Reconditioned Red Wing Shoes boots

John Megadeth · January 9

I picked up these Red Wing Shoes #866 Pecos boots on Monday and gave them a proper cleaning last night.

I cleaned the leather with Fiebing’s Saddle Soap and then conditioned it with Dr. Martens Wonder Balsam. I finally scrubbed the hell out of the soles using Castile soap and Simple Green.

decal · January 9

You must be really bored !!!!!

John Megadeth · January 9

decal wrote: »

You must be really bored !!!!!

How so?

Dabutcher · January 9

Look like one of the few “Made in the USA” models? Should say inside by size? So sad. Most models are made in China now. The USA ones are much better quality of course! Red Wing Minnesota of course. Nice find. Peace. D

John Megadeth · January 9

All Red Wings are still made in the U.S., actually. These are vintage ones, manufactured 07/2001.

motorstereo · January 9

Nice boots; I go through a pair of Red Wings or Carolinas every year. Sometimes if I'm lucky I'll get 2 years from a pair and I'm not happy when I have to buy new ones. Expensive yes but at least they make the season unlike the Chinese ones that lose their sole in a couple weeks.

dromunds · January 9

I think Dabutcher is correct that some Red Wings are made in the U.S. and some in China. Your vintage ones should be U.S. made. I buy Red Wing work boots exclusively and I always buy the U.S. made ones. My current pair of steel toe work boots is probably going on ten years old, and no problems at all. The last pair I had was over twenty years old. I do not baby them either, they take lots of abuse actually. I have a Red Wing store nearby and I also purchase laces and other things for my hiking boots and such, and when I was in there maybe a year or so ago the sales guy was telling me about the Chinese made boots.

Viking64 · January 9

I've got my Red Wings.

EndersShadow · January 9

@Hermitism

This is right up your alley bro!

John Megadeth · January 9

Per Wikipedia, this is what the current state of their manufacturing:

The Red Wing Shoe brand is primarily handmade in the USA with American materials at the company's plants in Red Wing, Minnesota; Potosi, Missouri, and Danville, Kentucky. As of 2014, there are six sources of manufacture: completely made in the USA, made in the USA with imported materials, assembled in the USA with imported components, made in China, made in Korea and made in Vietnam.

In addition to manufacturing footwear under their own name, Red Wing Shoes also manufactures shoes under the Irish Setter Boots, Vasque, Carhartt (discontinued in 2011), and Worx brands. These non-Red Wing brands include a majority of models manufactured in the People's Republic of China.

dromunds · January 9

I always liked the style of the sole on your vintage boots. I try to get that type of sole on my work boots. Those boots of yours look to be in really good shape

Hermitism · January 9

EndersShadow wrote: »

@Hermitism

This is right up your alley bro!

Apples and oranges, Dan.

Dabutcher · January 9

Just check in the tongue on the tag where the size and width is. Either says “ Made in the USA or made in China. Peace. D

mrbiron · January 9

I've loved every pair of RW that i've owned. Go through a pair every year +-.
Any tread left on them? The look like racing slicks.

lightman1 · January 9

Diggin on the Red Wings.
I switched to a pair of Timberland Pro and they are delightful....

John Megadeth · January 9

Sadly, they don’t fit me (Red Wings are known to be off a half size), so I listed them for sale on a few sites. Hopefully they’ll move quickly so I can fund a pair that fits!

verb · January 9

Nice job John! Red wings are built like tanks. I have a pair of steel toed boots, for when I go visit the assembly plant. Had em for years, still going strong!

John Megadeth · January 9

mrbiron wrote: »

I've loved every pair of RW that i've owned. Go through a pair every year +-.
Any tread left on them? The look like racing slicks.

Yes, the outsoles have a good amount of tread on them. The Traction Tred look like that from the side.

PSOVLSK · January 9

John Megadeth wrote: »

Sadly, they don’t fit me (Red Wings are known to be off a half size), so I listed them for sale on a few sites. Hopefully they’ll move quickly so I can fund a pair that fits!

Obvious question, I think: Did you not try them on before you put all that effort into making them look great?

John Megadeth · January 10

PSOVLSK wrote: »

John Megadeth wrote: »

Sadly, they don’t fit me (Red Wings are known to be off a half size), so I listed them for sale on a few sites. Hopefully they’ll move quickly so I can fund a pair that fits!

Obvious question, I think: Did you not try them on before you put all that effort into making them look great?

I did. It was a local seller, and they were only $10, so it was a no-brainer to get them.

treitz3 · January 10

For those that go through a pair every year...

Before your first pair gets too bad, buy another pair and send the old pair in for a resole. They will take X-Rays and basically rebuild/resole your boot for $75. Takes about 3-4 weeks to get back.

Then when the new pair gets worn, wear the old pair and ship the new pair out to be resoled/rebuilt. Talk with your local Red Wing distributor for more details.

FWIW, I absolute love my Red Wings. I have had about 10 pair so far and for the last decade or so, it is the only thing I will wear besides dress shoes for formal occasions. They don't scar up flooring, last seemingly forever compared to a vast majority of other brands and I love how I can walk through mud and the mud doesn't stick to my boots. I can just slam down my boots while still wearing them on the sidewalk and walk right on in to a pro cleaned home. Plus, you can stand on a ladder rung for hours on end and at the end of the day, your feet don't hurt.

I bought mine because of back issues that were sometimes severe. Ever since I bought my first pair of Red Wings and one of their high arch inserts, then threw in a pair of custom DR. Scholl's inserts? Back pain not constant anymore. I only feel it on flare ups or when I do something I should have known better about. To me? They are priceless. If you have back pain, you know exactly what I am talking about.

Tom

John Megadeth · January 10

Excellent advice. Their resole cost is $100, and a full refurbishment is $150, but it still seems like money well spent.

Toolfan66 · January 10

I must have got the wrong Red Wing boots back in the day, because I couldn’t stand them, my feet hurt all the time, I gave them away!!

quickr1 · January 10

I will never buy another pair of red wings. Every pair I owned (10) the sole separated from the leather. Always happened after about 8-9 months of use. Had a pair resolved once and never will again. Even after several weeks of wearing they were tight. Almost like they were resoled incorrectly and shrunk. Also our local store has terrible service.
I tried thorogoods a few years back and consider them a far superior boot. I do buy the red wing arch supports though.

Dabutcher · January 10

Made in four countries. IMHO only ones made to the Gold Standard they have had for 100 years are the ones made in the USA. Which are only a couple different models. Big difference you can see and feel. Whenever I find a USA made pair used in my travels in great condition . I buy them.

They have great resale value. CL and eBay. I wear them too. Most comfy casual shoes I own besides crocs. For work I have to wear steel or composite toe shoes. Company pays first 100 and the shoe truck does not carry RW.
Love yours. D

motorstereo · January 10

treitz3 wrote: »

For those that go through a pair every year...

Before your first pair gets too bad, buy another pair and send the old pair in for a resole. They will take X-Rays and basically rebuild/resole your boot for $75. Takes about 3-4 weeks to get back.

Then when the new pair gets worn, wear the old pair and ship the new pair out to be resoled/rebuilt. Talk with your local Red Wing distributor for more details.

Haha; within a month my entire boot look like they're 10 years old and on they're last legs. Walking in hot fresh blacktop every day is tough duty on boots probably second only to concrete work which rots the stitching out.
I think it was Georgia boots that used to have a one year warranty on their soles for not wearing through in a year. Mine would typically wear through in about 9 or 10 months and I'd get a free pair. I did this several times many years ago and I don't think they do that deal anymore.

gudnoyez · January 10

Here is a pair of Irish Setters made by the Red Wing Boot Co, that I'm currently breaking in. You dont go full bore into breaking in a pair of Red Wing or Irish Setter boots it takes time. If you buy them and start doing full days at work you will tear your feet up.

The best thing you can do is buy these a couple of months before you replace your daily's. Apply saddle soap stuff them with news paper or foam balls in them let them sit like that a week. Put them on wear around a hour or two. Soak them in warm water drain them wear them wet. Then once a day put em on for a hour or two.

Break them in slowly once these boots are broken in you couldn't ask for a more comfortable pair of work boots, it's the breaking in part that is the hard part, you can buy special boot socks for these. I plan on making these my dailys in about a month.

treitz3 · January 10

gudnoyez wrote: »

You dont go full bore into breaking in a pair of Red Wing or Irish Setter boots it takes time. If you buy them and start doing full days at work you will tear your feet up.

Hmmmm, not once have I had that happen to me.

Tom

pitdogg2 · January 10

I'd say I agree with @gudnoyez. I bought a pair of camo insulated Irish Setters and boy 3 yrs in they were still stiff. Earlier this year my buddy who wears nothing but Red Wings turned me on to the Red Wing oil slathered it on and man a month later of wearing them around the house and boy oh boy did they soften up. Lucky for me I just wore them to the coyote stands not much walking actually. Now i could walk all day in them no problem. Mine are Gore tex and waterproof so no problem with the oil soaking through to my feet.

Of course I'd never fill mine with water that is a new one on me.

gudnoyez · January 10

https://www.langstons.com/resources-how-to-shrink-stretch-boots.html
Been doing this for years also worked well with the jump boots I wore in the army that's when I first started doing the water trick.
https://nowthatsthespot.wordpress.com/2014/10/06/the-bathtub-method-for-breaking-in-boots/

smglbrth · January 11

Break in is definitely your friend when it comes to certain types of Red Wing boots. When I was on the railroad they pretty much required the most safe safety boot I've ever had. Steel toe, steel shank, steel bottom and they also had to be 8" high from the ankle. I'm pretty sure they were some of the most expensive in the Red Wing line-up as well (made here of course).

I found that rubbing in a good coat of mink oil and letting that sit for up to a week works well. After that week wipe the extra off and start wearing them. The mink oil will sure soften up the leather decently but you have to do the rest. At first it's nuts but after a couple of days, depending on how much walking/working/etc..., it should start forming really well to your foot/ankle.

I will say I've had many different brands of boots over the years and these Red Wings are the best I've ever had, period...

Reconditioned Red Wing Shoes boots

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Reconditioned Red Wing Shoes boots

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