Needing new boots. Recommendations?

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DrDusty86

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I have had my Redwing waterproof steel toe boots for 13 months now. They need to be resoled. In meantime I need to get myself a second pair.
My current boots
Likes:
I like the comfort MAN, these babies are comfy.. 20 hours in them and I feel no soreness or discomfort till now.
They are waterproof up to the laces.
They are steel toe.
They are size 12, extra wide.
Dislikes:
They are lace up. I have right side paralysis, So tying the boot is "somewhat" time consuming
The soles wear FAST. I walk with a limp and slightly drag my right foot on the medial side.. think big toe.. the rubber is almost gone and it is causing a "burning" sensation in my toes because I invert my foot more as it wears down.

What I want:
Comfort
Steel toe
Water proof
I would like to try a pull on boot this time.

What do you guys recommend?
Dusty
 
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Originally Posted By: DrDusty86
What do you guys recommend?


I recommend to never, ever buy another pair of RW's.

I bought a pair, and put them away in their original box in my closet for later use. After just over a year, I took them out and began to wear them. Within a month, they FELL APART. Noteworthy I work indoors, and did not use them hard in any way.

RW refused to even consider a warranty for them, despite me giving them the explaination that they were only in use for a few weeks. Their home office manager did not even return my calls.
 
I've heard a lot of great things about Red Wings...but I wore a pair for under a year and they were wore completely out. The sole was worn out, the leather was peeling off, and the stitching was all coming apart. I brought them in for the monthly cleaning they like and commented on the wear but they wouldn't do anything for me.

Now my job was somewhat abusive on my shoes, working on cars every day, the shoes do take a beating. But if I can go to Farm and Fleet, pick up a pair of "regular" work boots and some Dr. Scholls for less than half the price of the red wings and get over a year...something just isn't quite right.
 
Redwing is just barely surviving on their name. They used to be a "lifetime" boot. Now they moved a lot of their production to China under the Irish setter name and the ones made in the U.S. are not the same. They are good for a year . Their waterproof boots are not. I wore them 20 years and had to stop when they quit honoring their warranties.
 
Right side paralysis?

A friend of mine was a volunteer firefighter. I noticed one time that he wore boots that were laced up--and had a zipper on the side. When he went to put them off/on, he just used the zipper. I presume they were set up that way: lace them just once, get it situated properly; then use the zipper.

Absolutely no idea if that would help or not... I get by wearing just sneakers or hiking boots.
 
Originally Posted By: chad8
Redwing is just barely surviving on their name. They used to be a "lifetime" boot. Now they moved a lot of their production to China under the Irish setter name and the ones made in the U.S. are not the same.


Bingo. The junk shoes they sold me were "China made". I am done with RW.
 
Originally Posted By: gfh77665
Originally Posted By: chad8
Redwing is just barely surviving on their name. They used to be a "lifetime" boot. Now they moved a lot of their production to China under the Irish setter name and the ones made in the U.S. are not the same.


Bingo. The junk shoes they sold me were "China made". I am done with RW.

Really. Here the red wing boot store has both made in china boots that are priced fairly inexpensively,then the made in the USA line that is close to double the price.
I have 4 pairs of the American made versions. Shoes,riding boots and 2 pairs of work boots. They are the finest footwear I have ever worn and I will continue to buy them,at any cost.
Triple stitched,100% waterproof,extremely comfortable. I am a happy red wing owner.
Buy your boots at wal mart then
 
If you are paying less than $200 for boots pay very close attention to where they are made.
I have a pair of RW logger boots and they are great.
Also look at Danner and Thorogood for domestic-made boots.
Replacing the insole with something with more support makes an unwearable boot very comfortable for me. I like Sole and Birkenstock insoles.
 
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Thorogoods are by far the best boots I've ever worn. I tried Wolverines and Redwings, and never really cared for them. This last time I bought Thorogoods and have been impressed. They have replaceable soles, required no break in. The Redwings I had before these took me at least a month before I could wear them for a full day at work. The Thorogoods are made in Wisconsin as well.
 
Red Wing #3507 best boot made and that i have ever worn going on two+ years working in paint and solvents and at home in the shop 10 hours a day.
 
Originally Posted By: Clevy
Originally Posted By: gfh77665
Originally Posted By: chad8
Redwing is just barely surviving on their name. They used to be a "lifetime" boot. Now they moved a lot of their production to China under the Irish setter name and the ones made in the U.S. are not the same.


Bingo. The junk shoes they sold me were "China made". I am done with RW.

Really. Here the red wing boot store has both made in china boots that are priced fairly inexpensively,then the made in the USA line that is close to double the price.
..... Buy your boots at wal mart then


Definitly will. I will not pay for the RW "name" sewn on junk china made shoes, when I can get same or better ones at WalMart for a fraction of the price.
 
I have these Red Wings and they get thoroughly abused every day at work.

http://www.redwingsafety.com/intl/safety-boot/2240-safe-intl/2240-red-wing-mens-6-inch-boot-brown

Before I bought these, I would buy $70-80 boots from Fleet Farm and I'd have them destroyed within 6 months. I've had my Red Wings for a year and a half and they are still going strong, and I paid $150 for them. I was a bit disappointed to see they were made in China, (especially since Red Wing is a local company here in MN) but the bottom line is I paid twice the price of my old cheap boots and they have lasted 3X as long with life still left in them. Not to mention they are far more comfortable too.

When I do decide to replace these, it will be with another pair of Red Wings, probably the exact same ones.
 
Easy to say...

Could you show some examples?

Thanks, Jim

Originally Posted By: gfh77665

Definitly will. I will not pay for the RW "name" sewn on junk china made shoes, when I can get same or better ones at WalMart for a fraction of the price.
 
Originally Posted By: gfh77665
They will last longer than the China Redwings I paid $100 for.
Are you a fortune teller too?
 
Originally Posted By: dwcopple
Originally Posted By: gfh77665
They will last longer than the China Redwings I paid $100 for.
Are you a fortune teller too?


No, not a "fortune teller"
smirk.gif
but I believe that the Walmart shoes WILL last longer than 4 weeks like the China RedWings did. (Also, I have worn my $49 Sears "Roebucks" for a year and a half so far, BTW.) Even if I did have a problem though, WalMart would warranty them, unlike RedWings refusal.

Any more questions? Anyone?
 
I've heard RedWing quality has gone down in the past few years. I wore them at my old job (my company paid $120 per year towards safety shoes) and didn't have any problem but a few slip on shoes were not that comfortable.
 
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