Ask any blue collar person that has to wear standard personal protective equipment ( safety glasses, ear plugs, steel toe boots ) and they will tell you that a good pair of boots is a necessity that is seldom found. Sure you can run to Wal-Mart and scoop yourself up a pair for $49.99 or even get really “fancy” and get yourself the timberland pro series, but let me tell you my friends, you’d be doing yourself a great injustice. Don’t waste your hard earned dollars, or compromise your comfort, on a product that won’t last more than six months (depending on how much abuse your boots).

With that being said, I recently purchased a pair of redwing boots from their “Irish setter” line and let me tell you, it was worth every single penny of the $149.99 plus tax. When you first slip on these boots they are warm, soft, inviting, and makes you say “ooohh!”. But in all seriousness, the folks over at redwing knew what they were doing. The boot offers excellent ankle support coming in both 6″ or 8″ heights and have a very short ( I’d say about two days ) break in period. This to me is extremely important because I believe we can all relate to having the “Frankenstein”walk for weeks in an effort to get accustomed to your new footwear.

Now let’s talk about my in store buying experience. Typically when you go to a shoe store, you’re faced with one of two annoying situations, 1. You get some lazy ass late teen early twenty-something kid whose attention you can barely wrangle long enough to get your size shoe, or 2. You’re faced with overly attentive, tries to sell you everything in the store person. Thank The Lord that was not the case when I went to the local redwing store. I was greeted, made aware of what deals they had going, and left to my own devices. The salesman asked what industry I was in and suggested a non slip sole being as I work in an oily ass machine shop ( my words not his ). Once I made a decision on what boot I wanted, the salesman asked me to step on to a machine that measures your foot and finds where you put the most pressure when you walk (kind of like those Dr. Scholls machines you see at Walmart but better). The minute I tried on what would soon be my new boot, I fell in love, but that love was soon one upped by the insoles that were suggested by the sales rep. His exact words were “try one boot without it and one boot with it”.  It was a night and day difference on an already ridiculously comfy boot. I had to refrain myself from screaming “SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY!!”…but in the end the $209.00 and change I spent for the boots and insoles was well worth it, and did I mention you get free laces for the life of the boot in store as well as free mink oiling AND lifetime guarantee on the insole? Trust me ladies and gents, you cannot go wrong with Redwing.

So if you’re in the market for a new boot, head on over to www.redwingshoes.com, you can order online or use the site to find a store near you, my local store is located at 2333 South Federal Highway Fort Pierce, Florida 34982, Travis Lampman was my salesman. Cheers!

Boot rating: 4.9 pints

In store experience: 4.9 pints

Website: www.Redwingshoes.com