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Shoes that look better with age...


kiya

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I’ve been looking into getting some steel toed engineer boots for the past few months but have no experience with them in person and am not sure where I could try some on where I live, especially with lockdown starting up again tomorrow. I really like their styling in theory, but worry they might come off a bit cartoonish in real life. I’d be wearing them at work, where they’d certainly be considered over dressed, if technically regulation compliant, as well as for riding a motorcycle I’m starting to build over the winter. How have you all managed incorporating engineers or similar boots into your wardrobes? Do they feel more natural on than they might seem at first?

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1 hour ago, chicote said:

I’ve been looking into getting some steel toed engineer boots for the past few months but have no experience with them in person and am not sure where I could try some on where I live, especially with lockdown starting up again tomorrow. I really like their styling in theory, but worry they might come off a bit cartoonish in real life. I’d be wearing them at work, where they’d certainly be considered over dressed, if technically regulation compliant, as well as for riding a motorcycle I’m starting to build over the winter. How have you all managed incorporating engineers or similar boots into your wardrobes? Do they feel more natural on than they might seem at first?

For me, it's been very natural to incorporate them into my wardrobe. They're easily my favorite style of boot. I personally don't see that as that "different" so I feel comfortable wearing them with just about anything. I would say the only thing I don't wear them with usually is baseball caps. Of course, I really love engineers so I don't think everyone shares my way of thinking. Just confidently wear them with whatever you want. I wear them to work and most people don't bat an eye. My only tips would be these two: Firstly, I personally think engineers look better with wider leg openings, at least 8.5" at half measurement. Secondly, just be ready for some heel slip. Even in my best fitting engineers, I experience at least some level of heel slip. It's not an issue for me, but some people can't stand it. 

Edited by dudewuttheheck
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With big old engineer boots in the workplace and how others perceive it, I found that people get over it pretty quickly. Sure the first few days you might get some comments or looks, but as soon as it becomes your normal workwear it just gets taken for granted. 
As soon as they get beaten up they won’t look overdressed (unless you shine them everyday I guess). 
 
Do they feel natural at first? They didn’t for me. Going from normal boots to heavy steel toe boots was a massive change, but that changed after a while. 

 

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I agree w/ the above comments... the only thing I'll add is take strong consideration of the steel toe, and why you want/need it. If your job warrants that level of safety, then by all means get it. But if you plan to wear the boots casually and occasionally moto'g, you may not want it. Steel toes are heavy, they don't bend, the lead to often strange wear patterns at the toe, their cold in cold weather. And they're bulbous. That aesthetic may wear off on you after you've had them for a while. They serve an important purpose in the right situations, but outside of that they're a PIA and unnecessary. . 

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I have found the steel toe redwing 2268 surprisingly light fwiw... very sturdy boot for working in. the steel toe does remain bulbous as mentioned earlier [but that can work depending on your overall outfit silhouette...] which I do like to wear with bigger hem width jeans and caps... (military surplus rather than baseball...) pic related from earlier this year....

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They've seen a good amount of wear (considering how new they are, at least), but yeah the soles are def. way on the soft side—will probably replace them with something a little stiffer when the time comes

I also really wish these had a leather midsole; between the foam midsole and the soft soles, the welts themselves are seeing a lot more wear than I'd like from me kicking things around

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Honestly, the heel counters on these are also pretty messed up

They don't fill all the way to the constructional stitching on the inside of either boot, which has allowed them to stretch inward, and has my heels sitting way towards the insides of the boots rather than over their centers

This doesn't seem to affect comfort much, but I worry that it may lead to premature wear elsewhere on the boots, and it's not great to look at either

Shame, 'cause otherwise these are right up to Lofgren's usual standards

 

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That’s the thing: on most boots, I wear out the outer side of the heel well before anything else, as you’ve just shown with yours, but my foot sits so far off-center in these that they’re actually wearing evenly

That said, the overall speed of the wear does depend a lot on what the stones are made from—my old 1k mile Wolverines had heels that wore down just as quickly as your Dainites there; meanwhile, the Vibram heels on my M43 Lofgrens are still showing barely any wear after the better part of two years of pretty heavy use

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1 hour ago, julian-wolf said:

Honestly, the heel counters on these are also pretty messed up

They don't fill all the way to the constructional stitching on the inside of either boot, which has allowed them to stretch inward, and has my heels sitting way towards the insides of the boots rather than over their centers

This doesn't seem to affect comfort much, but I worry that it may lead to premature wear elsewhere on the boots, and it's not great to look at either

Shame, 'cause otherwise these are right up to Lofgren's usual standards

When I read this I am imagining Ed lurking, frothing at the mouth wanting to be able say that this proves his dislike of Lofgren to be correct.

What you said previously is partly why I don't like wedge soles or any type of synthetic sole. In my experience, leather insoles and midsoles help provide support and help keep the structure of the outsole overall. I like that substantial feeling of boots. Would you replace these with another wedge sole of some kind or actually get a stacked leather heel of some type?

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11 minutes ago, dudewuttheheck said:

When I read this I am imagining Ed lurking, frothing at the mouth wanting to be able say that this proves his dislike of Lofgren to be correct.

What you said previously is partly why I don't like wedge soles or any type of synthetic sole. In my experience, leather insoles and midsoles help provide support and help keep the structure of the outsole overall. I like that substantial feeling of boots. Would you replace these with another wedge sole of some kind or actually get a stacked leather heel of some type?

Hah, yeah, I thought the same thing when posting—Ed would have a field day (although wasn't his whole issue really with John himself moreso than with the boots? not that he'd ever have admitted that)

I'll end up going with another wedge sole, just with a thicker leather midsole on top of it. They wear fast, but they're really my favorite option for work boots—they're comfortable walking and standing all day, even on concrete; they have good grip on a pretty wide range of materials; and, as you mention, they're a good bit lighter, which in this case is a positive for me…plus I just like the look w/ moc toes

Edited by julian-wolf
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1 minute ago, julian-wolf said:

Hah, yeah, I thought the same thing when posting—Ed would have a field day (although wasn't his whole issue really with John himself moreso than with the boots? not that he'd ever have admitted that)

I'll end up going with another wedge sole, just with a thicker leather midsole on top of it. They wear fast, but they're really my favorite option for work boots—they're comfortable walking and standing all day, even on concrete, and they have good grip on a pretty wide range of materials…plus I just like the look w/ moc toes

Yeah he would :D

Understood. I'm not a wedge sole guy, but I find even boots with the thickest midsoles to be more comfortable over a full day than sneakers, so wedge soles just aren't my thing. However, I know that a lot of people swear by their comfort. 

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7 hours ago, julian-wolf said:

Shame, 'cause otherwise these are right up to Lofgren's usual standards

 

So other than the soles wearing quickly, the lack of midsole and the heels giving up they are great boots? 

No trolling intended .

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@Geeman, fair play—I don't really see either of the sole issues as construction flaws, just the heel counter thing. Soft midsole's maybe a weird design choice, but given that most folks probably aren't doing any actual work in these I can see why Lofgren would've wanted to angle for comfort over robustness. Meanwhile, fast wear's par for the course for single-density wedge soles—I knew what I was getting into when I bought them

Don't get me wrong: I do see them as an imperfect product (especially given their price), and at this point I doubt I'd consider buying another pair—but they're still great boots, and the only real constructional issue that I've seen with them is the heel counter

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Should I ever want a pair of "premium" moctoe type boot I'd mosdef order a pair from flamepanda, he had put so much more personality in his design that the boot looks much more than a redwing 875 made by another maker.
If you like wedge soles give the vibram 2021 a try when resoling, looks great, is super comfy and in my experience takes a lot of time to wear.

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6 minutes ago, beautiful_FrEaK said:

I wrote with them on IG but can't say anything about the quality of the product or the leather they use.

That was kinda where I was going with them. They say very little (of any consequence) about the product/materials ... but there’s some nice styling going on

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@julian-wolf I’m with you on the wedge soles. 
I have a pair of whites that I’ve worn for 4 months and they’re due for a re sole. 
I do walk on concrete 40-60hrs a week tho. Still a bit annoyed that the wedge sole wore out so quickly. 

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I bought a pair of Redwings (875) about 9 years ago. Overall, I’ve been pleased with them and the wedge sole was hardwearing, although slippery in wet weather once worn down a bit. I had them resoled at the Vibram shop in London about 2 years ago (cheaper and faster turnaround than official Redwing process and just down the road from my workplace at the time). This was very disappointing, the Vibram sole is lighter, became worn very quickly with far less wear and is akin to wearing skates if the pavement is wet. I took them back to Vibram for a minor repair, when the sole became punctured by a shard of glass and discovered they are not solid rubber but have air pockets - hence the lighter weight. They did tell me that Vibram now offers a more heavy duty replacement wedge sole that may be more suitable. When I get them resoled (again), probably for the last time, I may give that option a try, otherwise I’ll do it via Redwing.

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the Lofgren/Vibram dissolving under strenuous use reminds me a little of the discussion in the engineer boot thread of denimbro on the applicability of cxl leather in his engineers... also reminds me some of post overall chores: they keep the chore coat design but in fabrics that would fall apart if put to anything more than desk warriors usage, seems like a similar(-ish) issue here? [agreeing that the counter issue not great at all] I imagine the donkey puncher would hold up much better, but I still hold a flame for the jobmaster instead... 

...if I was going to do an Ed impression, I would be slamming Lofgren and then of course comparing to Wesco (but not sure if they are in the moc-toe game yet?) or Russell Moccassin  - and then combine that with Volvo's recommend for Vibram 2021, but supply a 2060 example for distractions sake...

http://www.cosmicjumper.com/russell_BS_026.html

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I am eyeing up their own make-up of the bird shooter, the standard 360 sole looks very pliable for stalking in the bush, but may well get ground down with concrete city walking... 

https://www.russellmoccasin.com/the-anniversary-south-40-bird-shooter/

& on sole talk, I know I blah on the rw pecos, but their nitrate cork sole, which I thought would barely hold out, is holding up nicely... [whilst these do remind me of the crimes of ugg yet have a certain appeal...]

Edited by bartlebyyphonics
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