Early Retirement Extreme Forums

I have redwings. they arent cheap up front mine are 3 years old and look better than new, and so comfy. and they can be resoled!

"I have redwings. they arent cheap up front mine are 3 years old and look better than new, and so comfy. and they can be resoled!"

Is there a substantial difference in quality between the US and China made Redwing shoes?

Done a month straight in welt boots, feeling very good... They're starting to look pretty terrible, however. Anyone have any tips for making them look good enough to get on a plane?
I'm thinking I'll use some brown Kiwi polish and a snoseal on top of that... Looked around on web but couldn't find a reliable info source on care.

jzt83 - I've had one pair of China Redwings and one pair of US, and they were both very nice. They are completely different styles so it's hard to compare them directly. I can't say there's any different in quality.

Would any of these recommendations hold up to a 4 mile/day pavement commute? I've found that, for higher quality shoes, the cost of replacing the heels and/or/ soles is higher than treating cheap shoes as disposable. This may not be sustainable, but for now I'm not sure I have another choice unless I become my own cobbler and find a wholesale source of materials.
P.S. My heel wears quickly due to the shape of my feet and the way I walk. I can't really walk slower if I want to keep the commute short.

Dragoncar - my current Redwobg soles wore more quickly than I expected - from my <1 mile commute. I wonder if there are boots/shoes with soles meant to last while walking on sidewalks. That seems to wear out the soles much faster than walking on carpet, wood, grass, or smooth stone floors. I'm planning on trying to get my current Redwings re-soled soon, and I've been wondering how much it will cost (it's $90 to send them to Redwing, and I'm expecting it will be cheaper if I can get it done locally

@dragoncar - How fast are you going through shoes? My Rockports have lasted nearly three years with a 2 mile commute a day (two of those three years). They are starting to look a little worn as I'm not the type to use polish or anything. At this point, the sole is nearly worn. They were about $140CAN new I think.
Like you, I do mostly side walk walking and often wonder if a cheaper throw-away shoe makes more sense sometimes.
The best shoes I ever had were skateboarding shoes. They are meant to be used against the gritty board and on sidewalks. I wish I could have found a replacement that was good enough to wear to work when those wore out.

I've gone through Rockports in about 6-12 months. They weren't $140 though... more like $50-$80 maybe? That probably means the sole is worse.

I know people make fun of women who wear sneakers with dress clothes when they commute, but I always did because I didn't want to wear our my expensive dress shoes. Can't you guys just leave dress shoes at work and commute in shoes that are made for that kind of walking?

I considered it, but sneakers aren't really my style and probably aren't much cheaper or longer lasting than the office shoes I can find on sale. The disposables don't look as nice as my dressiest shoes, but nobody's looking at my feet when I'm at the desk anyways. Plus, I tend to kick the desk, which mars the dressy shoes.

The simplest solution is always an option for us: walk barefoot.
One of my college roomates did this. He worked at school and often walked there barefoot. A benefit was that his feet were tough as hell. (he could walk normally over a rock road (pointy, sharp rocks) that, for me, might as well have been hot coals.)

I get dumpster shoes. People throw away a lot of good shoes!! My current pair are redwing hiking boots that were probly $200+ new and they've got at least a couple more years in them.

@dragoncar - Or I'm in Canada and everything is more expensive?
@jennypenny - I don't change shoes at work. I'm in IT and they let us wear jeans (!) to work. I used to wear skate shoes to work, but I think my 30s are a little old for that. In either case, I'm not the worst dressed here; some of the men are A+ at being a tech, but get no help as far as appropriate office wear!
@C40 - You must live somewhere warm? At least 50% of the year it's too cold to go barefoot here!

@lilacorchid--I think C40 lives in the midwest, so not warm. I have this funny image of developing hobbit-looking feet after a couple of winters walking to work barefoot through the snow

@dragon: My shoes always wear out at the heel. So far the heel is intact on the welt boots... Another exception: Vibram fivefingers KSO trek, that I've had for over 2 years with daily use in nice weather. I feel a little goofy in them and despite them being an discrete color people often freak out. Perhaps it's because they're snug and there is no room for the heel to rub? Either way, very impressed with these barefoot shoes, very durable.

After 2nd annual sno-seal & polish... This is after 2 outdoor work seasons (roughly 500 hours hard duty) and 2 years (I think) almost daily use temps of (115 F in AZ to -20 F in MT)... Almost look new! Should last 6 years at the minimum, hopefully 12+ in retirement after resole(s)... Sole barely worn down... Sole (ha) concern is welt to sole thread on toe of boot is getting frayed by screes. I think I will try a bead of heavy duty polyurethane to protect the stitching.

Still look good enough to fly business class, so I am happy! (fabric laces are for dress occasions as they don't last, leather laces are only way to go).

@JohnnyH - I might have missed it above, but which brand/model are these boots? They look similar to my Hanwags(*). Vibram soles? I use standard shoe polish (Kiwi) and finish up with shoe grease. Nothing modern.

(*) Never had a problem with those coming apart externally (stitches, leather), but they're falling apart on the inside (worn out) after 15+ years of almost daily use.

I have a pair of 8" Vibram lug soled White's boots that could almost be considered BIFL IMO. If you were willing to do a boot, a 6-8" with mini-Vibrams might be the ultimate do it all shoe. They have a shoe they call "Semi-dress" that I will look in to in the future as well, though they don't look as bombproof-

http://www.whitesboots.com/index.php?di ... ory_id=446

I have a pair of all leather, Goodyear welt Mephisto shoes that are great office shoes, comfortable, long wearing and rebuildable.

Earlier in the thread it was mentioned leather soles wear out. You can have a cobbler add rubber panels to the front of the shoe that will make it wear longer and have much better traction in the wet/snow.

I love the White's Boots. I had my heart set on new oxblood Dr. Martens. Hmm

I have to add Sperry topsiders to the list. They may not be practical for a lot you, but they last forever. I also have Dr. Martens (forlife) and cowboy boots, and they've lasted me a long time.

Before you get too attached, the boots are very expensive, think $500. You could buy several pairs of docs.

My last serious boots were Vasque Sundowners, which though great boots, pale in comparison. I'm sure they'll last twice as long (making them cost the same).

We hiked the Inca Trail in 2011, and while none of our fellow tourists took notice, many guides were very interested in my boots and asked me about them. Forestry fire people, in the western US at least, are big customers too.

Danner also makes a great US made boot, and they sometimes run killer sales.