A la Redwing / Gorilla

I fancy a pair as they look super comfy but also like they’ll last a while…. but the prices? Seem like they start around $200 and go up and up. Why so pricey? ‘cos they last a long time? Are there any brands that are similar in style but not quite so hefty price-wise??

Not a thread for Flashheart.

Why so pricey?

I think you put the word ‘trendy’ in the subject.

Where are you if you’re quoting prices in dollars? Something made reasonably locally (as in on the same continent) helps if value for money matters* – one nation’s mundane staple is another’s exotic import.

*even though all the boots will actually have been made in the Far East where the brand is actually based seems to make a real difference.

Try on Redwing before buying, their sizing is all over the place. They stretch when they’re broken in. Not bad boots but I sold mine after a few months and wouldn’t buy again.

Try William Lennon, peak hipster but not outrageous prices

Redwing you need to go down a full size for a correct fit, also they have a long break in period

Anyway – if you’re buying in Europe. Dunderdon F4 Chukkas. About £99, incredibly light compared to the Buckler’s they replace and so far too nice to wear for actual safety boot applications 🙂

Why so pricey?
Because their target market are people who pay £38.99 for a Tee shirt.

dm’s ?

It amazes me how cheap proper workwear is at Screwfix / Toolstation etc, you can get a pair of boots for £25, which I suspect last as long as the £200 ones..

Altberg?

Because their target market are people who pay £38.99 for a Tee shirt.

Because mugs + brand labels.

Loads of boots around that look like that, but it’s up to you if you need to go “Ooh man, on go my £200 boots” every day. Or just get some nice boots.

It amazes me how cheap proper workwear is at Screwfix / Toolstation etc,

That’s because the people who generally pay for it aren’t the same people who wear it.

I am both a wearer and a payer and I have had a pair of £30 rigger boots from Arco for years.

Magnum Boots any good for you? Very comfy, reasonably priced. I’ve worn them for years, decades even.
Not sure they are trendy though. Just boots.

It amazes me how cheap proper workwear is at Screwfix / Toolstation etc,

Depends on a great deal though. How well something might last and how well it might function are different issues.

I buy a lot of snickers workwear, especially their trousers. You pay a fair whack for them but they last and they’re really well thought out. They’ve spawned a lot of imitators though. Needing some shorts at short-notice I picked up some pretty similar looking Dewalt shorts for about £20 from Screwfix – as material and a list of features you’d think they’re pretty much the same. They were shit – wore them once then off to the charity shop. Although they have all the same pockets as the snickers ones, every thing falls out of the holster pockets and you can’t actually get your hands into any of the other ones. Its a feature of snickers stuff that if you put anything in the back pockets it doesn’t stab you in the arse when you sit down. Dewalt solves that by making the pockets so tight if you put anything in them you can’t sit down 🙂

Got a tshirt by them at the same time and I honestly can’t figure out how they got the cut so wrong – it fights with you when you move. With both garments it seemed like at no point during design, manufacture or distribution anyone had actually tried the stuff on.

So in some instances its not just the specification / materials / manufacture you’re paying for its the thought

Carhartt is another “trendy” workwear brand. They do make some good stuff, however, the price in the UK is a piss take and it’s a lot cheaper in the US.

Seem like they start around $200 and go up and up. Why so pricey? ‘cos they last a long time?

Made in America (redwing) so higher labour and materials costs, plus they do last a long time and can be resoled easily by the manufacturer (they do resolves in the London shop)

Do you want boots to work in or walk to the pub? I have a pair of redwing beckmans that get most used in the colder months but if I worked on a site or outdoors I would probably wear something cheaper and more disposable. Why spend £250 on something that is going to get scuffed/covered in oil,paint,or whatever hazardous substance you work with?

Depends what you call trendy I guess. I’ve got a pair of Timberland steels and they look relatively smart. At least they did until they got covered in ink and oil (about a day). Very comfortable too which was the main reason I bought them.

I absolutely love my RedWings – I wear them pretty much every day in the winter, including to work (albeit an office job). They are expensive because they are exceptionally well made and are Goodyear Welted….meaning they should be comfy and durable. A lot of people who buy them wear them until the sole is worn down and then get them resoled (which costs around £80). Once the sole is worn down again you will likely have got ten years wear out of them and will have grown attached to your favorite pair of boots. I couldn’t recommend them enough.

I am not a fan of those chukka-style boots myself, but was recently shopping for some Chelsea boots.

Timberland did some nice ones but I was between sizes, Dr Martens look lovely but surprisingly trendy (and therefore pricey) now.

Got some bargain Clarks boots for £45 but they tore my ankles apart so I took them back, in the meantime I got some Dickies for £23 posted off eBay.

Obviously these are in no way a “luxury” product, but are surprisingly nice-looking, not as heavy as I expected and pretty comfy.

So their lace-up ones might be a budget option for you.

Trendy rigger boots must be an oxymoron.

Rigger boots are workwear for those who think function is most important.
Trendy boots are for those who think appearance is all that counts.

Trendy boots are for those who think appearance is all that counts

They keep your feet warm and protected too. Maybe unfashionable footwear is better?

Redwing shoes website has apparently put a Trojan horse virus on my laptop, so might be advisable not to go their for your overpriced shoe requirements ☹️

dont tell me, “it was for research purposes”
a familiar excuse for the pervert.

Because mugs + brand labels.

Loads of boots around that look like that, but it’s up to you if you need to go “Ooh man, on go my £200 boots” every day. Or just get some nice boots.

try

My work boots are usually covered in mud. I can’t see if they’re trendy under there or not. (i very much doubt they are though).

a familiar excuse for the pervert

the pervert! I always thought I was just a pervert, but I’m the one! Kewl 😊

Do you want boots to work in or walk to the pub?

I’ve got a pair of boots supplied by work, steelies, very soft, flexible leather, light on my feet, ‘waterproof’, and very comfy. I wear them to the pub, into town, as well as at work. They’re Portwest FW57, they can be had for less than £30.

the pervert! I always thought I was just a pervert, but I’m the one! Kewl

🤣 A legend in your own lunchtime!

£35 from screwfix, I wear them pretty much everyday for work for a year then retire them keeping an old pair for nasty jobs and buy a new nice pair for work.

I work in TV so it’s all very hipster, but frequently involves manhandling 150kg road trunks into a transit. They do everything from meetings to climbing up a scottish hillside to film wild cats!

My boss pays for them but I choose them.

De valt used to be dickies, struggle to get 1 week out the laces, they can be worn all day no need to break in but i really should treat them to a wee bit polish may then last longer than 6 months max

Surely no discussion if trendy work boots can be complete without someone bringing up blundstones? The original* made in Australia** work boot.

* Not really
** Actually China for a few years now.

Had an old Aussie made pair which really were comfy. I might try rebooting backs or Rossi next – they are still made in Oz.

I’m on my second pair of these North Face Berkeley things. They’re fully waterproof and feel like slippers. Plus they’re always on sale somewhere so no paying desperate hipster prices.

I killed the first pair in a year working outdoors all day, every day. Hopefully these will last longer now I’m in an office but I’ll buy a third pair if I need them.

If you are going to spend RedWing money why not try handmade to your fit sheet , expensive , but considering how long they last and all that stuff :

Whites https://www.whitesboots.com/#/page/home

or Nicks https://nicksboots.com/

or similar

Just an alternative view on Redwings. They’re comfy, yes, and the zip-up sides are a game changer, but I used to go through a pair roughly every couple of years when I was offshore. So that’s 12 months (give or take) of daily wear, albeit in a fairly harsh environment. It was always the sole/grip splitting and letting water in. They were provided by the company so I just ordered a new pair when they went, but if I was paying £200 out of my own pocket I wouldn’t be all that impressed.

Try looking at Engelbert Strauss. Great quality stuff, not the cheapest, but reasonably trendy and good customer service.

https://www.engelbert-strauss.co.uk/#!discover_new_items/snow%20dynashield

Redbacks or Rossi. proper made in Oz workboots unlike Blundies nowadays.
Got some Redbacks and a year in of daily wear they still look barely worn, sizing is quite generous on them though.

I can backup the Engelbert Strauss workwear, we kitted everyone out with the clothing last year and it has worn very well indeed. Comfy round the waist, and less “Builders bum” on display. Not used the footwear but will try.

Danner make some decent stuff

https://www.danner.com/?___store=default_danner_int&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIrM-byren4AIVlYXVCh0TTwZlEAAYASAAEgK-5vD_BwE

Actual lol @ trendy

Wills vegan boots- no dead animals, made in Portugal and less than £100.