My 10 Year Red Wing Shoes Review

After 10 years of buying Red Wing Shoes I feel I have a good position to make the claims I’m going to make.  So let’s jump into it…

My First Pair of Red Wing Boots

I recall buying was about 10 years ago. I may have owned a pair or two prior to that, but I wasn’t paying attention to specific brands at the time.

That first pair of boots were awesome. I put them through the ringer and they only got better as they got older. Finally I wore through the sole of the boot and it was retired.

My Second Pair Of Red Wing Shoes

Then I bought my second pair of Red Wing boots. This time was different. The boots had the same durabilty the first pair had, but these would make my feet go numb. I went back over and over and each time I was assured my boot was fine and it would eventually break in.

Being someone with a military past, I’m use to breaking in a pair of boots or two. This was different. My feet were numb. It felt like it was pushing on some pressure point on the top of my foot. It didn’t seem to change even when I tied the strings loosely. I had plenty of toe room. By the end, I didn’t even tie my boots. I just tucked in my strings and kept on wearing them.

Eventually I decided I needed to be done with these boots and bought my third pair.

My Third Pair Of Red Wing Shoes

This was during the pandemic; towards the end of it. The supply chain was limited and I couldn’t get the boots I really wanted. I heald out and finally settled on a pair of ThruHikers. I don’t thru hike, but if these boots can hold up to someone climbing mountains and crossing deserts, then they should work for me. I’m pretty easy on boots in comparison to a thru-hiker.

I did have a concern though and I brought it up with my Red Wing Shoes salesperson. The shoe lace loops are made of cloth. I was concerned that cloth would fray and eventually break. I was assured that wasn’t a concern and they’d hold up. I was told that people liked their shoes so much that many often pay Red Wing to repair/resole them.

I bought them and they fit awesome. I was really happy with them. Then a few months ago the bottom loop that holds the shoe string to the bottom of the tongue just popped off. Not rip… it just came undone. Notice in this picture:

Then about three or four weeks after that one popped off, a second one wore through and the shoe lace is no longer supported. Notice in this picture:

I intentionally did not clean my boots. I didn’t want to make them look “better” than they would on a normal day. I get them dusty and slightly worn. You can see that the boots are in good shape other than these bad design features. Here’s a picture of my boots to see their current condition. Note how little wear there is on any of the boot.    

My 10 Year Red Wing Shoe Review Summary

This is one of those situation that stings me a little. I love 90% of the quality and durability of my boots/shoes. The problem is in the 10%. My second boot didn’t wear out. I stopped wearing it because it made my feet numb.

My current ThruHiker boots are seriously damaged due to a decision Red Wing made to use cloth on these boots. Notice the others in this series had tradition metal shoelace holes.

I get design errors happen, but to expect me to find them in 12 months or it’s on me is where I draw the line. This damage wasn’t due to my improper use or over use. The boots are in great shape. Look at the picture! This is a bad design and after contacting Red Wing Shoes, they have made it clear they will do nothing to stand behind their shoes after their “warranty” date.

The issue I’m upset about is a design error that used poor quality cloth shoelace holes and bad sewing (the loop that just popped off undamaged). This wasn’t my causing and Red Wing should of stood behind their boots or shoes with similar failures.

They didn’t and for that reason I will not recommend you buy Red Wing Shoes or any of their products. Loyalty is a two way street and if a brand won’t stand behind their brand over issues like this, then I will buy from another company.

Money isn’t the issue. I’m fine paying more money for boots. I want a company that is proud of their products and stand behind them. Putting a design flaw onto me to repair is dirty. I will hire a local cobbler to repair these, but I will never buy another pair of Red Wing Boots ever again. Buyer beware!