Quote:
Originally Posted by
linafelt 
Man, I think that the black Iron Ranger is just about the perfect boot when it comes to looks -- really cool. I just wish they would fit my feet so I could wear a pair! But just too narrow for me... Looks great though.
Thanks man, I'd have to say that I agree myself. To me they are the boot of all boots, haven't seen anything that's topped them for me yet aesthetically and the construction is absolutely impeccable, easily comparable to any standard you please.
Just wrote a sort of review combined with my experience with my 8114s I've grown to love so dearly:
It's generally a given with Red Wings products that they are produced to the highest standards, but you can instantly tell, these boots are built with a lot more attention to detail than a lot of Red Wings other boots. You can tell the construction of these boots was designed in order to make a pair of boots that lasts a long goddamned time. The cap toe style is perfect in it's simplicity, it's one of those cases where less is definitely more with how the cap toe is sewn on with two double stitches that run parallel to each other and help to maintain the shape of the boot's flawless profile as well as adding a bit more protection too. The heavy duty stitching is in all the right places to hold your boots together against any forces thrown at them as if it were a walk in the park, all done so without adding any unnecessary stitching anywhere that would disrupt the extreme simplicity of the Iron Rangers. The toe box is a slim profile among boots which are compensated for with a bit more room through the bottom sides of the toe box, where the foot widens naturally. The design still manages to provide great support to prevent ankle injuries as it begins to hug your foot just below the ankle, these boots like most, overtime, will really mold to your foot and become extremely comfortable once you break them in. And still, on top of the genius simplicity and shear toughness, the 8114s(black), IMO, especially have the capacity to be dressed up quite well. Not to wear with a suit, but when cleaned up nicely they'll easily fit the 'business casual' bill, I'll even wear them with a tie. On the other end, a good white t shirt and good pair of classic fitting denim jeans are just right for these boots, it's about as simple as it gets but these boots have the just right look for that style, as they were originally produced in 1953. There's no boots I'm aware of, that combine class, simplicity, versatility and the ability to outlast, quite like a pair of Iron Rangers.
I've only got one other pair of Red Wings that I had before my IRs, some 953s, just some classic 8" work boots, solid boots that have aged nicely (recent pic), these are a good pair of boots that will also last quite a long time but they don't have anything on Iron Rangers. When you pick up IRs you just know you're about to put your food in a fortress, it feels like they're lined with lead, mainly due to the extremely dense/long lasting/high quality cork sole that Red Wings uses on them, where not many of their boots are built with the cork soles you get with these. I feel that says something about what all else goes into putting these boots together as well, it's like they took the best available materials, made them better and then used them in these boots. There were no cut corners here and it seems more like Red Wings took the scenic route with the Iron Rangers which resulted in a pair of boots that's much more than what you could hope for from a company that takes such pride making the best possible boots, just like they've been doing for the past 108 years now, the whole time keeping things American made to ensure a quality product.
The materials Red Wings decided to use when they brought back the Iron Rangers are well above what they could have gotten away with sacrificing and still have managed to put out an outstanding pair of boots, but they didn't and everything that went into them surpasses your highest expectations. At the $300 level you can start to really expect whole lot from a boot/shoe, to me at that price you still get a product worth far more than what you paid. I got mine lightly used(~6 weeks ,~15 wears tops) on eBay for $200 flat, which was a steal because they were like new when I got them, signs of minor wear on the raised logo on the heel were barely even visible under scrutiny. (pic (s) from the day they arrived)
It takes a long ass time to break in boots as rigid as these. And I thought I'd softened mine up pretty good over Summer, bought in late May '12, but when I got to school in the fall and walked a few miles a day just about everyday, they kicked the shit out of my feet for about a month or so after I had already deemed them broken in previously. I've also read other cases of similar happenings, people thought there boots were broken in but then you start actually doing things and it turns out they weren't, and your feet will know it. The key to softening mine up was saddle soap and mink oil, show your boots some love and they'll love you, more your feet but, it's worth proper care.
TL;DR - I like Iron Rangers.
Also sizing notes for reference for those interested: (All sizes D)
Red Wings #8114 & #953 -- 10
Vans -- 11
Allen Edmonds -- I have a pair of Sanfords size 10 but they're just big enough, probably need 10.5-11
Bostonian -- 11
Just about all shoes/sneakers I wear size 11, I went and tried on my 953s in the RW store when I bought those and Red Wings 10 D fits me just right. If I were to ever order any other boots, I would research how they run first but as a general rule of thumb probably just end up sizing down 1 due to the boots/chukkas I own seem to run just slightly large. I don't really put much thought into it usually, I wear size 10 or 11. Just figured I'd post that due to reading other posts here with many questions pertaining to size, hope it helped.
Edited by bargerhm - 2/9/13 at 9:26pm
I couldn't find the last dimensions or differences online to compare myself.
