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Finding the Perfect Punk Boots
Oct. 1st, 2011 10:53 pmThe Man loves classic punk boots, but finding a good new pair was a learning experience.
The short version:
Steel Boots (http://steel-boots.com) are the best. No other company compares to the quality.
The pros:
The leather is soft and does not need to be "broken in," but is not so soft that it compromises the tightness of the shoe.
The leather is folded double over the eyelet seams to increase durability and is a full 1/2" from the edge, compared to the standard 1/8". It is almost impossible to tear the boot.
The boot is virtually unscuffable, even after years of hard use (meaning "mining and contract work").
The eyelets are steel, as opposed to the more common brass. Brass is a soft metal and will bend over time under very tight laces. Eventually, it will saw into the leather. These steel grommets do not.
The eyelets are sunken into the leather, resulting in a classic (eyelet-less) punk look, as opposed to the conventional "Nike Sneaker" eyelet look.
The boots are steel-toe and can withstand 600-700 lbs. of pressure, but weigh only 2 lbs (less than half of the average hiking boot).
The steel-toe is wide and deep, so as not to crunch your toes, which has been a problem with recent Gripfasts.
The boots have an (original Doc Marten) air-sole, which is 1 1/2" thick at the heel, 1" thick at the ball.
They come in many colors, including the long-retired Oxblood, and almost every color is available in the Oxblood black burn-out design.
They are among the cheapest boots available on the market today.
They usually arrive in 7-10 business days.
The cons:
There are four extra screws in the sole. They're decorative and serve no functional purpose. They can't be felt/heard/etc, but four purposeless screws annoy certain minimalists, so they remove the extra screws. Yes, that's really the only complaint I've heard.
The full story:
Doc Martens were the classic boot...until 2003, when they outsourced their manufacturing to Asia. Where docs had been light, bouncy, comfortable and made to last, they are now flimsy, stiff, and highly reminiscent of cheap knock-offs. After sales plummeted, they released a more expensive "UK-Made" version (branded, once again, with "made in UK"). However, they're still not as well-made or comfortable as the originals.
If you want to examine your own:
These are the pre-2003 UK-made models - Interior sole Exterior sole
These are the post-2003 disaster shoes - Interior sole Exterior sole
After the redesign, the majority of their customers went to Grinders and Gripfast, which were heavier (and hard on the knees), but equally reliable boots...until they also outsourced and lowered the quality of their products. In the past ten years, all of the classic boot companies that we remember fell from grace.
On the bright side, if you're only looking for "combat boots," a lot of military footwear has become commercially available for civilian use. But, they don't look like punk shoes. They look like your dad's hiking boots...in black. If you're looking for a bulletproof, fireproof, waterproof sneaker, the market has been flooded with brands like Altama, Corcoran, and Blackhawk.
Unfortunately, most of my friends aren't looking for big black sneakers. They're looking for 20-eye boots - the breeds our favorite punk rockers always wore.
I spent two days updating my intelligence on the boot industry, and found that Steel Boots are the best bet (for now). With ambition and opportunity, they borrow the best of the former greats (like the lightweight Grinders steel toe that can withstand 600 lbs.), while repairing their flaws (sinking the eyelets into double-folded leather and using brass, not steel). Most importantly, because they are trying to make a name for themselves, the best boots are also the cheapest - 20-eye boots go for about $110.
The problem? Steel Boots are made in Slovakia. The badly-translated website is hilarious - Under shipping, it reads: "We use very fast services of Slovak Postal Service." I don't know about you, but I imagine a Romani hitchhiking with our boots in a ruksack.
Well, we're wrong there, too. Eurotrip immortalized "Bratislava," which is the capital of Slovakia, as a third-world hellhole (see Going to Berlin?). Slovakia is fast-growing, with an advanced economy and a better employment rate than the US (Bratislava has an unemployment rate of 1.83%!!!). Also, it looks like any normal city.
I've read only (very) positive reviews, and we'll add our own after they arrive. But if you're looking, they're your best bet...for the moment.
The short version:
Steel Boots (http://steel-boots.com) are the best. No other company compares to the quality.
The pros:
The leather is soft and does not need to be "broken in," but is not so soft that it compromises the tightness of the shoe.
The leather is folded double over the eyelet seams to increase durability and is a full 1/2" from the edge, compared to the standard 1/8". It is almost impossible to tear the boot.
The boot is virtually unscuffable, even after years of hard use (meaning "mining and contract work").
The eyelets are steel, as opposed to the more common brass. Brass is a soft metal and will bend over time under very tight laces. Eventually, it will saw into the leather. These steel grommets do not.
The eyelets are sunken into the leather, resulting in a classic (eyelet-less) punk look, as opposed to the conventional "Nike Sneaker" eyelet look.
The boots are steel-toe and can withstand 600-700 lbs. of pressure, but weigh only 2 lbs (less than half of the average hiking boot).
The steel-toe is wide and deep, so as not to crunch your toes, which has been a problem with recent Gripfasts.
The boots have an (original Doc Marten) air-sole, which is 1 1/2" thick at the heel, 1" thick at the ball.
They come in many colors, including the long-retired Oxblood, and almost every color is available in the Oxblood black burn-out design.
They are among the cheapest boots available on the market today.
They usually arrive in 7-10 business days.
The cons:
There are four extra screws in the sole. They're decorative and serve no functional purpose. They can't be felt/heard/etc, but four purposeless screws annoy certain minimalists, so they remove the extra screws. Yes, that's really the only complaint I've heard.
The full story:
Doc Martens were the classic boot...until 2003, when they outsourced their manufacturing to Asia. Where docs had been light, bouncy, comfortable and made to last, they are now flimsy, stiff, and highly reminiscent of cheap knock-offs. After sales plummeted, they released a more expensive "UK-Made" version (branded, once again, with "made in UK"). However, they're still not as well-made or comfortable as the originals.
If you want to examine your own:
These are the pre-2003 UK-made models - Interior sole Exterior sole
These are the post-2003 disaster shoes - Interior sole Exterior sole
After the redesign, the majority of their customers went to Grinders and Gripfast, which were heavier (and hard on the knees), but equally reliable boots...until they also outsourced and lowered the quality of their products. In the past ten years, all of the classic boot companies that we remember fell from grace.
On the bright side, if you're only looking for "combat boots," a lot of military footwear has become commercially available for civilian use. But, they don't look like punk shoes. They look like your dad's hiking boots...in black. If you're looking for a bulletproof, fireproof, waterproof sneaker, the market has been flooded with brands like Altama, Corcoran, and Blackhawk.
Unfortunately, most of my friends aren't looking for big black sneakers. They're looking for 20-eye boots - the breeds our favorite punk rockers always wore.
I spent two days updating my intelligence on the boot industry, and found that Steel Boots are the best bet (for now). With ambition and opportunity, they borrow the best of the former greats (like the lightweight Grinders steel toe that can withstand 600 lbs.), while repairing their flaws (sinking the eyelets into double-folded leather and using brass, not steel). Most importantly, because they are trying to make a name for themselves, the best boots are also the cheapest - 20-eye boots go for about $110.
The problem? Steel Boots are made in Slovakia. The badly-translated website is hilarious - Under shipping, it reads: "We use very fast services of Slovak Postal Service." I don't know about you, but I imagine a Romani hitchhiking with our boots in a ruksack.
Well, we're wrong there, too. Eurotrip immortalized "Bratislava," which is the capital of Slovakia, as a third-world hellhole (see Going to Berlin?). Slovakia is fast-growing, with an advanced economy and a better employment rate than the US (Bratislava has an unemployment rate of 1.83%!!!). Also, it looks like any normal city.
I've read only (very) positive reviews, and we'll add our own after they arrive. But if you're looking, they're your best bet...for the moment.
