. We operate in gravel and hard rocky mountains. Having a look at the map, you can see how much of difference our terrain has. On top of that, Greece supplies whole generations with army boots (i ve got 2 pairs), because all Greek men serve the army as reserves. This explains the poor sole i guess. Perfect polish, yes indeed, being shiny is considered a matter of order in our army. Dusty boots are a good excuse for being reported! On the other hand, i guess the British army has built a boot of comfort, a part of a pro army that gets the most out of it in the short term. Well, Arvyla is only being used by reserves, it is quite uncommon to see military personel wearing the arvyla, however some do like them.

P.S.: I am still wearing the arvyla that i was using during my training in special forces back in 2010 ! They just never die! It is the most durable boot that i have ever met!

[wtfhellas]

used them for hunting duck, pig, farm work and all they needed was a bit of washing and polishing. 12 years and no problems for my greek arvyla 15 years and going

[kevinkapitan]

I love my Czechoslovakian vz 60 combat boots
Best boots i ever had, about the stiff leather is only cause of the animal
my boots were soft when I bought them and after break in just so comfartable
they are long lasting easy to polish they have really good sole, they have flat strong cotton laces
And really good in snow only one thing is that they are full leather and rubber sole so no fabric Inside
10/10 Best boots 👍

[imppu]

Are the greek boots in video made by manufacturer pyrgos?

[TOURLADAIOS]

I have 2 pair of greek arvylas since 2001. I use till today only the one pair once or two times a week and it is like new. The second pair is still into the box brand new. I ll give to my son one day! Haha

[desantos]

yeah I found the leather on the CS95 boots to be grainy which meant you had to paste on the polish to get a good shine.

that's happened with a few of my boots and because I have to put on so much polish, they crack at the toe caps