Who makes good work boots in the USA?

[metalmaster10]

If you don't mind Made In Canada then Terra !
Made in Newfoundland.
Been wearing them past 20 years, I go through a pair
a year but wear them year round seven days a week.
I do everything with them from working, mowing my lawn to
wrenching on my old cars :
Terra Footwear > Home

I would be ok with Canada, but I have never seen that brand here.
I looked up the Chippewa line... They have a couple I like. $125.... Same price as some of the Chinese. I will definitely be checking out some Red Wings too, they seem to be the theme.

 

[jdavi581]

I have had 3 pairs of redwings. First pair got wet every day, and the leather cracked ( I did not oil them as I should have) and then the soles cracked. I bought another pair with the gel soles. Those lasted 5 years, until I melted the soles off in an very bad incident where some molten aluminum got away on us, and I ended up walking though it to get out. Burned my forearms, but the feet were fine. Bought my 3rd pair 2 years ago, and I have worn them every day, work or not since and they are in good shape. I would highly recommend them. I have a friend whose uncle works for redwing, says that they make all of the parts here for the boots, send them across the pond for the sewing, and send them back here to sell. I also bought a pair of carolina logging boots. They are great boots, wear like iron, but even with a good insole are hard on the feet when walking on concrete. I use them in the woods for running the chain saw.
Joe

 

[smalltime]

I can't wear boots and be comfortable.

I went to the Red wing store four years ago, bought a good par of industrial rated work shoes, never looked back.

 

[cash]

I wore Red Wings for many years.

This year I stepped it up a notch and bought some Wesco Jobmasters.

BEST boot there is, bottom line.

Very similar to Whites boots.

MADE IN THE USA.

I did the custom fit just like kpotter is looking to do.

I have a narrow foot, B/C width. IMPOSSIBLE to find proper fitting boots.

Excellent Arch support and the sole material is heavy duty.

I went with the #430 Vibram sole so chips would not be getting stuck in the lugs like on the heavier ones.

Since I wear out toes on the boots I as well got the toe caps for longer wear.

yea, yea-they are $$$$$. But when on my feet 10-12 hrs a day it is worth the extra money.

Their service is TOP NOTCH. Email them a question and Pete gets back to you ASAP.

Plus from all the custom boot fitters their website is the BEST. Very descriptive and you can see good photos of what options you want.

 

[11 Bravo]

I have worn Red Wings for about 25 years. I am really disappointed that they are getting into the cheap China BS, but the made in the U.S.A. boots still seem to be as good as ever.

I work with some guys that wear Wesco and White boots. I am leaning to giving a pair of Whites a try next time around. Both Wesco and White offer a boot rebuild program where you can send in a pair of used up boots and they replace whatever parts are bad. You pretty much get your old upper boot on a new lower at a fair bit less money than a new pair.

I saw a couple of references to Danner. Does anybody know if they make a steel toe boot in the U.S.? The only U.S. made Danners I could find were speced to meet some forest service contract for firefighters and were soft toe. All the steel toe models I can find around here are made in China and are more money than the U.S. made Red Wings.

 

[omrc7771]

I worked structural steel when I got serious about buying good boots, welding sparks, slag from oxy cutting, climbing red iron. Don't even know where they are made, they have toe caps and a tough piece of material along the welt. They last forever and don't weigh a ton. Carolina boot.

 

[D.Brown]

Work boots....:

None of the brands you've named would be considered *real* work boots in my opinion. More like high top shoes. Rustytool is right on in recommending White's boots. A pair of their linesman boots are stout & will be barely broke in the time it took for your boots to fail. As I recall, they require an outline of your foot & custom make the boots for a perfect fit. No affiliation, just a satisfied customer.
David

 

[jimk1960]

Danner boots are by far the beast! I have worn them for the past 29 years they have never let me done, even through 12 months in Iraq!

 

[RDL]

Fourth pair of Red Wings', sole delaminated and is apparently unrepairable. NOT IMPRESSED. I will read the suggestions because Red Wings have gone downhill.

 

[kustomizingkid]

Redwing here... I am a little biased though being from Minnesota.

 

[iMillJoe]

I've got a pair of Carolinas I've worn for the last few years, and for the most part I'm pretty happy with them. I had to have the soles redone last winter, and the guy didn't do a very good job. (didn't even use the same type of sole on both boots) They need resoled again, and I'm thinking about just buying a new pair... Anyone know of a good boot with metatarsal guards that is well vented? My feet reek so bad, an Asian guy would insist I keep my boots on when walking into his house (It's happened). 45+ more hours a week with them being able to breath would certainly help. (Although my feet have always reeked and no home remedy has helped).

 

[tdmidget]

Just bought a pair of Thorogoods from Union Boot Pro. I love them. When I first looked at them I complained about the lack of a composite toe cap and shanks, plus a defined heel, required by my closest nuke plant. Within a year they are offering the exact boot I asked for so I bought a pair. $128.00, union made in the US.. I recommend them. Good people to deal with.

 

[Zahnrad Kopf]

I wore Red Wings for many years.
This year I stepped it up a notch and bought some Wesco Jobmasters.
BEST boot there is, bottom line.
Very similar to Whites boots.
MADE IN THE USA.
I did the custom fit just like kpotter is looking to do.
I have a narrow foot, B/C width. IMPOSSIBLE to find proper fitting boots.
Excellent Arch support and the sole material is heavy duty.
I went with the #430 Vibram sole so chips would not be getting stuck in the lugs like on the heavier ones.
Since I wear out toes on the boots I as well got the toe caps for longer wear.
yea, yea-they are $$$$$. But when on my feet 10-12 hrs a day it is worth the extra money.
Their service is TOP NOTCH. Email them a question and Pete gets back to you ASAP.
Plus from all the custom boot fitters their website is the BEST. Very descriptive and you can see good photos of what options you want.

Cash, where/who did you talk to about them? I happen to just now be in the market again. Same experiences as many here, like yourself. Red Wings until they went downhill, Chippewas since the Service but they got hard to find, Thorogood's were great but my very bowed legs tend to destroy soles quickly. Where do I find these Wescos?

 

[packardbill]

I have worn redwings with the white soles on them for decades but now I am going to have a pair of boots custom made by Wesco. My wife has accused me of being an industrialsexual instead of a metrosexual. They will custom make work boots so I am having some really cool ones made with steel toes and metatarcel gaurds. They will be bull hide and have heavy soles. They take several months to get made I just got the fit kit.

I'm a Red Wing man, but I have 2 pairs of Wesco Engineeer boots. They are fantastic. Rugged, and comfortable. But that's what you get with custom made...exact fit! PB

 

[cash]

Cash, where/who did you talk to about them? I happen to just now be in the market again. Same experiences as many here, like yourself. Red Wings until they went downhill, Chippewas since the Service but they got hard to find, Thorogood's were great but my very bowed legs tend to destroy soles quickly. Where do I find these Wescos?

I think I found them by either searching google or youtube.

If you search youtube there is a guy's channel named Wranglerstar. He shows you how to clean and maintain the boots. This brand of boot-Whites or Wesco are very popular with wildland firefighters.

Just search wesco/whites boots on youtube and lots of info there.

 

[303_Enfield]

I have worn redwings with the white soles on them for decades but now I am going to have a pair of boots custom made by Wesco. My wife has accused me of being an industrialsexual instead of a metrosexual. They will custom make work boots so I am having some really cool ones made with steel toes and metatarcel gaurds. They will be bull hide and have heavy soles. They take several months to get made I just got the fit kit.

You are my new favorite poster.

 

[R. Dan]

Whites, custom fit. Expensive as hell and worth every penny.

 

[cash]

Before I laced them up today I figured I would snap a pic. They have been walking the floor for about 8 months now. I have been cleaning and preserving every couple months. Saddle soap and Obernauf's heavy duty LP.

8" Jobmaster.

#430 Vibram sole. Standard heel.

Toe Caps.

Steel Toe

 

[Ox]

2 words...Red Wing

you'll never regret spending the money and you'll never look back.
just stay away from their cheaper 'worx' line.

Had a kid started here this spring and after few months his boots were in bad shape. I asked when he got them - and apparently they were almost new when he started. So in just a few months the soles had died!
I told him that I get about 2 yrs (of way more hours) out of a pr of RedWings, but they are expensive.

"How much did you pay for those?"
He said $140.

Crickie - I didn't pay much more for these!

GOT to have the urethane "Super Sole" for in the machine shop!

My boy got a new pr this summer, and he said that those were $180, but his other pr had lasted him for prolly a half dozen yrs I would guess. But he doesn't work here full time, so ...

Never worn steel toes...



--------------------

Think Snow Eh!
Ox

 

[kustomizingkid]

If you go Redwing the have to be the US made ones.