“There are two standing orders in this platoon, 1. Take care of your feet and 2. Try not to do anything stupid, like get yourself killed” Lieutenant Dan Taylor- Forrest Gump. I suppose that statement didn’t make a whole hell of a lot of sense back in 1994 when I was 8 years old, but it damn sure does now. Working in any industry, and especially the power industry I’ve learned that paying the extra coin for a good quality pair of boots is well worth it. The fact that I’ve found a HIGH QUALITY and AMERICAN UNION MADE boot, well that’s just the icing on the cake. So light up some tobacco and grab your favorite beverage while I give you the rundown on Thorogood boots.

I’ll start out by saying this; I’ve had many pairs of boots in my day. Timberland pro, wolverine, Carolina, Georgia boot, hell I even had what I thought to be the holy grail of steel toes in the Redwing Irish setter (see previous article), they all pale in comparison to my Thorogood 10″ Wellington pull-ons
. Generally, I don’t purchase pull on boots because previous pairs have provided little to no ankle support and have always flopped off my foot when I walked making it miserable. The Thorogoods fit like I had them handmade just for me, just snug enough around the foot so that my foot doesn’t slide around and blister, while giving me support around the ankle to help with when I walk on the ever changing surfaces of a power plant i.e. gravel, grating, diamond plate, concrete, and grass. The inside of the boot, to me, is just the right amount of cushion and breathability, which definitely helps on those long 12 hour shifts when it seems like everything is going wrong and you barely get a chance to sit down.

Another great advantage to these boots is that they are pretty damn waterproof. When I first got them, I put mink oil on them to help the leather break in well and last a good while, and help with keeping my feet dry when it decides to downpour here in the sunshine state. Two nights ago, I put them to the test. It just so happened that a rainwater sump pump quit working and I was tasked with hooking up a portable submersible pump to evacuate the area of standing water ( lucky friggin me, right?! ). Oh did I mention the water was anywhere from 4-8 inches deep in some spots? My boots came through like a champ, my feet would have been completely dry if it weren’t for splashing water actually going down into my boot from the top.

Now for what you all really wanna know, PRICE! In general, Thorogood boots run anywhere from 155-225 dollars, depending on what style you’d like. Mine were 184.95 plus tax and shipping, which for the performance of the boot, is an excellent price to me. There is a large variety of boots to choose from so you can be stylish AND work your ass off. Oh and the cherry on top? They give a discount to members of other unions as well.

Rating: 5 pints

Pricing: Around $155.00 – $225.00

Website: Thorogoodworkboots.com