What brand of work boots?

[curtis rosche]

What kind of work boots do you use? I currently have worn through a pair of redwings, and I'm looking at some Danner work boots. But before I drop the cash on them, what other brands are good?

[Roger Rettenmeier]

Danner has treated me well. I have a couple pair. One is a mid weight hiker, the other is a heavier hunting boot.

Many years ago when I was working contract forest work, someone broke into my camper and stole a pair of logger boots. I used my pair of the hunting(Canadian style?) Danners for work for a few months while they were on the one year warranty. Anyway, through the scree, blow down, and 8 - 10 hour day use, I blew out some stitches, and broke some air bobs off of the sole. I returned them because of the stitches, and got about 90% discounted toward a new pair of Danners. When I sent them a thank you note, explaining what had happened and the abuse I had put the boots through, they sent me a hat and t shirt. I currently have some Danners, Hoffman caulk pacs, and leathers.

[DOUG ANGEL]

That depends on the work that you do and what the company you work for requires, or if self employed, what you require to keep your feet safe. When I worked for Boeing , they gave us a $50 voucher a for Redwings. I wore out two pair over the years, Redwing work boots suck, just generally uncomfortable and clunky. There is a good selection at http://www.sheplers.com. That's where I ended up when I needed new work boots.

[Brian Elfert]

I don't wear work boots for my paying job. However, I wear work boots whenever I am working on projects at home. I am currently wearing Thorogood (spelling?) work boots and they are still Made in the USA. I like them. I was wearing some China made Red Wing work boots, but they didn't last long at all.

[curtis rosche]

I drive truck and install swingsets in all conditions. Rain or shine,, the toes and soles have worn out of my redwings. This summer I'll be driving a Pete 379. And I need the higher ankle for support walking through customers yard with heavy weight. I don't need a steel toe but it's nice to have when you need to kick somethig. And they gotta be great to wear for 18hour days

[Frederick Skelly]

Redwings are my first choice for work boots. My last pair held up for years, with re-soling.

[Moses Yoder]

I bought a pair of Danner hiking boots to go to Isle ROyal. I love those things. I try to spare them a little so they last many years so I dont normally wear them for work but if you needed a good tough work boot to be warm and comfortable in with all sorts of weather those would be it. I wear Sketchers tennis shoes to work on a cement floor all day, I use an insole, and my feet feel fine at the end of the day. They would not be even close to water proof.

I think a work boot is something you just have to plan on replacing every couple years, they get put through the mill.

Okay, I shilled Danner, now where is my T-shirt and hat?

[Justin Ludwig]

Nike Combat boots. Wearing a size 14, I look for boots/shoes that are light in weight yet durable. I've had my Nike boots since Dec 2010 and they're still holding up rather well. I wear them in and out of uniform.

[Joe Kieve]

The company I used to work for gave us $100 voucher for steel toed shoes, any style, just had to be steel toed. I found a pair of Rockports at a local shoe store and I love 'em! They're light-weight, comfortable, good looking and only cost me $25 out of pocket.

[greg Forster]

My workboot of choice the last 6 years is Chippewa #25220 (made in America); I wear workboots on the job(GC construction supt) and 90% of the time when I'm home. It only takes
about 4-5 days to break in good, and I really like the "un-lugged" soles- don't pick up mud.

I've worn Redwings for a number of years- good boot and my favorite (out of production since the late '90s) was Carolina Boot with horsehide leather.

[Jerome Stanek]

I have worn Redwing for over 30 years the boots I have now are Irish Setters that are a Redwing boot. I would not recommend these to anybody as they have not held up at all I called reding and complained and they said they are only warranted for 6 months but the sole of one of them became unglued about 7 months in and the soles of both boots are worn pretty hard even though I now am retired and don't abuse them like the older Redwings.

[Brian Elfert]

I drive truck and install swingsets in all conditions. Rain or shine,, the toes and soles have worn out of my redwings. This summer I'll be driving a Pete 379. And I need the higher ankle for support walking through customers yard with heavy weight. I don't need a steel toe but it's nice to have when you need to kick somethig. And they gotta be great to wear for 18hour days

18 hour days?? How does your employer expect anyone to function properly with 4 to 5 hours of sleep per night?

[Paul McGaha]

I've always worn Redwings. I like them.

PHM

[Joe Tilson]

Wolverine boots do it for me, soft toed and steel toed.

[Shawn Pixley]

I used to wear Timberland top of the line Hiking boots circa 1982. I probably had 10,000+ miles on them. Back then, they made a superior boot. Now they are urban casual IMO. They finally died a year or two ago. I will get the Danner Mountain Light II GTX. I prefer strongly the all leather, one piece uppers even though they are heavier and less flexible. I broke my ankle a while back and hate it getting bumped, rolled, etc. when ascending or decending skree, etc...

i choose more leather and padding over lighter weight. I end up wearing the boots for both hiking and heavy work where I want foot protection. My paying job is in an office, so they don't get worn every day. At home, I am generally barefoot (even in the shop unless working with hot metal).

[Alan Bienlein]

I wear the red wing pull on boots. Best boots I ever owned. Comfortable from day one with no break in required and they last an easy two to three years in contruction.

[Scott Hackler]

Hands down the best work boots I've ever owned were Wesco Boots. They build boots to be worn in logging, lineman (what mine were) and rancher style (the last pair I bought). They are 2-3x more expensive that Redwings and take a good week or more to fully break in, but in each of 3 cases the boots lasted 4-5 years. I would have them resoled after about 2 years. I would put them on in the morning and wouldn't take them of until late evening. Very comfy (after the terrible break in period) and worth the $$. Sadly the last time I needed boots, I just made a major purchase and went cheep on some Carolina boots from Sportsmansguide. The quality isn't even close, but surprisingly they are holding up well after 6-7 months. Not anywhere close to Wesco, but at $89 they were less than 1/3 the price...so...


If it weren't for the fact that I may be changing professions in the next year or so, I would order another pair of Wesco Boots.

[Joe Mioux]

Danner's ... I have been wearing various Danner boots for work since the mid 1990's. Prior to that I wore Redwings. The redwings wore out quick for me.

[Jim Koepke]

My experience is with Redwings. Most of mine were bought as factory seconds at half price.

A friend was in the medical profession. He spends a lot of time on his feet and likes Chippewa shoes.

Sears and many others sell a 'work shoe' at a reasonable price. They do not tend to have a long life.

jtk

[Ken Fitzgerald]

All the loggers and outfitters in the area swear by White's Boots. Here's a link: http://www.whitesboots.com/ I'm told they are expensive!

[Leigh Betsch]

I have a friend that swears by White smokejumpers. He's worn them for years but they look to me like they would be very uncomfortable. I've worn Mendle hunting boots from Cabelas for years, they seam to wear quickly but always stay comfortable, but that's for hunting and walking not working and standing. I guess it would depend on how you work is, on concrete, driving a truck, or fighting forest fires....

[Roger Rettenmeier]

That is it, what are the boots for? I have about as many pairs of boots as a supermodel has heels. Light, medium and heavy hikers, caulk leathers,caulk pacs, hunting boots, loggers with vibram soles, etc. I have owned the White Loggers, and they lasted well enough, but still need a rebuild after a while. I get the same bang for my dollar from Hoffman, or Danner.
I worked in a shop one winter on a concrete floor... did not have the right footwear!

[curtis rosche]

18 hour days?? How does your employer expect anyone to function properly with 4 to 5 hours of sleep per night?

18hrs is on the long days. Like a run to Long Island NY we will leave at 3am, get there around 7ish and work till 7 or 9 some times. Then get up the next day and start at 7, probably get home around 5-6. Then go the next day between 3-5am again

[curtis rosche]

I have worn Redwing for over 30 years the boots I have now are Irish Setters that are a Redwing boot. I would not recommend these to anybody as they have not held up at all I called reding and complained and they said they are only warranted for 6 months but the sole of one of them became unglued about 7 months in and the soles of both boots are worn pretty hard even though I now am retired and don't abuse them like the older Redwings.

i have a pair of these now and they've held up well. A few months doing concrete work on hands and knees, and my current job for three years. But I've worn through the soles, the stitching is losing it's battle, and the leather is beginning to wear through

[curtis rosche]

So it sounds like the general consensus is that Danner work boots are well worth the price and too quality. And everyone else just doesn't do enough work on their feet:D

[Malcolm Schweizer]

I have two classes of work boots: Daily workers, and s--- kickers. Daily work boots are your go-to's and the other are when you know you are going to get muddy, covered in fiberglass, paint, or other time when you want a pair that you don't mind ruining.

Daily workers- Tony Lama makes great lace-up boots. http://www.bootbarn.com/Tony-Lama-Men%27s-TLX-Western-Work-Boots/1009366,default,pd.html

S Kickers- Craftsman makes a really good boot that is priced low.

[Mac McQuinn]

I bought a pair of toe cap boots from "L.L. Bean" in........ 1991. After (2) resoles and a couple pair of innersoles, I'm still wearing them. I believe these were made by Chippewa back then, USA of course. Recently found a great non-toxic polish which has removed (10) years in their appearance and made the old leather more pliable. Still get compliments on them.
Mac

[Larry Edgerton]

I wore American Made Red Wing Irish Setters for 30 years but the price made me look around. They were about $70 when I bought my first pair, last pair was $240 and I wore out two pair a year.

So........

I bought all kind of boots looking for a good alternative that was affordable, or maybe I should say justifiable. I settled on army boots from Belleville Boot, made in Indiana. I use their desert boots in the summer and their mountain boots in the winter, and both pair cost me less than one pair of Red Wings.

First. let me say that combat boots are not like your fathers combat boots. They are high tech footwear, and do not even look like what one might expect. The desert boots are light, very light and breath better than any boots I have ever had, and as a bonus they will out wear a pair of Red wings by a factor of four. Traction is very good but wears well and has great traction under all conditions. Comfort is actually better than the Irish Setters.

The cold weather boots are very light as well, and have all the same good qualities as the summer boots but do track in a bit more dirt. Very warm, very waterproof, and again very comfortable.

Prices for the summer boots are about $115, winter boots a bit more. They make a training boot that is extremely light that I am going to try for walking in the woods.

I do keep a set of Irish Setters around for working on roofs, that white wedge sole is the best I have used, and so just a bit safer as well as having a tread design that does not tear up shingles.

Like Mac, I too live in Michigan with our sloppy winters, so I keep a selection of Bean Boots an hand as well. Have been wearing their boots for over 40 years. They wear like iron, hence the lifetime warranty.

Larry

[Steve Rozmiarek]

Late as always...

I'm a Redwing guy. I don't know which ones I have, but they are the full height upper with the clearish soles. I can get two years of hard use out of a pair before I wear through the soles. I wear them every day for 14-16 hours per day, and they don't get pampered. Have tried Tony Lama, Gerogia, Danner, Cabelas, and several others and I keep coming back.

That all being said, every pair I buy is more expensive than the last by a noticeable amount, and I have wondered about switching. Good to hear the feedback from you guys.