# Safety Boots for firewood processing



## CenterTree (Jan 5, 2014)

Just wanted to share about of a sweet pair of boots I found.

They are *Herman Survivors.* _Histore_ is the model name.   I found them at Walmart, oddly enough.

I use these for everything from tree felling, bucking, cutting, and splitting.   

I love the fact that they have the steel toe AND metatarsal cap both.  Moving logs can be risky to the feet.

They are insulated and all leather.   First thing I did was heat them up and coat them real good with mink oil.

They are very comfortable, but a little heavy.   Of course for their intended use, the weight is not an issue.

I recommend anyone who processes firewood always wear steel toes.


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## ironpony (Jan 5, 2014)

very common in industrial settings, power plants, steel mills, I have had them since 1995 or so, yes they are heavy but you will never hurt your toes. Never thought about posting on here, good suggestion for others. Used to be hard to find.


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## Grateful11 (Jan 5, 2014)

Herman, isn't that the company that used to try and get people to become dealers for their footwear? Do they still do that? I had a pair of their earlier work boots with some of the first Vibram soles many, many years ago, they were good boots.


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## CenterTree (Jan 5, 2014)

Grateful11 said:


> Herman, *isn't that the company that used to try and get people to become dealers* for their footwear? Do they still do that? I had a pair of their earlier work boots with some of the first Vibram soles many, many years ago, they were good boots.



Nah, you're thinking of AMWAY.


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## jotul8e2 (Jan 5, 2014)

The "Herman Survivors" name now belongs to Wal-Mart.  It is just a name they can slap on anything they want.  It is a shame, because they were once one of the really great boot makers.

What you have is a metatarsal guard steel toe boot.  The second tongue is a stiff plate to provide protection to the top of the foot, not just the toe.  I would not consider such a boot for working firewood as the met guard makes it very difficult to squat down.  However, Red Wing has a rather neat met guard they have developed that is some sort of flexible, yet incompressible fabric.  Apparently you can bend the foot like in a normal steel toe shoe, but a sudden impact will cause the fibers to remain rigid.  Not inexpensive, but pretty cool if you have to wear them all day every day.  Here is one style from their website: http://www.redwingshoes.com/red-wing-shoe/4433-red-wing-shoes/4433-red-wing-mens-6-inch-boot-brown .

There are any number of other companies that make met guard boots - Wolverine (under their own name, as well as Harley Davidson and Cat), Justin, Carolina, etc.  You do not often find them in stores as they have a rather specialized market.


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## Grateful11 (Jan 5, 2014)

I won't buy shoes at Wal-Mart, guess they paid big money for the Herman Survivor name and well we know the rest. 

My current favorite boot is the Justin 766, best fitting boot I've worn in 15 years. Made in USA and I can get them in narrow widths.
http://www.justinboots.com/boots/Workboots_Handcrafted_USA.html?424fccf8=766


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## greythorn3 (Jan 6, 2014)

why do them boots have tassels on them??


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## Grateful11 (Jan 6, 2014)

Not sure about the little tassel looking things, maybe a trademark or something. I thought it was kinda weird when I got them, they were a safety prize, I have one that the tassel thingy turns up and one turns down. it could easily be trimmed off. They wear so good I can live with them ;-) I have really weird feet 11 B's and very high arch. These are the only shoes, besides my Brickenstocks that wear inside the house, that I don't have to rip out the insole and replace it with some sorta high arch sports or work insoles.

I just looked at their Logger boots and they don't the tassels.


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## osagebow (Jan 6, 2014)

Grateful11 said:


> Herman, isn't that the company that used to try and get people to become dealers for their footwear? Do they still do that? I had a pair of their earlier work boots with some of the first Vibram soles many, many years ago, they were good boots.




Grateful - Just nail a retread to your feet and pray for better weather .Welcome to the show, BTW...

Back in my kitchen days I had some sweet steel toe Herman non-slip sneakers.  Kitchens kill shoes fast, these were very long lived and 12 hour comfy.


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## CenterTree (Jan 6, 2014)

jotul8e2 said:


> However,* Red Wing *has a rather neat met guard they have developed that is some sort of flexible, yet incompressible fabric.  Apparently you can bend the foot like in a normal steel toe shoe, but a sudden impact will cause the fibers to remain rigid.  Not inexpensive, but pretty cool if you have to wear them all day every day.  Here is one style from their website: http://www.redwingshoes.com/red-wing-shoe/4433-red-wing-shoes/4433-red-wing-mens-6-inch-boot-brown .



Some will say that Herman has gone down hill.   Yet I paid ONLY $80.00 for what shouldl last me a good while.

Some choose to pay more, which is fine.   However, it is interesting that even though someone can pay $275.00 for a "good" Redwing, the same boot can be affected by poor quality control...maybe even a safety recall.    http://www.redwingshoes.com/safetynotice
http://www.redwingshoes.com/assets/content/redwingshoes/page/RWToeCapRecall_StylePoster.pdf


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## Maxgussam (Jan 6, 2014)

Nice boots. 
I have worn Matterhorn mining boots for the same reasons. 
Heavy, but very protective, and comfortable. 
Forget about composite toes for chainsaw protection. 
I saw a video (maybe on this forum) that showed a saw go through a composite toe boot as easily as it would go through a stick of butter!


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## Paulywalnut (Jan 6, 2014)

You know that steel toe will dull your chain.


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## Maxgussam (Jan 6, 2014)

Haha!
Better that than my foot-bones, right?


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## Backroads (Jan 7, 2014)

CenterTree said:


> Some will say that Herman has gone down hill.   Yet I paid ONLY $80.00 for what shouldl last me a good while.
> 
> Some choose to pay more, which is fine.   However, it is interesting that even though someone can pay $275.00 for a "good" Redwing, the same boot can be affected by poor quality control...maybe even a safety recall.    http://www.redwingshoes.com/safetynotice
> http://www.redwingshoes.com/assets/content/redwingshoes/page/RWToeCapRecall_StylePoster.pdf



I've never spent $275 on a pair of Redwings...and I've been wearing them since 1994. 

Anyways, their quality has gone down since they started making their boot in China instead of the US, IMO. The only reason I still get them is I can get a $200 pair of loggers for about $80 after my work discount and I'm eligible for a new pair every year. Hence why I have 5 pairs.


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## WriteNoob (Jan 14, 2014)

Grateful11 said:


> Not sure about the little tassel looking things, maybe a trademark or something. I thought it was kinda weird when I got them, they were a safety prize, I have one that the tassel thingy turns up and one turns down. it could easily be trimmed off. They wear so good I can live with them ;-) I have really weird feet 11 B's and very high arch. These are the only shoes, besides my Brickenstocks that wear inside the house, that I don't have to rip out the insole and replace it with some sorta high arch sports or work insoles.
> 
> I just looked at their Logger boots and they don't the tassels.



The tassels should be connected to a second, loose piece of leather, between the laces and the tongue. It's purpose is to protect both the tongue (from abrasion by the laces and things like stirrups/motorcycle shifters), as well as your instep, to some degree. It allows the maker to use thinner and softer leather (important if the boots' tongue is sewn all the way up), for both ease of use and comfort. Some makers cheat, and just sew a piece on, to look the part. 

Didn't mean to sound like like a Catologue.  Quality boots are a big deal, in my line of work, so I've learned quite a bit about them, over the years.

Still trying to justify a pair of Westcos. Haven't managed to talk myself into them, yet. Been close, though. Until I do, my Danners are nice.  They're the Quarry 2's, and are on their second set of soles. Looks like they'll make 3, pretty easy.


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## Grateful11 (Apr 20, 2014)

Thanks WriteNoob. 

Wow I see what you mean about the Wesco's, those WorkMasters are nice looking boots but at $423 they are pricey and no narrow widths for me.
http://www.wescoboots.com/wesco/stock.asp


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## Bigg_Redd (Apr 20, 2014)

Grateful11 said:


> I won't buy shoes at Wal-Mart



x2


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## WriteNoob (Apr 20, 2014)

Grateful11 said:


> Thanks WriteNoob.
> 
> Wow I see what you mean about the Wesco's, those WorkMasters are nice looking boots but at $423 they are pricey and no narrow widths for me.
> http://www.wescoboots.com/wesco/stock.asp


Yes, and the only ones that would really be worth it to me would be the custom fitted ones. They'd make them for your feet too, but if you think $423 is pricey, you may want to be sitting down when you get the price for customs. When I figured out what I wanted for mine, they were north of six bills. Not an extravagance I can afford.


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## Grateful11 (Apr 20, 2014)

Whoa! Six bills, that's some serious cash. I bought a pair of work boots from a specialty shoe store in Winston-Salem about 20 years and paid about $275 for them. I don't think the store or the show company is in business now. I believe they were made by a company called Foot-Support or something like that. They were great shoes but the last I heard they had moved the factory to Mexico and were not going to make steel toes anymore. Right now I can't find anything better for my feet in the work shoe type than my Justin 766's. I'm sure they're not for everyone but at about $150-175 and made in USA I'll take them. Still want to get a pair to stick back for later. I feel sure they won't make them here forever.


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## jotul8e2 (Apr 20, 2014)

Very few boots, and even fewer shoes are still made in the US.  The EPA has been death on tanneries, so there are only a tiny fraction of the ones around just 30 years ago, which means hides often have to be imported.  Most of the manufacturing is in the far east, which means all the machinery and component makers are now there, which means even simple things like eyelets, linings, and specialty threads now have to be imported to the US.  This is how the Red Wing recall came about - one of their overseas steel toe suppliers simply scaled up their design into larger sizes (the recall affects only size 13 and up) failing to take into account the engineering requirement that longer spans require greater strength.

Contrary to the assertion above, Red Wing does still make boots here in the US - most of them, in fact; but see the caveat below.  Wolverine makes just a few (including some of the product under the Hytest and Bates labels), as does Justin, but not many, really.  Carolina Boot has a fair number of US made styles, and all Chippawa label boots are US made.  Mason shoe (remember them?) is still around, but has a different name.  Oh, and Herman Survivors quality has not deteriorated, it has simply ceased to be: "Herman Survivors" is merely a label that belongs to Wal-Mart.  They will be as good or bad as Wal-Mart chooses at any given time.

Here is where it gets tricky - a shoe can be labeled US made, but actually be stitched together elsewhere and merely assembled here.  Virtually any work boot under $150 retail today labeled "Made in USA" is done that way.

I have been selling shoes since the 60's (oh my, can that be possible?), and can say from experience that quality has NOT gone downhill.  What has changed are customer requirements.  It is very difficult to sell solid, well made, heavy duty boots to customers raised on athletic footwear.  They want no break-in, no stiffness, flexibility, light weight; and the manufacturers make what the customer wants.  All desirable, of course, but not conducive to long wear in tough environments.  You also give up the support that allows you to work for eight, ten, twelve hours without severe foot, ankle, and back strain.  And years ago people were convinced they needed replaceable insoles, so now more and more boots have replaceable "footbeds", which have to be purchased at exorbitant markup every six months or so - and it was the customers that demanded this!  I saw it happen in real time.

I was not familiar with Wesco.  Looking at their site, their prices seem very reasonable for what they are offering.  That is serious product.


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## WriteNoob (Apr 21, 2014)

Mason Shoes = pretty decent boots. I work on their doors, and they have an outlet store. Sometimes a guy can get some pretty awesome deals, as a "one hand washes the other" thing. Unfortunately, I have some pretty specific needs, when it comes to my 'dogs'.


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## firefighterjake (Apr 21, 2014)

I like my Red wings ... just found out the other day that I could get them resoled at a much cheaper price than buying a new pair ... $75 and they've got new soles and best of all are already broken in after having worn them  for the past four years.


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