What brand of work boots?

[Alan Bienlein]

I wear the red wing pull on boots. Best boots I ever owned. Comfortable from day one with no break in required and they last an easy two to three years in contruction.

[Scott Hackler]

Hands down the best work boots I've ever owned were Wesco Boots. They build boots to be worn in logging, lineman (what mine were) and rancher style (the last pair I bought). They are 2-3x more expensive that Redwings and take a good week or more to fully break in, but in each of 3 cases the boots lasted 4-5 years. I would have them resoled after about 2 years. I would put them on in the morning and wouldn't take them of until late evening. Very comfy (after the terrible break in period) and worth the $$. Sadly the last time I needed boots, I just made a major purchase and went cheep on some Carolina boots from Sportsmansguide. The quality isn't even close, but surprisingly they are holding up well after 6-7 months. Not anywhere close to Wesco, but at $89 they were less than 1/3 the price...so...


If it weren't for the fact that I may be changing professions in the next year or so, I would order another pair of Wesco Boots.

[Joe Mioux]

Danner's ... I have been wearing various Danner boots for work since the mid 1990's. Prior to that I wore Redwings. The redwings wore out quick for me.

[Jim Koepke]

My experience is with Redwings. Most of mine were bought as factory seconds at half price.

A friend was in the medical profession. He spends a lot of time on his feet and likes Chippewa shoes.

Sears and many others sell a 'work shoe' at a reasonable price. They do not tend to have a long life.

jtk

[Ken Fitzgerald]

All the loggers and outfitters in the area swear by White's Boots. Here's a link: http://www.whitesboots.com/ I'm told they are expensive!

[Leigh Betsch]

I have a friend that swears by White smokejumpers. He's worn them for years but they look to me like they would be very uncomfortable. I've worn Mendle hunting boots from Cabelas for years, they seam to wear quickly but always stay comfortable, but that's for hunting and walking not working and standing. I guess it would depend on how you work is, on concrete, driving a truck, or fighting forest fires....

[Roger Rettenmeier]

That is it, what are the boots for? I have about as many pairs of boots as a supermodel has heels. Light, medium and heavy hikers, caulk leathers,caulk pacs, hunting boots, loggers with vibram soles, etc. I have owned the White Loggers, and they lasted well enough, but still need a rebuild after a while. I get the same bang for my dollar from Hoffman, or Danner.
I worked in a shop one winter on a concrete floor... did not have the right footwear!

[curtis rosche]

18 hour days?? How does your employer expect anyone to function properly with 4 to 5 hours of sleep per night?

18hrs is on the long days. Like a run to Long Island NY we will leave at 3am, get there around 7ish and work till 7 or 9 some times. Then get up the next day and start at 7, probably get home around 5-6. Then go the next day between 3-5am again

[curtis rosche]

I have worn Redwing for over 30 years the boots I have now are Irish Setters that are a Redwing boot. I would not recommend these to anybody as they have not held up at all I called reding and complained and they said they are only warranted for 6 months but the sole of one of them became unglued about 7 months in and the soles of both boots are worn pretty hard even though I now am retired and don't abuse them like the older Redwings.

i have a pair of these now and they've held up well. A few months doing concrete work on hands and knees, and my current job for three years. But I've worn through the soles, the stitching is losing it's battle, and the leather is beginning to wear through

[curtis rosche]

So it sounds like the general consensus is that Danner work boots are well worth the price and too quality. And everyone else just doesn't do enough work on their feet

[Malcolm Schweizer]

I have two classes of work boots: Daily workers, and s--- kickers. Daily work boots are your go-to's and the other are when you know you are going to get muddy, covered in fiberglass, paint, or other time when you want a pair that you don't mind ruining.

Daily workers- Tony Lama makes great lace-up boots. http://www.bootbarn.com/Tony-Lama-Me...efault,pd.html

S Kickers- Craftsman makes a really good boot that is priced low.

[Mac McQuinn]

I bought a pair of toe cap boots from "L.L. Bean" in........ 1991. After (2) resoles and a couple pair of innersoles, I'm still wearing them. I believe these were made by Chippewa back then, USA of course. Recently found a great non-toxic polish which has removed (10) years in their appearance and made the old leather more pliable. Still get compliments on them.
Mac

[Larry Edgerton]

I wore American Made Red Wing Irish Setters for 30 years but the price made me look around. They were about $70 when I bought my first pair, last pair was $240 and I wore out two pair a year.

So........

I bought all kind of boots looking for a good alternative that was affordable, or maybe I should say justifiable. I settled on army boots from Belleville Boot, made in Indiana. I use their desert boots in the summer and their mountain boots in the winter, and both pair cost me less than one pair of Red Wings.

First. let me say that combat boots are not like your fathers combat boots. They are high tech footwear, and do not even look like what one might expect. The desert boots are light, very light and breath better than any boots I have ever had, and as a bonus they will out wear a pair of Red wings by a factor of four. Traction is very good but wears well and has great traction under all conditions. Comfort is actually better than the Irish Setters.

The cold weather boots are very light as well, and have all the same good qualities as the summer boots but do track in a bit more dirt. Very warm, very waterproof, and again very comfortable.

Prices for the summer boots are about $115, winter boots a bit more. They make a training boot that is extremely light that I am going to try for walking in the woods.

I do keep a set of Irish Setters around for working on roofs, that white wedge sole is the best I have used, and so just a bit safer as well as having a tread design that does not tear up shingles.

Like Mac, I too live in Michigan with our sloppy winters, so I keep a selection of Bean Boots an hand as well. Have been wearing their boots for over 40 years. They wear like iron, hence the lifetime warranty.

Larry

[Steve Rozmiarek]

Late as always...

I'm a Redwing guy. I don't know which ones I have, but they are the full height upper with the clearish soles. I can get two years of hard use out of a pair before I wear through the soles. I wear them every day for 14-16 hours per day, and they don't get pampered. Have tried Tony Lama, Gerogia, Danner, Cabelas, and several others and I keep coming back.

That all being said, every pair I buy is more expensive than the last by a noticeable amount, and I have wondered about switching. Good to hear the feedback from you guys.