2218 vs 2268 sizing ?

[Vintagestyle]

Do you know how Red Wing 2218 logger / firefighter size Vs 2268 engineer boots ?
I have the feeling they size larger than the 2268 as if 10D 2218 size like 10,5D 2268 , did you notice the same thing ?

 

[Bfd70]

I have not worn the 2218 but i have two pair of 2233 which appear as if they might use the same last. I also have a pair of 2268. I am the same size in both. The only RW where my sizing changes is the iron rangers where i go down a 1/2 size. 10.5 US in most all athletic shoes. 9.5 in RW. 42-44 European.

 

[Vintagestyle]

It seems the 2218 really size bigger than 2268, cause the ones i got in 10,5 size bigger than the 2268 i finaly received .
I received the 2218 first , so i was not sure although they seemed quite big and i didn't remember the 2268 i had tried sized as big and since i had both to compare , they don't.
I had to send back some 2268 that really had a bad leather or other defects , i suppose they had a batch in which quite a few were not well made although i was finaly sent a pair that was ok.
On the 2218 , the soles are not cut symetricaly on each , one has a larger sole that has not been trimmed like the other.
I have the feeling the quality is not anymore what it was in the past ,especialy the quality control and the leather they use can vary much in quality from a pair to another ( although the 2218 leather is ok ) , with often some loose grain leather

 

[Bfd70]

That has not been my experience.

 

[Vintagestyle]

Maybe i was particularly unlucky several times , especialy with the 2268's !
2 i did receive through internet ( the second was a replacement of the first one so i sent it back as well and was refund ) , 2 through a shop which had ordered them ( one was refund and the other was finaly replaced with one without problem ).
I got one pair with loose grain leather that was noticeable in a quite big area on each boot where you bent the foot , only when i was bending the feet otherwise the leather seemed fine just looking at them while not wearing them.
Another had a problem of thickness of the leather inside the boot at the edge of the steel toe in one boot, the leather was particularly thin and i could really feel the edge of the steel toe unlike on all the other boots ( and i was also fearing the leather might wear and get cut by thr steel toe , leaving it directly in contact with my foot ) .
Another one had a 0,7 cm spot ( not flat like a circle but in 3D ) on the leather just above the steel toe ( wouldn't have minded if it was not that obvious but in an area where it might have not be seen that easily) , which was a defect, like a big spot on the nose and the steel toes were really noticeable , really poking out of the leather as it was not thick enough ( thinner than all the other pairs ) and maybe the leather had too much tension applied as well in this area .
Another one had an obvious loose leather grain on the top of the vamp like a really nasty stretch mark on the skin of some woman .
3/4 of them had assymetrical outsoles cutting / trimming, more or less obvious and more or less trimmed on each boot .
I had posted several pictures of all that and some people here told me i should send them back or were asking if they had been sold as factory second whereas they were sold at regular full price .
Then i finaly had one pair that was ok although it is sizing slightly less large than the others but i was so fed up aboit all that , so i kept them hoping they will be large enough when i walk with them in the street, as i only tried them inside home for the moment .

On the 2218 , you can really see how the outsoles are not trimmed symetricaly on both shoes, especialy one has a quite larger outsole , like 2-3 mm difference with the other shoe which has been trimmed more ( closer to the stitch ) and it is quite obvious when seen in front of you in real life ( but even on picture you can see that already).

 

[Woodtroll]

On the 2218 , you can really see how the outsoles are not trimmed symetricaly on both shoes, especialy one has a quite larger outsole , like 2-3 mm difference with the other shoe which has been trimmed more ( closer to the stitch ) and it is quite obvious when seen in front of you in real life ( but even on picture you can see that already).

I'm not sure how Red Wing is marketing the engineer boots, since they appear to be targeted to the European market. But in "real life", as you say, the 2218 is in fact a work boot and is sold as such. The target market cares whether the boot is durable and solid, not that the contour is a little off. After a month's honest use as the boot is intended for, you'll never notice any such defect. To compare it to a thousand-dollar "work" boot meant to be polished and pampered its whole urban life is hardly fair.

 

[Bfd70]

^that’s a very good point.