I was looking for a pair with a proper rubber anti scuff cap on the toes. I am working on my knees a lot & I would wear the toes out very quickly. My last pair (stirling) were very comfortable but only had a thin piece if rubber glued over the toe & I was down to the steel toecap in a few months! I found it impossible to source the right boots locally! I did find a pair in one shop but the boots were so loose fitting they were impossible to walk in (Xpert branded).
There are no proper industrial workwear suppliers near me but I was on a weekend break on the coast & found 2 suppliers nearby. The first one had 2 that fitted the bill but both were very loose fitting as well. One pair (amblers) had a nubuck finish which would be impossible to keep on a work boot.
I found a pair in the second shop but I had to go down a shoe size to get a good fit. They are Apache AP305 & so far they seem very comfortable. I've been wearing them for a few hours every day & no sore feet!
One thing to look out for is ones with a padded ankle. They make the boot fit better on your foot & stop it slapping around plus give you some ankle support. That Dewalt has good padding on it & should fit well. My first pair were Dewalt, very comfortable & lasted me ages, had to dump them when I wore the sole out. Unfortunately the newer styles don't have a decent scuff cap otherwise I would buy them again.
Another thing is the finish on the leather. An oily leather is probably the easiest to keep, give them a good coat of dubbin before you wear them, warming the leather with a hair dryer so that it soaks in.
I've just been shopping for new rigger boots & all I can suggest is to try them for fit before you buy. That means a visit to an actual shop unless you find an online supplier offering free delivery & free returns!I was looking for a pair with a proper rubber anti scuff cap on the toes. I am working on my knees a lot & I would wear the toes out very quickly. My last pair (stirling) were very comfortable but only had a thin piece if rubber glued over the toe & I was down to the steel toecap in a few months! I found it impossible to source the right boots locally! I did find a pair in one shop but the boots were so loose fitting they were impossible to walk in (Xpert branded).There are no proper industrial workwear suppliers near me but I was on a weekend break on the coast & found 2 suppliers nearby. The first one had 2 that fitted the bill but both were very loose fitting as well. One pair (amblers) had a nubuck finish which would be impossible to keep on a work boot.I found a pair in the second shop but I had to go down a shoe size to get a good fit. They are Apache AP305 & so far they seem very comfortable. I've been wearing them for a few hours every day & no sore feet!One thing to look out for is ones with a padded ankle. They make the boot fit better on your foot & stop it slapping around plus give you some ankle support. That Dewalt has good padding on it & should fit well. My first pair were Dewalt, very comfortable & lasted me ages, had to dump them when I wore the sole out.Unfortunately the newer styles don't have a decent scuff cap otherwise I would buy them again.Another thing is the finish on the leather. An oily leather is probably the easiest to keep, give them a good coat of dubbin before you wear them, warming the leather with a hair dryer so that it soaks in.
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There is no truly waterproof shoe or boot that isn't rubber. They can be highly water resistant, and that resistance changes with use.
The longest I've had a Goretex shoe maintain a real level of water resistance is less than 6 months of use. That was one pair. I had one pair that lasted about three months (90 days). Every other pair, even of the exact same brand and model has been less than 30 days of use, and generally less than three weeks. This has been relatively consistent with those I'm around.
Goretex/waterproof membranes tend to give good initial water resistance. However, to get that you get a boot that doesn't breath, is very hot when moving, and takes forever to dry once it does get wet inside- which will happen whether from leaking or sweat. In late season multi day hunts this causes them to freeze from sweat or snow and they do not dry out for the duration of the trip. That same membrane that helped when new and dry, now hurts by holding onto water inside it. Even a hot tent at night won't get them fully dry. Before going to an all leather shoe, I and several others started using non membrane shoes just because they would dry at least. When needed a waterproof sock was used.
A proper leather shoe or boot that has been treated with wax, etc. can be, and is very water resistant- ranging from matching Goretex, to only slightly below it when the membrane is brand new. Within days/weeks that leather boot is as good or better than the membrane from then to the end of the shoes life. The wax/treatment of the leather does wear off, but generally lasts a couple of weeks of constant use and is easy to reapply. I am on the current pair of leather boots for about 9 months of use. I retreat the leather every 30 days or so of use, and they are as good as the day they were bought. This has also been consistent with those I'm around.
The leather, even when waxed is way more breathable than than a membrane boot, when it does get wet inside from snow leaking ir sweat, it dries much faster, and will dry out each night by the fire or stove- especially when it is a shoe or boot that isn't insulated.
The key with both membranes and leather is that when it is constant water I carry a pair of Goretex socks and put them on. The socks will dry out at night in a sleeping bag, and do a much better job than a membrane in the boot. A leather waxed shoe and membrane socks for when really wet has been by far the most bombproof and best combination across the board, that also breathes significantly better.
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