Thread: These boots are made for walkin'

Sadly RMs are now made overseas as they chase margin against cheap imports.

I wear Blunnies at work every day. Great boots. Can’t wait to take them off though... Salomon’s or UA footwear when I’m not in my boots.

Originally Posted by p38arover

By accident I came across an American review of RM Williams boots (he liked the quality). It's distressing to see him cut the boots in half and then tear them apart!



He mentioned Blundstone so I went looking for that review but got this one about Redback instead:



I'll continue to look for the Blundstone review.

Glad to see the yanks have found some quality boots
I wouldn’t rate Blundstone boots any more ( made in China ( probably gonna run out of stock soon))
Rossi boots are one of the best boots money can buy (Australian made and very comfortable, no need to wear them in, they just fit)
Only Australian made desert boots you can buy, seem expensive when you first buy them but last 4 times longer than the cheap Chinese crap
Speaking of crap, American made Redwing boots are the worst boots I ever bought, overpriced, uncomfortable and don’t wear well (wear out quickly)
Had blisters till I gave them to the dog
I think the dog even got blisters chewing on them

The soles are falling off my Rossi steel cap work boots, some Gorilla Glue will have to be applied. (I didn't know the elastic-sided boot was called a Chelsea style).

I have a pair of Baxter boots that were provided by my previous (last) employer (railway). they are lace up with a zipper on the side (the previously provided elastic-sided boots were considered unsuitable for when walking on track ballast - I don't think I handed those boots back in...)

The Baxters are really comfortable.

Originally Posted by Gav 110

Glad to see the yanks have found some quality boots
I wouldn’t rate Blundstone boots any more ( made in China ( probably gonna run out of stock soon))
Rossi boots are one of the best boots money can buy (Australian made and very comfortable, no need to wear them in, they just fit)
Only Australian made desert boots you can buy, seem expensive when you first buy them but last 4 times longer than the cheap Chinese crap
Speaking of crap, American made Redwing boots are the worst boots I ever bought, overpriced, uncomfortable and don’t wear well (wear out quickly)
Had blisters till I gave them to the dog
I think the dog even got blisters chewing on them

Rossi uses global partners for some of its range.
I never found their safety boots comfortable enough.

After multiple pairs of many brands the Blundstones hold up in slurry, on heave, in production areas including furnace areas. Last pair lasted 5 years before I wore the sole out.

This is the current ones I use. Wife wears the same in her plant.

Originally Posted by Tombie

Rossi uses global partners for some of its range.
I never found their safety boots comfortable enough.

After multiple pairs of many brands the Blundstones hold up in slurry, on heave, in production areas including furnace areas. Last pair lasted 5 years before I wore the sole out.

This is the current ones I use. Wife wears the same in her plant.

I used to buy lace ups because the elastic Blundstone boots didn’t give enough support and would roll my ankle just about daily (old sports injuries giving me hell now)
I had varacous exzema on one ankle and the lace ups would irritate it to the point where I would have a boot full of blood by the end of the day
The missus got me a pair of Rossi Hercules as the doc recommended a lower cut boot
Support the ankle without to much irritation(don’t make the ankle bleed
There comfortable(no blisters or ware in period)
Made in Australia(jobs for the future generations)
Ankle support (only roll my ankles on bloody honky nuts)
Soles last(2 years before they start to separate (bit of loctite 406 and still good at the farm))

5 years out of Blundstones you must have a desk job
Last pair of lace up Blundstones only lasted just over a year before the soles separated and they weren’t made in Australia as the salesman had told me

My going out boots(DBs) end up becoming the camping boots when they fade and the stitching starts to deteriorate (loctite 406 works wonders on shoes, sure beats shoe goo)
Last pair of Kmart Rollers DBs stunk to high heavens of formaldehyde and only lasted 3 months

A couple of mates have the Redbacks and reckon there the best boots they’ve owned

When you find a good thing sick to it
(That’s why we drive Land Rovers isn’t it)(or is it that we aren’t all sheep)

I love my RM Williams boots, they're such a great boot and long lived with resoling. I use them as a dress boot.

For daily hacks, paddock and hiking though, the Kathmandu's full leather boots with Vibram soles are so comfy and have a seriously insane life. They're expensive but such great bang for buck.

In a safety boot I have found Olivers to be very comfortable and get quite good wear out of them. Company started in Ballarat now owned by a multinational, don't know if still made in Australia or not. Last pair of Blundstones I looked at (didn't by) were made in Vietnam.

I've currently got a pair of Redback boots for working on the farm and they are holding up pretty well. I have used Blundstones previously and found them pretty good but they always took some breaking in before they were comfortable, even going back to when I was an apprentice in the 1980s. I wore Baxters for about 20 years for office work but haven't bought a pair since they moved production from Goulburn (mostly because there used to be cheap seconds to be had from the shop in the main street)
These days I have a liking for US cowboy boots, I have a pair of Lucchese dress boots for work and have had a good run from them having resoled them once. I also have a pair of Ariats that I can't kill that have been all over the world and I believe are Chinese made.
I still have a pair of Redwings that I was wearing today that have food dye stains from the days that I frequented B&S balls. They are good quality but have a pretty stiff sole and need a good innersole to be comfortable. They are heavy and not airport friendly either, but if you need a stiff sole they are the goods.

Regards,
Tote (whose SWMBO would suggest that he has a problem with the number of boots he owns)