Red Wing Shoe Company - Great Boots!
I ordered my second and third pairs of Red Wing boots today from The Rugged Boot and Shoe Company (the link is to the Red Wing dealer page, but the name of the store is The Rugged Boot and Shoe company in the phone book). I also realized that the pair I am wearing right now is nearly four years old! The guy I spoke with on the phone said I got them in 2006. Wow.
They lasted me this entire time as my daily shoes. For the past six months to a year I have been wearing on the inner layer of the dual density soul as the first layer has been worn through. However, the boots are still pretty solid. I have never had wet feet in them thanks to the Gore-Tex lining. Combined with treating them every month or so with Red Wing NaturSeal dressing they have worked flawlessly this whole time.
Before my Red Wings I wore a pair of Wolverines that weren't water proof. Besides the lack of waterproofing they wore quickly in comparison. I know people that have had great luck with them. However, the pair I had didn't hold up. At one point in time I worked for a landscaping company on a mowing crew and did a LOT of walking on all kinds of terrain in my Wolverines. From experience I can tell you that after an 8 hour day hiking around in uncomfortable boots with a string trimmer my feet HURT. That taught me to get a quality pair the next time around.
I wear model 2412's - which I ordered a replacement pair of. Once I get them I will send my current pair back in to be re-souled. That way I can use them as my crap pair and keep the new ones nice. Apparently they do a whole boot "tune up" when you send them in - you get new inner and outer souls, laces, and cleaning/treating of the leather. I have never had a shoe/boot re-souled before, so I am curious as to how they turn out.
The other pair I ordered are model 427's. They aren't readily made yet so it might be a while to get them in. I wanted a water proof black boot with good heavy tread. I will have to try them on before I buy, though. I don't think I will have any complaints, but if I do there is no re-stocking fee and I can pick something else out.
One piece of advice I will give to anyone looking for quality boots, especially if you are going to wear them nearly all the time, is be careful with how you select them! Go to someone that knows what they are doing - a specialized footwear store. Don't go to a retail store where the employees don't specialize in footwear, but sell everything. Being sized properly is half the battle. The second part of it is look at the features that are important to you - soul style/material, waterproof/non-waterproof, insulated/non-insulated, steel toe/safety toe/soft toe, the list goes on and on. The right boot is the one that fits well and is suited to the environment you use them. I know cost can be a factor, however really try to keep in mind how the boots will be used. The difference between the right boot and the wrong boot could be a decent amount of money, but if you aren't comfortable and get worn out it doesn't matter how much money you saved. Then if you take care of them and they last you three years or more you will probably save money over the life of the boot by not needing to replace them much.
If you want high quality footwear that is made in America you can't beat Red Wings! They are hand made in Red Wing, Minnesota. It isn't often in today's global economy that we find good quality American made products.
They lasted me this entire time as my daily shoes. For the past six months to a year I have been wearing on the inner layer of the dual density soul as the first layer has been worn through. However, the boots are still pretty solid. I have never had wet feet in them thanks to the Gore-Tex lining. Combined with treating them every month or so with Red Wing NaturSeal dressing they have worked flawlessly this whole time.
Before my Red Wings I wore a pair of Wolverines that weren't water proof. Besides the lack of waterproofing they wore quickly in comparison. I know people that have had great luck with them. However, the pair I had didn't hold up. At one point in time I worked for a landscaping company on a mowing crew and did a LOT of walking on all kinds of terrain in my Wolverines. From experience I can tell you that after an 8 hour day hiking around in uncomfortable boots with a string trimmer my feet HURT. That taught me to get a quality pair the next time around.
I wear model 2412's - which I ordered a replacement pair of. Once I get them I will send my current pair back in to be re-souled. That way I can use them as my crap pair and keep the new ones nice. Apparently they do a whole boot "tune up" when you send them in - you get new inner and outer souls, laces, and cleaning/treating of the leather. I have never had a shoe/boot re-souled before, so I am curious as to how they turn out.
The other pair I ordered are model 427's. They aren't readily made yet so it might be a while to get them in. I wanted a water proof black boot with good heavy tread. I will have to try them on before I buy, though. I don't think I will have any complaints, but if I do there is no re-stocking fee and I can pick something else out.
One piece of advice I will give to anyone looking for quality boots, especially if you are going to wear them nearly all the time, is be careful with how you select them! Go to someone that knows what they are doing - a specialized footwear store. Don't go to a retail store where the employees don't specialize in footwear, but sell everything. Being sized properly is half the battle. The second part of it is look at the features that are important to you - soul style/material, waterproof/non-waterproof, insulated/non-insulated, steel toe/safety toe/soft toe, the list goes on and on. The right boot is the one that fits well and is suited to the environment you use them. I know cost can be a factor, however really try to keep in mind how the boots will be used. The difference between the right boot and the wrong boot could be a decent amount of money, but if you aren't comfortable and get worn out it doesn't matter how much money you saved. Then if you take care of them and they last you three years or more you will probably save money over the life of the boot by not needing to replace them much.
If you want high quality footwear that is made in America you can't beat Red Wings! They are hand made in Red Wing, Minnesota. It isn't often in today's global economy that we find good quality American made products.
posted by Steve at
9:39 PM
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