1st pr of Red Wings

[Nancy Howell]

I've been struggling with finding work boots that fit. Work boots for women can be very expensive.

Bought a pair of with steel toes and they pinched my little toe (don't remember the brand).

Bought a pair of Ariats and they kept stretching and stretching. I now were double thick socks and have 2 insoles in them. Plus, they're not waterproof and if there's a lot of dew on the grass, my feet get wet.

Next tried a pair of boy's boots. Felt ok when I bought them, but now they are way too wide. Even with heavy socks my foot slides around in them.

Stopped at a Red Wing store last night. Salesman was a young man, but seemed to know his stuff. Told him my issues. He brought out a couple of pairs. First pair was too narrow. Second pair fit better, but steel cap just touched the little toe on my left foot.

He said the steel cap should never touch your little toe, which is what got pinched in my other pairs. He went and got a 1/2 size larger and the cap didn't touch my little toe. He also said they would stretch a little, but not much and I would never need to wear a heavy sock or put insoles in them.

Went ahead and got them, very pricey (for my budget) $124 after a $25.00 off coupon. Glad I stopped in. I had been shopping online and would not have bought the 1/2 size larger.

Wore them around the house last night and didn't have any problems. Will continue to wear them inside until I decide if they'll work. That way if I have a problem with them, they'll exchange for a pair without a steel toe.

 

[Logan in S.E. Texas]

Nancy,
After you decide on whether or not you are going to keep this pair, I would reccommend that if you do keep them, treat them with Mink Oil. It will make the leather softer and conform to your foot and it will also waterproof to some extent.Personally, I prefer the Georgia brand of boots, I have found them to be much more comfortable and easier to wear tahn any other brand. I treat all of my boots with mink oil though. Logan

 

[Nancy Howell]

This is tractor related because they are for the farm!

 

[Mike in Mn.]

I hope the Red wings work out for you, I went through the same thing with the steel toe and finally gave up on them, always rubbing or pinching. I wear #608's in the summer, removable insole and waterproof, and insulated ones in the winter. I never walk around mud or manure! Red Wings are good shoes once you find what fits your particular need.Clean em up every couple of weeks and soak em down with mink oil and you will get your money's worth out of them.

 

[Chris(IA)]

Nancy, I predict you'll love them. I got my first pair of Red Wing (Pecos) boots back in 1974. I STILL have them (leather soles). I am still wearing the Pecos style with rubber soles to this day. Same size as way back then. Told the wife that I can be buried in the leather soled ones as they are the same pair I was married in! (Leather soles are NOT for ice and snow)

 

[dr sportster]

My advice would be never to wear steel toes unless it is a job requirement. Even with a Red Wing the steel toe does not allow the boot to flex enough to be comfortable.Just go by the rule "DO not place heavy objects near edge of workbench"lol . The Red Wings I like cost 219. and the insert cost 50 bucks. It is insane but there is no break in . They are comfortable from day one. Some are imported so check the country of origin. Tell them you are in a union and get a 10% discount.

 

[Anonymous-0]

I use to wear Red Wings pecos boots (25+ years) and got about three years out of a pair. Ten years ago I bought a pair of Cabela's full-grain gore-tex insulated wellingtons and I'am getting ready to buy a new pair. I like them because they are easy to break in, they are water proof and I was surprised that being insulated they are no hotter in the summer than the leather Red Wings.

 

[Ron in NS]

Around here, $124 is cheap for such a good brand name of boots, and yes, if you're working outdoors around horses and any machinery, steel toes are a must have. Many is the time steel toes have saved my toes from shod horses' feet, and other heavy objects. A good comfortable pair of steel toed boots will never pinch. I wear mine outdoors all the trime, and I never find them uncomfortable, even walking some long distances. I have Terra Lites tho.

 

[rick165]

i have been wearing the redwing steeltoe slip on boot they call it the pecos most comfortable boot i have ever wore been wearing them for about 20 years.
RICK

 

[rustyfarmall]

Double H brand boots are as good as it gets, and they are 100% made in the U.S.A. I've got a NICE pair of RedWings setting on top of a cabinet out in the shop. They are just about the most uncomfortable and clumsy pair of boots I've ever owned, and they are made in China. RedWings USED to be good boots. Not any more.

 

[Christopher S.]

I've been wearing Carolinas and am quite happy with them.

 

[dr sportster]

I'm changing my advice because I forgot about the horses. My friend had a cops horse step on his toe New Years eve in Times Square. He said it was the worst pain he ever felt which is odd because he was hit by a train once. So ,yes , you do need those steel toes.

 

[1047pm]

I wore Red Wings for years doing construction. They were a little hard to break in but were tough and lasted about 3 to 4 years with everyday use. I bought a pair of Danner boots about 5 years ago and like them better than Red Wings. They are a little lighter and more comfortable. One of my sons is a police officer and wears Danner lace up service boots with side zipper. I like the idea of a side zipper for easy on and off. If you don't mind pre owned Ebay has a great selection of Danner boots you can buy for about 1/4 the new price.

 

[Zachary Hoyt]

I have had Red Wings, they are very good but it got to where it cost well over $150 for a pair as my feet are size 16, so for the past few years I have been wearing Chippewa IQ steel toes for about $100 with shipping. They last me about a year. $124 is a good deal for Red Wing, I'd say.
Zach

 

[BushogPapa]

Nancy, Red Wings will soon "Imprint" your foot in the insole..like Tony Lamas will...!!

Once you wear them a good while, treat them with "Snow Seal"..
Heat them over a register or use a hoe hair dryer and SOAK as much in the leather as it will absorb..let cool and wipe the excess off..
They will remain like top quality Harness Leather as long as the soles last and into a second set with NO cracking..
I have a couple pair that are over 40 years old ( I worked Iron..Journeyman) that I wear any time I know I am going to get a pair wet..well-worn, but still great on the feet..!
Hope you gt along with them as well as I have..!

Ron.

 

[greygoat]

I've had Red Wings..and they really lasted..
they were also the most uncomfortable shoes i've
ever had..got them at the "Factory Outlet" store
in Red Wing Minnesota!

 

[wisbaker]

Danner also offers work boot in Ladies's sizes, not sure where you can buy them locally but U.S. Cavalry in Radcliffe Kentucky and Gall's also somewhere in Kentucky sells them online/mail order, U.S. Cavalry serves the armed forces trade (sometimes all you can get on post is a non-availability slip), Gall's the law enforcement community. I sympathize with you on the steel toe, they were required in the rendering plants I worked in, once everything went Chinese it became hard to find anything that fit. If the toe box is big enough they are to wide for me. I never got along with Red Wings, their arch supports are to high and mess with my flat feet.

 

[INCase]

Bought regular "classic" red wing steel toed boots when i started at Gehl in 1996. Still have them with a TON of miles on them. Still in good shape (not pretty) and are still the most comfortable shoes I own. ALso have a set of their Irish setter hiking boots that are about 35+ years old, and not as comfortable but are by far the best designed/built shoes I've ever seen but need a little TLC on the rear padding from the cobbler.
bought a pair of "casual" red wings for office work. Ok for comfort but the soles are wearing off pretty quick. we'll see.. NOT US made unfortunately.

 

[AB]

Clean them up once in a while and oil them down with mink oil or similar. They will last.

 

[MichiganMH]

Been wearing steel toe Red Wings 5-7 days a week, all day, on concrete, for over 10 years and haven't had a problem with them. They do take a couple of weeks to "break in". Wouldn't buy another work boot. I went through a lot of cheap brands before I realized I shouldn't be cheap with my feet.

 

[Bevan]

Tried a lot of cheap boots before finding Red Wings. Worth the money. Used to buy a pair of the cheap ones a year. Started buying Red Wings. They would go 4 to 5 years of horrid abuse before I would wear the soles off or eventually tear the leather. Worth the investment. Can stand or walk in them all day. Prefer them to tennis shoes.

 

[NCWayne]

Sounds like you've got a wide foot just like me if the steel cap in most boots pinches your little toe. I know there are alot of different brands out there and over the years I've tried just about all of them. I wear my boots seven days a week on anything from concrete, to dirt, to rocks and mud, and have never come home with my feet or back aching because of my boots. I can't say the same for many of the other brands I've tried. What I can say is the best two I've found are Wolverines and Timberlands. The last pair of Red Wings I had were heavily insulated and sat on the shelf more than they got worn. They lasted about 5 years until I went to get them to wear during a snow storm and the soles had gotten soft/rotted off of them. You have no idea how much I hated to throw away a perfectly good, expensive pair of boots because the sole disentegrated because I didn't wear them. Heck I've seen boots three times their age that are still in good shape. Needless to say I will never buy another pair of them.

In the Wolverines they have a tan one that is pig skin and has about 200 grams of Thinsilate in them. Believe it or not the insulation tends to kep the sweat wicked away from your feet during the summer and keep your feet cooler than any unlined boot I've found. The only thing I don't like about them is the way the sides of the sole are made. After awhile the little lugs molded in start to break off, and soon thereafter the soles start to crack.

I tried the Timberlands in an attempt to get a little better life out of the soles before they crack and, to be honest, I do get about a year and a half or more vs just over a year out of the others. Plus they are a little cheaper than the Wolverines.

The good thing about both boots is that they are waterproff so you don't have to do anything extra to make or keep them that way. Working on equipment like I do I'm almost always in mud or oil and my feet have never gotten wet with either boot. The best thing about both boots is that they are comfortable. These two boots are the only ones I have ever worn that I could put on my feet, walk out of the store, and immediately go to work with absolutely no break in period needed for them to be as comfortable as they could be. Part of that comfort, to me, is that the toe caps are tall and wide enough that they give me plenty of wiggle room for my toes so there is no pinching at all. Too, price wise, they are both pretty much inline with what you gave for the Red Wings.

 

[old popper]

Welcome to the world of Red Wings. Been wearing them for twenty years at work. Steel toe variety, and on concrete. I'm the kind that gets sort of "brand loyal" to something that gives me good service, and that is Red Wing!

 

[Gambles]

I've got a very comfortable pair of Red Wing steel toed shoes that have a date on the inside of 2004. I've used them hard and they are still looking good, although I've had to take them in to have the thread on the back side resewed. The worst pair I've owned was a pair of Wolverines, but maybe that was just a bad pair. I've heard people say that the newer Red Wings aren't as good as the older ones, but I plan on keeping mine for awhile.

 

[Michael Soldan]

Rusty,I bought a pair and paid big money,they just about ruined my feet,I was sore for weeks,I returned them and while I was doing so a woman came in to return her Red Wings,she said they ruined her feet! Our shoe store manager who I know in our small town said he thought the shank in the bottom of the shoe was installed crooked..I didn't give Red Wings a second chance,nor will I ever buy another pair..if they work for most people ..GREAT..they sure didn't work for me!

 

[641Dave]

Obenauf's Heavy Duty LP is going to be the best thing to use on them.

 

[MichiganMH]

I thought my first pair were terrible, couldn't hardly walk when I got home for about 2 weeks. Then I had a couple of days off and when I went back to work they were like an entirely different boot. That was over 10 years and 2 pair of boots ago.

 

[MarkB_MI]

I've been wearing Red Wings now for about 40 years. The quality only improves; the new boots outlast the old ones two to one. Their best boots are still made in the US, but will set you back around 200 bucks a pair.

Lately my feet have been bothering me and I decided to get some thicker socks. Being tired of buying cheap socks from Walmart that quickly wear out, I stopped by the Red Wing store. I had a case of sticker shock when I saw that a pair of Red Wing "Merino Hiker Socks" was priced at fifteen bucks. I went ahead and bought a pair, and they are the best socks I've ever owned! Bought another pair the next week.

 

[john in la]

Have a pair of Red Wings on my feet right now. I would have gone threw two pairs of cheep work boots in the time I have had these and they still look almost new.

The only problem I had with them is the laces. These shoes have the small piece of material that you run the shoe laces threw. First pair all the material broke within a few months. Took them back and they give me a new pair. Same thing happened to them. I then took a drill and drilled out holes in the leather part to run the laces threw. Problem Solved.

 

[John730D]

Only brand of boots I'll wear.

 

[Anonymous-0]

Had the same problem with Redwings will never have another pair

 

[pete 23]

I used to wear Red Wings but gave up on them. Stretched out of shape in a few months and the soles wore out quickly. Found a nice Kinny shoe, they were great. They went out of business. I told a guy in a shoe store you couldn't wear them out, he says, that's probably why they went out of business then as they couldn't sell enough shoes.

 

[Paul from MI]

Never had much luck with steel toes, I wear a EEE width and they always pinched and were COLD!! But Red Wings are great, wore nothing else at work and on the farm for over 30 years. They are pricey but well worth it. And they stand behind their product--replaced a three year old pair free becuase they started squeaking.

 

[Pair-a-dice farm]

I used to wear Justin lace up boots and got along fine. I wore them for 20 years or more. The last 2 pairs were crap. I now have a pair of Redwings and they are good boots but after 5 hours my feet hurt. I've tried just about every brand you mentioned and am about ready to go bare foot.

 

[JayinNY]

Glad it's not just me! I have worn wolverine durashocks for
the last 5 years, but the last pair I got they changed them,
after 5 hours or so my feet hurt. Best thing I found for my
type of work cutting lawns all day, is to wear sneakers, or
hiking boots. If it happens to rain, or there's a heavy dew In
the morning, the sneakers get wet inside.! Sneakers also
work fine for me when I'm haying.

 

[Erik Ks farmer]

I've worn Red Wings for about 8 years now, nothing fancy just the trusty old 453's. On my 3rd pair, there light weight and comfortable. I think you'll like them.

 

[State of Jefferson]

Had a couple pairs of Redwings. First were great boots. For a while. Then the fancy "safety toe" (not steel) curled down like a knife edge into the top of my toes. NOT impressed.
Pair I have how seem like decent boots, accept my feet hurt like a &$*#@! after about 4 hours. Doesn't matter if I am on contrete in the shop or out in the dirt.
My favorite Boots are Hathorn "Northwest", made by Whites Boots. Had a couple pairs. Infact the current Redwings were purchased when I had to send my Hathorns off to be re-soled. Handmade in Spokane Washington!

Ben

 

[Philt]

I have wore many different brands but I tried a pair of Red Wings about 10 years ago and have found out they are worth the extra money. The ones I am wearing now are on there 3rd year of everyday use, was getting six months to a year out of the other brands just goes to show that American made is worth the extra money. I agree that some mink oil will prolong the boots.

 

[Dougct]

I have been a cabinet maker since 1997 and stand on my feet 8 plus hours a day sometimes in the same spot.I have bought Chippewa"s and won"t buy anything else at this point.

 

[Anonymous-0]

About 38 years ago I bought a pair of Redwings lace up work boot that had the new neoprene soles on them. The store owner told me IF I could wear out the soles before the rest of the shoes fell apart he would personally give me a new pair for free. After 11 years the uppers fell apart and I had to buy the next pair.