Feet Up! The Work Boot Thread

[Boyo]

You mean more like two million miles away? The Iron Ranger has much less rear curve than these shoes. Totally different profile.

Rudie,

If your interested in buying something similar to what you posted, you should look at "Whites semi dress boots"

 

[winterland1]

The Aero boots don't do much for me. Seem kind of plain, but that is what they are going for I assume.
Of course I love the White's. Not cheap though.

 

[frussell]

I like the look of the "narrow waist above the heel counter" boots, but I've found that unless your feet conform naturally to that shape, you could be in for some sore Achilles tendons. I find that most of my lace up boots tend to develop that look on their own after some good wear-in, especially if they fit right and the laces go high enough. I agree that the Aero offerings are a bit plain, and there's plenty of other brands with a similar look for less money. Frank.

 

[herringbonekid]

Rudie, If your interested in buying something similar to what you posted, you should look at "Whites semi dress boots"

also, if you want heavy but elegant check out Julian Imrie.

 

[handymike]

The Julian Imrie's are way cool!
Hey Boyo, how are those Road Champs breaking in?

 

[Boyo]

^^^ I'm not wearing them at the moment, but I probably get 3-4 wears per week on 'em. I'll get a pic or two up this weekend. but the quick re-cap is F'ing Great

 

[scrawlysteve]

I woulldn't be surprised to hear that Sanders is making them.

 

[Edward]

You mean more like two million miles away? The Iron Ranger has much less rear curve than these shoes. Totally different profile.

They lack that extreme curve at the heel, but so I suspect do most people's feet these days. I love the look of that extreme shape, but I'd be dubious as to whether my foot shape and (depending on how high they go!) swimmer's calves could cope with it!

It'd be nice to see Aero introduce some other models eventually, though I imagine they're starting out with one model to see if they can establish themselves as a footwear brand (seems sensible as a business model). Be interesting to see a pair in person.

I'm a fan of the claw-shape quick lavong hooks myself, though they can have their drawbacks with some trousers- I snagged a pair on some boots with that once and had to have the hem redone. Wouldn't put me off them, mind, but I can see thed advantage of the regular eyelets from that pov.

Looking again at the RedWing Beckman, these look like they have a lower toe profile by just a touch, and maybe a little bit straighter at the back, but it's hard to tell without seeing them beside each other, really.

 

[handymike]

I've tried on RW iron rangers, beckmans, Wolverine 1000mi, etc...
So far My top picks are the Wolverine 1000mi Krause in black, and the brown Beckman.

 

[Edward]

I've tried on RW iron rangers, beckmans, Wolverine 1000mi, etc...
So far My top picks are the Wolverine 1000mi Krause in black, and the brown Beckman.

I love my Red Wings. I'd like to buy more at the US prices- they are much cheaper over there. Wolverines look great too. I still want some Alden Indys, but those will definitely wait til I can buy them in the US. UK markup on them is criminal.

 

[Boyo]

Handymike, here's a photo of the Road Champs,


to me they have lived up to the hype, the build quality is pretty flawless, the leather is heavy and thick but the boots are super comfortable. I will admit that getting them off the first 20 times is a bitch, the right one was especially hard to get. I had to stop to catch my breath a few times while trying to pull them off

**I'll put a few more picks in the engineer boot thread

 

[bretron]

Just ordered these beauties, but with double leather soles

EDIT: thread bombing, sorry!

 

[Bunyip]

The boots are nice, but I don't get a very vintage vibe from them. Lots of similar looking boots available today. I wish they would make boots with a curvier rear and speed laces. Something like this:

I wonder why none of the makers bother to get the shape right when they claim to go for authentic vintage style.

To my rookie eye, that looks a lot like a Whites boots heel, also they have option for speed lacing...

 

[Bunyip]

Just ordered these beauties, but with double leather soles

http://i1227.photobucket.com/albums/ee437/Bretron/48F87727-873C-46FB-9A8C-E75B77A4EA57-7359-0000068EFC8AEE7D_zpsafff0fe4.

EDIT: thread bombing, sorry![/QUOTE]
yes yes yes yes yes

 

[Rudie]

I tend to disagree. To me it looks like a badly worn normal heel. Those Cuban heels don't do it for me. On lace-up shoes or boots (as opposed to cowboy boots) they always look like women's shoes to me.

 

[frussell]

If anyone is looking for a comfortable alternative to Iron Rangers, I just got a pair of LLBean (Chippewa) Katahdin Iron Works engineer boots that are excellent. I found I needed more arch support than the IR's provided, and these have it. Cap toe, comes in wide widths, and Chippewa boots are always very solidly made. Highly recommended. Frank

 

[Rick Blaine]

If anyone is looking for a comfortable alternative to Iron Rangers, I just got a pair of LLBean (Chippewa) Katahdin Iron Works engineer boots that are excellent. I found I needed more arch support than the IR's provided, and these have it. Cap toe, comes in wide widths, and Chippewa boots are always very solidly made. Highly recommended. Frank

:arated: Very nice boots!

 

[Pinesiw]

I find the IR's leather to be kinda stiff... Hows the leather on those chippewa katahdin boots? Are they just as stiff? They look alot softer

 

[frussell]

I've been breaking in cowboy boots my whole life, so I didn't notice the Iron Rangers being any more stiff than any other packer boot or ankle boot in general. The Chippewas are very solid, it's not thin leather. It is the "crazy horse" type of leather that has a high oil content, with more of a matte finish, and that tends to break in pretty quick. I have some 8" Chippewa work boots that I love, but they weren't much fun the first few wears. What I have noticed is that the soles, while semi-stiff like the Red Wings, aren't quite as rigid, and my feet are way more comfortable after a long day, due to the better arch and removeable insole. I liked the Red Wings, and thought they were really good looking boots, even preferred the color to the Katahdins, but the Chippewas win hands down on comfort, and I'm on my feet most of the day, so that's more important to me. I did notice that Chippewa sells a very IR/1000 mile reminiscent boot now called the Service boot, that comes in several colors and with or without a cap toe, great looking, but they stop one size below mine, which is a 14. The Katahdins also come in wider widths, which I like. Plus, they run $80 to $100 cheaper than Red Wings, which is a bonus. I'm very happy with them, after a 12 hour day. Frank.

 

[jimmer_5]

I am shocked that people find the Iron Rangers hard to break in. Th leather is much softer than the standard leather from White's / Wesco /Nick's. Actually, the soft leather has been the main reason I haven't bough a pair myself. I keep wanting a pair, but from what I've seen, the soft leather looks pretty beat up after the first year of wear.