Feet Up! The Work Boot Thread

[Doublegun]

IR's have the WORST sole for snow/ice of any shoes/boots I have ever owned. Three words: slick as snot. Took mine to the cobbler and had him glue on some rubber soles with deeper tread. Problem solved.

 

[O-zone]

Iron Rangers are quite slippery on ice, but nowhere near as bad as the Beckman Gentleman Travelers. If I didn't know better, I'd swear the heels on those things are made of teflon! I've ruined two pairs of trousers after slipping hard on gravelly ice with them. Now, when we get the first snowfall over here, I tuck them into the very bottom of the cupboard so I'm not tempted to ever put them on in snowy/icy conditions.

As for suggestions, William Lennon boots, as suggested by Flat Foot Floey, are a good choice, as are White's Semi-Dress boots, even though they are pricey.

 

[jimmer_5]

My first Red Wings! Old dogs can learn new tricks!

This post got a little long and wordy, but I promise there are pictures at the end!

I am not too old yet, but my style has pretty much stabilized. The things I like have not changed much in the last 5-10 years, which has been kind of nice. I have never been a trendy, fashion-forward kind of person, I just like what I like.

There are a few disadvantages to being a man who appreciates high quality boots (jackets, belts, etc). You get a little bit spoiled as you get into the higher end items like White's, Wesco, RRL, William Lennon, and others. I have never been overly impressed excited by Chippewas (although lots of people love them), and I sort of lumped Red Wing in with them and ignored their products wholesale.

Recently, I started looking harder at some of Red Wing's Heritage products, which I simply assumed were just sloppily-made, overpriced, mid-range boots. Essentially, I thought they were overpriced Chippewas. However, a lot of people on this forum seem to like their stuff, so I started taking note.

I was out a few months back with my wife, and discovered that there was a Red Wing store right next to the large home furnishings store that my wife wanted to visit. So after we finished looking at lamps and other assorted sundries, I drug her over to the Red Wing store. I checked out the Iron Rangers and the Beckmans, and I was very surprised at the high level of quality I experienced. The leather was thick, the stitching was clean and straight. The seams were even triple stitched with a stylish white thread in the middle. I didn't buy anything, but I left the store feeling very different about Red Wing's products.

Then, a few weeks ago, we were in the same neighborhood, and I decided to stop in again and take a look at the Iron Rangers again. I liked them, but I wasn't really feeling the low heeled one-piece sole, so I gave them back. That's when my wife pointed out another pair that was on display in the middle of the store. They were 8 inch boots with a distressed leather and crepe soles - two things I really don't care for. I have shunned crepe soles for my entire life - I just never thought they looked good at all. However, to humor my wife (who thought these boots looked amazing), I went ahead and tried them on. They were the only pair in the store, and wouldn't you know, they were just my size.

To my surprise, I really liked them. My wife said something girly about how "cute" they looked, but she does have a better eye for fashion than I do, so I trusted her opinion. Mind you, this is the same woman who very staunchly believes that I have far too many boots and don't need another pair at all.

The best part? I asked them to do a price check, thinking they'd be too expensive and I'd just put them back and leave. The store manager got a surprised look and told me they were marked down to $129.

Sold. I feel like I stole them at that price.

So anyhow, I ended up with a new pair of Red Wings (that I used to think were subpar) with distressed leather (that has grown on my considerably) and crepe soles (that I still can't believe I like so much).

Go figure.....

The leather is very thick (including the tongue) and quite stiff, but it's breaking in nicely around the ankles. In spite of this, the crepe soles make the boots remarkably lightweight:

I love the triple stitching on these and the single line of contrasting white thread:

The fit is fairly narrow, but it's strangely perfect on my not-so-narrow feet. These are one of the few boots I own that make my size 13 feet look smaller.

 

[jimmer_5]

I should add that I have often made jokes (ad nauseum) about how "my wife will kill me", etc, etc. I need to be fair to her - my wife is probably the most patient person I know, particularly being married to a man with hobbies such as mine. She is an amazing, beautiful, tolerant woman, and I hope I have not maligned here in the things I post here.

Apparently, these were a special make-up for Nordstrom - Red Wing made a blog post about them, and their pictures are far better than mine:

http://blog.redwingheritage.com/2011/12/22/nordstrom-exclusive-red-wing-heritage-4563/

 

[Peacoat]

Nice boots, Jimmer. I have an identical pair, except for the sole. Red Wings are the only boots I buy anymore.

 

[St. Valentine]

Congrats Jimmer, $129 is a steal! I always thought Red Wings were far too expensive here in Germany (I still believe they ARE expensive) and were totally hiped by the fashion crowd. I even thought the crepe soles look silly. Meanwhile I own my third pair, go figure... I would be inclined to buy other US brands but thes are hard to get here and often at prices much above the RW´s price level.

 

[billyb]

Jimmer,

I used to wear only Red Wings until such a time when my feet started widening in the front. Now, not a single style of RedWings fit my feet. This is the only reason I went in search of a custom fit boot and came across the likes of White's Wesco, and Viberg.

In reality, I still believe that Red Wings offer the best value of any boot out there. Notice I said value not quality. Red Wings aren't White's. But at half the price for something out of the Red Wing Heritage line, you can't be the price for what you get.

With that said, I don't think I would go back to Red Wings even if they fit. I'm just spoiled by White's, Viberg, and Wesco at this point.

 

[ButteMT61]

Those look great. How 'bout some shots with jeans? I really like the look of those, but always was on the fence over the sole...maybe I was wrong.

 

[jimmer_5]

I will admit, I'm not necessarily bowled over by everything Red Wing makes, but the heritage collection surprised me with their construction and overall feel.

Billy, you're correct, they are not as good as a pair of White's, so there is a threshold of what I would spend on them. Particularly when you can get custom made White's or Wesco's for around $425-$450, custom made Nick's starting at $350, or Lennon's for around $250 including the high overseas shipping cost.

Still, they are very nicely made, and made in the USA means a lot to me.

 

[Bernhard BB]

red wings 8111

hi....
Is there made 2,,kind of sole on the Ranger boot,,,?

 

[St. Valentine]

No, the brown Iron Ranger has a brown Nitrile Cork sole and the black one a black Nitrile Cork sole.

 

[Bernhard BB]

Thanks... i cant understand how to show a photo here bot some ranger have this pattern sole? ,,with some yellow between? and some plane sole ??

http://www.redwingsbootshop.com/red-wings-boots-style-no-8111-iron-ranger-boot-amber-p-44.html

what kind is this so,,,, http://www.ebay.de/itm/271049546820?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649#ht_479wt_1432

Thanks
Bernhard

 

[Bernhard BB]

hi......... i think they pair from Ebay ,,,have some extra safe sole made ,,
so that way i didnt understand it..
Thanks
Regards
Bernhard

 

[St. Valentine]

The 8111´s on Ebay are resoled with the safety sole, it´s not original but as it seems RW will do that on request.
The Iron Rangers in the UK-shop I have never seen before. Regarding the very steep price this seems to be a limited edition
or something the like. [huh]

Edit: This is a Hong Kong based shop and stocks a lot of RW models I have never seen before. This in connection with the very high prices really puzzles me. Has anyone ever heard about them? Is this even legit?

 

[Pinesiw]

After a year of daily wear, now im hoping to get a pair of the 9011 GT's but im wondering how the soles will do on ICE considering how bad these IR's are on snow. Anybody have experience on ICE with the GT's?

 

[geezer]

I own the GTs and they are fantastic on snow & ice. I actually purchased them over the IRs because of the lug soles.

See this thread for more info, specifically post #9:

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/show...veler-Different-from-Wolverine-1000-Mile-Boot

 

[Pinesiw]

Thanks geezer, I needed a strait answer cause most reviews ive read over the GTs didnt specify how well they did on ice. I may be mistaken but I remember seeing somewhere that the lug soles of the GTs were made of cork. My impression was that its the cork that made the sole have a teflon like effect on ice. But any how, the GTs are beautiful and more affordable than what I would like to get.

 

[Jack Burton]

Wolverine Plainsman Horween work boots on clearance

Apparently these have been discontinued so they're half the price they used to be. Horween leather and American made. I'd say they fit true to size. Slightly wider than Red Wing though. If you're in the market for an actual workboot, check em out.

http://workboots.com/search?searchterm=plainsman

 

[Worf]

I've Redwings but chinese made ones. Whats a good semi-casaul workboot of good style and vintage to go along with all this leather I've acquired?

Worf

 

[Ishmael]

Alden (Indy, plain toe, or cap toe) and White's (Semi-dress or Bounty Hunter) are great places to start. You might have a look at what's available at Leffot, Epaulet, Unionmade and Leather Soul, just to see what floats your boat.