British boots

[GW8IZR]

You got any links ?? Always ready tobtry decent gear currently on carhartt double fronted trousers as they beat any of the multipocket workman stuff in this country by a mile
Had engelbert strauss but i think i bought the wrong line
Incredibly comfortable but lasted 5 minutes literally
Also this country doesn't seem to believe tall people exist as 33 leg seems to be all anyone does

I was always considered reasonably tall but out there I was a dwarf!

Now google might be the best bet 'cos the prices vary a bit but a one-stop shop for most stuff is http://www.univernsolutions.no/us_en/Workwear once you have a product have a look if its available here. But Univern will ship and speak English.

In my opinion Blacklader workwear is as good as it gets but Univern do very similar stuff. In fact a couple of the lads reckoned the Univern padded overalls were better than the Blacklader equivalent, I've got a pair of both and dont think there isn't much between them, I think the Blacklader is a touch better fitted which helps with a harness.

Alfa boots are very good, Norwegian army use them, but I bought them for treking to site, they are a knee length winter boot and cost 400 quid - but no steel cap. I used them on towers and they were fantastic. They use Vibram soles and fit to snow shoes perfectly but of course that less important here in the UK however since I've used them here for a good few years there is very little sign of wear, the toe is protected by a heavy rubber welt which means Kneeling and crawling in them doesn't ruin them.

HTH

 

[Shedendman]

400 quid on a pair of work boots yer right
£10 chukkas and if you need them that water proof it comes in tins called dubbin

 

[GW8IZR]

400 quid on a pair of work boots yer right
£10 chukkas and if you need them that water proof it comes in tins called dubbin

depends where your working, 10 quid chukas woud mean frostbite and no toes

 

[Shedendman]

depends where your working, 10 quid chukas woud mean frostbite and no toes

SOCKS

 

[GW8IZR]

if you say so...

 

[fizzy]

Or Scandinavia - cracking boots and cold weather gear.. knocks spots off anything from the UK

I don't know about that - Don Whillans and Pete Hutchinson designed some amazing stuff and plenty of Everest expeditions use British gear!

 

[GW8IZR]

Yes I can still recall the pleasure of sitting in a Whillans harness, my testicles may someday recover.

When there was nothing else they were excellent but things move on.....

 

[fizzy]

Yes I can still recall the pleasure of sitting in a Whillans harness, my testicles may someday recover.

When there was nothing else they were excellent but things move on.....

Lol I know that feeling...............
They also did down suits - and there are still plenty of British companies making quality cold weather gear though.

 

[GW8IZR]

I still have my old Whillans and I only took the plastic axe holder off it a few months ago and put it onto my harness, mine had purple straps rather than orange, I'm not sure there was any significance in the colour other than my testies being a similar colour ! But yes for sure there are some good UK manufacturers and DMM etc are pretty much same / as good as Petzl, although I reckon the ID takes some beating. But If I buy a 50 quid Dickies coat or a 50Eur Univern.. I know which is going to be better and by a big margin.

I suppose I should just say 'other suppliers are available'

 

[Agrismith]

400 quid on a pair of work boots yer right
£10 chukkas and if you need them that water proof it comes in tins called dubbin

I would never wear 10 quid boots every cheap pair of boots ive tried have either been uncomfortable or lead to pain elsewhere
Plus they last 10 minutes in my experience
Thats why i like the look of the danner or Irish setter boots they are made of proper materials and made traditionaly so they can go to a cobblers and be repaired

Cant buy new body parts so would rather look after them

 

[DennisCA]

I can't give any advice as to british work boots, but if you can't find any I can recommend finnish Sievi workboots. Factories located in Finland.

EDIT: The warmest boots I got and have ever owned are Nokian Naali boots, I wore the same type in army during my conscription. They were 120-150 euros IIRC. Heavy, rubber boots. Not work boots however.

 

[armalites]

Im planning a trip to America and intend to go to cabelas and get a pair of danner ,irish setter or similar lace up logger boots the highest i can find
And a pair of western style workboots

I cant understand why work boots in this country are so short and made of fabric or crappy leather only dealer boots seem to be decent leather

Tbh most work wear in this country seems pretty awful in comparison to whats available in the states

Have a look at Nick's Boots, Wranglerstar on youtube has done a review of them. Wouldn't practical during a visit as they build each boot to an individual foot if you get their high end stuff. It's amazing to see a company thriving doing something so old school and boots costing $500-600 but they keep you pattern and they do rebuilds for $100.

 

[armalites]

Everyones feet are different and whilst some boots are definitely better than others it will depend on how they fit you. I've been wearing Dewalt Titanium for last 2-3 years and they are the only work boot I've every bought where I had no breaking in period. They were confortable from the off and still are. I had some issues with lace hooks breaking and had to have some discussions with Dewalt but in the end I bought some from ebay and fitted them myself. I have another new pair waiting but the ones I'm wearing now haven't died yet. I don't wear them for work but I wear them almost every day at some point.

My wife tried to find me some Redbacks when she was in Aus earlier in the year and even though they are an Aussie boot she couldn't find one single place that stocked them! I can buy them here but I don't want to spend that much money on something to try out.

 

[Keith 66]

I was rooting in the loft yesterday & found a "brand new" pair of rigger boots, Tebbut & Hall made in England, they had been bought twenty years ago as a spare pair & never worn. Now needing a new pair i thinks "Just the job" and they was proper comfy just like the last pair. And so yesterday arvo i slip them on & walk to the workshop ten yards away, something feels funny as i move about in the workshop, i look down & there is a trail of black bits, then the sole falls off.
The soles appear to have been made from a compressed sawdust & rubber compsition that has degraded with age.
And so my shiny new riggers lasted just 5 minutes before they died. I cut the uppers off for the leather & threw them in the bin.

 

[Dieselman 63]

If it's not already been posted, the British Boot shop sells only boots made in the UK:

https://www.britboot.co.uk/

I really like the look of those Hawkins Solovair 11 eyelet boots. Ironically they're almost the same price I paid for my Colchester Bantam! My inner voice says 'don't spend your money on new clothes, make do with your army surplus and spend on tools...'

 

[Wendelspanswick]

Clarks are bringing back the production of the Desert Boot to Street in Somerset, previously the production has been abroad.
It's not all good news for British workers though as the production will be mainly automated/robotic.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-40479472
It's funny though, the news item above shows the glass and steel modern distribution building but the actual production facility is going into a 60ish year old small office block on the old site.

 

[Dieselman 63]

Clarks are bringing back the production of the Desert Boot to Street in Somerset, previously the production has been abroad.
It's not all good news for British workers though as the production will be mainly automated/robotic.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-40479472
It's funny though, the news item above shows the glass and steel modern distribution building but the actual production facility is going into a 60ish year old small office block on the old site.

British industry isn't just the bloke operating the machine though, it's the services behind it - the guy who has to fix it, the administration and sales, printing and boxes. I saw Adidas are moving production back to Germany, similar automated process.

 

[Wendelspanswick]

British industry isn't just the bloke operating the machine though, it's the services behind it - the guy who has to fix it, the administration and sales, printing and boxes. I saw Adidas are moving production back to Germany, similar automated process.

My point was that I can remember when Clarks employed thousands of skilled people across the country manufacturing shoes, bringing back production of the Desert Boot will create 80 new jobs in admin and managerial posts but no new skilled craftsmen.

 

[sardine]

These are my boots of choice, they only last 6 to 8 months but they are comfy right out of the box, no breaking in needed, easy to dry, no leather to take care of.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SCRUFFS-...hash=item361ea6b13e:m:mKC6xLsQ8S93XbcRfFwSAag

 

[Farside]

I was rooting in the loft yesterday & found a "brand new" pair of rigger boots, Tebbut & Hall made in England, they had been bought twenty years ago as a spare pair & never worn. Now needing a new pair i thinks "Just the job" and they was proper comfy just like the last pair. And so yesterday arvo i slip them on & walk to the workshop ten yards away, something feels funny as i move about in the workshop, i look down & there is a trail of black bits, then the sole falls off.
The soles appear to have been made from a compressed sawdust & rubber compsition that has degraded with age.
And so my shiny new riggers lasted just 5 minutes before they died. I cut the uppers off for the leather & threw them in the bin.

Hahah. That's exactly what happened to my last riggers. I thought I'd scored a deal with them, as they were fairly decent quality uppers and dead comfy. Like yourself, I became aware of a certain lop-sidedness after a few minutes of use (maybe as long as an hour) and found the soles had decided they liked to be free and in bits. Age and rubber decomposition.