Engineer Boots, Harness Boots...

[GriffDeLaGriff]

I agree.

It does however matter a little bit on how you look at it.

From my point of view, it has been 14 days, but there is a note that he didnt get the paypal payment until the 7:th. I dont know enough about paypal to know if this happens, but considering it could be right and then adding the weekends, this is just day 7 :eusa_doh:

So I gave him a last message to answer me with something concrete

 

[sasquatch]

You also might look into http://www.danner.com/home.do They are a little pricey for a non-custom boot, but are top notch for fit, comfort and durability. I have an insulated pair of Rainforests that have lasted 6 years and counting(need to be resoled).

For me, summer riding I have a pair of Double H, pull on square toe I use. For the winter I split between the Danners, http://www.danner.com/product/boots/rain+forest+mens-womens+insulated+work+boots.do, and a pair of Carolina lace-to-toe loggers, http://www.carolinashoe.com/item.asp?ItemID=CA8824.

 

[GriffDeLaGriff]

Just a small note that DOH! they were out of the boots and the money has been refunded.

Bah, went all over town today and couldnt find any nice enginner boots, apart from some CAT but they werent up to snuff imho. I did find some frys and redwing but they both have that "modern"? white sole that looks kinda gay if i am allowed to say so. Search goes on.


(note - im not against gays, i have some gays friends and they are cool, its just that im not gay myself so therefore id like a black sole....)

 

[celtic]

Griff,

FWIW, the white sole has a function (albeit probably not for most people).

Up until they became 'trendy' and became more prevalent, they been mainly used by farmers and workmen who would walk through muck, dirt, grease, oil, etc..but then have to wear the boots inside. The white sole allows a person a very quick way of knowing if they have muck or oil on the bottom of their boots whereas black soles hide this fact. Think about a plumber or a repairman stepping into your home to fix something - he might have white sole boots so he could make sure he wasn't going to track grease or mud all over your carpet.

Since these white soles were first used by farmers and workmen, I would not consider them in the least bit "gay".

On the other hand, I do think they look odd on certain boots.

 

[GriffDeLaGriff]

Thank you for that information. Kinda cool.

I was kidding when I said gay....I just mean it looks wierd, and also that alot of female boots here (that are modern now, like ugg) have that same sole.

 

[JLStorm]

I have quite a few pairs of engineer and logger / lineman boots by Chippewa, Frye, and Red Wing. I dont particularly care whats in style, if I like it, I wear it. I wore these boots for years in the field all over the world in both nice and inhospitable climates and situations. What I can say from personal observation is that Chippewa boots cant hold a candle to Fye or Red Wing, not even the Chippewa's made in the USA. Perhaps they could once, but I have owned 5 pairs over the last 15 years and I am simply unimpressed. Their leather is much thinner, their components are much less supportive and much more cheaply made and just simply not designed to last through any wear that isnt purely for fashion.

Frye engineering boots are very light weight and flexible and feel almost like wearing a pair of sneakers. They are cut with much closer tolerances to the foot and I would imagine someone with a foot a little too wide for a normal width, but not quite wide, would be hard pressed to fit in their normal width boots. They are great to wear, but dont have a ton of padding in the sole.

Red Wing boots are great. The only complaint I have about Red Wings is that they dont offer a service similar to wesco to refurbish their boots for a fee. Other than that, I have not complaints. In fact their lineman boots are the only boots I can wear all day long without orthopedic foot insoles on any hard surface. They are the ONLY boots I can wear on a site that has very thick concrete, such as a secure government installation with thicker than normal concrete floors. You would think that 6" of concrete would be just as hard to stand on as 6 feet, but its not and Red Wing lineman boots are very comfortable on both. This is more than I can say for any other brand that I have tried.

The only companies that I would put against Red Wing are Wesco and White's. I would hope that Wesco and Whites are better, as they cost significantly more, but I cant speak from experience.

As far as finding a specific pair of red wing boots, if there is a red wing shoe store anywhere near you ask them to order that pair in, if you dont like them, you are under no obligation to buy. Also talk to the manager, generally they will give you 10%+ off if you even hint that you can find them cheaper somewhere else.

 

[Jay]

I've been thinking about getting a pair of these babies:

http://www.thefryecompany.com/Product-Men-Boots-Short%20Shaft-87825DBN.aspx

They seem pretty good, especially since they have the low-profile soles I've been looking for and they come in brown. I had a pair of the Chippewas in brown but not only was the "distressed leather" that split-grain roughout stuff that would never take a shine but the buckles broke within 2 years. But I suppose you get what you pay for.

 

[marineabilly]

CHIPPEWA vs RED WING 2268

How do the Chippewa and Red Wing engineer boots compare in quality? The Red Wings are $280 and the Chippewas are more than a $100 less.

I've read that Chippewa is currently having some QC issues, though.

Any experiences with both brands?

I own a plethora of engineer boots ranging from about $100 to almost $1,000 and I have to say that my favorites will always be my Chippewa's. They are comfortable, light, wear out well and look really good. I've owned two different pairs of Red Wing 2268's over the years and they both ended up on eBay. Although, I think the 2268's have an attractive profile, they are a bit bulky and have marking soles. If you have hardwood or tile floors, they'll get marked up. I'd sooner get rid of my $900+ Real McCoy's Buco boots before my $150 Chippewas.

Just a few of my boots L to R: Chippewa, Buco, 1940's Chippewa, Beck and Frye.

My Engineer Boots Blog: http://vintageengineerboots.blogspot.com/

 

[Griemersma]

Frye Boots

Marineabilly,

Are those red-brown Frye's in the front the "Brando" boots? If so, what's your opinion of them, as far as comfort, durability, etc? I've been considering getting a pair. Love that color. I don't actually own a motorcycle, so not having the steel-toe isn't that much of an issue for me.

Daniel Hunter,

Did you receive your Rogan's yet? I actually got to try some of those on the other day-- super comfortable. They were the beat-up, pre-distressed leather though. They looked authentic, but I would just rather add the wear myself, you know?
What is the leather like on yours-- does it have a bit of shine to it, or are they more matte? The pictures I've seen of brown Rogans all look totally different.

The new Red Wing 2991 looks pretty good:

http://www.volls.de/index.php?cat=RED_WING_SHOES&lang=ENG&product=RW-2991&sidVOLLS=5772942574144ab801183f5b5b4a79f9

 

[GriffDeLaGriff]

Personally, I dont like the low front profile of the Chippewas and some Fryes.

The new redwing is said to be more comfortable, but I really like the higher heel on the 2268´s

I saw 2 different Fryes today, one greyish black/vintage black and one brown. They both had more of a fuller toe, one had full heel and one had low profile heel. They did look excellent irl tho, but they only had small sizes.
They looked alot better then the black one, I think it might be because they use contrast stitching and you can see how nicely made they are. It changed my perception on that brand. I might have gotten a pair today if they had my size.

Home again I ordered a coupple of 2268 from a local dealer, its gonna be almost $180 more then the ebay deal, but Its gonna be easier to change if the size is incorrect. (free shipping when changing size)


I did also try on some of those white soled redwings today and they did feel kinda uncomfortable, but its impossible to say before break in.
The red ones look pretty good in the leather, but man I cant stand that white sole. There is no way they will hold as long as a toe and heel version that one can resole. This seems to me like a fashion item more then a real engineer boot. They dont have the steel toe either.

 

[Griemersma]

I agree about the front profile-- When it comes to Frye's, I like the fuller toe on the Rogan, but the leather on the Brando. I was also thinking that the heels looked a bit low on those Red Wings-- the soles look very similar to the ones they put on their Iron Ranger boots.

 

[South]

Why in the world does Red Wing not sell the 2268 boots in the US? They look like the classic example of Engineer boots. All they sell are some low-profile-heel versions on their "Lifestyle" web site under a "Heritage" line (the 2990, 2991 and 2992) and a less expensive lug soled Engineer boot (the 988).

Marineabilly, how did you get your 2268s in America?

 

[marineabilly]

Griemersma, they are the Brando's and the color is a tabaco shade. They are awesome. They are very comfortable and complement my traditional Engineers. They can be worn as a casual or even dress boot with uncuffed jeans. I've tried to sell them on eBay a couple of times, but ended up keeping them and am very happy I kept them. I think they have marking soles, but I've learned from the 2268's that I need to be careful when walking around my home (tiles/wooden floors).

South, I purchased my two 2268's on eBay over the years. That's the best place to get them at a really good price. Although, they aren't always on there. There have been quite a few over the past few weeks, though. Be careful that they aren't factory seconds, though.

 

[marineabilly]

BUCO ENGINEER BOOT UPDATE

I guess you can say I have a thing for engineer boots. Over the past 17 years, I've owned 20 pairs of engineer boots (give or take).

My newest pair with only about a week of wear are a pair of Japanese reprodction horsehide Buco boots. With shipping, service fee's, ect., I paid just shy of a $1,000 for them. My next pair in the shoot are going to be a pair of custom-made Wesco Boss' that will cost around $800.00. My contact at West Coast Shoes said he could link me up with their Japanese company to have horsehide WESCO's made - that's definitely an option and I'd love to try and have them reproduce the look of my old 1940's horsehide Engineers (below)

My newest pair of horsehide Buco's fresh from the Post Man

QUOTE]

Just a follow up on these boots. After about a year and a half of moderate wear (too many Engineers to develope any descent wear). The horsehide leather doesn't make the wear process any easier. I like to wear my Engineers with the top straps unbuckled just to be different:

 

[South]

Marineabilly - are all Red Wing 2268s steel toe? Is there a non-steel toe version of this boot?

By the way, your Chippewas on the left in your photo. About how old are they? Have you had any problems with buckles breaking on Chippewas?

Thanks again.

 

[marineabilly]

Marineabilly - are all Red Wing 2268s steel toe? Is there a non-steel toe version of this boot?

By the way, your Chippewas on the left in your photo. About how old are they? Have you had any problems with buckles breaking on Chippewas?

Thanks again.

South, as far as I know, all 2268's are steel toe. The Japanese market is really big on 2268's and they have many variations that we aren't fortunate to have, so they may have non-steel toes.

The only thing you can get that is close without steel toes are Work America boots. Like I said, I've sold both my 2268's in the past and now have my 2268 version from Work America (I will never get rid of them). They have the same look and feel of 2268's, but without the high price and steel toe. You can find them on eBay. In fact, there's a brand new size 9D on there right now with over 4 days left and a starting at $49.99. Here they are:

 

[marineabilly]

LONE WOLF ENGINEER BOOTS

Of course, one can always go all out and get a 2268 with all the flash... Lone Wolf Engineers for over $500.00. I just don't like how the buckles aren't shiny nickel or brass. I wonder if they can be buffed or shined.

 

[South]

Now, those are some snappy engineers!

 

[crismans]

As if I need another interest to spend my money on , I've really started getting interested in engineer/harness boots. I really like the look of some brown Frye harness boots that I've seen but I'm still shopping around right now.

Thanks for this helpful thread (although my wallet hates you).

 

[marineabilly]

LONE WOLF ENGINEER BOOTS - ARE THEY WORTH IT

In my opinion, Lone Wolf's are DEFINITELY worth it. Consider this. Red Wing 2268's can be had for around $200, give or take. They have marking soles, so you'll want to have them changed out. What better to have them replaced with than #705 soles. Better yet... how about double Cat's Paw soles. To have it done right, you'd have to send them to Hukurokuju to make them look like this. This will set you back over $300.00. That's well over what a pair of Lone Wolf's would cost you. You get the best of all worlds.