Blundstone Boots

Martrix,
nope had a look at Howlers and they look like a cheap knock-off of the Steel Blues.

Les,
$144! they're not cheap are they, but then how much are comfortable feet worth? Priceless by my reckoning, if I wear lesser footwear I am in agony by lunchtime. I get charged corporate rate on my boots, think I paid $115 for my last pair.

Last year when I went to buy new boots I had a look at all the other brands on the market as I had been buying Steel Blues for years without seeing what else was on offer. I thought I'd better check out the other offerings to see what had hit the market since I'd started on the SBs. So I had a real good look, tried on heaps of other boots and then went and bought another pair of SBs.:D

Mick

OK, just found the Howlers and they are owned by the same company as Steel blue. They must be just a cheaper version of the Steel Blue.

Are these the ones you like?

I will check em out when it comes time to get newies.

If not its back to these. If you are a member with Rays Tent City, get them when they have their special members sale. I think I got them for like $160, but not 100% sure.....would have to check my receipts.

Polyurethane has a definite 'disintergrate date' - but the stuff I've seen should last 10-20 years. It would be interesting to see what happened if you took the boot company to court for deliberately making self destructing goods (not fit for use) and not advertising the fact on the goods - indeed there could be a whole feeding ground for the legal eagles there.

There have been rumours of similar conduct in the computer industry - just have a bit of code on one of the chips that checks the date, when it is beyond a certain date it stops working, or one that just measures hours of operation instead, so that all the boards don't fail at once.

Apple were doing a related thing - using a 1/4 watt resistor in the power supply which kept blowing every few months so you had to take the machine back to the dealer to get it fixed - once the Mac-heads worked out what was going on, they just broke the case open them selves & replaced the dud part - Apple eventually stopped doing this, and quite a few Apple retailers went under.

Cough...

Just over the back fence from your place too Al.

I have a pair, and they feel like slippers on your feet.

The most comfortable pair of boots I have ever had, and I have worn a few.

Blundstone (comfy, cheap enough), Oliver (ouchie), Redback (ouchie some more), Rossi (what the heck are they thinking), Timberland (US made, good but too narrow), Doc Martens (not bad, too narrow), Cat (a couple months) and a couple others.

A few pairs ended up as mum's flower pots since I couldn't wear them any more they were that bad.

I guess since I actually put some miles on them all day, every day walking around site, I wouldn't know what what good and what wasn't. :roll:

Now the box will say 'Designed in Australia'. I had a very comfy pair of lace-up blunnies - looked like hiking boots. The elastic sided ones I don't like. Olivers and Steel Blue are better.

I've been wearing Redbacks for a few years now. Best boots I've ever owned. Onto my third pair. The pair I have on now is my second and they are about 5 years old. I wear them all weekend working around the house and have started wearing them during the week too now that I have the office in the shed. Have worn them on three day bushwalks too. The third pair are my 'street shoes'. The only other things I ever wear are my thongs.

The thing I like about them is they are confortable as soon as you put them on. Blunnies used to give me grief for a few weeks. I have big feet and they crease in the middle when you walk and push down on top of your foot.

someone should start a poll and list all the various brands:)

I bought a pair of Tuf elastic sided steel caps about 10 years ago from Trims in Adelaide (before they went all yuppie!). Have just gone thru the soles, don't know whether they are still available and whether they are still made in Australia. Wore them virtually every day for the last 6 years, can complain.

The best pair of boots I ever bought, were a pair of Shearers boots. No good for work, but they're great to wear out and are as comfortable as. I bought them in 1985, got them resoled in 1991 and still wear them to this day.

A bit like this, but they had a leather sole which wore out. I think they were Rossis as as well.

Cheers

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Originally Posted by journeyman Mick

Les,
$144! they're not cheap are they, but then how much are comfortable feet worth? Priceless by my reckoning, if I wear lesser footwear I am in agony by lunchtime. I get charged corporate rate on my boots, think I paid $115 for my last pair.

Mick

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Mick,
do agree the price is worth it. Day long comfort when wearing the SB's. I even wear them to the office on occasion (IT job).
Regards
Les

Interesting - might explain what happened to a pair of near new boots I had - worn maybe once. Went to wear them recently as my previous pair (different brand) had finally succumbed, and I left huge chunks of 'rubber' as I walked down the hallway. By the time I got to the front door, the centre of both soles had been left behind :(

So I went out and bought a new cheap priced, quality feel pair of boots - the Redbacks as it turned out :D

i'm on my 3rd pair of lace up blue steel, good comfy long lasting boot but i do have a pair of elastic sided blunnies that i wear around the farm quick and easy to slip on when the goats have got into the missus rose bushes:oo:

currently - Redbacks - very comfy and well made
Previously
- Blundstone (with the hard rubber sole) not bad, but fell appart after 5 years, which is to be expected....
- Doc Martens - steel toe shoes, worn all day every day on site for a year. last forever, pretty comfy (but the steel toecap bites) look the coolest.:p
- Doc Martens boots - very comfy, but wear them for a few years and PHEW - stench (my fault, not the boots)
- Oliver - my soles disintergrated, too, but only after a long priod of non use. Soles too soft for site use, nail will go straight through...

I have a pair of black and a pair of brown RM's.
Best boots you can buy.
In fact, I got married in the black ones:D
I had a brown pair when I was kid, re-soled a couple of times until I outgrew them, otherwise I would still be wearing them.
The cheapest and best way to get them re-soled is to send them back to S.A. They used to pay the postage on this but I don't think they still do.

Unfortunately I can't wear them at work as our wowser Australian OH&S system says we have to wear steel caps.
We also have to wear lace up steel caps at the site I am currently on.

I wore John Bull boots for about a year, then when I changed companies they gave me a pair of Olivers.
I wore the Olivers for a couple of days until I could stand them no longer then switched back to the John Bulls, which are still going strong after a couple of years.

Quite a few of the guys I work with wear Macks and swear by them.

Cheers, Jack.

Blundstone Company - we can only judge you by your actions and react accordingly.

I gave up on Blundstones for the same reasons as Silent C. I bought some Redbacks and they were comfortable from day one, unlike Blundstones which took weeks of pain to break in.

If you aren't going to buy Aussie at least buy from a company whose profits contribute to the country where they are manufactured.

Ive bought 2 pairs of Blunnies per year for the last 30 years. (they wear out quickly when they get mortar on them.)

I wont be buying another pair.

Al :)

Al,
try the Steel Blues "chemical galoshes". They're a tall lace up boot (not quite as tall as a rigger's boot). Nitrile rubber sole (as opposed to polyurethane) which is oil, fire and chemical resistant. The leather is silicone impregnated and it's stitched up with kevlar thread. A very tough boot (for a wussy brickie :oo: :p :wink: )

Mick

Edit: The nitrile ruber soles aren't quite as comfortable as the polyurethane, but they're still a comfortable boot

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Originally Posted by ozwinner

Ive bought 2 pairs of Blunnies per year for the last 30 years. (they wear out quickly when they get mortar on them.)

I wont be buying another pair.

Al :)

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I always knew you Brickies were a clever lot:D I mean its only taken 60 pair of boots to work out their no good:doh: :D

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Originally Posted by silentC

The only other things I ever wear are my thongs.

The thing I like about them is they are confortable as soon as you put them on.

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I find that wearing a thong is most uncomfortable.:p and the thought of someone in workboots and a thong is just too much.

Mind you my wife likes me in my tool belt.:roll:

What, are you a pom or something? :p

I still have the only pair of Blundstone boots that I have brought, from George Taylors in 1998, imperial size 5, Hobnails, made in 1957.
Took a bit of waring in, but are really good solid boots, just dont walk on tiles

:roflmao: :stars:

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Originally Posted by Bleedin Thumb

Mind you my wife likes me in my tool belt.:roll:

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mine too.....whilst I'm wearing a thong....and thongs on me feet. Good look that.

I assume that the army (or whoever cleaned out) hadnt been to the back of the storehouse for a while. George Taylors did have a couple of bigger sizes on the shelf in the hobnails back then too.
Kept my Dad quite amused a couple of times, till I got the trick of walking around on tiled floors, very, very carefully

G'day,

Just been down the road this morning to finally get around to finding some Blundstones to wear around the shed etc. and save my feet being killed off by the carp I was wearing prior.

On the advoce from the neighbour I went down to Wright's Workwear, Bedford Rd, Ringwood. Their prices are $30-$20 cheaper than other places I had a look at.

I was looking at the 500 series in Blunnies for $80 ($120 at RSEA) and I noticed a special on some discontinued boots. They were 178s down from $130 to $70 :hpydans2:. So I compared to 500s to the 178s. The 178s won.

OK, they're lace up but they have full ankle support, steel cap, better cushioning and at $70.

So, if you'er reasonably local to Ringwood check them out, they are way cheaper, all stock is currently 15% off, and the 178s are available in sizes from 5 to 11, sorry but I took the last size 12.

Enough of this stuff, back to my cabinet. :ok:

Waldo,

No wonder you need new boots, those "carp" have vicious spines and, wearing them on your feet, man, that must be murder!

Cheers

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Originally Posted by Waldo

G'day,

Just been down the road this morning to finally get around to finding some Blundstones to wear around the shed etc. and save my feet being killed off by the carp I was wearing prior.

<snip>
So, if you'er reasonably local to Ringwood check them out, they are way cheaper, all stock is currently 15% off, and the 178s are available in sizes from 5 to 11, sorry but I took the last size 12.

Enough of this stuff, back to my cabinet. :ok:

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FWIW, Wright's also have a shop on the Princes Highway at Hallam. Their prices are very competitive and unlike some other workwear stores I could name and you named one of them, Wright's provide a reasonable level of service. :)

Not affiliated with the company, just a happy repeat customer. :)

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Originally Posted by BobL

Waldo,

No wonder you need new boots, those "carp" have vicious spines and, wearing them on your feet, man, that must be murder!

Cheers

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G'day BobL,

Too right and you should've tried 'em, they were pretty cactus too. :D

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Originally Posted by Daddles

Of course, there is the company claim that labour here is 12 times what it'll cost in India and Asia. If that's true, why are we supporting slave labour?

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Welcome to the great Global Economy Richard...

Its quite a simple concept.....we either 1. lower our labour costs and standard living to that of a third world country or 2. the third world raises it's wages and living standards up to match ours.

But Blundstone wont be reducing the price of the boots. :o

Its ok, Ill buy some Redbacks and give them a try.

Al :U

That's spot on - was really pissing me off with all the news articles interviewing people if they would buy blunds if they were more expensive, or buy overseas made ones.

The price NOW is the Aussie made price, and people are buying them - what's the frikin problem? Oh - profit margins. As a customer (or not) I don't care about a company's profit margins. I do care if they were Aust. made, and are not any longer. :(


......irrespective of the name of that company..........

Thats whats bugging me too Stu, people are saying they cant compete.
But they were, and employing Aussies.
The only people who will gain from this is Blundstone, no one else.

The buying public wont gain, the price will stay the same.

The Oz employees wont gain, they have already lost.

The overseas employees wont gain, they are being exploited, again.

It just peezes me off when people say they HAD to do it, NO the didnt.

Anyway, little as my patronage of there foot wear was, they have lost it.

Al :((

Go the Redbacks - a true Aussie icon........and there are plenty in my backyard to show it really is Aussie.

Bit over the top mate, I wear Blunnies but don't think they are "pillows of silk" to walk on. Bloody good brand and boot but not the best in the world. ( I am still wearing them and will buy more) the people who own Blundstone are just a bunch of greedy people who most likley live in Sandy Bay and want more so they can live in excess. As for Shedhands comments I can only say that because of the attitude in Tassie to vote Labour is the very reason that business is going offshore. Tasmanian politicians are not the same as on the mainland, even though they call themselves " Libs" and "Labour" they are nothing of the kind. They all are corrupt and bent as as hell, this is followed by the local councils who are also bent. Tassie has it's own agenda and nothing to do with the "National" interest. Why does Bob down Brown and his ilk have power?? because it is easier for Tamanians to vote for them so as to clear their guilty feelings. It makes them look they care. ha ha.

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Originally Posted by ernknot

........the people who own Blundstone are just a bunch of greedy people .........

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Originally Posted by stuart

........Oh - profit margins. As a customer (or not) I don't care about a company's profit margins .........

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Originally Posted by ozwinner

........The only people who will gain from this is Blundstone, no one else .........

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So none of you run you own business then? Ever tried to make a profit? Reduce your overheads? Improve your margins?

I would say that a lot of us as we look around our sheds might only find our Blundstone boots made in Australia, certainly can't find too many machines and or tools in my shed that were made in Australia. Although I have a fair few orange bits that were made in Austrlia.
So if we can only buy boots made in Australia, maybe we should apply the same criteria to our tool selection?
Even Triton is now shifting some of its' manufacturing offshore!

Not very nice for jobs in Australia I know, but appears to be a fact of life all the same and it is not only happening here, look at the US and Canada, as well as most European countries.
Sad but true.

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Originally Posted by Big Shed

So if we can only buy boots made in Australia, maybe we should apply the same criteria to our tool selection?

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But machinery prices have plummeted in recent times so we have benefited from it.

Ok Im done on the boot debate.

Al :)

Well my boots certainly get the boys talking on site and at only $90 a pair are a bargin to boot ..... Australian made as well. :p