UNSTUCK
But stuck more often.
One of my most used tools, and I'm getting sick and tired of trying to find a good pair.
The company I work for gives us $100/year for boots. My goal is to come up with something that lasts at least that long. Per the rules, my boots must have a "heel" (questionable?) and must be a safety toe. After that I look for the lightest weight boot I can find. Once I find the two lightest weight boots I try them on and usually pick the cheaper one. I can't believe how heavy some boots are and can't imagine dragging my feet around in heavy boots all day long. I work 10-12 hour days, 5-6 days a week. 75% concrete floors, 25% out in the dirt/mud/rock. I never take them home. Swap in and out of them at work. Here's the results for the last several years:
2016: Wolverine Cirrus Alloy Toe $101.50
2017: Wolverine Cirrus Alloy Toe $66.78 (on sale)
The Wolverine Cirrus is by far the best boot I've worn. I probably bought 10 pairs of these in a row. They were exclusively made for Sears and now I can't find them anymore. At the end of most years they were very well worn, but I could still wear them easily. I really was heartbroken when I couldn't find them anymore.
2018: Redwing Chukka Aluminum Toe $170.95
The worst boot I've used. Hands down. Started falling apart at 6 months with stitching coming undone. It was a real struggle to make them last the year. They were basically shredded by the year mark. You could see my socks through holes in them. These were probably the cheapest Redwing boots there, but I still expected more from them.
2019: Timberland Flume Alloy Toe $107.44
Timberland makes heavy boots. Too heavy for my liking. This was lightest pair out of all of them that I saw. To be honest I don't really remember this pair. I guess that means they didn't stand out and great or terrible. I purchased my next boots 11 months later so I guess I couldn't make the year mark with them.
2020: Work Zone S651 Steel Toe (2 Pairs) $71.29 each
I really went out on a limb with these boots. I used to work with a guy that swore by using two pairs of boots. I found these and decided to try it. These have been the most uncomfortable pair. Or at least it took the longest to get my feet "used" to them. I would say they were well broken in before my feet stopped rubbing wrong causing irritation. These had a very strange cut out in the leather right at the ankle. It offered great flex, but lost all ankle support.
I labeled a pair #1 and the other pair #2. I was religious about using them every other day. 1 on the odd days and 2 on the evens. To me it was very interesting that they wore exactly the same. I guess they should have, but I didn't think they would. Stitching started coming undone at the same time. Yesterday I broke a lace on pair 1 while tying them in the morning. I took them off and grabbed pair 2. Later on I noticed that I broke a lace on these. Overall I was disappointed in the boots. They were the most uncomfortable boots and in reality they lasted 6 months. I really did like swapping boots every other day though. Gave them plenty of time to dry out when they got wet. Having a back up pair was nice, but not really needed. I would do this again over the Redwings though.
2021: Hoss Carter Steel Toe $107.69
I went in looking for replacement laces for the ones I broke yesterday, then realized I was at my year mark so I started looking. The store was closing in 10 minutes. The guys were nice, but I know they didn't want me there. Again, I found the two lightest weight boots and tried them both on. They both felt fine. At $40 difference in price, I picked the cheaper pair. I've never heard of these before so no idea what I'm getting myself into.
So, have you guys found a boot you love? Anyone getting more than a year out of a pair with constant use? Do I just need to accept that they are all junk?
The company I work for gives us $100/year for boots. My goal is to come up with something that lasts at least that long. Per the rules, my boots must have a "heel" (questionable?) and must be a safety toe. After that I look for the lightest weight boot I can find. Once I find the two lightest weight boots I try them on and usually pick the cheaper one. I can't believe how heavy some boots are and can't imagine dragging my feet around in heavy boots all day long. I work 10-12 hour days, 5-6 days a week. 75% concrete floors, 25% out in the dirt/mud/rock. I never take them home. Swap in and out of them at work. Here's the results for the last several years:
2016: Wolverine Cirrus Alloy Toe $101.50
2017: Wolverine Cirrus Alloy Toe $66.78 (on sale)
The Wolverine Cirrus is by far the best boot I've worn. I probably bought 10 pairs of these in a row. They were exclusively made for Sears and now I can't find them anymore. At the end of most years they were very well worn, but I could still wear them easily. I really was heartbroken when I couldn't find them anymore.
2018: Redwing Chukka Aluminum Toe $170.95
The worst boot I've used. Hands down. Started falling apart at 6 months with stitching coming undone. It was a real struggle to make them last the year. They were basically shredded by the year mark. You could see my socks through holes in them. These were probably the cheapest Redwing boots there, but I still expected more from them.
2019: Timberland Flume Alloy Toe $107.44
Timberland makes heavy boots. Too heavy for my liking. This was lightest pair out of all of them that I saw. To be honest I don't really remember this pair. I guess that means they didn't stand out and great or terrible. I purchased my next boots 11 months later so I guess I couldn't make the year mark with them.
2020: Work Zone S651 Steel Toe (2 Pairs) $71.29 each
I really went out on a limb with these boots. I used to work with a guy that swore by using two pairs of boots. I found these and decided to try it. These have been the most uncomfortable pair. Or at least it took the longest to get my feet "used" to them. I would say they were well broken in before my feet stopped rubbing wrong causing irritation. These had a very strange cut out in the leather right at the ankle. It offered great flex, but lost all ankle support.
I labeled a pair #1 and the other pair #2. I was religious about using them every other day. 1 on the odd days and 2 on the evens. To me it was very interesting that they wore exactly the same. I guess they should have, but I didn't think they would. Stitching started coming undone at the same time. Yesterday I broke a lace on pair 1 while tying them in the morning. I took them off and grabbed pair 2. Later on I noticed that I broke a lace on these. Overall I was disappointed in the boots. They were the most uncomfortable boots and in reality they lasted 6 months. I really did like swapping boots every other day though. Gave them plenty of time to dry out when they got wet. Having a back up pair was nice, but not really needed. I would do this again over the Redwings though.
2021: Hoss Carter Steel Toe $107.69
I went in looking for replacement laces for the ones I broke yesterday, then realized I was at my year mark so I started looking. The store was closing in 10 minutes. The guys were nice, but I know they didn't want me there. Again, I found the two lightest weight boots and tried them both on. They both felt fine. At $40 difference in price, I picked the cheaper pair. I've never heard of these before so no idea what I'm getting myself into.
So, have you guys found a boot you love? Anyone getting more than a year out of a pair with constant use? Do I just need to accept that they are all junk?
