What's new

Red Wings Iron Ranger boots?

Mine arrived a few hours ago. I'm not sure that I understand all the angst over break-in. I've broken in many pair of leather cowboy boots and these seem to be of the same ilk. I'm wearing them around the house now and I think I will really like them. I bought the amber harness...gonna have to darken that leather a bit pretty quick. I will admit that I was a little surprised that they seem more shoe-like than boot-like, but I can't complain about the quality of the leather and the workmanship. The bottoms of my feet are burning a little as the footbed molds to my skinny foot, but I really think I am going to like these boots.

On a side note, my 21 year old son went crazy for them. He said they were perfect for a guitar player in a rock band, or his old bald dad who plays guitar and mandolin once per week at a bluegrass jam in a ghetto neighborhood. My wife thinks they are pretty cool and perhaps a little too stylish for her conservative husband. She said, "Don't worry honey, you can't embarrass me." Not sure how to take that as I couldn't quite figure out which word had the most emphasis.
 
Last edited:
I see this thread has been around for a while, I hope people are still reading it.

I got back into the boot word several years ago. After rejecting Doc Martins because of the uncomfortable fit and poor leather, I ended up buying some Grinders "Cedric" boots (see below) which are very similar in looks. They have a nice, thick, quality leather and are very comfortable now that they are broke in. It took a while for the thick sole to grow on me (I call them my Frankenstein boots) but now I love them. So I already have a pair of boots that I really like, I don't need another pair right? I didn't think so until I saw and read through this thread. The look of those Amber Harness Iron Ranger boots has kind of gotten under my skin and now I want a pair!

When I bought the Grinders I was a bit reluctant at the price but the Iron Rangers would be almost 3 times as much!! Yikes!! This is one of those things where keeping the price on the down-low from SWMBO is probably best because she'd say the price was ridiculous and I'd never hear the end of it. Then again, on some things I tend to spend $$ on the quality and then use or wear it forever and this would be one of those things. I see online that the going price is around $310 - $320. I have several Red Wing shoe stores readily available to me but I haven't stopped into one yet so I don't know what the stores are asking for them. I'm only about an hour away from Red Wing, MN. For those of you who have visited the Red Wing factory/store, did you find that the prices were pretty much the same as retail stores or online stores? Were they more expensive? Cheaper? Would it be worth it to make the trip there to buy them as opposed to one of their retail stores? (2 hour round trip vs. 10-20 min round trip) I know the factory store might have factory seconds available for a nice discount but getting Iron Rangers in the size and leather that I want would be a crap shoot if they were available at all.

proxy.php
 
Last edited:
I see this thread has been around for a while, I hope people are still reading it.

I got back into the boot word several years ago. After rejecting Doc Martins because of the uncomfortable fit and poor leather, I ended up buying some Grinders "Cedric" boots (see below) which are very similar in looks. They have a nice, thick, quality leather and are very comfortable now that they are broke in. It took a while for the thick sole to grow on me (I call them my Frankenstein boots) but now I love them. So I already have a pair of boots that I really like, I don't need another pair right? I didn't think so until I saw and read through this thread. The look of those Amber Harness Iron Ranger boots has kind of gotten under my skin and now I want a pair!

When I bought the Grinders I was a bit reluctant at the price but the Iron Rangers would be almost 3 times as much!! Yikes!! This is one of those things where keeping the price on the down-low from SWMBO is probably best because she'd say the price was ridiculous and I'd never hear the end of it. Then again, on some things I tend to spend $$ on the quality and then use or wear it forever and this would be one of those things. I see online that the going price is around $310 - $320. I have several Red Wing shoe stores readily available to me but I haven't stopped into one yet so I don't know what the stores are asking for them. I'm only about an hour away from Red Wing, MN. For those of you who have visited the Red Wing factory/store, did you find that the prices were pretty much the same as retail stores or online stores? Were they more expensive? Cheaper? Would it be worth it to make the trip there to buy them as opposed to one of their retail stores? (2 hour round trip vs. 10-20 min round trip) I know the factory store might have factory seconds available for a nice discount but getting Iron Rangers in the size and leather that I want would be a crap shoot if they were available at all.

proxy.php

I don't live in Minnesota but all the red wing shoe stores here in Texas do not carry any of the more expensive redwing shoes.. Just the everyday work boots... Make sure you call first to see if they have it... But the price there if they order it is the same as the price on their website... The good part is that you can have them order a couple sizes and if it doesn't fit you don't need to buy it...

Iron Rangers are definitely worth the money... It's my favorite boot second only to my wolverine 1000 mile
 
I don't know if this is mentioned in this thread already. if it has, my apologies.

Yesterday, I caught a bit of the movie, The Shawshank Redemption. Although I have seen the movie a million times, I just noticed this during yesterday's viewing.

The scene where the warden opens the box of his shoes that Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) was supposed to have shined for him. But upon opening the box he discovers Andy Dufresne's boots rather than his shoes (at the same time the alarm sounds signifying someone has escaped).

And can you guess what kind of boots they were?

Thats's right. The Iron Ranger boot from Red Wing.

Classic movie. Classic boot. :yesnod:

I had a little revelation after reading this post! The Shawshank Redemption is one of my favorite movies and I've seen it several times. I wasn't even aware of Iron Ranger boots before reading this thread for the first time a couple of days ago but I distinctly remember the scene described above and I remember thinking to myself, "Those are cool looking boots, I wish I could find a pair like that." They're gonna cost me but now I can own those boots!
 
After having these boots and regularly using them for about a year and sporadically for another year, I thought it'd do the thread some good to receive some pics. For most of that time, these boots were used for walking (lol) semi-decent distances upward of 3 miles daily (for a year). The past year, these have been pulled out of my closet whenever I needed to do manual labor, from tearing down buildings to digging trenches. Yes they've been scuffed and bruised, but I think they look better now than they did when they were new. They also clean up rather nicely, given the effort, or lack thereof, with which I cleaned them. As you notice, I'm a bit bow-legged and I'm wearing down the heel disproportionately, so that's kind of a bummer, but that's the way life goes sometimes. Also, as you can see, the toe box does begin to collapse after a while. Yes they're bulbous at the beginning, and they'll never become a "pointy" boot. If that's what you're going for then you're better off getting some other boots. The toe box collapses making the profile more "sleek" but the leather at the toe box isn't going to magically shrink. I only state this because I know the bulbousness of the cap toe is what dissuades some people from purchasing the boot.

And I don't use shoe trees, I just let them dry out nowadays (by not wearing them daily). Darn things are too expensive.
Here are some pics.

proxy.php

proxy.php

proxy.php

proxy.php

proxy.php

proxy.php
 
You can pick up some trees on Amazon for $20. After starting to use them, I'd never go back. If not for anything else other than keeping the odor out. I guess if you aren't wearing them every day you could get a way with not using them though.
 
Now those Iron Rangers have even more character! They look great! I was a little concerned about mine for a while because the right boot kept biting me above my big toe. It wasn't until the boot started creasing on the toe cap that it stopped biting me and became comfortable. Mine are new and have barely been worn because I got them just before the warm summer months. I'm looking forward to wearing them some more when the weather cools and I'm back to long pants and something other than flip-flops.
 
I am highly considering moving on from my beloved Dr. Martens 1460s to the more mature Iron Rangers. My only problem is, what do people wear with these? Just khakis and button ups or do they look good with jeans and a polo for a more casual look? Thanks.
 
I am highly considering moving on from my beloved Dr. Martens 1460s to the more mature Iron Rangers. My only problem is, what do people wear with these? Just khakis and button ups or do they look good with jeans and a polo for a more casual look? Thanks.
I wear mine almost exclusively with jeans.
 
Last edited:
Oh I thought you guys wore these more formally.
Definitely nothing "formal" about them.

I have a pair of Indys that I'll wear with khakis or slacks, and an older pair of J&M dress boots (from back when they were worth a hoot) that works with a suit. My Iron Rangers are about 3 years old, look a lot like Chente's, and see a lot of use on the bike and with jeans.
 

Doc4

Stumpy in cold weather
Staff member
I am highly considering moving on from my beloved Dr. Martens 1460s to the more mature Iron Rangers. My only problem is, what do people wear with these? Just khakis and button ups or do they look good with jeans and a polo for a more casual look? Thanks.

I wear mine almost exclusively with jeans.

Oh I thought you guys wore these more formally.

Definitely nothing "formal" about them.

If you want something more 'formal', like for chinos/khakis and suit-n-tie, &c, look at the various "dress boot" options out there (AE, Alden, Tricker's, &c.) The IR's are much more a "wear with jeans, &c" sort of thing ...

proxy.php


... if that's what you want, then go for it. If you are looking for something a bit more formal, ask and we can suggest other boots.
 
Personally, I would not buy premium shoes at a premium price without trying them on first.

Some well-reviewed shoes work well for me, others do not. Sizing can vary between one manufacturer and another, as can the shoe 'last' (pattern determining fit). IMO, to get the best fit you really need to try the shoes and walk a bit in them before making a decision.
 
Top Bottom