Wolverine 1000 Mile Boot Review

[MarioImpemba]

Its a high end dress boot.

It is in no way this; it's a boot for casual Fridays, at best.

It's a vintage-styled work-boot for the "work-wear" trend, with an oil-impregnated leather that hardly polishes up.

 

[milw50717]



So are Wolverines better in cold wet climate than a Red Wing 875 ... Just wondering debating between the two..

Can't help but think that there would be some lack of grip issues with the flat soles on the 875 in the wet and snow/ice.

 

[private eyes]

It is in no way this; it's a boot for casual Fridays, at best.

It's a vintage-styled work-boot for the "work-wear" trend, with an oil-impregnated leather that hardly polishes up.

Its as much of a "work boot" as the alden indy boot.. No one who actually does manual labor would ever consider these. They're a pretty boot with a slick sole, and the leather is soft and on the thinner side. Id definitely put it in the "semi dress boot" category. Work boots aren't meant to have shoe horns in them and rubbed with oils on the regular.

 

[MarioImpemba]

The 1K is literally a dupe of Wolverine's work boot from decades ago. It is, for all intents and purposes, a work boot in design.

You're right; with the work-wear trend hot right now, they are mostly being bought up by (and rightly so, marketed to) young professionals with desk jobs.

Your perspective is the same as saying that a Filson bag isn't work-gear because someone donning a suit is using it as their carry-on.

As far as upkeep, any boot will wear prematurely if not well-kept.

[EDITED for grammar-fail]

 

[Crane's]



Its as much of a "work boot" as the alden indy boot.. No one who actually does manual labor would ever consider these. They're a pretty boot with a slick sole, and the leather is soft and on the thinner side. Id definitely put it in the "semi dress boot" category. Work boots aren't meant to have shoe horns in them and rubbed with oils on the regular.

I'll try to keep this in mind the next time I frame a deck, hike or go rock hunting. They're an uninsulated work boot that first appeared eons ago and Chromexcel is an excellent leather for said work boots. The slick sole is an easy fix, half soles are cheap and easy to have installed. Today's marketing is a far cry from how they were marketed when first introduced. They were good back then so....


Muddy Boots and a Point by DYSong Photography, on Flickr

 

[private eyes]

sure, they were a good work boot in the early 1900s, but not so much today. Sure, crane , you go hiking with yours and get them muddy, but you're in the slim minority. If you think I'm talking out of ******, my family has been in the construction business for over 80 years. No one in my families business would consider these for work boots. You'd be hard pressed to find a steel worker or carpenter who would pay 320.00 for a thin boot with leather sole, no metal shank, no steel toe , no insole or arch support, when you can get a pair of red wings, will all those features for ton cheaper

 

[digga]

sure, they were a good work boot in the early 1900s, but not so much today. Sure, crane , you go hiking with yours and get them muddy, but you're in the slim minority. If you think I'm talking out of ******, my family has been in the construction business for over 80 years. No one in my families business would consider these for work boots. You'd be hard pressed to find a steel worker or carpenter who would pay 320.00 for a thin boot with leather sole, no metal shank, no steel toe , no insole or arch support, when you can get a pair of red wings, will all those features for ton cheaper

I wore Red Wing 963s every day for 6 years... they don't have a steel shank or a steel toe. They also cost me more money than either of my pairs of 1000 mile boots. One day I had a rusty frame rail slice right through the "thick" leather on one pair of the Red Wings. As far as I can tell, the sole and the lining is the only thing significantly different between those boots and the 1000 miles.

 

[dddrees]

I wore Red Wing 963s every day for 6 years... they don't have a steel shank or a steel toe. They also cost me more money than either of my pairs of 1000 mile boots. One day I had a rusty frame rail slice right through the "thick" leather on one pair of the Red Wings. As far as I can tell, the sole and the lining is the only thing significantly different between those boots and the 1000 miles.

And I'll bet you wished you had had something with a bit more protection that day. I mean there are boots that would have protected you better. So I'm not sure I get your point, that is unless you siding with the person who states there are better options for this kind of work..

 

[MarioImpemba]

sure, they were a good work boot in the early 1900s, but not so much today. Sure, crane , you go hiking with yours and get them muddy, but you're in the slim minority. If you think I'm talking out of ******, my family has been in the construction business for over 80 years. No one in my families business would consider these for work boots. You'd be hard pressed to find a steel worker or carpenter who would pay 320.00 for a thin boot with leather sole, no metal shank, no steel toe , no insole or arch support, when you can get a pair of red wings, will all those features for ton cheaper

Ha, that's true - when I show up to job-sites I see tons of crepe soled mocs, Red-Wing and the other typical brands.
Can't we compromise and call them semi-dress, or will that totally piss-off the White's devotees

That's what's so great about 1K's, though, is their versatility since they are not a modern work-boot, nor a modern dress-boot, so they can come off the bench to fill either role adequately. It just so happens I'll be at a job-site in the morning and back in the office in the afternoon; and I already learned my lesson on wearing dress shoes to a job-site the hard way. Sure, some would carry some WalMart steel-toes in the trunk for such duty, but call me lazy .

 

[digga]

And I'll bet you wished you had had something with a bit more protection that day. I mean there are boots that would have protected you better. So I'm not sure I get your point, that is unless you siding with the person who states there are better options for this kind of work..

All I'm saying is that I don't see much functional difference between a modern boot and the 1000 mile. Sure there are purpose built boots for certain types of work, but I think the 1000 mile is a general purpose boot. Something you would find on the feet of factory workers and mechanics and other people that work indoors.

 

[patrick_b]

Just because they can handle framing a deck, rock hunting or the like doesn't mean they are the right tool for the job. I can certainly go off road with a Mercedes SUV but it's far from the obvious choice for a dedicated off-road vehicle. I can jack it up, put on big beefy tires (or a vibram half sole) and it would work just fine. That doesn't make it the right tool for someone who off-roads every weekend or logs for a living. Nor is the 1K the most obvious choice (or even the best choice) for a laborer's work boot. If you want to add vibram soles to your leather soled boots and wear them hiking...great! It doesn't make them a hiking boot. They are clearly a great choice for you and your needs.

The designers recreated a fantastic design from 100+ yrs ago. That's why I bought them and why most people buy them. That's also to whom Wolverine markets these boots. They have many other great work boots (without leather soles) for folks who need work boots.

 

[patrick_b]

Ha, that's true - when I show up to job-sites I see tons of crepe soled mocs, Red-Wing and the other typical brands.
Can't we compromise and call them semi-dress, or will that totally piss-off the White's devotees

That's what's so great about 1K's, though, is their versatility since they are not a modern work-boot, nor a modern dress-boot, so they can come off the bench to fill either role adequately. It just so happens I'll be at a job-site in the morning and back in the office in the afternoon; and I already learned my lesson on wearing dress shoes to a job-site the hard way. Sure, some would carry some WalMart steel-toes in the trunk for such duty, but call me lazy .

Well said. Should have read your post first .

 

[mikeharo]

How do you size the boots? Comparison to Tru-Balance or any other brand/last? I have read through the thread and am looking for something more specific. Should I go with my Indy boot size? Desert boot?

 

[StraightDope]

A'men

 

[StraightDope]

Just because they can handle framing a deck, rock hunting or the like doesn't mean they are the right tool for the job. I can certainly go off road with a Mercedes SUV but it's far from the obvious choice for a dedicated off-road vehicle. I can jack it up, put on big beefy tires (or a vibram half sole) and it would work just fine. That doesn't make it the right tool for someone who off-roads every weekend or logs for a living. Nor is the 1K the most obvious choice (or even the best choice) for a laborer's work boot. If you want to add vibram soles to your leather soled boots and wear them hiking...great! It doesn't make them a hiking boot. They are clearly a great choice for you and your needs.

The designers recreated a fantastic design from 100+ yrs ago. That's why I bought them and why most people buy them. That's also to whom Wolverine markets these boots. They have many other great work boots (without leather soles) for folks who need work boots.

A'men