The Rose Anvil shop has belts, wallets, and more. Check it out here - bit.ly/44jXLNu

Such a common pattern. 1. Brand builds reputation through quality 2. Popularity and sales follow 3. Stakeholders cash out, brand is sold or 4. Quality product suffers decreased sales due to long product life then 5. Negative pressure on quality to support margins 6. Awareness by disappointed or angry customers 7. Reputation and sales decline

Man, I tried cutting a pair of boots by hand, you make it look so easy. I ended up gouging and slicing my hand, 7 sticthes to fix, and the boots i cut in half were from Walmart. You're the master, my friend

I've had these boots for two years and they have been fantastic everyday boots. I did get them for $150 so I guess that makes it worth it. Great job again Weston, looking forward to the WW2 boot series.

Looks like the fears everyone had with quality decline was true.

I agree on every point. The pricing was wrong. Suffice it to say that similar Chippewa boots, but from the "working line", such as 20017, have exactly the same leather, a more complex design with a detouchable insole and a similar quality throughout. But it has a price of $160 versus $290 for the "Original" line. The greed of the owners is what killed the Chippewa. With a reasonable price of 160-180 they could take off as the design of the chippewas is always great and the quality is decent at this price. PS Some models were built with a leather insole and had a quality fully comparable to a red wing(1939, 1935, 1958), however the price was insane, something like $380-$420(!). This is a pair of whites without a discount in 2012.

It’s awesome that you reached out to the brand to let them give their own reasons instead of just stating your opinions alone. It’s that kind of transparency & integrity that separates your content from other KZfaqr channels man.

As someone who owned several pairs of these: The oddest thing about them was that every single pair shrank in length as they broke in. Yes, I used shoe trees. Never had any other boot break in by shortening and widening, rather than just widening. Meant that they started comfortable for me (with an insole), and then I had to sell them all after a few months. Also, the leathers all aged TERRIBLY.

I have a pair of Chippewa shoes that I bought in 1980 that I still wear to church on Sundays. They were very well made back then. And they only cost about $30 back then. Mine are still in good shape after 40 years.

I got my Chippewa service boots at Sierra trading post for $59. Was cheap enough that I figured it was a decent buy. Mine has a leather lining up front instead of the cotton lining on these ones. Compared to my Redwing Work Chukkas I do think the Chippewa boots are more comfortable, but time will tell if they decline as the foam breaks down. My plan is to use the Chippewa as a project boot when sole wears out, because I really like the Tan renegade leather they used. Maybe I will try and resole them with a leather insole and cork as a little side project.

So glad to see y’all back.

Thanks Anvil, for quality content. It’s insightful stuff. I’m learning a lot.

Wow, read my mind. I was just eyeing these on ebay wishing youd cut a pair. You just saved me a couple hundred$. Love the channel!

Great review! Book ending the analysis between Thursday Capt and RW Blacksmith was brilliant since both models are popular at their respective price points. Oftentimes, when these bigger public companies acquire smaller, popular brands, they operate like vampires, sucking up the goodwill and reputation of the brands to sell more and more, with higher and higher margins, until the public wises up and stops buying...they then discard the empty husks into the corporate waste bin and look for another popular brand to exploit...the corporate jargon for this predatory business tactic is "maximizing value for investors...."

I own these boots, but I bought them on sale for $195 as the LL Bean branded “Engineer Boot”. LL Bean has now outsourced their engineer boot to Vietnam and based on comments on their website quality has really dropped since that shift. I’ve owned these boots for about 7 years and overall I couldn’t be happier with the quality of the upper and the styling etc. I wear these boots by far more than any other shoe I own. The downside is the vibram sole - there is no grip whatsoever and no shock absorption. In the winter it can actually be dangerous wearing these. I made the mistake of wearing them on a trip to Europe and my feet hurt terribly and I ended up spraining my ankle due to the lack of grip. When I returned from that trip I had them resoled with an aggressive lug sole and wow did it make a HUGE difference. The new sole absorbs shock and they are now suited to all kinds of uses - casual wear, yardwork, hiking, hunting etc. the leather of the upper on my pair looks like it is higher quality than the pair shown in this video, has broken in beautifully and has completely formed to my foot. I hate it when these small heritage brands get bought out. One thing the English seem to do right is protect their heritage brands. In fact I’d love to see you start reviewing some English boots and compare them to the American brands. I own boots by Loake, Cheaney and Sons and Sanders - they seem to be very high quality, especially when compared to most American boots.

I have these boots and they are totally uncomfortable. Really sad to find out why. I would be interested to see you review the Allen Edmonds Higgins Mill boot, a good Wisconsin company!

Great channel, great information, great presentation, great editing. Thanks for this quality content, learned a lot!

I’ve had these boots going on 6 years now, they have been great, also well taken care of and they have lasted well. Big fan but I’m soon to retire them only due to finally wanting something different.

Thank you for all you do. Educating the consumer is no small task.

I read it as Chewbacca for some odd reason lol

I have the same exact boot you cut in half, which is a casual boot, and although it looks very sharp, your input is spot on. I have made this boot more wearable with a Superfeet copper insole. I've had a few US Chippewa work boots over the years and they were always fantastic, the most recent was a Cibola with a rugged vibram sole and the chocolate apache leather-- great boot, very high quality, but I don't believe they make these anymore.

My first pair of boots a long time ago were Chippewa and it's really sad to see the company discontinue their heritage line. I've had a terrible experience a few years ago with the very same boots ,loose grain and really bad quality control of late. Hate to say it, but I think I saw this coming.

I got exact the same boots as video 6,7 yrs ago and still working well, planning to change the sole recently . it's sad for me these boots were being discontinued as it was my 1st ever work boots.

Love these videos. Thanks for your expertise

Curious what you have coming up next. Always an interesting channel 👍

Between you and MrBallen, I can't figure out what my favorite YT channel is

Loved this vid. Thank you. Very illuminating!!

I had the version from LL bean (looked just like these, but without the chrome-tanned leather) before they made them in Vietnam back in 2017. I wore them everyday for a year working in a wood shop and after work. The shock absorption was not so good, but after purchasing aftermarket liners, they felt great. They were ruined after a cobbler replaced the sole. A day after the replacement, the new sole had torn off, and I ruined the boot by walking in them without the sole. I missed them so much! I currently have the Iron Rangers and they feel, look, and perform incredibly similar to how I remember the Chippewas from LL Bean felt.

I have had this pair for a year now when amazon had them for 150. No complaints. Alot easier to break in then my red wing blacksmiths and red wing mocs. Dont get me wrong i love red wing

Have two of these that are 7-8 years old! The Crazy Horse leather looked great to begin with but didn't hold up well over time - and it's too thin to be unlined. The V-bar soles lasted well but I just had my black Odessa Homestead boots resoled with a leather insole, midsole, and Vibram wedge outsole! Way more comfortable than before.

Out of all the heritage companies you've covered in the $200-$350 range, you've missed the Thorogood 1892 line. It got discontinued a few years back but you can still pick up pairs here and there. They used Horween leathers on their later make ups which makes them pretty interesting for their price point.

I'd really love to see a review on some of the Altra shoes. they are really interesting and especially with their new Lone Peak hiking shoes that have some kind of rock plate inside the protects your foot, I think it'd be a cool teardown. Specifically the Altra Lone Peak 6.

I don't wear boots any more but if I did I would watch your channel over and over to find out what's up and what's down. In the boot department. Thanks again.

I got the service boots in cordovan around 2015. They were my first introduction to GYW boots and boots in general. They’ve held up well, and look great too. I wear them as a casual office boot, but looking at this it’s apparent they were over-priced at the time. I also got a pair of homestead in Odessa black off eBay for $200, about 2-3 years ago, that has more loose grain but ironically are more comfortable. Those are my thrasher boots and I would not hesitate to resole them. I also think the silhouette of them looks better than RW but just my opinion. Either way, I am going to semi-retire the cordovan’s for a pair of RW 8111’s.

The few Chips I have I absolutely adore. They’re all vintage, though (1980s or older) and have been babied.

Another great video. Man I wish you could do the super logger

That's a bummer. I was looking forward to getting a pair of these, they look really slick

Reminds me of Corcoran, over the decades the quality has absolutely plummeted to the point where I won't buy them any more.

Had a pair of Homested Chippewas (Iron Rangers Basically) since 2017. Mud, snow, sand, wet, rain, range, climbing, work and much more it held up. Paid around 150$ for a copper with dark brown toe cap gorgeous combination. Definitely replaced the lather laces a few times, brake in was alright not too bad, these were prob factory seconds or the QC was kinda bad, but I still liked it. I do have to mention that the sole is still all there, I wish I did the shoe tree and prob better conditioning. The current state is that the boot is a bit shrunken, footbed is harsh, leather is now a darken tone all around, cardboard foot bed is worn, the canvas toe is a bit messed up. For what it was I think it served me well. I definitely switched to Red Wing as of now and are looking at Whites. Would I recommend? Probably if you can get it for dumb cheap and take care of the goods, if you pay above 100-150 no probably best to save and buy once. Honestly the homested had it been touched up in the right places and at the right price could have gave the Iron Rangers a run.

This is the boot that got me into boots. I did not own them but saw a friend at a holiday party wearing them and they just seemed to be dressy enough but casual enough for a holiday party.

LL Bean private labeled these under their Kathadin Iron Works line as well. Wore mine out as a general use boots, but I only paid around 150$ for them at the outlet store. Don't think I would be thrilled at close to double that.

It would be cool to see Meermin reviewed, they have the Rust Waxy Commander which seems from a month of wear to be a lot tougher than expected. When shipping and taxes are factored they are the same price in the EU as Thursday Captains.

I bought pairs back in 2012 and 2014 just because they were the only thing I could find with a neoprene cork sole. I liked that for working in the oily environment of a machine shop. Much more sure footed.

I love your videos. Thanks for all you do! I’d love to see a video on J. Crew’s Kenton line. I just got a pair of Chromexcel cap toe boots with a vibram sole and Goodyear welt for a great deal. These go on sale for $150 or less regularly and seem like a great value but I’d love to know if there is a catch that’s exposed once they are cut in half. Would also love to see what’s inside Filson’s boots!

It would be interesting to do a mini series on hiking boots like the Danner Mountain Light boots.

I mostly have Red Wings, but I like my Thorogood Dodgevilles an awful lot too, though I do find the black chromoxcel to really like scuffing. But it’s easy enough to fix.

I have a pair of Thorogood 1892 series Beloits. Great boot, but not easy to find, or cheaply. These Chippewas remind me of them, at least superficially. I'd love to know what's really beneath the surface of my Beloits! Great episode to see, I've always wondered about the Chippewas (I'm originally from WI).

Used to visit chippewa falls once a year. Still have some family living there. Yep, used to skate in my D3s out there!

Hey, Weston, Horween Chromexcel is not usually dyed through. The color 8 and navy are always surface dyed.

Would love to see the Allen Edmonds Higgins Mill Boot reviewed!

Would be super cools to see the new Red Wing Iron Ranger traction tread boots. Interested to see what they changed about the construction

Would love to see you take a look at the Wolverine 1000 mile’s, especially the Evans

I bought mine for around $150 on Sierra. They took over a year to break in but I actually keep them in my regular rotation the Cordovan is just such a nice color. That said I'll probably be replacing with a pair of Red Wings before long. I think you should take a look at doing the Unmarked DB Hunter soon. Unmarked boots are incredibly attractive I'd love to know the quality matches the the look and feel.

Even though I bought them for $60 on Amazon to use as an every-day-wear heritage boot for work (Illinois home inspector), I consistently find myself reaching for my Iron Rangers over the Chippewa's. Decent for $60 but nowhere near worth the high price point they normally have them at.

I bought a pair.of these in 2010-ish. They were uncomfortable at first but much like my government issued combat boots slowly broke in, became one the longest lasting most comfortable boots I've worn since my combat boots.

You should try and get some Canada West boots, like their W.M. Moorby line. Handmade in Winnipeg, Canada fair pricing (I got a W.M. Moorby pair, and work boots from them, and I love them, but would be curious to see the guts of them)

Very nice review!

Please do the Wolverine 1000 Mile Moc-Toe Original

I got a pair of Chippewa Blaine's with a vibram full lug sole for $55. I love em especially with the new timberland pro insole I dropped in them. Brian the bootmaker is going to do a crazy overhaul when they get a little more beat up.

While I bought the five eyelet cap toe version of this boot, it was at a Justin outlet store in El Paso for something like $60. Was an amazing deal. Wish I could get more

I bought this boot in the exact same colour in 2015, and I'm still wearing them almost everyday in the fall, winter, and spring seasons. I wore this boot to work today. I get lots of compliments from women who love this style and colour! My boots has speedhooks. I've replaced the stock laces just once two years ago. My boot has Horween leather with a Vibram sole. I have no problems with the build quality, except for the very fragile stock laces that gets easily destroyed by the speedhooks. The boots are heavy at first, but you will get used to the weight, and it is a masculine boot that almost everyone loves. I didn't get a single complaint from anyone with this style.

Thank you for the review! I wonder, have you heard about Canada West Boots? I would love to see your review on them.

What a cash grab at $290, glad that didn‘t work out. When the Vibram outsole is worn out, these, being only fiberboard inside, are trash.

I wanted these, but found them disconnected when I went to look. The only thing left at my local boot store was a pair at half price in my dad’s size. He’s enjoying his pair. I ended up some blundstone 500s I live in.

I got a pair for Christmas back in 2014. Now back then there wasn’t many options besides the red wings, and wolverines but both were more expensive (and other major differences) They were around $280 and I have them in the “tan renegade” color, which I believe is Horween. I absolutely love them. They have aged great and still look good. Sure a little “hard” but they’re the only boots I can wear and walk in all day long (I have bad toes-bunions). I had new heels put on about a year ago, and that’s it. Heck I’m wearing them right now. Granted with the Doc Marten craze, the look now puts me in that style category, which I’m not a fan of. But I enjoy them. Again at the time there wasn’t much, and anything in the price range or cheaper didn’t have any info on them.

I found an old pair of handmade Chippewa that are insulated. I really like them. Shame to see Chippewa struggling.

I own two pairs of these in the same size, the insole is actually completely different on the models with the wedge sole and the difference is large enough that they actually fit half a size smaller. The insole on that model seems to be veg tan as well.

Just picked up a tan pair for $40! Yes the sizing is off. I normally wear an 8.5 and these were stamped at 7.5. For $40 I think I did pretty good.

I used to love Chippewas. The last pair I bought had an outsole starting to separate, went through a whole Nightmare with Boot Barn trying to return them. Ended up contacting Justin for a warranty, they didn’t offer the same model anymore, had to pay for return shipping, replaced the boots I bought with a cheaper model, took 2 months to get a replacement pair. Once I got the replacement pair one of the lacing turrets was pulled out of the boot within 2 days of using the boot. I didn’t bother returning them again for warranty and lose more money with shipping. It had now costed me over $400 for a pair of damaged boots, what a disappointment. I now buy Danners which seem to be so much better and much closer to what Chippewas were many years ago. I won’t buy from Boot Barn any longer either if they can’t guarantee a product that fails after a couple days of use.

Hey first of all congratulations for your videos im from Mexico and i've learned so much of boots thanks to you and i wanted to make a request if you could do a video of a well known brand of boots here in Mexico is called cuadra i would love to se how well they are made.

I have had these boots for several years now, and I can just about echo everything you said about them. They cost me $60 at a local Justin Boot outlet store, and we’re labeled as factory seconds, though I can’t figure out why. I worked in them for a few weeks, but had to relegate them to casual wear only, because, as you said, they’re just NOT comfortable. The sole construction makes them feel like you’re walking on concrete! Other than that, they have been very durable, and I still occasionally get compliments on how they look, so for the money, I guess I’m happy.

New subscriber, I've watched several of your videos and have learned quite a lot. Pretty fascinating to learn about what's inside these shoes but, disappointing at the same time.

The Chippewa Originals are unique in their fit - more narrow and lower volume than the Red Wing heritage styles. Adding a foam or leather insert solved the comfort problem and makes them nice and snug for a good fit. Unfortunately for me, I found my pair in 10D to be too tight in the toes, yet the 10.5D is too roomy unless I use the insert with thick socks. In hindsight, sizing down the half was a mistake and I ended up suffering with rock hard uncomfortable boots for the last 7 years. Just resoled them though and had the toes stretched out to boot!

would love to see a review on the Georgia amp LT wedge steel toe boot. been wearing the non-steel toe version for about 6 or 7 months now. they have a pretty interesting counter design on them.

I actually have a pair of these. I’m thinking of grabbing them in black/brown too. But they’re pretty rad.

I bought a pair of Chippewa work boots a few years back on an impulse (they were on sale) while travelling through Vermont. I believe their MSRP was around $300. They are 8", steel toe, insulated, heavy-duty work boots. Fit and finish is excellent. I use them predominantly for rocky, hillside tree and landscaping work on our Indiana farm. The huge upside to these boots is sure-footedness (if there is such a term). My feet are held firmly in place (no slippage) and ankle support is ridged, while not being uncomfortable. This is critical when working on hillsides with acute angles. The leather uppers have taken heavy abuse with virtually no chipping, cuts or scuffing. The only downside is that these boots are old school HEAVY, which is ok when working more or less in place, rather than covering a lot of ground. Bottom line - great, durable boots at good value.

I really appreciate! Because I am really boots lover! That’s great I need to know ❤

A boot to check out!! You gotta check this out. Saw it on an ad while I was scrolling online. Sketchers Alley cats - talgen... This is interesting in that it looks like a hybrid of Timberlands and Docs. Has the same exact lug pattern of a Timbo but you can see thru it like on docs. The boot itself looks very similar to Timberland, but has the tall loop on the back like docs. You gotta see it. $100 and says it's real leather. Id normally have no interest in buying a pair of boots from sketchers, but it's a really interesting boot. Especially at that price.

There’s actually a premium version of this boot. I believe it’s the 4353 line and cost more than Red Wings, at retail.

I got these exact ones and i have had them for over 2 years wuth quite a lot of use and they are keeping up really well, I got them for something closer to 150 usd and for that price i think they are just fantastic boots.

I have a pair of these with the cap toe, Iron Ranger I guess. I’ve had them for about twenty years. Worn the hell out of them. I haven’t given them the care that I should have. In twenty years I have probably only polished and or conditioned them four or five times, and they show it. Still they have always been comfortable and are still my go to boot if I know I’m hoofing it. They’ve been everywhere from the AP Trail to Old Faithfull in Yellowstone. Point I’m getting to; I wonder if the quality has dropped recently or if I have been extremely fortunate with a par level boot. I’ve replaced them with a pair of Danners for hiking but I still find myself walking out in those old Chips

Weston, a lot of people (myself included) have been asking for a Rancourt review. Have you considered checking out their stuff? You could review their Dirigo line for value and one of their heritage boots for overall quality.

I have a pair of their blue suade chukkas. Got them at Sierra for like $50. They look nice and are fairly comfortable.

I loved this boot and the style was right on for me. The outsole did wear quickly and became slippery.

I have their Moc Toe mountaineering boots that are very comfortable with nice arch support and they use Horween leather on them, but I would still have to agree that they are not worth $300 and I think these were original little over $300. Anyway I spent $199 on them and they do look good and well made, but I would definitely choose Redwings over Chippewa Its just obvious that Redwing Heritage boots use better materials. I really wish that Chippewa used cork instead of that foam crap. Thanks again for another great break down video 👍🏼.

Got a pair of chippewa 1939 service boots, had them about 4 years was torn between the model you've shown here and them. The 1939 has a better construction inside with a leather liner in the toe rather than fabric, foot bed has broken in lovely on mine I'm guessing it's leather with a Cork layer based on how it's worn in. I believe the leather is horween on the 1939s not sure what leather exactly though they called it ran renegade. The soles on the 1938s are a pretty cool vibram sole with mini spikes and Chippewa marking down the middle.

I had the same boot but in a smooth black leather as well as the black smith. No matter how much I wore the Chippewa it just was not comfortable. I now know it was because it did not have a leather insole which would have conformed to my foot. I ended up donating them to goodwill.

I've had my old Chippewa's for over 15 years got them for metal shop and auto classes. there still in awesome condition. man do they suck now much older age to have on all day its like standing on stone all day. I think I will have them re done for comfort/special occasions. Black with Dark red there studding cleaned up every time

I have a few pairs of Chippewa Service Boots and I really like them! But yes, they are really hard, that is definately true.

I got these for $103 on Amazon back in October. I really like them at that price. There were some flaws in the quality, def not worth the asking price. BUT my interior has a leather wrapped foam insole(?) BELOW the leather heal cover. What ever cushioning that was below the leather heal cover failed massively, tho, just completely decayed. The outsoles are fantastic.

I completely agree. I have RW Blacksmiths and thought these would make a decent alternative. I bought the "Aldrich" boot in black Odessa about a year ago and for $200 I won't complain, but they are not $290 boots. A wool felt insole and good socks are the only way I can wear them. The welt also sticks out pretty far, which looks weird when I look down at them.

I actually found and own 4 pairs of the original version of this boot from the mid-1970's brand new in factory wrapping and boxes. I gave my father 3 pairs and kept 1 for myself. He wears a pair when he dresses up and I wear my casually on my days off. They are some of the most highest quality boots me or my father have ever worn. That's saying something because he has worn atleast over 50 different types and models of boots in his life. He's flat footed and I have a normal standard foot and we still agree these original vintage boots are the absolute best boots we have ever owned.

I brought these a year ago to replace a worn-out pair of Thorogoods. They are really uncomfortable and hard on the feet when you are on concrete all day. I threw them to the back of the closet and resoled my Thorogoods for the third time.

I’ve had a pair of the engineers for years. I don’t wear them much, but they’ve definitely held up

Sucks because I wish there was a lower priced alternative to the Red Wing Blacksmith plain-toe look. Thursdays are too slender and fashion forward.

I had these for work and the identical logger version for casual. I use the Keen Detroit for work and have iron rangers for casual. That should tell you how i feel about Chippewa

I picked up the Carolina boots for $155 back in November. So far they have been solid, just can’t stand the squeaking they make on vinyl floors. As soon as it’s time for a resole, I’m going to look into doing a Vibram lug soles. I tried to order the $120 Chippewas on Amazon, but they were out of size 9. Apparently have to size down half a boot size.

Thank you very much for this review! Sadly I bought my "1901" in January 2019 before there was much information online. The only shop over here in Switzerland that sold them wanted 365 Swiss Francs (which is about the same amount of US-$). Got carried away by the "goodyear welted construction". Compared to the quality they were totally overpriced (especially the shoebed seems like crap). Well, at least they have lasted. And with some leather/cork insoles they are a little less uncomfortable:-) Anyone knows of a good cobbler who does leather insoles? State of the shoe right now (after a little less than four years - worn mostly in fall/winter): outer leather is grainy but in good condition, cotton inside of toecap is worn off, in some parts the inner stitching of the welt seems to have become loose, shoelace has been replaced once.

Would love to see you review one of the Sportsman's Guide WWII Reproduction boots

Please consider reviewing Wesco Jobmaster. Thanks for doing what you do. You have really given me a new appreciation for high quality boots.