Iron Ranger Boot (Men)

This is when you want the best /you get what you pay for full grain leather breaks in seriously the minute you put them on, old school craftsmanship this is the type of boot that you take to a shoe repair shop years later and is worth having the heel and sole replaced one of my all time favorite brands

This is my second pair of iron rangers. I purchased the same boot in brown about 5 years ago and the difference in material is night and day. For starters, the leather on this new pair is supple, but much thinner than my original pair. The tongue feels like a flimsy piece of leather in comparison to my other pair which feels sturdier and has more rigidity to this day. The leather around the ankle is soft, but not for a good reason. The leather is thinner all around and when the laces are tightened there is still a lot of movement around the ankle. Compared to my brown pair, the ankle support remains rigid and very sturdy. Mostly due to the much thicker cut of leather. The stitching and craftsman of my older pair is far superior, showing double stitching. The new black pair has what feels like cheaper leather that is not even glued to remain more rigid around the ankle. I cannot say how this new pair will hold up, but I do not foresee it holding up to the wear and tear my older pair has endured. This is just based on the material feel of the boot. Other than that, it is confortable and there is almost no break in period needed.

So sizing can be tricky with Iron Rangers. I measured as a 10.5 on Brannock in the store. Clerk recommended a 10 or 9.5 in IRs. The on-line Red Wing digital tool/assistance recommended a 9. I normally take a 10 in most shoes. Maybe a 10.5 in select brands like Merrell. I get that RW IR's run big, but stepping down to a 9 seemed like a lot. So I try some on and the 10 actually seems the most comfortable. I buy the 10s and about a month later decide they are too big. Back to the store. Try on 9s and 9.5s. Clerk is trying to convince me that the 9's are good. "It should not be comfortable in the store, you need to break them in." I ended up going with the 9.5s. The fit is as noted on the RW web page "like a firm handshake", but not painfully tight like the 9's. A few weeks in still happy with the 9.5s. My advice and lesson -- trust your feet and how they feel. If the shoe hurts in the store, I'm not convinced it will stretch that much to get comfortable. 10s are up on E-bay.

I bought my pair of iron rangers around a year ago after being suggested to do so by a friend of mine who’s a professional cobbler. To sum it short, I couldn’t be more grateful for the suggestion, me pulling the trigger and buying a pair was the best choice I could’ve made, I wear mine near daily and I’ve found the (after break-in) comfort, look, and overall quality incredibly wonderful. I’ve come to love taking care of them, the leather treatment process has become something I can look forward to every so often. My appreciation of these boots has lead to me convincing both my partner as well as one of my friends to get a pair of redwings, and I just got another pair as a Christmas gift to myself, so I suppose the saying a “good product will sell itself” is applicable to these boots. In my books, well worth getting if you’re willing to make the commitment.