Best Work Boots---I guess they're a 'tool'

[nato]

Haha, didn't know where to put this for best advice, so I'll put it here. Just as it says. What are you ppl wearing for solid, quality work/shop/garage protection? Specifically, what's a good brand for $100-150 that's insulated, steel toed & waterproof nowadays that's actually GOOD quality??? I've had a pair of Red Wing hiker's that were all of the above and it's been about 1 year and 8 months. average use at my shop 40 hours a week, my "CHINESE" made (written on the tongue insert) Red Wings are beginning leak water in around the front toe/sole sewn area only there are no through-rips in this area. I know they're made overseas now, but c'mon. My father-in-law has had many R/W pairs over the years and his most recent pair is going on strong 5+ years!!! Wtf?

I scored a pair of Chippewa hikers on eBay a couple moths ago for home use and so far, I'm very impressed.

Look to be solid built boots, but, they too are made in the land of panda's and rice.

 

[boostedgt]

they are made in china which *****, but timberland pro boots are awesome! i have my grungy shop pair that are 3yrs old and beat but still comfy and and another pair i bought because i liked them so much. wolverine used to be made here but i think they went china too

it also helps to add your own waterproofing every now and then

 

[nato]

I think so too....I've only ever heard good things from Wolverine though. Over the years, I only bought wal-mart specials due to $, but you do get what you pay for, so I sprung for a GOOD brand. Well, they're seeming to close in on the Brahma life expectancy now. Good while they are lasting I'll admit but i'm not so sure on longevity. I wish they were the american-made quality of my father in law's R/W's.

What about Carhartts??? Anyone w. feedback on those?

 

[Mickey O]

Redwing, they are supposedly made in USA (I have the old one that were US made), but I read somewhere they are using some import ****, doing it in a way that allows them to still put made in USA on them, sneaky bastards. I sent them an eMail, haven't heard back.

 

[nato]

You know, I viewed them as a solid usa company. paid $115 for them on sale. Thought it was a sweet deal.
Funny how most things are going the way of your statement.

 

[Az Scooter]

I use Danners. A little more expensive, but VERY comfortable. You can get them on line, but I bought mine at Bass Pro.

 

[Griff93]

I've also really liked timberland pro's. I have a pair I wore daily for almost two years. I bought another pair to replace them. One great thing about them is the steel toe is wider than most everybody else's. They don't rub my toes like the wolverines do.

Danner makes very good boots from what I've seen. My wife has a pair that carried her on a leg of Appalachian Trail.

 

[Homoudont]

I have an old pair of the made in the USA red wing boots that were steel toe. I worked at UPS as a loader / unloader / package handler. As a loader when you have to move quickly between trucks, the heavier red wings sucked. But as a unloader where you more or less in the same spot for long periods of times, they were the best shoes money could buy. So it all depends on the job your on.

 

[Zrexxer]

Here's 85 more opinions for your perusal:

http://garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=46968

 

[nato]

nice! Great link...I didnt have such luck in my search

 

[Glenno500]

Terras are still made in Newfoundland. These are the most comfortable boots I've ever come across.
www.terrafootwear.com

 

[Zrexxer]

nice! Great link...I didnt have such luck in my search

Yeah for some reason the Free Parking area doesn't index and won't show up in searches... I just remembered that from a few months ago.

 

[John Timmins]

Wolverine was the only brand of boot I'd buy. I'm retired and was an engineer in the merchant marine for 30 years. When you sail away there is no store to get more so you have to have good ones. I like the Dura Shock models with the lace up hooks and a pull tab on the back. I never got the full height ones or steel toes for safety reasons. I refused to wear steel toe boots!


I bought a new pair every two years. They would wear that long and they would be black after 2 months. The soles held up to fuel and they were not slippery on steel decks with any oily film on them.

Once between trips I needed new boots and got some DieHard boots from Sears and they were like ice skates on steel. I imagine they would be fine if you worked in a garage on concrete. I had one pair of Red Wings and never got another although the walking shoes were real nice. The boots were just not as comfortable as the Wolverine.

I think you'll have to pay about $135 for Wolverine DuraShock boots today. For that price you'll have something that will really last. I never needed to break them in either. I'd wear new ones as recreational boots and then make them work boots. I never had a shoelace break either !

Remember your work boots are a tax deductible item along with your work clothes, welding jacket, work tools, and union dues! The place where I worked would reimburse employees $125/year for footwear that was approved for work. Check with your boss. You might work at a place with a similiar benefit.

 

[lodemia]

I use red wings and you can't beat their dealers (or perhaps my dealer). They waterproof, replace laces, and resole them as long as you own them. I has a pair that I lost a chunk out of the sole, and they simply replaced them, no questions asked, they were in rough condition, after having built my house. They won my business.

 

[wendell]

I use red wings and you can't beat their dealers (or perhaps my dealer). They waterproof, replace laces, and resole them as long as you own them. I has a pair that I lost a chunk out of the sole, and they simply replaced them, no questions asked, they were in rough condition, after having built my house. They won my business.

I completely agree. Just got a new pair of 1426's (because the black is cool) and my feet are on cloud nine. Some of the less expensive models are not made in the US but the high line stuff is and it's awesome.

 

[jteck75]

I've always had good luck with Red Wings,I've been wearing the same pair of US made steel toes for about 1 1/2 yrs now. Some of their products are made overseas now,but many styles are still US made. If you don't like the RW's,there is a website that markets nothing but US made work boots from many manufacturers. I'm not sure of the web adress,but if you just run a search on USA made work boots you'll see it pretty quick.

 

[LoneGunman]

Redwings for me also, only boot I wear.

 

[wellstig1]

I have the redback great barriers. They hold up very well and are very comfortable

 

[nato]

Maybe I'll check with our local shop that deals R/W's to see if they offer those services. If not, maybe Wolverines are what I should start looking into.

 

[ourkid2000]

+1 on the Terras. Made in Newfoundland not far from where I'm from.

Great boots with a great selection. I've seen them sold at Mark's Work Wearhouse, Walmart, Canadian Tire.

 

[smotalchaos]

all of my wolverines were always as comfortable as sneakers. always loved them. have a pair of red wings now and theyre great also

 

[Displaced Hokie]

Red Wings for me. Had one pair of pull-on wellingtons for going on 15 years now (I regularly worked in them everyday for about 4 yrs, now they are my weekend boots). I also have a nice pair of Carolina metatarsals that are extremly comfortable and I worked in for several years. I'd expect non-meta Carolinas to be good as well.

Wolverine must have made some strides in the past 10+ years. I used to work for a place that sold them and the soles split for a lot of folks. I even had a top-end pair and the sole split on them too. This was pre-Durashock era. Neither myself nor my friends have trusted them since, but maybe they are better now given the good comments here.

 

[Packard V8]

http://www.corcoranandmatterhorn.com/aboutcove.asp

These guys make serious work and tactical boots. I still have a pair of Corcoran jump boots I bought in 1968. Not jumping any more, but the boots would be ready to go.

thnx, jack vines

 

[jrsndman]

I use red wings and you can't beat their dealers (or perhaps my dealer). They waterproof, replace laces, and resole them as long as you own them. I has a pair that I lost a chunk out of the sole, and they simply replaced them, no questions asked, they were in rough condition, after having built my house. They won my business.

They only resole them as long as the uppers are in decent condition and they charge for it. I stopped wearing Red Wings when the prices got over $200.
I've been wearing Thorogood Boots for over a year now and couldn't be happier. Great boots, union made in the USA.

http://www.weinbrennerusa.com/



-Jim

 

[benjamming]

I also wear Thorogood American Heritage. They were $115 & made in USA. Steel toe.

 

[wildmanben]

I have had multiple boots over the years working as a auto tech and farming...
Cat Boots... Lasted about 8 months and the soles split.
Rocky Boots... Lasted a little over a year and the leather seams were splitting.
Wolverine Boots... Bought 2 sets and lasted 3 years... Pretty comfortable, but the laces broke every other month in the same spot and then the soles went bald and cracked on both.
Snap On Boots.... Made by Coastal Boot. Very uncomfortable. Never seemed to break in, and the soles were cracking and the molded sides coming apart and leaking water.

Ecco Boots... These are my latest and greatest. Paid $215 for them, by far the most expensive and by far the most comfortable. Had them for 6 months so far and been hiking, 4 wheeling, wrenching and farming and still in great shape. The store I bought them from said if I have any problems to bring them back and they will make it right. Very impressed so far!

 

[Old Donn]

1) Wolverine Duro-Shocks. 2) Corcoran Jump Boots. Served me well in my old government job.

 

[speed bump]

I love love love my Carolina Redwoods, I have had them for approaching 4.5 years now and they have held up to construction, demolition, tree cutting, a lot of mining, Refrigeration, and welding shop use. To bad they don't make them anymore because this set only has another year or two left in it.

My advice is buy a good set of boots without much worry about the price.

 

[orange02ss]

http://www.georgiaboot.com/


I have tried a bunch of work boots before. My brother (a Construction superintendent) was helping me out with my floors in my house and I put on his shoes to run outside one night and couldn't believe how comfortable they were. They were Georgia boots, he said everybody where he works uses them and they are the best he has had. I went out and picked up a pair and I probably will never buy another brand. Great price, great quality and they last a long time. I let my buddy try them on (he is an elevator mechanic) and he said as soon as his new boots he just bought wear out, he is switching to Georgia boot.

 

[nissan_crawler]

another redwing vote. For one, don't get hikers for work use, get the work boots. I had a pair of redwings for 4 years or so, (still nothing wrong, just looked to beat up for where I work), and I bought hikers. They lasted 5 months or so. When I went in to buy a new pair, the lady looked at the computer and asked why I was wearing my older pair, and not the last ones I bought. I told her and explained the fabric and stitching on them apparently didn't hold up to chemicals and such at work, and they fell apart. She refunded me 50% of there price on the spot. I bought a pair of the chinese boots, going on 2.5 years now. I just got them back from having the inside relined, new leather heel piece put in (and a bigger one like I requested), and new laces, for...free.

 

[dustin19]

finding boots for my feet is usually a pain in the a$$ ... im size 10WIDE and everytime i go to sears or walmart or whatever im usually having to have them special ordered... i spent i think 80 on my last pair of i think there timberland boots and there going strong still. and its been a year and a half..... my sketcher tennis shoes are another story those are going on almost 4+years

 

[KraftwerkMk1Jetta]

After buying Walmart boots for a few years I gave up and bought a pair of Wolverines. I love them, comfortable all day long, and have been holding up really nicely. You really do get what you pay for. Those 30 or 40 dollar Walmart boots are garbage and don't last. I think I got my Wolverines on sale at Tractor Supply for about 70 bucks. I will be buying another pair when the time comes.

 

[wreckercologist]

The cheap wolverines have been OK for me. They wear out fast but at $60 a pair at famous footwear, not a bad deal really.

I spent good money on a pair of Carolina's. Not cheap. They were the most uncomforable boot I've ever worn. They went in the trash.

I bought a pair of Craftsman's. I regret that too. Only good thing is they were cheap($49.99 at Kmart).

I've heard good stuff about the Snap-on boots. I might try them out sometime.