Chippewa
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I don't have any complaints, everything is as it should be quality wise. The leather is a oiled shoulder, which not as aesthetically pleasing, if cared for properly will age nicely. I like shoulders for this reason, they break and change with wear and hardly do any two look the same once worn. Vibram outsole, brass hook and eyes, really not much to complain about for the price. I swapped in the leather laces, which was really the only thing I didn't care for.
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I'm looking for a second pair of boots at a 'budget' price point. I'm not really sure what I want in terms of plain toe/moc toe or which vibram sole, but right now I'm mainly looking at Red Wing and Chippewa in terms of brands.
Chippewa seems to be about $50 less than RW on most styles….but do the two line up in terms of quality? Does one use better quality leather than the other? I'm not really seeing any consistent opinions on the internet...
I have several of each, here's one comparison:
http://www.ironheart.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=521.msg131591#msg131591
I can wear the Chippewa work boots longer, walk farther…at least the few models I have, even a thick oiled waterproofed/goretexed 8" one. My Redwings take more abuse, because I think they might be better harder wearing leather and can take it. I also have less heavy duty boots by each, Iron Rangers on one side and Chippewa capped toe similar to those new ones just above. I find them equal in terms of walking around all day, perhaps a nod to the IR.I can tell you I've had dozens of pairs of Red Wings (no exaggeration… over 20 years) and I'll never buy another pair. They're simply overrated. I have a bunch of other boots including White's and some customs... but I recently bought a pair of the J Crew Chippewa boots. They are really great! I'm not kidding.
They get talked down on the forums, mostly by RW fan boys, but the only way you can decide is to put them on your feet. I have been wearing mine almost daily for about three months. They fit better than RW, the leather is better quality, the hooks and eyelets are much better quality, they don't blow out, go sloppy and look like you kicked the shit out of them after a couple of weeks. I'm finding it hard to wear my White's because I love the Chippewa boots so much.
I'll definitely be buying these again in the future. Don't get side tracked by the hype for other boots. Give them go...
I'll post some pics of mine later...
-bornheim
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Very nice. How much?
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Is that the JCrew colab? My brother has the Crew pair, which I think is the same boot and they are friggn nice.
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Is that the JCrew colab? My brother has the Crew pair, which I think is the same boot and they are friggn nice.
Yep, this is (was?) the J Crew collaboration. I liked the colour option as well as the pull tab on the heel. As I said, I think Chippewa is underrated, in general.
-bornheim
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Very nice. How much?
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If I recall correctly, I paid about US$260 (ex. tax) in the US… so there was tax and shipping on top of that.
There is a premium on the J Crew collab, and the straight Chippewa's can be had for less... Not sure if J Crew has had these on sale at any point, but I'm pretty sure they have.
-bornheim
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Is that the JCrew colab? My brother has the Crew pair, which I think is the same boot and they are friggn nice.
Yep, this is (was?) the J Crew collaboration. I liked the colour option as well as the pull tab on the heel. As I said, I think Chippewa is underrated, in general.
-bornheim
I forgot to mention, that the details on the J Crew collab vary from the standard Chippewa only in a small way: the pull tab, the leather options, and the material for the lace hooks.
However, I suspect that the "Originals" line will be almost identical to the J Crew version… but I haven't looked closely enough at the line up.
These boots are cowhide with "cordovan" colour. They're not cordovan... but the colour is the main reason I went for the boot. I was happily surprised to find that the construction, fit and quality of the boots is better than I had expected.
-bornheim
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Just noticed that these boots are reduced on the J Crew website. OK, they're only US$20 off. Note, that includes US domestic delivery but excludes tax.
PS. Don't want to plug another site… so I hope its OK to mention that here on the forum. I'm happy to delete this if its not appropriate.
-bornheim
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I still like the Chippewas, and when it comes time to buy some engineers I will likely go chippewa.
BUT….I found some RW moc toes for $100 online so I had to snatch them up.
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I still like the Chippewas, and when it comes time to buy some engineers I will likely go chippewa.
Yeah… I was thinking some Chippewa Engineers and then pimp them out with a new sole. By the way, didn't Chippewa produce the first Engineer boot... or do I have that wrong?
-bornheim
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Ditto on that exact thing….Chippewas with a pimp sole.
And I think the trophy for "first engineer boot" is not really known.
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I think you're both right, sorta. I do believe Chippewa to be the first to widely produce the style. However boots used to be made in nearly every major city and a lot of independents in small towns, and while it may not have been called such, the engineer boot design existed at this stage.
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^^
Good answer.You're right of course about the small local boot makers, and that goes for most styles, also.
I was having a chat with Jamie (EastWest) a while ago and touched on this issue in relation to cowboy/riding boots. When I was growing up (yep, in the countryside with horses and cows) the cowboy boots my dad wore, and a couple of my own pairs, were made by a small boot maker in the area. No one, at all, wore branded boots like Justin or Tony Lama. And, there weren't sizes for riding boots! Every pair was made to fit the individual because it was more or less understood that a riding boot (i.e. no laces and required to fit with your foot in a stirrup) had to be a very precise fit. It was only more recently and with the popularity of rodeo's and western "culture" not directly linked to working cowboys that mass produced riding boots became popular (a bit like work boots today). Back then, most guys would have expected their riding boots to last a good 20 years. But then again, like me, guys who ride horses don't like walking…
-bornheim
