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NoTrespassing

Elite Member
Joined
Jul 12, 2003
Messages
2,584
Location
East Central Illinois
Tractor
Kubota 1999 L3710 HST FWA
I'm pretty disappointed in my search for a black leather soft toe work shoe. I want a shoe that's made in the USA. Red Wings are "globally sourced" now. The only shoe I've found that I like are these and they out of stock in regular width. There are quite a few available from overseas, but most aren't real leather. I would consider Red Wings, which are what I'm wearing now, but I'm not paying $160 for shoes that are not made in the USA.

 
   / Shoe Search #2  
Does Bates make one? They still have to my knowledge a good made in USA selection since they do so many military shoes.
 
   / Shoe Search #3  
Does Bates make one? They still have to my knowledge a good made in USA selection since they do so many military shoes.
Bates quality has been going way down hill and prices nearly doubled in the last two years for the military boots, I've never tried any of their other products.

There are a lot of small shops/cobblers still making good work shoes and boots on the west coast but a lot of them are getting old and going out of business because no one wants to take over. Whites and Nicks are both great but I'm not sure they make slip on shoes, I've got a pair of 10 year old whites that just came back from a rebuild and another pair that's four years old and I find it worth every penny compared to buying new boots every year from other manufacturers that claim to be high quality.
 
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  • Thread Starter
#4  
Bates quality has been going way down hill and prices nearly doubled in the last two years for the military boots, I've never tried any of their other products.

There are a lot of small shops/cobblers still making good work shoes and boots on the west coast but a lot of them are getting old and going out of business because no one wants to take over. Whites and Nicks are both great but I'm not sure they make slip on shoes, I've got a pair of 10 year old whites that just came back from a rebuild and another pair that's four years old and I find it worth every penny compared to buying new boots every year from other manufacturers that claim to be high quality.
They're actually lace up.
 
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  • Thread Starter
#7  
   / Shoe Search #8  
If you like them, maybe buy a few pair to set aside. Seems like so many brands discontinue good shoes and then make ones that don't fit right and don't last. So when I find shoes or boots that work for me, I tend to buy backups while I can.
 
   / Shoe Search #9  
If you like them, maybe buy a few pair to set aside. Seems like so many brands discontinue good shoes and then make ones that don't fit right and don't last. So when I find shoes or boots that work for me, I tend to buy backups while I can.
I have had a few boots that I really liked that I wished I had done that. When I needed to replace them 8 years later they had changed too much and I had to start my search over again. Next boot I find that fits me correctly... I'm buying at least one backup pair.
 
 
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