Red Wing vs. Chippewa Engineer Boots

[Blackadder]

Just for info, a while back Chippewa made a batch of horsehide engineer boots for Real McCoy's and they look almost the same as the Heritage ones except these are HH with retro sole and more expensive.
http://www.realmccoys.co.jp/blog/shop/2012/04/blog-chippewa-engineer-boots.html
http://vintageengineerboots.blogspot.com/2012/01/real-mccoys-horsehide-chippewa-engineer.html

 

[Vintagestyle]

Depend s what your point of comparison is: the average boot from back when, or the ones that have survived (because they were better than average).

That is a good question !
I don't have enough experience with that to really know for sure but some people who know seem to confirm that .
That said ,i wonder why some people would accept to pay so much for some used original vintage ones if all the ones made today were really as well made .
I have the feeling the leather used was thicker although the leather used on some actual ones ,like 27863 and 2268/2972 is still thick but there are some of these boots with thicker leather than others ( it varies between several pairs of the same model ) and i am not sure it was the case as much back then; the leather might have been selected more carefuly and the leather not thick enough rejected .
I would tend to think most good quality ones ( there was already some cheaper ones not as well made ) had a thick leather used to build them.
And some models built nowdays seem to have thinner leather ,like the Chippewa 1901m48 for example.
Another good example of that is for the Frye boots !
Until the 70's at least and even until the late 90's ( although the people who really know them seem to say there was already a difference between pre and post 80's but it changed particularly after the original plant closed in 2003 and Frye company was bought by a Chinese company ) ,the quality of Frye boots was much better !
The leather used was much thicker and also , half of the actual Frye harness boots production is not even goodyear welted anymore !

 

[Vintagestyle]

On top of that ,most of the Chippewa and Red Wing engineer boots have been discontinued and unless i am wrong Red Wing engineer boots are not sold in USA anymore from what i read !
https://www.reddit.com/r/goodyearwelt/comments/7ixi7w/red_wing_engineer_boots_discontinued_in_usa/

I can't believe those brands stop manufacturing such iconic boots that are a piece of American history like the Schott perfecto or Levi's 501 !
Why don't people in USA buy them anymore ?
When you see most of the pull on boots Red Wing still makes apart from those ,they really are not nice !
And many Chippewa are not made anymore in USA !
They also discontinued the very nice black odessa oil tan leather loggers ( made in USA ) without lining they used to make ( like the jobmaster Wesco ) ,which were much better than the ones they replaced them with ( 73020 with lining , that gets dirty and wear out much more ! Not made in USA ).
I think the good quality boots like that from these brands are disappearing ,they just stop manufacturing them and keep producing some other models , imported and made in cheaper countries with less good quality !

 

[Kane]

Yes, apparently RW is dropping some great boots, at least from the US market. None of the Engineer boots referenced in this thread exist at the moment on the RW website. Only an imported boot with a metal badge on the side. It may be a good piece of footware, but it’s not the traditional boot that we’re talking about here.
I was really dismayed to find out recently that RW no longer offers the 899 work boot. It’s hard to believe that they would stop making such a long-running and iconic boot. The 899 is the same boot as the RW Irish Setter boot I wore in high school back in 70’s. 8” upper, leather form fitting insole, Vibram lugged outsole, offered in various widths........now it’s gone. I regret not buying a back-up pair when they still offered it, but who would have anticipated them doing something as bad as dropping it? It looks like the same fate has befallen their traditional engineer boots. As far as RW pull-ons go, they currrently do still make the 1155 roper, a great classic, but I may get a back-up pair before they’re gone, too. So sad to see these changes from one of the great American boot makers.

 

[Vintagestyle]

Yes, it is really a pity !
Those 899 look similar to the Chippewa i had in the 90's ,that i was looking for recently but they are discontinued as well !
Those had steel toe in black oil tan leather ,Vibram 100 and no lining and they were great !
They looked similar to the 25510 super loggers ( also discontinued !!) but in 8" or 9" ,not 10 ( i think the 25510 had no lining either ),except the tongue was attached to the vamp all the way ( not speaking about the removeable fringe tongue on top of the vamp but the one inside the boot ) .
I can't find the reference of those Chippewa loggers as i was hoping to find some old stock somewhere but i can't !
They looked very similar to the Carolina 1922( but seemed more rugged/ sturdier ) steel toe boot ( firefighter / logger style ) or the wesco jobmaster regular toe ( not the lace to toe) , except they had a thicker midsole than the Carolina ( the carolina 1922 look like they have no midsole ) .
I really loved these boots , they were great for riding motorcycles !
I saw several models of different brands ( White's ,Drews , Athorn Carolina ,Wesco ) that look similar but not made exactly the same ( Drews and White and Athorn maybe as well ,don't have steel shank but leather shank and some don't have steel toe ) and maybe i will buy some Wesco jobmaster ( although they have only 8" which seem to look shorter or 10" that look taller than the chippewa were ).
Red Wing had a similar model ( 2218 i believe ) but i can't see them available anywhere online unfortunately and i wonder if they are discontinued

I really can't understand Chippewa and Red Wing discontinue such iconic boots ( engineer boots, harness boots ,those loggers/ firefighter models ) whereas they were looking really great and good quality for a reasonable price !

I also look for some (new ) Chippewa 27868 harness boots but they discontinued them as well !!!
Aaaargh !!!

 

[EmergencyIan]

^ That’s a damn shame about the Red Wing 899’s, but the Red Wing Irish Setters weren’t the 899’s. They’re the iconic moc toed 877’s along with their shorter 875 counterparts.

- Ian

 

[Kane]

Cheers, Ian. The Irish Setters I had way-back-when where almost identical to the 899: smooth round toe box (not a moc toe), soft toe (no steel), traditional heavy lugged Vibram sole. The only difference I can tell between those old Irish Setters and the 899 was the Irish Setters where a redder color than the brown 899. Perhaps there was more than one boot model in the old Irish Setter line?

 

[EmergencyIan]

Cheers, Ian. The Irish Setters I had way-back-when where almost identical to the 899: smooth round toe box (not a moc toe), soft toe (no steel), traditional heavy lugged Vibram sole. The only difference I can tell between those old Irish Setters and the 899 was the Irish Setters where a redder color than the brown 899. Perhaps there was more than one boot model in the old Irish Setter line?

You could be right and maybe I spoke too soon. I’ve just always known the moc toed 877’s as the “Irish Setter.” I do know that nick name is taken from the color of the boot. That said, I have seen a vintage pairs of 877’s, from the 70s or there about, with an Irish Setter label on them.

- Ian

 

[Kane]

I bought my old IS’s, and my newer 899’s, for the 8” uppers and the heavy lugged Vibram sole. I bought those old boots for use on backpacking trips. They covered hundreds of miles of high Sierra backpacking, Mts. Lyell, Ritter, Banner, et al., off trail, glacier traverses (back when there were glaciers in the Sierras), etc. Outtanding boots, even though I think they were designed more as a hunting boot than a backpacking boot.

 

[Sloan1874]

I ordered a pair of RW 2268s today. Phoned the London shop before hitting send to make sure I wasn't ordering the wrong size - their site recommends dropping half-to-a-full size. The guy in the shop was very understanding, said that the engineer boots were a pain to get right but said that I was already dropping a half-size in my other Red Wings, I was probably on the right track. Got to say that I'm a bit apprehensive because I really can't be bothered with sending the damn things back down south...

 

[Bfd70]

I have 4 pair of Redwings. My RW engineer boots 9268 are 1/2 size bigger than the other 3.
I believe i got that tip from standard and strange website and it was correct.
I think once the break in you will really enjoy them.

 

[Sloan1874]

My 2268s arrived today. First impressions: fit is spot-on, so dropping a half-size at the very least. Still getting used to them as they're my first pair of engineer boots, but so far so good! Slightly disappointed with the plastic insert in the heel, tbh. Other than cost, I'm not sure why this was used instead of leather but it's not very noticeable so it's not a deal killer. I also don't think they still use the tea core leather as the edges match the top-coat. Either way, I'm very happy with them: having had one abortive go with engineers a year back, I would say that they're an excellent place to start.

 

[Bfd70]

Uhhhhhh, how’s that go, pics or it didn’t happen....?

Google search of 2268 images all show black finished edges. Not sure if they’re teacore or not. 9268 (steel toe about which i have mixed feelings) i got last month have natural edges. When the light catches the boot the brown shows thru. Sorta like a ripe avacado.

 

[Bfd70]

 

[Vintagestyle]

Personaly, i bought some 2268 recently and i have to send them back cause one boot has an instep that is much too tight ( much tighter than the other boot and the other pairs i tried of 2972) ,whereas i have thin feet ,so it is really a defect ( usualy i always have to tighten the lower strap to the max for the boots hold my feet correctly ) .
Also the sewing on the side of that boot has been pulled too much ,making a displeasing compression on the leather ( maybe the reason why this boot is too tight ).
So ,it seems Red Wing doesn't have a that good quality control ( i bought them directly from Red Wing ) ,although it might be better than Chippewa .
I suspect Chippewa sends some boots with bad quality control to some shops ,especialy abroad ( as they can't send back the shipments easily with custom taxes and shipment cost ) ,cause i saw several boots with really bad defects ( at least 6 pairs in one shop ) in some shops and on some reviews on the net ( bought from other shops than Chippewa ) ,whereas all the boots i could buy directly from chippewa USA didn't have any defects .

 

[Vintagestyle]

When you see Wesco , which sells the ones with defects as factory second or specifying the defects with pictures and priced accordingly ,i think it is much more serious ( although for the price they sell ,i think it is normal to do that ).
Are the sizes on Red Wing UK , some US sizes or some UK sizes ?

Do Red Wing UK delivers outside UK ?

Cause when trying to buy from their website , i see no possibility to specify another destination than UK ?

 

[Sloan1874]

Actually, I've realised that I mixed up the 2966 'klondike' leather boots with the 2268. I can't see a thing wrong with the boots - the stitching and fit feels and looks fine balanced on both sides. I ordered mine from the London Red Wings shop, the one off Carnaby Street, so a bit of a high profile place if they were going to palm off seconds, but I really can't imagine RW doing that in any situation.

 

[Bfd70]

Redwing sell factory seconds via various outlets in the US. They punch a hole in the shoe/boot (typically in the tongue if so equipped) about the size of a pencil point. I have 4 pairs of seconds. I purchased each for a minimum of 50% below MSRP. I have yet to find a defect more than the sort of blemish i would inflict on the shoe in the first day of wearing. $650 bought me 4 pairs of red wings and brought a nice variety at a resonable price.

Boots above are seconds picked up for $229. Love em.

 

[DaveProc]

A large selection of closeout and factory second Red Wing and Chippewa Engineer Boots are currently on sale at Sierratradingpost.com

Just be sure to read the product description. I have had pretty good luck with the factory seconds. The Red Wing seconds have a small hole punched in the tongue.

 

[Edward]

Actually, I've realised that I mixed up the 2966 'klondike' leather boots with the 2268. I can't see a thing wrong with the boots - the stitching and fit feels and looks fine balanced on both sides. I ordered mine from the London Red Wings shop, the one off Carnaby Street, so a bit of a high profile place if they were going to palm off seconds, but I really can't imagine RW doing that in any situation.

So you got the Klondykes, like the ones in BFD70's post? They look great... Polishable? I'd ruled out RedWings for myself because all the ones I saw were oiled, but these look like they could take a shine...

(Still wish Aero would do engineer boots, though!)