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View Full Version : Boots....a long term test



John Coloccia
11-29-2010, 8:22 AM
Three or four years ago, when I first moved back to the east coast, I had to pick up a couple of good sets of boots. If you have a wide foot, let me tell you....comfortable boots are HARD to find. I can find some stuff at places like Eastern Mountain Sports, but they fall apart on me in 6 months. Extremely poor value IMHO.

Anyhow, I just needed some boots, and I needed them NOW. I hopped over to my friendly neighborhood Walmart, and found these cheap boots called Brahmas. So cheap, in fact, that I picked up two pair....one comfy pair, and one slightly less comfy but waterproof pair. I figured that if I get a few months out of them, that'll get me through the winter and I wouldn't have to go on a Decent Boot Safari until next year, the procrastinator that I am. Did I mention they were very comfortable?

And they still are, years later. They're in GREAT shape and show no signs of wearing out anytime soon. In fact, other than a couple of pairs of nice shoes I have, these are the only footwear in recent memory that have outlived a set of laces. Several times, in fact.

So every now and then Walmart and/or one of their suppliers gets it right. I planned on going in there to get a cheap set of throwaway boots and came out with what are easily the best value in boots I've ever seen, and quite possibly the best boots I've ever owned.

Just an FYI for anyone boot hunting for the winter.

David Weaver
11-29-2010, 8:29 AM
Boots have been killed by cheapest source manufacturing, just like everything else. I'm in your camp now, I expect nothing to last that long and just buy comfortable and cheap. When they last a long time, it's a treat. When they don't, you still get what you paid for.

I went into a local sportsman's shop here to get danner boots "before they stop making them in the US". They had a bunch of danner boots, but only one pair was domestic manufacture. Danner probably still makes them in the US, but I didn't find them in my local store. They were still $250-$300 despite the fact that they were IIRC far-eastern origin.

If that store was still open, I'd bet they'd have none made in the US. The little details that go into things count. when I know they're all correct, I'll glady pay the price. If I can't tell if they are.... no way.

(I've been wearing a cheap pair of sportsman's guide house brand boots for a while now and am perfectly happy with them)

Bryan Morgan
11-29-2010, 1:26 PM
I've been happy with my Wolverine and Magnum boots. I've had them for years.

Jim Koepke
11-29-2010, 2:28 PM
Red Wing shoes are still made in America.

Some are very comfortable.

I like safety toes in my shoes.

There are also many outlets of Red Wing factory seconds. My understanding from the last time I bought some of these is that they cannot be displayed in the same store as the full price product.

The full price product comes with a guarantee. The seconds do not.

I have never had a problem with my Red Wings. The store I used to buy from was an independent and also did shoe repairs.

If a shoe is worth repairing, then it is likely worth buying in the first place.

One of the pairs of boots I bought at Red Wing when I first started working at a place that required safety shoes. At that time I wore then almost every work day for a few years. They are still in my shoe selection. So are all the other pairs of shoes I bought at Red Wing.

jtk

Dave Ogren
11-29-2010, 3:38 PM
Another vote for Red Wing. When I figured cost per month Red Wing was the big winner for me. I am on my feet a lot, in the woods and on concrete. The quality of the sole is important to me. And Oh! I weigh over 200 lbs.

Good Luck,

Dave

glenn bradley
11-29-2010, 4:26 PM
I had worn Clarke shoes since college until they went to pot (the price stayed high, the quality just left town). Knapp and Red Wing boots seem to hang in there along with a pair of Columbia's I've had since the early 90's; that's value.

alex grams
11-29-2010, 5:27 PM
Red Wings 1132. On my second pair, and only because I outgrew the first pair by about half a size from my freshman year in college. I just had the second pair resoled after about 7 years and they are as good as new.

Jerome Stanek
11-29-2010, 5:34 PM
I am very hard on boots I like Red Wing steel toe 6 inch I can get about a year out of them and then have them resoled. I can get 3 to 4 years altogether.

Paul McGaha
11-29-2010, 8:28 PM
I like Red Wings.

My mom bought me my first pair a long time ago. About 35 years.

When I was in the field a pair would last a year or two depending on which jobs you are working on. As I've gotten older and more in the office now a pair will last several years. Current pair at least 5 years old.

I've found that both mud and thread cutting oil are very hard on the boots.

Sometimes I give one of my sons a pair for Christmas or Birthday. A very practical gift.

PHM

Ed Kilburn
11-29-2010, 11:22 PM
I've got a pair of Limmer stock boots, they are made in Germany to the Limmer specs. They also make custom boots to fit your feet right here in the USA. I went to their shop to pick mine up to be sure of the fit. Not cheep but the best made boots I ever owned. I've got some pics of the shop, and will try to post them tomorrow.
http://www.limmerboot.com (http://www.limmerboot.com/)

Dave Lehnert
11-30-2010, 12:48 AM
My friend was a nothing but Redwing guy. Would only get a year out of them. Like the OP. He got a pair at Walmart cheap and gets 2 or 3 years out of them.
I got a pair of boots at Shoe Carnival brand name Beaver Creek. I worked on blacktop and got 4 years out of them. The tops were still good but wore the soles down on them.

tyler mckee
11-30-2010, 12:57 AM
ive got danners now and so far they are the best boot ive ever had, got around 2 years on them and they are just starting to get my feet slightly damp if im standing in water up to my ankles. I run heavy construction equipment so some days i might be standing in mud and water for 10 hours a day and my feet are always dry warm and toasty. i hose the mud off everynight, dry them with a fan not heat, and oil them every month or two. First pair i had the sole started to come unglued within the second month of owing them, so i sent them back and around 3 days after i shipped them out i had a new pair sitting at my door. $300 for a pair but worth it to me.

Chuck Saunders
11-30-2010, 8:25 AM
I wear a 12 5E and I have not found much in the way of shoes. Hitchcock is about my only source. I am tempted to get a pair of D.H. White boots made.

Rick Moyer
11-30-2010, 8:54 AM
I wear a 12 5E and I have not found much in the way of shoes. Hitchcock is about my only source. I am tempted to get a pair of D.H. White boots made.

Wow, you could put a motor on the back of those and go bass fishing!:D

Jeremy Brant
11-30-2010, 10:06 AM
Red Wing shoes are still made in America.



Sorry to say, not true anymore either. Most of their lower end models, and some of their higher end models are now made overseas. I bought mine last Feb for work (8" insulated waterproof steeltoe) and they are made in China. According to the store rep, this has been ongoing for a few years, although they claim that they are made to the same quality standard requirements as when they were made in the US.

I've also got a pair of Danner Canadians that I use when hunting, still made in the US. If you go to the Danner webpage, go to boots, under Features you can sort by Made in the US. Seems that they have a few longtime standards still made here, then everything they can sell to the military (military buys US only when possible).

Brian Kent
11-30-2010, 11:20 AM
The Red Wing Boots made in China are called "Worx". I just paid the extra $60 to buy American made Red Wing boots instead of their Worx sub-brand. I did it for the "made in America" and because it was regular Red Wings that got such great reviews here. I can't report on longevity, but I will say that I got through some heavy outdoor work without the foot pain that I had before.

John Coloccia
11-30-2010, 11:25 AM
Just FYI: I didn't mean to make it seem like no one makes a decent boot anymore. I was more just posting that I was very pleasantly surprised at the high quality I got from what I considered to be a "throwaway" boot. Really great value.

re: danders
I had a pair of those. They fell apart on me too. It must have something to do with the shape of my foot. It's not terribly large (10 1/2 EEE) but I demolish everything I wear except for a handful of brands and styles that I've learned to stick to over the years.

Dave Lehnert
11-30-2010, 12:36 PM
LL Bean still make a boot in Maine.

http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/31179?from=SR&feat=sr

A few years ago I got a pair of boots from TSC. They were Georgia boot brand. They held up well and were USA made but know not all that brand are made here. They were only like $60 at the time.

Connie Gill
11-30-2010, 11:17 PM
If you want a good boot try White's Boots- ask any one who in the west on fire crews, cowboys, etc. They are still handmade in Spokane, WA and they will last forever. I own a pair of what is classified as loggers...they are work boots so nothing pretty but I have hiked miles in my Whites. The company will also rebuild them for you at about 1/2 the price of new (new soles, welts, etc.) Unless you totally trash them you can get about 2 rebuilds before you need to replace them but you won't find a better boot. I got mine for Christmas about 10 years ago and still have not had to rebuild them. And, no I am not into sales for Whites....:D

Dave Lehnert
12-01-2010, 1:41 PM
If you want a good boot try White's Boots- ask any one who in the west on fire crews, cowboys, etc. They are still handmade in Spokane, WA and they will last forever. I own a pair of what is classified as loggers...they are work boots so nothing pretty but I have hiked miles in my Whites. The company will also rebuild them for you at about 1/2 the price of new (new soles, welts, etc.) Unless you totally trash them you can get about 2 rebuilds before you need to replace them but you won't find a better boot. I got mine for Christmas about 10 years ago and still have not had to rebuild them. And, no I am not into sales for Whites....:D


I thought Red Wings were expensive. :eek:

Connie Gill
12-01-2010, 10:03 PM
Oh they are a little spendy but when you factor in the years of use it really isn't that bad and they are so comfortable on top of the quality. They actually have a less expensive line of boots called Hathorn's - the difference is slight (mostly stitching and actual build) but they are a good boot also.

Brian J. Williams
12-01-2010, 11:59 PM
I've worn White's logger/smokejumpers for 30 years. I have one pair that's older than my 21-year-old-daughter (they're almost 28 years old). My main pair has been re-built twice. I'm an engineer who rappels off of dams, cliffs, etc. dealing with rockfall and slope stabilization, and I wouldn't wear anything but White's for what I do. (I started out using Redwings, but I'd wear out a pair in 6 months.) I think a new pair of 10-inch smokejumpers is about $475.00 a copy, but man are they worth it.

The one caveat (I bet Connie agrees) is that the first time you put on a new pair (or a rebuilt pair), they'll hurt like heck for a week or so, bu t then they fit well and will LAST.

Jason Roehl
12-02-2010, 8:56 AM
I've been wearing Caterpillar boots for probably a dozen years or so now. For about $60-70, I get a pretty comfortable pair of leather (faux?), steel-toed boots that last me at least 3 years getting worn 6 days a week normally. I replace them when the (pretty thick) treads wear out. I don't think I'd want boots with treads that last longer, either, because that would mean a harder rubber compound with less grip.

My painter colleagues always give me a funny look when they realize I wear a heavy boot, but I'm also not as quick to complain about standing on a ladder all day as they are in their white tennis shoes.

Joe Chritz
12-02-2010, 5:58 PM
Even more fun than trying to get good boots is to get good boots that are only black.

I have settled on Danner Arcadia's and the Belleville Military boots.

I have two pair of the Arcadia's that are on their second set of soles each and one is due for another. The Danner's had a rough break in week but they have been stellar after that.

Joe

Rory Talkington
12-06-2010, 2:59 AM
Greetings all,

I work at White's Boots. I can vouch for their quality, durability, ruggedness, and longevity. I would be glad to answer any footwear questions for fellow Creekers.

http://www.whitesboots.com/

Cheers, Rory

Larry Edgerton
12-06-2010, 6:25 AM
Sorry to say, not true anymore either. Most of their lower end models, and some of their higher end models are now made overseas. I bought mine last Feb for work (8" insulated waterproof steeltoe) and they are made in China. According to the store rep, this has been ongoing for a few years, although they claim that they are made to the same quality standard requirements as when they were made in the US.

I've also got a pair of Danner Canadians that I use when hunting, still made in the US. If you go to the Danner webpage, go to boots, under Features you can sort by Made in the US. Seems that they have a few longtime standards still made here, then everything they can sell to the military (military buys US only when possible).

They sold out the "Irish Setter" name, and those are all Chinese crap. They did not continue to make them the same way, for example the boots I have worn ever came up with a new seam at mid sole.

But.... I wandered into a real boot store in Jackson Michigan and found that although they are no longer called "Irish Setters" the same boot is still made in the USA, with just the Red Wing name. They are the same quality as before, and are now up to $200. I wear out a pair a year working, so that works out to about .25 cents a day with one resoling. I am worth that much to be comfortable and safe. I use the ones with the flat white soles that wear fast but provide great traction for my work conditions. Worth the tradeoff.

My brother uses Wolverines that are made in Michigan. He too lives in boots and gets about a year out of a pair.

Chuck Saunders
12-06-2010, 8:34 AM
Wow, you could put a motor on the back of those and go bass fishing!:D
Not necessary, I just stand there on the waters surface and fish, or ski if it is a big fish.:D

Jeremy Brant
12-06-2010, 3:44 PM
The Red Wing Boots made in China are called "Worx". I just paid the extra $60 to buy American made Red Wing boots instead of their Worx sub-brand. I did it for the "made in America" and because it was regular Red Wings that got such great reviews here. I can't report on longevity, but I will say that I got through some heavy outdoor work without the foot pain that I had before.

I saw the Worx models, and they were made with lighter construction that were not resolable, although seemed to be ok other than that. The Chinese Red Wings I bought were not 'Worx' branded though. They were just under $200 if I remember right, and were sold as Red Wing. I realize there's a stigma over being made in China, but I could try them on in a store and I can't say that I've had a single problem with them in 10 months of daily wear. I really wanted to buy Danner's based on how much I like my hunting boots, but didn't want to play the exchange game to find steel toe boots that fit by mail order. In either case, the Danners that met my criteria (waterproof, 8" boots, brown) were all imported as well.