Best work boots - who makes them?

Shop deals on ebay
shop deals on amazon
SpartanEpoxies
Advertise with us
House Repair Talk

Help Support House Repair Talk:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
G

Gilly826

Active Member
Joined
Jul 20, 2019
Messages
33
Reaction score
0
Location
MA
Alright guys and gals. I haven't posted in a while, but I figured this might be a good place to ask this question.

Who makes the best work boots?!?

Quality seems to have gone down the crapper over the last 20+ years and it's absolutely infuriating spending $200 on a pair of boots that don't last a year before falling apart. I'm sure I'm not the only one.

Personally I have been a big fan of Timberland over the years, but I'm on my way out. I average 2+ pairs of boots a year (some under warranty), and I've had it. I'm a truck driver by profession, in and out of the truck a lot. All around DIYer at home, mechanics, carpentry, etc. I ABUSE my boots and wear them everyday. So.. where do you all spend your hard earned money on footwear?
 
Feel your pain!
Went though this for many years.
No matter what I spent they leaked, soles came off, lases broke or would not stay tied.
I found the best boots I've ever owned by chance, long story.
The brand is Corcoran, there made in PA, USA.
I'm till wearing the same pair for three years wearing them 7 days a week.
Model # CV2754GHR
I bought my second spare pair on Amazon.
 
joecaption said:
Feel your pain!
Went though this for many years.
No matter what I spent they leaked, soles came off, lases broke or would not stay tied.
I found the best boots I've ever owned by chance, long story.
The brand is Corcoran, there made in PA, USA.
I'm till wearing the same pair for three years wearing them 7 days a week.
Model # CV2754GHR
I bought my second spare pair on Amazon.
Click to expand...

Wow, if that's the case.. I'm impressed. Never heard of them, but I'll check them out! It's sad, I feel like all the big brand names have purposely lessened their product in hopes of selling more footwear. I had a pair of tims that lasted be 5-10 years.. not nowadays. It sucks.
 
I have worn Lacrosse for probably 9 years now. I wear a pair every day for just going into public, so they look "nice". As far as work goes, I use a pair that is scuffed up pretty good and no longer waterproof, and they still support my old bones. They are probably 6 years old. Then I have another pair strictly for snow, probably 4 years old.
 
I like Thorogood boots. America made, good quality.
 
Redwing Tradesman , BRNR XP, or FlexForce depending on which one they have on sale when I go in. Tradesman | Red Wing
https://www.redwingshoes.com/work/FlexForce-04448.html?cgid=workhttps://www.redwingshoes.com/work/Brnr-XP-02253.html?cgid=work
I have to have a pull on because I'm constantly switching shoes trying not to track mud and rocks everywhere. Plus I seem to burn through shoe strings welding etc. and I really hate the strings with a leather cover. I have to have something other than leather on the toe because I rub/cut through to the safety toe within a day or so if I don't, and the wide fit feels the best of anything I try. I use them for everything... I haven't had a pair I hated yet.
The "Cons" to them is they are pricy and a little bit on the heavy side. Also the sales people in Redwing are pretty .... abrasive... pushy... I don't know some people really like the service in there I just get annoyed with them. I try not to go in there without knowing at least 2 pairs I'm looking for and if there is a sale.

I was going through boots within a year before I switched over to the Redwings and now I get at least 2 years out of them. That might also be because I've figured out how I wear out boots now so I only buy the ones with added support were I need it. I don't remember all my previous brands but I know I started buying them at Walmart and then switched to Sportsmans Warehouse ( I think I mostly bought Timberland from them) I also tried one pair of Wolverine boots and they were incredibly comfortable at first but the heel wore out pretty fast and that was when I switched to Redwing.
I think we all are always on the hunt for the perfect boot. I wouldn't say Redwing is perfect but I know I'm going to walk outta there with something that will last me at least 2 years.
 
I've had my Tims for about 3 years and I like them a lot. They're comfortable even though I stand most of the day, they're tough enough to withstand abuse on days when I'm doing "real work" (as opposed to office work), they're waterproof, but they're still breathable so unless it's hot out my feet don't feel sweaty. They also don't look goofy. I think it's this model.
 
Thank you all for the replies! Looks like I need to turn on my notification settings!

I might have a pair of winter boots narrowed down. There's a pair of Carolina's that have gotten pretty rave reviews.. but I'm gonna continue to look/research before I pull the trigger.

I had a pair of timberwolves that were gifted to me and I destroyed them in 6 months. As I've said, big Timberland fan for years - but I've destroyed several pairs over the last 5ish years.

I'll have to check out Thorogood and look into RedWing again. I bought a pair of their heritage edition boots but ended up returning them.
 
I worked in construction in canada as a plumber for 30 years. Incanada we had safety inspectors going to all the job sites. We had to wear bootas with steel toe, steel shank and steel plate or the safety inspectors fined you $300 and the company $1000. So i wore every type of boot possible. these included caterpillar, Kodiaks , terra lights, and many other i can not remember, once i found terralights that was it they were the best , warm, light and very well made. I still have several pairs, 8" Work Boots | Terra Footwear > 8 inch work boots
1606940012619.png
 
billshack said:
I worked in construction in canada as a plumber for 30 years. Incanada we had safety inspectors going to all the job sites. We had to wear bootas with steel toe, steel shank and steel plate or the safety inspectors fined you $300 and the company $1000. So i wore every type of boot possible. these included caterpillar, Kodiaks , terra lights, and many other i can not remember, once i found terralights that was it they were the best , warm, light and very well made. I still have several pairs, 8" Work Boots | Terra Footwear > 8 inch work boots
View attachment 24766
Click to expand...
Awesome, I'm gonna look into them as well. Thank you! Appreciate the back story to go along with it.
 
I used to buy work boots only from well-known brands, but then I realized that I was overpaying only for the brand, and the quality was low as on other work boots.
 
I've worn WOLVERINE for about 20yrs, electric safe, available at BOOT BARN, along with western gear, replace glue on toe cover 3 times before I wear them out.
 
68bucks said:
I like Thorogood boots. America made, good quality.
Click to expand...
My company gives us a boot allowance and decided to try these because the Redwings that I love, would take like 6 months to reorder. Bought them for the simple fact they were the closest to what I had and made in USA. Not a fan of the ‘tongue’ being stitched to the sides. I cut mine. They also were narrower than the Redwing + significantly heavier. Redwings for the win. The basic boot with the white spongy sole and composite toe.👍🏻
 

Attachments

  • 0EDE21B0-E67A-43F8-BB69-BC3B28F52BC9.png
    0EDE21B0-E67A-43F8-BB69-BC3B28F52BC9.png
    129.3 KB · Views: 4
Most boots today are too bulky to suit me. I end up tripping on stuff, even my own feet. Since I don't need to meet safety standards I would like something similar to the old upland kangaroo bird boots with vibram soles. In the old days Sears sold a knockoff that did well for me. I haven't found a modern equivalent. As an engineer when on the job site safety people just assumed my boots met safety requirements (else why would I have them on). I prefer a boot with a semblance of a heel.
 
Last edited:
FinOllers said:
I used to buy work boots only from well-known brands, but then I realized that I was overpaying only for the brand, and the quality was low as on other work boots.
Click to expand...
Therefore, I decided to buy several pairs of cheap boots for myself. This way, I save money because, in fact, these shoes will already wear out after a year of use anyway. Although I recently decided to go to Canada’s best source for work boots and bought myself some good work boots, it seems to me, because considering how much I paid for them, the quality is very good, if they last me a long time, I will only buy them.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Back
Top