Anyone tried these Red Wing boots ??

[AmericaOverland]

Of course it does.


The fact remains though, a real boot should have a real sole.

One that doesnt get torn up and wear out fast.

The yellow tag Vibram is the ONLY one in the RedWing line that offers such durability and life.

The problem with that, is that the only ones with such a sole are made in China.

Why not buy the American-made style you want and then send them off to one of the RW repair centers and have then resoled with the yellow tag Vibram soles? I'm waiting for my 1626 boots to come in, and then I'll run them over to the repair center to have them converted to hiking boots.

 

[IdaSHO]

Ive thought about it.

It gets expensive real fast though.

The way RedWings fit, Id have to have a custom boot made, so sole selection would certainly be an option.

The shoe shop here in town that sells RW is a repair shop, and could custom fit a pair, then resole them.

Maybe the lady wouldnt recognize me..... A few years ago I went in there looking for my "perfect boot" and wound up making a stink about how 90% of the boots she had on the wall wee made in china... and that the boot I wanted was one of them.

I was prepared to drop $300 on a good set of boots. But I REALLY didnt want to buy a chinese pair.

For some reason she decided to challenge me. I dont know if she honestly thought they were made in the USA or not. But she would point at a pair, saying "those are made in the USA"

Id simply look at them, and say "no they are not!"

This was repeated 4 times.

Hell, all you have to do is look at the tag :snorkel:


Maybe once I kill these Vasque boots I will.
They used to be made in Italy. Now all made in China..... but they cost less than $130. Not $250+

 

[IdaSHO]

Recently a co-worked has turned me onto another old band of boot. White's.

Im currently looking at these... Handcrafted in their shop just an hour or so north of where I live.

http://www.whitesboots.com/index.php?dispatch=products.view&product_id=30298

 

[Topher Walters]

Whites are really top notch boots, I have had the wildland boot for many years and they have worn well and comfy. I like the fact they are made in the US and custom fit but you will pay for this. I have had the crepe sole Red Wings and they are nice but the soles wear out fast, less than a year. I have several of the Danner boots and really like them. They wear great, fit well and are made in the US. Danner does import some of their boots so you have to make sure the ones you are looking for are made in the US.

 

[Squatchout]

I'll throw in a few cent's here. I've worn Redwings for over 35 years. Many different models. The Made in USA boots are still wonderful well fitting boots if you buy the right model for your uses. I personally will not buy made in China. The above pictured boots with the crepe soles are the ORIGINAL IRISH SETTERS(more on that in a moment) in what used to be called russet leather. Those are SUPER comfy boots especially if you use the comfort force insoles. Probably better than most high end running shoes for cush. They are made for general wear on concrete. That's the purpose of crepe soles. They actually work pretty well for all around hiking boots. Especially in areas with a lot of sandstone. The traction on that surface is excellent. They do wear kinda fast as they are a cushy sole. They are cheap to resole and Red Wing dealers can get that done for you. Keep that style leather oiled with Red Wing boot oil and they'll be pretty water proof as well.

Irish setter used to be Red Wings premier boot line. Using that name for their Chinese line is pathetic. Like GM using Cadillac for the name of the Geo line.

I'm real surprised by the folks saying their Red Wings were junk. I worked construction for years and I would get several years out of the very boots pictured above while my cheaper co workers would go through cheaper boots every few months and saying they couldn't afford the Red Wings. They could have bought 2 pairs for the price of the many pairs of cheap stuff they wore out while I was still on one pair. And the whole time my 4e wide foot was 10x more comfortable than theirs ever were. I suspect some of those boots complained about were the imported models. I've worked for a big utility company for over 20 years and 8 outta 10 linemen wear Red Wings.

I still have a pair of Irish setter duck hunting boots that were bought for me in 1979. I've been told they were the best boots that company ever made by a couple of stores. They were $135 a pair in '79 and came in a wooden box. They still have the original soles because they were only worn in snow conditions. They still don't leak but the linings have finally worn out so I retired them last year and replaced them with a new pair of Wings!

 

[AmericaOverland]

Thanks for the input, Squatchout. My Daddy was a big RW fan, wearing the cowboy boot styles for oil field work. I THINK I have worn them while growing up.

I'm on my second pair in over 12 years (lost the first pair during a move that long ago). I'm just now breaking them in. They are the women's workboots, model 1626, that I've written about elsewhere. I had the soles replaced with the hiking Vibram sole for better traction and wear, which added $65 to the cost. They are replacing a pair of women's hikers that broke after nearly four years of continuous wear (as I wore them at work half the time, and then the black hiker version the other half). The soles on the black ones are beginning to break apart, so I watch them while breaking these in NOW. Unfortunately, the glued-on soles can't be replaced, which is one reason why I got the 1626, which can be resoled with just about any pattern sole available for it. If I'm happy with the break-in and the comfort, then I'll buy another two pairs and resole them prior to storing them as future replacements.

Could you replace the crepe soles on the Irish Setters with a more durable sole?

 

[Squatchout]

I'm not sure what soles can be put on the crepe sole boots. Of course they're not irish setters anymore. Those are the imported boots now. I personally like the crepe soles. I'm getting ready to buy a new pair of the slip on(cowboy style) boots with the crepe sole. They are sooo cushy and my knees are shot. I get pretty good wear out of them myself and I'm not easy on boots and weigh 235#. The are not the best for untimate wet weather traction in mud and such but work well for all around for me. I have bought boots in the past and changed the soles to vibrams and ended up wishing I hadn't. They ended up feeling like concrete soles with no cush at all on the particular boots I did that too. RW tends to make the over all boots around the soles they are designed with. The catalog used to have an icon system for telling you what each boots strong and weak points are. Best to buy boots that suit your purposes from the get go.

 

[IdaSHO]

Im going to bump this up.

Last week I had a major blowout on my chinese Vasque boots. Right when I had decided that the leather would be good for another year or maybe even two, the damn Vibram sole split in half. :snorkel:

I vowed to never again buy a pair of chinese boots IF the vasque had a major failure. So I made a trip into the local Redwing shoe store.

I spent more than 2 hours in there. Getting fitted, looking at my options between all of the lines, and pulling whatever info about construction, life, rebuilds, etc I could from the shop owner, I think I sold myself on a pair of boots.

A brand Ive heard of, but never really known about. Nicks.

Apparently (from what the shop owner told me) The owner of Nicks used to work for Whites Boots. Somewhere along the line he split off, and started his own business. So the boots are of VERY similar construction, slightly different "lasts", but are still hand made right in Spokane WA.

If I can swallow the price tag, Ill be getting these. A lace to toe Forester with my selection of sole and heal (heavy lug vibram), as well as have them shortened to 8" as 10" is just too tall.

The price tag is certainly up there though. $450 including the shortening. At least I can say that $450 included an education in the construction of boots. I learned a TON talking to that guy. :sombrero:

Boots

If it goes through, I will most certainly provide a review for them.

 

[AmericaOverland]

So I made a trip into the local Redwing shoe store.

I spent more than 2 hours in there. Getting fitted, looking at my options between all of the lines, and pulling whatever info about construction, life, rebuilds, etc I could from the shop owner, I think I sold myself on a pair of boots.

A brand Ive heard of, but never really known about. Nicks.

What? What?! There was a custom fitter INSIDE the RED WING shoe store?! I had to back up to the page so that I could see where you live, and that must explain why - there is no such thing as a custom fitter in the state of Texas, where most people have big, normal-to-wide feet and can wear pretty much anything.

I looked up Nicks, and there is not a custom fitter anywhere in Texas. WHY was Nick's inside a RW store?! Why don't they have them here?

I like my 1626 boots so far. I went ahead and ordered two more pairs, one of them with the vibram sole replacing the factory sole. I want to wear the pair with factory soles before I try the vibram sole pair to see the difference.

By the way, the black hiking boots from RW with the cracking soles that I reported on in February? They're still slowly cracking apart many miles later, but still holding up. I have hiked maybe 10-12 miles since February, not including wearing at work (which I no longer wear, as I don't have the forefoot cushioning for those 8-hour shifts). These are boots that I wore I'd say about 450 work-hours per year and half the time all winter for 4 years. I wear them on my short hikes at the local parks now.

 

[Squatchout]

Shortly after I last posted on this thread I went out and bought myself not 1 but 2 new pairs of Red Wings. A pair of these for general purpose and added the comfort force insoles. Made in USA!
http://www.redwingshoes.com/red-win...es/10875-red-wing-lifestyle-mens-6-inch-brown

And a pair of these to wear to work.
http://www.redwingshoes.com/red-wing-shoe/8637-red-wing-shoes/8637-red-wing-mens-oxford-brown

The above were added to the new cold weather boots I had bought winter before last. They are just getting broken in. Super warm.
http://www.redwingshoes.com/red-wing-shoe/1412-red-wing-shoes/1412-red-wing-mens-8-inch-boot-brown


So far I have nothing but good things to say about all of them. Very comfy on my size 12 eeee (H) feet. It put a hurting on my wallet for sure but if they last like my others have done in the past it will be money well spent. I should be set for some time. Nothing in this world is quite as nice as a comfortable pair of shoes or boots!

 

[Eaglefreek]

I've had the same pair of Red Wing 2408's since 06. I've had them resoled once and they are about ready for another resole. I love them. I've worked 12-14 hour days where my Chinese boot wearing coworkers were moaning and groaning about how bad their feet hurt. Mine were fine and I'm a 6'2" 250 and they were all smaller and younger. I would school them on the importance of a good work boot but they would say they wouldn't spend that much on a pair of boots. However they had no problem blowing a couple hundred bucks at the strip club in one night. Go figure.

 

[James86004]

I bought a pair of insulated Red Wings a long time ago (2000?), and they are still fine. I don't wear them every day, just when we are doing a lot of crane work, so maybe 1 week out of every month. It is probably time to change the insoles. My feet have never been cold in them, even when it is below zero and I am standing on the huge metal heat sink that serves as the floor in the observatory dome.

 

[matt marquardt]

I"m a sheetmetal worker of 22yrs. and have worn Redwings much of that time and without much complaint. Ya get what you pay for.

Now what about Danners?I have also worn Danners and loved them, maybe more than the Redwing. Recently threw out a pair after 10 yrs . of service.

Matt

 

[sailri]

Im fairly certain that there is only ONE line of Redwings that is still made in the USA.

The the ones that are made in the USA do NOT have the good yellow tag Vibram soles. They have some silly "street" tread soles.

The ones with the good yellow tag Vibram soles are all made in China. It is no wonder they fall apart.

Ive been on the hunt for a great set of boots for years now. I had high hopes for the Vasque boots Ive got now. Heavy grade leather, toe guards, fiberglass shank, goretex, and a yellow tag Vibram sole.

But even they are falling apart. the transition between the tow guard and the leather is failing.

The soles are better than 80% though. Even after 3 years of wear, 100+ miles of it being backpacking.

All of the Red Wing Heritage line is US made.
Style No. 8146 has a Vibram lug sole too. http://www.redwingheritage.com/boot...wing-lifestyle-mens-200-collection-boot-black

 

[john101477]

A few years ago I bought a pair of Corolina Steel Toe work boots. WhenI first bought them they were super comfy and I thought life was good. 3 weeks later building wind turbines in south western Idaho I hated life. 2 pairs of socks barely got me through the day as the steel toe even on EE wide boots was cutting into my toes.
Last year I bought a pair of china made RW2240 with the "King Toe". Mind you I weight over 300lbs, I am in gravel/sand type terain and often have to crawl, dragging my toes. These are by far the best work boots I have ever worn for this type of work. I have worn whites as well in my younger years and liked them but for a saftey toe, these are by far the best. If I have to complain about 1 thing it would be that my weight has destroyed the foot cushion supplied by RW and it is time for some new ones