• Hi, I am the owner and main administrator of Styleforum. If you find the forum useful and fun, please help support it by buying through the posted links on the forum. Our main, very popular sales thread, where the latest and best sales are listed, are posted HERE

    Purchases made through some of our links earns a commission for the forum and allows us to do the work of maintaining and improving it. Finally, thanks for being a part of this community. We realize that there are many choices today on the internet, and we have all of you to thank for making Styleforum the foremost destination for discussions of menswear.
  • This site contains affiliate links for which Styleforum may be compensated.
  • We would like to welcome House of Huntington as an official Affiliate Vendor. Shop past season Drake's, Nigel Cabourn, Private White V.C. and other menswear luxury brands at exceptional prices below retail. Please visit the Houise of Huntington thread and welcome them to the forum.

  • STYLE. COMMUNITY. GREAT CLOTHING.

    Bored of counting likes on social networks? At Styleforum, you’ll find rousing discussions that go beyond strings of emojis.

    Click Here to join Styleforum's thousands of style enthusiasts today!

    Styleforum is supported in part by commission earning affiliate links sitewide. Please support us by using them. You may learn more here.

Red Wing Gentleman's Traveler

imstr8trippin

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 27, 2008
Messages
62
Reaction score
2
Have these and lovin them....but.....

I managed to get a small "gouge" in the leather on the hard part of the heel. Dont know how I did it, as I've only worn them 3 times so far. But, anyway, it's there...

It seems as though the toe box and heel are highly susceptible to this. Is this common for boots? This is actually my first boot, so I dont know.

How should I go about covering up? Dark Red/BurgandyPolish (they are cherry black)? Is it enough to make a fuss with RW about, as I thought these boots would be tougher than this...
 

JohnnyLaw

Distinguished Member
Joined
Jun 18, 2007
Messages
2,714
Reaction score
131
It's normal for the leather to get scuffed with wear but I've also noticed that my Red Wings tend to scratch easier than most shoes. It must have to do with the type of leather (Chromexcel). I couldn't find any information, but I'm thinking that maybe the leather they use for the GTs is softer in order to be comfortable while still very thick.

I use Kiwi cordovan polish and it works well. Just apply thin coats regularly and they'll look great for a long time.
 

braidkid

Distinguished Member
Joined
Jun 27, 2006
Messages
1,144
Reaction score
7
It depends how deep and noticable the gouge is. Same thing recently happened to my Tricker Burford's. I lightly sanded the area down with 400 sandpaper then found a leather dye that matched close to apply in the area. My cobbler then lightly sprayed over the area with leather dye and it's not even noticable anymore.
 

imstr8trippin

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 27, 2008
Messages
62
Reaction score
2
it's deep enough to take off part of the top layer and expose the oak coloured leather underneath.

i hate to say it, but i'm extremely disappointed. i expected much more durability from these boots. guess i'll just have to find a polish to match the colour of the boots and go from there.

is it a no-no to polish waterproof leather? i believe the GTs are waterproof.
 

Johnny_5

Distinguished Member
Joined
May 14, 2007
Messages
4,192
Reaction score
5
Surprised to hear this. I have a pair of GTs and have worn them hundreds of times. There are some scratches on the leather which is expected but nothing like you have described. You must have hit it off something really sharp and jagged to do that to your boot. I wouldn't say that the boots arent durable. This could happen to any leather.
 

stickonatree

Distinguished Member
Joined
Nov 8, 2006
Messages
3,067
Reaction score
4
Originally Posted by imstr8trippin
it's deep enough to take off part of the top layer and expose the oak coloured leather underneath.

i hate to say it, but i'm extremely disappointed. i expected much more durability from these boots. guess i'll just have to find a polish to match the colour of the boots and go from there.

is it a no-no to polish waterproof leather? i believe the GTs are waterproof.


durability doesn't mean that the leather doesn't scratch, it means the CONSTRUCTION of the boots is well done. what do you expect, leather made out of steel? soft leather is actually desirable in many leather products, including shoes, ya?

fwiw i myself own the same boots, and have never had a problem with the leather scratching (although it does seem to attract dust fairly easily). other than using kiwi cordovan wax/cream, make sure to condition the leather and use a low shine/matte polish/wax (multiple layers) to keep those future trouble spots from easily scratching again.
 

Get Smart

Don't Crink
Joined
Oct 27, 2004
Messages
12,102
Reaction score
270
I polish mine (black and blackcherry) all the time, no ill side effects. The only leather I know of that you shouldnt polish much is cordovan, which these arent, altho they're made from Horween leather (who supplies cordovan)
 

imstr8trippin

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 27, 2008
Messages
62
Reaction score
2
Originally Posted by stickonatree
durability doesn't mean that the leather doesn't scratch, it means the CONSTRUCTION of the boots is well done. what do you expect, leather made out of steel? soft leather is actually desirable in many leather products, including shoes, ya?

fwiw i myself own the same boots, and have never had a problem with the leather scratching (although it does seem to attract dust fairly easily). other than using kiwi cordovan wax/cream, make sure to condition the leather and use a low shine/matte polish/wax (multiple layers) to keep those future trouble spots from easily scratching again.



i didnt know what to expect. people always rant and rave about red wings durability. i assumed leather was included. i knew they'd get injured at some point. just didnt think it'd be so soon. anyway, i'll try to pick up some polish this weekend and see what i can do.
 

braidkid

Distinguished Member
Joined
Jun 27, 2006
Messages
1,144
Reaction score
7
Originally Posted by Get Smart
I polish mine (black and blackcherry) all the time, no ill side effects. The only leather I know of that you shouldnt polish much is cordovan, which these arent, altho they're made from Horween leather (who supplies cordovan)

Interesting, I didnt know Horween supplied leather for RW's. Should be a high quality leather then.

imstr8trippin, do as I suggested....get some super fine sand paper (400) and sand just that area. Then find a leather dye that matches. You may need to mix dyes to find the correct shade.

Shoe polish doesn't contain enough dye to do the trick. If you do go the shoe polish route, you'll need to use a color darker than the color of the boot.
 

morse9443

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 15, 2008
Messages
118
Reaction score
0
Originally Posted by Garage/Surf Rock
Red Wing boots are supposed to be durable, but I don't think the GTs are really classified as work boots. They are a kind of tough dress shoe for "gentlemen travelers."

Get it? Gentleman travelers? Seriously, I've had a million leather boots with varying degrees of gouges and scratches in them. You just have to do your best to fill the hole
laugh.gif
and make the wound show at little as possible.
 

erdawe

Distinguished Member
Joined
Mar 8, 2008
Messages
2,084
Reaction score
15
Has anyone let their GT's age and develop patina? Or do these only look good all polished up and well kept?

I was considering purchasing a pair in black cherry, but these need to be treated like a dress shoes to get them to look good I may reconsider.
 

ataru

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 11, 2007
Messages
346
Reaction score
1
i use obenaufs with my brandos and it's never failed to clean up scuffs and gouges nicely with the help of a little elbow grease
 

Featured Sponsor

How important is full vs half canvas to you for heavier sport jackets?

  • Definitely full canvas only

    Votes: 45 40.5%
  • Half canvas is fine

    Votes: 44 39.6%
  • Really don't care

    Votes: 5 4.5%
  • Depends on fabric

    Votes: 18 16.2%
  • Depends on price

    Votes: 25 22.5%

Forum statistics

Threads
504,469
Messages
10,574,040
Members
223,698
Latest member
Brownchad
Top