Budget friendly boots?
Looking for recommendations for budget friendly boots in an americana/workwear style.
100 Replies
Grant stone
What does budget friendly mean to you in dollars
I would say $150ish, give or take about $50
Thursday boots sell new pairs for $199
Follow up: what are your favorites from Grant Stone?
Styles and colors
I think the consensus is generally not to buy Thursday boots.
My thinking is if u wanna buy something like boots, buy once and no regret. Save for it a get a grant stone and u set. Boots resale is not good.
Strongly consider trying on in store and buying new / worn once online for 30-60% lower cost. $150 is a tough price point because you can get okay stuff but you haven't really hit diminishing returns yet, ie, spend somewhat more and get significantly better product. Of course it may be hard to try on grant stone. Redwing on the other hand should be accessible.
But at $150 maybe Clark's? Maybe brooks brothers? I am not sure Clark's makes what you want and BB quality at this price point is questionable but may be okay
I’m open to spending a bit more given the above advice
Beckett Simonon on sale might hit this price point but their shoes are all batch-mto so you can't really try before you buy and their width is only one size
Where can I try on grant stone?
Thursday is okay for the price. Their founder is a prick. Your choice how much that matters to you
Grant Stone
Diesel Boot Crimson Chromexcel
The word "diesel" doesn’t exactly remind us of something flashy, but rather of something built for strength and longevity. This is our rendition of the basic plain toe boot pattern—made with nothing but proven leather uppers, lining, and insole. This boot comes equipped with our new Micro Stud Rubber Sole, which is bui
I think these look nice
Allen Edmonds on deeeep sale ends up at this price point occasionally. Like they might send seconds to nordstrom rack or something? Online at their site or at their store I'm unsure if you can hit the price point. But ebay almost certainly can get you $150 in great condition, if you're patient probably new or like new.
Yeah the Diesel boot is very popular. Unsure where you would try it on.
Clunkier ones are nice as well
If you do a proper brannock sizing following all instructions you should be fairly confident in grant stone sizing and be able to get something secondhand (again, new or like new) in the $150-200 price point with a bit of patience.
I think I’m just going to save up and get grant stone. They look so much better. The ones I find in the price range I mentioned don’t look as good
I know it sucks to be told to spend more ;) but at $150 msrp most boots are going to have significant compromises. Cemented construction can be good for certain types of boots but it you want something more dressy that can be resoled it's not the way to go. Certainly you don't need to pay for full grain calf ... but proper full grain chromexcel or similar leather from a good tannery is gonna be hard to get at $150 msrp. Same for a good stackup, good stitching, etc. Possible but hard.
I hear things about BLKBRD. Low pricing. Unsure if they meet your needs. Read reviews before buying
I think Loake makes in India or somewhere that allows them to have a more modestly priced line but again, unsure what they sell meets your needs
Sorry I can't be of better help. For what it's worth, the Diesel boot is much beloved.
You’ve helped plenty. It is much appreciated.
First time doing this so anything is so helpful
First time is the hardest. So much out there, options, industry terms, etc.
Exactly. It’s an overload of information but just a few changes I’ve made have been noticed by others.
Slowly but surely I will reach my envisioned rugged americana/workwear
Does anybody have any recommendations for something clunkier like this?
The only boots I have seen in that style are at a considerably higher pricepoint
The only one's that come to mind are SEA made to order companies or possibly a new Viberg model
Specifically I mean the sprung toe look. If you look at the PNW makers (Nick's, White's and the like) there may be something very similar or even the same as that but like I said the pricepoint is much higher
Understood
Someone else might know of something lower priced though
What about meermin
Meermin is way dressier
For the more workboot/rugged stuff the PNW companies are really the best
But yeah pricy at retail
You could try for secondhand or sample sale
Driving but i will chime in later. I have a sizable boots collection and tested a variety already
Stateside u want pacific north west style, they build rugged logging boots, nick white jkboots. Build from scratch thru bakershoes u looking at 500 with a feet tracing sheet. Timeline nowadays over a year
Another consideration is the chinese makers like iron boots, quan boots on instagram but u looking at 800. I recalled someone got a really nice pair for 150 to 200 or so thru taobao or aliexpress from no name makers that have a factory
Bean boots 😛
If u wanna go taobao route prob have to dig around goodyearwelt sub for more info
I know grantstone have store in nyc i believe
U can send them an email for sizing advice
Would never ever recommend buying boots on taobao or alibaba/aliexpress.
Not for the faintest of heart lol
Beckett Simonon
Men's Boots
With a handsome, well-constructed pair of boots on your feet you will feel like you can take on the world, or at least what the day throws at you.
If you're okay with Chelsea boots I found Blundstones to be very affordable
Do you have links to the stores? I’m having trouble finding these on google
Edit: found Nicks, Whites, and Jk. Couldn’t find the others.
I have a few Chelsea’s but from what I read they’re out
Fair!
I customize my whites bounty hunter from this store
Baker's Boots and Clothing
Baker's Boots + Clothing | Premium Leather Boots & Footwear
The #1 source for Custom White's, Wesco's, and our large selection of boots and shoes including Danner, Red Wing, Lowa, Zamberlan, Crispi, and more.
They are a vendor that take order and deal with the manufacture for u
LL Bean
L.L.Bean
Men's Bucksport Boots, Cap Toe | Casual at L.L.Bean
Find the best Men's Bucksport Boots, Cap Toe at L.L.Bean. Our high quality Men's Boots are thoughtfully designed and built to last season after season.
Often in big holiday u get 20% discount your build
White's lead times have to be at least 8 months at this point
I don't recommend getting a custom PNW boot as a first foray into expensive shoes
It a note, in case he wanna read about the different makers
Hand down my most comfortable pair though, no other boots can hug my feet like the whites bounty hunter did
four to six months for some builds through bakers
So what’s the move
but yeh lead times are something for sure, Wesco up at around 2 years I think
2 years 😱
But llbeans is correct, no need to jump into PNW boots straight away
Buy boots that you like how they look, are close to your budget, and you can either return or try them on in person. PNW makers are fantastic don't get me wrong, but there's a lot of potential pitfalls and it's much easier to sell a pair of OTR boots than a custom pair if you end up wearing them for a while and not liking them
PNW = Pacific Northwest?
Yes, brands like White's, and Nicks
OTR?
Off the rack
ahh sorry didn't mean to throw so many acronyms in there
I wouldn’t trust bakers estimate for mto but yeah it’s not relevant
Also consider Redwing Blacksmiths
https://www.redwingshoes.com/heritage/mens/Blacksmith-03343.html
Blacksmith | RedWing
The Blacksmith men's leather boot in Copper Rough & Tough is beloved for its highly wearable, everyday versatility. A sleek, smooth toe, solid brass eyelets, and Flat Waxed laces are durable and dignified. Shop Now at Heritage!
Your best bet is to just get redwing on sale if you want something to try out
If you wanted to be patient and spend more because you were confident about liking them, I would probably suggest eBay saved searches and getting whites or nick’s second hand before actually going mto
Oooooo. I really like these.
So sorry. All these are new to me, what’s MTO?
Made to order, I assumed that one had been posted further up but I didn’t check my b
No worries at all
Okay. I’m going to full send a redwing then.
What’s the tea on Thursday? I always hear mixed things about them
Boots are mostly rips of the least good viberg boots, middling quality, very stuck in 2012 re design, owner is super pro life or something
Yikes.
You want to figure out your feet brannock and quirk
Best deal for good boots are on ebay
Just take it easy 🙂
So brannock is the method and tool thing. What do you mean by quirk?
So i am a 10in left foot
And 9.5 on right
My width is C
Knowing that
You would naturally assume a D width would work well for me
But it not
Only much later i came to know my toes space out
So i have to buy lace shoes with e width
Or boots D width but roomy toe box to accommodate
I call them quirk
So yea, pay attention to any discomfort u have after breaking in period, bring it to goodyearwelt sub to discuss
People likely can point it out
That how i learnt about my feet fit issue
Wait so what do you do with OTR shoes? Or do you just get custom made?
It it make me uncomfortable, return if i bought new
Or sell ebay if it used or pass return deadline
There are lasts that shoes based on like blueprints
Some last that shoes are built on are narrow, some wider
Find the one with the appropriate last would beneficial in the long run
Are there stores that do the sizing? Or should I buy this brannock?
You can probably just go to stores that have a brannock and get your feet sized there
some people buy a brannock device from amazon and then return it though
Might be the move.
Don't buy something just to return it. The returned item will just get destroyed and you've used a load of polluting surface transportation you didn't need to use for a not very good reason.
That’s fair.
I’ll stop by a shoe store
very good point I hadn't considered that
Brannock sizing can be done in any shoe store probably. Note though, you need to read the official guide, it only takes like 4 minutes, but read it and memorize it before you go to the store, because most employees suck. Wear socks, do it standing, take good photos to get people to double check.
One of my feet is heel-to-ball 1/2 size larger, and heel-to-toe 1 full size larger than my other. Entirely off-the-rack shoes fit me fine -- not all of them, but I have a reliable source that always fits well. Trying on in store helped a lot. Most people do NOT need anything made custom to order. Don't get sucked into it.,
Okay. I’ll take the pics. Should I send it here or the other sub?
Either or both 😉
I'm assuming these are similar to Thursday, but anyone have experience with them?
https://www.portlandleathergoods.com/products/almost-perfect-mens-chelsea-boot?variant=40448920813650
Portland Leather
'Almost Perfect' Men's Chelsea Boot
The Chelsea Boot is a staple in Men’s footwear. For good reason: they are unfussy, move from work to weekend seamlessly, and can handle all kinds of weather. Get them on and off with ease thanks to perfectly-proportioned elastic side panels and a leather pull tab.
Chippewa still makes a good pair of boots for less than red wing and will likely be more comfortable if you’re not used to all leather boots. Something like these: https://www.chippewaboots.com/en/classic-2.0-6-inch-lace-up-21088.html?dwvar_21088_color=Wood
Classic 2.0 6" Lace Up | Chippewa Boots
Shop the Classic 2.0 6" Lace Up The official site for Chippewa Boots. Find the best selection of outdoor and work boots, accessories, and apparel. Shop today!.
Lots of folks here that are good at reading brannocks
Astorflex on sale from End Clothing, but it may not be as rugged as you're looking for
just a note that there are quite a few red wing stores and they should be able to fit you and you can try on their models to see how you like the fit and the look
Yeah, I feel like Red Wing is the way to get into quality boots, because it's really important to try them on and know what fits
+1 for Chippewa or Thorogood
Try before you buy on prime
Just go to a store please, don’t get boots on Amazon and don’t get stuff with the intention of returning it
Buying leather footwear on Amazon is asking for trouble, you have no idea how they were stored and for how long
I’m going to hit up a red wing and either get the blacksmiths or iron rangers
That solid
Should I just trust their brannock reading if I go to a redwing store? Or should I post it here?
Doesn’t hurt to have a second opinion
Post it, Redwing is better than some but they're not great
Noted. Will do
I’m not sure if this thread disappears or not. Is there any way I can save it for future reference?
It won’t auto delete but it will hide itself after a period of inactivity, you can search for your own comments in this channel to find and revive it when that happens
blacksmiths are awesome
i mean, i like my iron rangers too, but my blacksmiths get worn far more for some reason
I like how we went full circle. I think we suggested red wings due to availability of stores alllll the way at the top. OP I hope you like them!
Y’all will be the first to know once I get them 🙂
If you decide on red wings then please seriously consider waiting for a safe or buying slightly used on eBay. Your wallet will thank you.