Work Boots

I'm very ambivalent to these questions. They get asked - a lot!

There's no speaker for the boot industry, that can wrap everything into a consensus for people to immediately digest however.

For very obvious reasons, especially before the mass production we have been able to achieve in the past few decades, there used to be a lot more boot makers. This quantity was required to supply workers pre-massive production, pre-Walmart level. Most of these boots were strictly sold to workers.

RM Williams is a good example, since they were made for the outback people in Australia. In the past decade, they were bought out, and that audience has changed. The worker used to be RM Williams thriving point and inspiration. They thrived to work for this audience, replacing outsoles, elastic, etcetera. Suffice, this is not the case anymore. Production has increased, and the market is very much for fashion now.

There's a couple of big points here:

1) Every one of these companies has had a very real hit from mass production. There used to be a much bigger industry around well-made clothing in the states (wool mills, leather making, etcetera). A majority of these companies have either sold out or gone out of business. I realize this may seem like common sense, but since this was pre and in the beginning of the internet, I believe many of us do not realize the scale in which these companies have changed.

2) The market has changed. As with RM Williams, most of these companies today have gotten more people buying these products from Japan (having a fashion around old Americana) and yuppies from StyleForum, etcetera. They're not going to be in the rolling hills of the Pacific Northwest, nor is their leather going to touch any woods.

Natural material upkeep. This applies to every clothing industry here, particularly for the outdoor's goes. There's been a dramatic shift to synthetic materials. Fleece, synthetic leathers, nylon shell's, goretex, etcetera that we've been spoiled by the tv dinnerness of easy upkeep, through replacing versus repairing, and having garments that takes care of itself. With older clothing, tin clothing needs to be redressed, wool must be stored (is heavier), leather must be cleaned and have oiling. I'm going to put a shameless plug here for hemp too, since it should be alongside leather, wool and quality canvas. However, synthetic's tend to promote themselves as cheap, maintenance free, and lighter weight - so again, market shift. Less sales, and then the people that do make something heavier, like a wool garment, are going to use a thinner wool since the market just wants to look like a sailor with their fleece underliner.

Suffice, i'd say 99% of maker's have compromised somewhere as a result of competing with mass production. Some will use thinner leathers because their audience complains of break-in. Some will switch to cementing soles since no one will pay the extra to resole their boots, much less oil them.

I have been to Danner's factory several times. They use thinner leathers. Mind you, they have USA made and China made Danner's. The USA one's are better, and resoleable. Regardless, the leather is thin, even on their better models like the Ft Lewis, Acadia, etcetera. The goretex isn't very good, and it causes water to get trapped between the leather and the goretex before it breaks down. I'd never consider Danner the best, but the company needs to be restructured for its US outfit and fix some details. Their Stumptown is also showing a shift in selling to yuppies.

Red Wing is also a problem customer. Red Wing gets mentioned - a lot! Unfortunately, most the people that are recommending them are still using their 20 year old pair, from back in the day. Their newer China stuff is trash, and their USA Heritage collection is made to be casual boots. They are -not- made for hard use of any kind.

White's is another one that gets recommended here. They were recently bought by a fashion label, and all the fans say nothing's going to change. I have seen this trend too many times before, and will wait things out before my wallet nears it. As far as i've heard, they plan to increase production, which isn't entirely good.

I'd say as a value brand, Chippewa and Thorogood are good and capable. The leather works and can be resoled, for the most part - particularly the made in USA. Take note that the Vibram white wedge outsole is a comfort outsole and wears down very fast. It's important to segway here, that while the customer -should not- be having to do this level of research to find the best quality boot, at this point in time, you have to. You will find better deals and better quality online. Most stores do not stock quality gear. Order from a place with a good return policy. Read other's sizing information, etcetera. You are shooting yourself in the foot. It sucks, I hate shipping, I hate how retailers stock dog shit, I hate that the industry can't use similar lasts, I hate that we can't all use the metric system, I hate doing the research for boot makers, the whole industry is lined in ever-puking horseshit, but IT IS WHAT IT IS. I take a deep breath and go through with it to get my fair share.

Moving on along the quality value of boot makers, everything I have read about Redback and Rossi have been very good. The leather is thick. Note that Polyeurthane soles need to be used regularly or else the sole deteriorates. Not good for storage. Polyeurthane is light though and durable. So it wouldn't be resolable, but last well into use for these two makers.

At the tip of the iceberg, I recommend Dayton (Canadian/Style), Dehner (Equestrian/Military), Limmer (heavy Outdoors), Nick's (Logging), Wesco (Logging/Motorcycle), Viberg (Canadian/Logging/Style), and William Lennon/Rufflander (British/Work). All of these are very well-made, resoleable, blah, blah, blah, last long time if you take good care (read: maintenance. Oiling X amount of months, rotating, not hot drying, and making sure to leave them out muddy). I will also put in a plug for Arrow Moccasin for making the best moccasins money can buy.

There's other good one's out there. Solovair, for example, albeit they don't offer their own resoling service, many cobblers can resole them. Doc Martens For Life are a value, albeit have a clumsy fit.

Most of what i'm saying won't fit for hard workwear, but in case any other's stumble upon this thread.

Note: I don't have a particular issue to yuppies, and I am generalizing. It's just when a workwear label begins to place a higher value in style, then what's practical takes two steps back.

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