A boots thread

[bykfixer]

Like watches, knives, pens……flashlights, some end up accumulating boots too.

F to R, L to R:
Front left;
- US made Wolverine 8" loggers w/ composite toe GoreTex lined with 1200g thinsulate. (circa 2008)
- Wloverine Durashock waterproof w/ steel toe, 400g thinsulate (circa 2021) (bought this year)
- US made Wolverine X Ram w/ composite toe sprayed with Camp-Dry
Middle left;
- Ariat Raider soft toe western boot (new)
- Sketchers chucka w/ steel toe and memory foam insoles replaced with Carolina polyurethane/ orthodic insoles (circa 2021)
- Mexico made Cody James soft toe harness boots (new) from a shop some of the best boots in the world come from.
Rear left;
- Waterproof Sketchers hikers w/ steel toe and Timberland Pro insoles (winter 2021)
- Ozark Trail soft toe waterproof leather hikers (circa 2005)

Not shown; (they live in my work truck)
- Irish Setter waterproof leather w/ alluminum toe and Keen insoles (circa 2014)
- Keen San Jose waterproof leather wedge sole w/ steel toe and new Keen insoles (circa 2019)
- US made Red Wing chuckas w/steel toe custom made polyurethane flat soles and new Red Wing custom insoles. (circa 2000). Red Wing developed a wedge sole for asphalt paving with Vibram that were nearly flat so very little asphalt stuck to them. When I had the crepe (when new) soles replaced after melting they asked me to try them. They were awesome. So Red Wing did a pavers boot for a time then discontinued them. Insoles are chosen from standing on a metal slab that a computer is used to find pressure points.

 

[bykfixer]

When I was a I liked work boots. Tan leather loggers with art gum eraser type soles, or square toe harness boots. We had a Thom McCann shoe store nearby or the local Roses department store for some generics. Sometimes JC Penney, sometimes Sears. The year my feet stopped growing at size 10 meant having more than one pair of shoes at the end of the school year.

Now when the skateboard bug bit the boots collected dust for a time, yet somehow they still mattered. We did some kind of psycological survey one year in school as some sort of career predictor. I was predicted to drive a dump truck. And as fate would have it the prediction wasn't far off.

Fast forward three decades, nearly four and work boots are still cover my feet more than any shoes unless I'm in Hugh Heffner mode and slippers cover my feet. And three decades later work boots have come a long ways. I mean, leather is leather, be it cow, pig or goat. Treat it well and it returns the favor. The soles and footbed are the charm these days.

Work boots have always been big business but these days the choices available are incredible. Mountain climber brands, cowboy brands, fashion brands, tennis shoe brands, and even bull dozer brands. With that some of the giants like Red Wing face stiff competition. Staying ahead of the competition means better tech on a regular basis. And with factories all over the world prices are very competitive.

When I was a lad the Wolverine brand was generally seen as a low budget brand. But as the work boot industry has exploded like an atomic bomb on the construction scene Wolverine has managed to hang around with the big boys and girls through proven comfort and durability. In the 80's I wore Iron Age, which were a good value. In the 90's it was Red Wing boots that covered my feet. But in the early 2000's I gave Wolverine a try and haven't looked back.

 

[Megalamuffin]

Nothing like a good pair of boots. That's all I wear 95% of the time for the last 8 years or so. I appreciate them more than I used to and do the whole regular maintenance thing to keep them in good shape and good looking. Thorogood's are my brand, in fact I'm about to head out and get a new work pair.

 

[bykfixer]

FYI Beware there is a fake Thorogood web site that looks pretty legit. It's ThorogoodUS. net instead of .com and looks like a Thorogood clearance page.

As a rule I don't buy shoes online but my local dealer's shipment got delayed so I was looking around the web and saw that site. Hell I tried to buy a pair until time to pay and all they took was paypal. But the site looks so legit it had me fooled up to that point.

While the dealer was telling me the Thorogoods still had not arrived I ended up purchasing an Ariat boot called WorkHog XT Patriotic.

A very comfy waterproof, carbon fiber toe work boot.

 

[Megalamuffin]

I ran into a fake website trying to imitate lumens factory recently. Too many good for nothing scammers out there.

I had to drive all over town to find my size but I finally found a pair. New thorogood's are almost too pretty for work boots.

The old pair will retire to mowing and painting type chores. Still comfortable though.

The pair on the far left is not used for work, and the only pair that's not steel toe. I like the lace ups far better but having pull on boots is convenient at times.

 

[bykfixer]

My boss wears that same boot like you bought today Megal. I had never heard of Thorogood until my boss had some. It seems they have become quite popular with iron workers who insist on US made boots. And that wedge sole seems to be a favorite. My boss runs a big bridge project and noticed those boots were quite popular on the project.

I almost bought Thorogood Hoss pull on boots the other day but opted for the Ariats. See, there's a fellow running the project for the contractor who sees a jacket, or a helmet or something I wear then he goes and buys one like it. He wears Hoss looking boots so I opted for the Ariat to see if he ends up having some later on.

I prefer lace up boots on the project in the field but lately have tried some pull on boots for office wear.

 

[AstroTurf]

Red Wing 4557 Bison

 

[AstroTurf]

Red Wing 875

 

[AstroTurf]

Red Wing 4183

 

[bykfixer]

I bought a pair of Red Wings similar to the 4183 you show Astro back in 1999 and wore them for a few years. I wore out the sole 3 times at an angle at the rear but on the 4th one the sole had worn at an angle in like 30 days. They told me I had "broken the spine" so that was a permanent issue. I donated them to the wall of fame at the local store and bought replacements. Thing is they still looked fairly new.

They had stopped making the model I had so I bought the closest thing, the 2245. I hated those things. I know folks who swear by the 2245's but they weren't for me. One day I went to a work boot store near my home and tried some Wolverine boots. I wore out a few pair of those and went back to the Red Wing store for some insoles. I left with new insoles and some Irish Setter boots. To me they were what the 2245 could have been. I wore those suckers for three years in ridiculous conditions and they never flinched.

They're in dire need of new insoles but aside from that they are still good to go. They took a while to break in so I wore Wolverines during the process, but one day they were ready so I wore them day after day in mud, on gravel, in wet concrete, on hot pavement etc and they never once wimpered.

When I was assigned a paving job and could not find my Red Wing paver boots I retired the Irish Setters and opted for some Keen San Jose boots for the thin hard rubber wedge soles glued to an air infused soft rubber mid-sole. Later I was assigned a project with a lot of walking on grass slopes and opted for some Keen hikers, which my brother now wears.

In the middle of that assignment I was promoted to a management position and went the route of a bosses boot. My older coworkers all wore Skechers shoes that looked like sneakers. I found some chukas by Skechers that resemble some Hush Puppies I wore in the 70's and enjoy those.

They live a pampered life in general, having to put up with a bit of field duty but nothing like those Irish Setters, my old Red Wings or a few pair of Wolverines.

Recently I got bit by the pull on boot bug and bought some. I wanted some Thorogood pull on boots but opted for some by Ariat.

I'll try these this week.

One of my coworkers still wears Red Wing pull ons he says he bought in the 1980's!!

 

[AstroTurf]

Nice!!!

 

[AstroTurf]

Movin on to work boots...

I have only worn this model of boot for work since 2006, and continue to this day. (on pair number 6)

 

[bykfixer]

I used to see a lot of boot stores selling Worx. Then they were only at a Red Wings store if I recall correct. Same with Irish Setters.

I had a pair of Timberland Pro boots that resembled the ones in your photo AT. "Guarenteed most comfortable for 30 days or your money back".
And they were very comfortable for about 45 days. But then the "honeycomb" layer in the mid-sole collapsed and they became like vietnam era combat boots. Such a disappointment because they looked and felt great on my foot. I'd have bought 6 of those if they didn't suddenly go flat tire on me.

Whoever came up with air infused urethane mid-sole design deserves a nobel prize in my view.

 

[AstroTurf]

yes, the Worx boot is Red Wings chinese line...

last pair i bought cost 170.00, so not a cheap boot.

but, i like the fact that i tie em up once, then use the zipper from there on out.

 

[AstroTurf]

shall we continue the madness?!? LOLz

Red Wing 8173

 

[Chauncey Gardener]

I used to see a lot of boot stores selling Worx. Then they were only at a Red Wings store if I recall correct. Same with Irish Setters.

I had a pair of Timberland Pro boots that resembled the ones in your photo AT. "Guarenteed most comfortable for 30 days or your money back".
And they were very comfortable for about 45 days. But then the "honeycomb" layer in the mid-sole collapsed and they became like vietnam era combat boots. Such a disappointment because they looked and felt great on my foot. I'd have bought 6 of those if they didn't suddenly go flat tire on me.

Whoever came up with air infused urethane mid-sole design deserves a nobel prize in my view.

I've owned two pairs of black Timberland Pro boots. They're so comfortable from the get-go, but alas the soles die while the uppers still look new.

So I switched to these a few years back.

Time to spend the money on a new pair. They're heavy, but I'm a steel toe kinda guy.

 

[bykfixer]

The Irish Setters I showed above were extrememly light weight. Like sneakers. Only a portion of the upper is leather and the hard toe is alluminum. The rest of the upper is some sort of really tough nylon material and they were completely waterproof.

The project I was on had this dirt that when dry was like a combo of hot chewing gum and dog turd. I had to either wash them off before it dried or power wash them. Oh man it was ridiculous. So I'd find puddles to walk around in the clean them off at the end of a rainy day.

When it wasn't raining the stiff was a fine powder that got into anything that was not dust proof. On a summer day you were either tromping through mud or looked like that pigpen fellow from Charlie Brown with every step. In winter it was always mud.

Kinda has me wondering why I never bought another pair of those boots. They were worth every dime.

 

[AstroTurf]

check these out... before, and after.

 

[aznsx]

At my last factory job, after trying a couple, I ended up with Michelins for the duration. The co. provided a new pair annually from their supplier, and that was the best I tried of those brands available from them. My requirements were a bit specialized though, with the job requiring steel toes, steel external metatarsal protection, and last but not least, some special high-voltage rating. When I started there, everyone (to a person) recommended I go with the Michelins as the comfort king at those specs. I think they were right. I don't even know where they were made.

 

[AstroTurf]

At my last factory job, after trying a couple, I ended up with Michelins for the duration. The co. provided a new pair annually from their supplier, and that was the best I tried of those brands available from them. My requirements were a bit specialized though, with the job requiring steel toes, steel external metatarsal protection, and last but not least, some special high-voltage rating. When I started there, everyone (to a person) recommended I go with the Michelins as the comfort king at those specs. I think they were right. I don't even know where they were made.

pretty nice...

Michelin Lifestyle

us.michelin-lifestyle.com