Show I recently purchased Red Wing 8085 Iron Ranger in Copper Rough & Tough leather, worn them in for about 10 days before taking these pics. It took quite a bit of peer pressure jokingly from members of the LA Denim Hangs to persuade me to get these at Freenote Cloth flagship in Highland Park. Here are a couple reasons why I purchased this specific pair:
Impressions: Red Wing is the American heritage boot company. I very well respect what quality footwear Red Wing can offer at such a reasonable price. I consider them the best bang for the buck footwear you can get. You can wear only Red Wings for the rest of your life and you’d be content. Once you move up into higher priced footwear, you’re paying premium mostly for the style rather than the construction/quality. The quality of the boot is solid. No missed stitches or extra threads hanging around. Red Wing is one of the best companies in quality control. The Red Wing 8085 Iron Rangers took about a half dozen wears to break in comfortably. I sized them the same as I did with the Beckmans – a 9D. The part of the shoe that was most constricting initially was the width. I sped this process up by stuffing shoe trees wrapped with thick wool socks into boots every night. The Copper Rough & Tough leather developed character very quickly. I wore them during my day-to-day tasks which primarily consisted of walking. It was about a week and a half until I took the first pictures of them (maybe 9-10 wears) and I decided to compare them to my girlfriend’s growing collection of Red Wings and also my Viberg x 3sixteen Olive Chromepak unstructured service boots on the 2030 last. As far as I know, Viberg currently is not producing boots with an unstructured toe, so this comparison won’t be too practical. You can see the other toe structure comparisons in my other post along with my sizing. Red Wing 8085 Iron Ranger: Size 9D The left three boots have a structured toe box. The differences in toe boxes are minimal with the Vibergs (middle 4) as the 2030 Last is very sleek. In this post, I will try to explain the difference in construction of a structured toe box versus an unstructured toe box accompanied with some pics! The brands included in the following pics are: Meermin, Viberg, Alden, Wolverine, Red Wings, Crockett & Jones, and Common Projects. Viberg Natural CXL (structured) vs Viberg Color 8 CXL (unstructured). Slight collapsing of the left.Collapsed unstructured toe boxesShoes typically fall within one of three categories: an unstructured toe box, a partially structured toe box, and a fully structured toe box. It’s probably best to compare within a brand because of the varying lasts (mold/shape) between different brands. Wolverine 1K Mile Addison (Structured) vs Viberg Color 8 CXL (Unstructured)3 footwear with unstructured toe boxes. Alden footwear is typically structured with the exception of their unlined pairs like this Alden 1493 Snuff Suede Chukka.Structured toe boxes typically have a Celastic material, a plastic fabric that is suitable for toe puff material because it is easily shaped during construction, but inflexible once set. Imagine a ping pong ball that you squeeze, but then returns to its original shape. Other common materials used for toe puffs include leather and canvas. The material is placed between the inner lining and the outside material to help maintain its structure. The fine line between between partially structured and fully structured is the rigidity of the toe box material. Alden Indy 403 (structured) vs Viberg Color 8 CXL (unstructured)The recent trend towards slimmer fits in denim and boots has been quite prominent in the recent years. I myself prefer unstructured toe boxes because I tend to wear my denim with a slimmer opening. However, all toe boxes will compress over time with wear, and the major difference is just how the boots look from the side initially. In addition, shoes with “captoes” have an additional layer of material which also may minimize the shoe creasing. Structured on left vs unstructured on the right.Wolverine 1K Mile Addison, Alden Indy 403, Viberg Color 8 CXL 3 structured toe boxes – Red Wing Iron Ranger, Viberg Black Waxed Flesh Service Boot, and Viberg Natural CXL Service Boot. Even structured toes will collapse over time.With some companies such as Viberg, Dayton, and Truman Boot Company offering different toe types, it’s hard to make a choice. If you have a sedentary job such as working indoors in an office, your boots may keep their structure fine over many many years. However, if you work outdoors in harsher environments, you may want a structured toe or even a steel toe. Unstructured toes tend to appear more casual than structured ones. C&J Islay, Wolverine 1K Mile, Alden x Jcrew Captoe, Alden 403 Indy, Viberg Color 8 CXL, Viberg Brown Waxed Flesh Some think that a structured toe leads to a “bulbous, clunky toe”. Red Wings one of the boot companies most notorious for this aesthetic has decided to produce a “Flatbox” model in FW2017 very recently (within the last few months) for the Japanese and Singapore markets. Bulbous structured toe on Red Wing Iron Rangers compared with an unstructured Viberg Boondocker Boot.Some companies even have a relatively a slim structured toebox like the Alden Indy Boot, but regardless, everything will flatten with time. Even my Viberg Natural Chromexcel Service Boots from Mr. Porter with a partially structured toe has flattened out a bit (seen in the first picture). Common Projects Derby Shine vs Common Projects Achilles Top view of the Alden 1493 Snuff Suede Chukka vs Viberg Black Waxed Flesh Service Boot laying on their sides.Top view of the Red Wing 8085 Iron Ranger vs Viberg Olive Chromepak Service Boots laying on their sides.Top view of the Viberg Boondocker vs Viberg Natural CXL Service Boot laying on their sides.My advice is that you should buy footwear because you love exactly how they are, not because of what you expect to happen to them in 1, 5, or 10 years. Just wear them; the story is told later on when as the boot ages. I adore the look of all my boots as its part of the process of wearing stuff in! Here are my shoe sizes including some not pictured that I no longer own. I recommend to measure first using a Brannock Device. The order of shoe sizes listed below is very similar to the order I purchased them in with the oldest starting from the top. My brannock size is 9.5E Nike Flyknit Chukka/Racer/Trainer: 10 Red Wing Beckman/Iron Ranger: 9D Alden 403 Indy Boot (Trubalance Last): 9D Wolverine 1K Mile Addison Boot: 9D Common Projects Achilles and Derby Shine: Size 42 Alden x Jcrew Shell Cordovan Captoe Boot (Barrie Last): 9D Oak Street Bootmakers Trench Boot: 9.5D Viberg 2030 Last: 9 Viberg 2040 Last: 9 Crockett & Jones Islay (365 Last): 8.5UK Meermin Hiro Last: 8.5UK Crockett & Jones Islay, Wolverine 1K Mile Addison, Alden x Jcrew Captoe, Viberg Color 8 CXL, Viberg Brown Waxed Flesh, Meermin Mallorca Rapello Suede
Do Iron Rangers have steel toes?The Iron Ranger has a toecap, the Blacksmith doesn't. Pretty simple stuff, though it's worth emphasizing the Iron Ranger's toecap is real: it's an actual extra layer of leather over the toe of the boot, secured with four stitches.
Where should your toes be in Iron Rangers?The Iron Ranger is unique in that it should be quite snug around the sides of your foot when you first put it on. You know you've got the right size if your heel is secure and there's room to wiggle your toes, but there's a slight squeeze along the sides of your arch.
Does the Iron Ranger have a Goodyear welt?The boots are built with a Goodyear welt and Puritan triple-stitch construction, and brass speed hooks provide precision lacing and a visual hit of hardware. The Iron Ranger is anchored with a Vibram® 430 Mini-lug outsole.
What kind of boot is the Iron Ranger?The Iron Ranger was originally built for iron miners in the 1930s. In the decades since, it has grown indispensable for owners from all walks of life thanks to its iconic style and longevity. The six-inch boot's signature feature is a leather toe cap that is as distinctive as it is durable.
|