Early Retirement Extreme Forums

Ten minutes on the buffing wheel of my bench grinder.

Well now, those look like some damn nice shoes!

really good work ego, congrats on your new awesome boots

Thanks guys. I am happy with how they turned out. I conditioned them with some mink oil. I will have to find a pair of the correct orange and gold shoelaces.

Powerful.

Excellent buy.

Wow those really came back to life. I have an old pair of redwings. Really great boots. $5 is an amazing price. I’m surprised you got a shine out of them. Mine clean up but they are permanently scuffed up and look matte.

Nice boots!

I scored a pair of very lightly used White's Smoke Jumpers for $90 off of eBay a couple years ago. $530 retail price. They are absolute units. 8oz leather.

I think the mink oil glossiness will fade soon.

Last night I was wearing the boots for a walk through the park. While they are nice, they feel like I am wearing bricks on my feet.

I wore mine last weekend while I snaked a drain in the basement. Stood in 1” of water for hours with no leaks. Red Wings are really awesome work boots. They take awhile to get used to. I got my first pair with a “boot allowance” from my first job that required safety toe shoes. The older guys told me to wear them everyday day and night for a couple of weeks to break them in after oiling them. One of the guys suggested heating them at low heat in the oven before oiling. Having new boots was a ticket to hazing in that job.

I wear mine for yard work now. Very durable shoes. I prefer the USA made not the Irish Setter line made overseas.

jacob wrote: ↑

Wed Jun 08, 2011 12:46 am

http://earlyretirementextreme.com/the-l ... r-buy.html

Did your wife end up getting a pair of Merrell Wilderness boots? How did they turn out?

EDIT: Ah whoops, I should've read all the comments in the post. No, Merrells.

I'm in the market for some boots appropriate for walking a few miles through snow/slush.

I had a question about boots in general though, are women and men's boots differently shaped? If there is the same model of boot with a men's version and a women's version what differences would one expect between the two of the same size (eg both EU 43)?

You might look into Sorel Caribou boots. They're somewhat heavy, and not sports-oriented, on top of not being all that fashion-y, but for walking in snow, slush, water, crud, etc., they should do the trick alright. The bottom part is rubber and so it is completely waterproof. Like rain boots. Sorels are kind of pricey, but you can probably find similar boots at Walmart (or Canadian Tire if you're the right country). Those boots usually come with a liner like that (https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com ... UY395_.jpg) and they are warm.

I have a pair of boots like these. They're Kamik. I paid like 40 (Canadian) bucks on sale 15 years ago. They are still my main and only winter boots. They are in palliative care now -- the sole was worn to the point where there were holes, so I contact-cemented new "soles" (bike tires) under them last year -- but... still working.

If you want to do winter hiking though, it's probably better to get some hiking-specific boots (which will be lighter with a gaiter on top to prevent snow from getting in), even though Sorels would obviously work. They're just more heavy.

George the original one wrote: ↑

Tue May 14, 2019 10:41 pm

2019 update. I'm buying two new pairs of the Georgia Boot Company's Romeos. My quirky right foot, the one with a large bunion, has caused the leather to crack and I'll probably wear through pretty soon. The rubber soles have continued to hold up. So lifespan is easily double what I was getting with Merrell shoes.

2021 update. Just switched to the second pair after wearing through the heel stitching of the first pair. The soles were just about done, too, so it's time.

I have a pair of Ecco shoes that I bought in 2008 that are indestructible. They will probably last another 5 years! Paid $150 back then and well worth it. Sole / footbed construction is more like a boot, but no ankle support. Maybe these were still made in Europe at the time. I’ve bought many pairs of Ecco since then. They last a long time. Unfortunately in the past five years or so they’ve also started to move Manufacturing to lower cost countries, so not sure quality is still the same. I believe their HQ is in Jacob’s home country?
I have a pair of EMS hiking boots from 1994 - still in great shape. I just put in good insole inserts as needed. Those were made in USA. They haven’t been used often enough, so low miles. An important reason to get retired soon!
In 2012, I bought a pair of Italian made Lowa hiking boots. They cost euro 200 and fit like a glove. Those will last a very long time as well.

Married2aSwabian wrote: ↑

Fri Oct 22, 2021 7:58 am

In 2012, I bought a pair of Italian made Lowa hiking boots. They cost euro 200 and fit like a glove. Those will last a very long time as well.

Hopefully they do. However, I had a pair of Lowa Ronan GTXs fall apart after less than a year of use.


YMMLV

Following Jacob's post about the Hanwag boots, and after some research, I ordered myself a pair of Gruntens.

Got them yesterday and started wearing them right away. Followed the advice on how to properly lace them up.

Oh man....

I've never worn anything so comfortable. And I mean anything (not just footwear)! These are the Ferrari of boots.

I'm going to take damn good care of these guys. Got the waterproofing sponge bottle and some wax. Also will try to keep them dry and not too hot or cold. Great to hear that some have lasted half a lifetime.

Hats off to the makers! And to Jacob for this tip.

I wear the most neutral colour Ecco goretex shoes 99+% of the time. Other than that:
- a pair of nubuck/goretex mountaineering/trail shoes. They're not comfortable when cycling. I hardly wear these.
- a pair of shoes for marriages or similarly formal occasions. Last time I wore those was at my brother's wedding.
- a pair of cheap old boots. They're at our summer house. I use them when working.

I'm thinking of getting a pair of Hanwag Grünten shoes for when these fail. I wonder how suitable they are for cycling though. Are they flexible enough for that?

loutfard wrote: ↑

Mon Jan 22, 2024 5:29 am

I wear the most neutral colour Ecco goretex shoes 99+% of the time. Other than that:
- a pair of nubuck/goretex mountaineering/trail shoes. They're not comfortable when cycling. I hardly wear these.
- a pair of shoes for marriages or similarly formal occasions. Last time I wore those was at my brother's wedding.
- a pair of cheap old boots. They're at our summer house. I use them when working.

I'm thinking of getting a pair of Hanwag Grünten shoes for when these fail. I wonder how suitable they are for cycling though. Are they flexible enough for that?

Yeah good question - while comfortable to wear, they do feel solid as a brick when walking, so I'm guessing maybe not the best option for cycling. But you could probably get used to cycling with them if you really wanted them to be your "everything" shoe. Also the toe feels extremely firm, so I guess toe protection is probably a plus when cycling a lot.

Personally I don't cycle much - more a fan of walking and trains.

loutfard wrote: ↑

Mon Jan 22, 2024 5:29 am

I wonder how suitable they are for cycling though. Are they flexible enough for that?

The Hanwag Grünten are B on the ABCD scale. That's a heavy boot but still suitable for general use. A trip to work or the city should be fine. They do not look suitable for if you want to cycle as fast or as far as you can. Lower boots (which do not cover the ankle) are better for cycling.

What type of cycling are you thinking about?

A few km to/from the train station, 10 km occasionally.