Let me start off by saying I really really want to love Red Wing Shoes. I'm from Minnesota and like to buy Made in the USA whenever reasonable.
That being said, I bought a pair of Chukkas about 1.5 years ago and sent them into the manufacturer to get them resoled. The biggest reason I bought them in the first place was because I thought they would last 10+ years with proper care and I could get them resoled every year or two. Well, Red Wing sent them back to me saying they are not resolable because there is water damage. Let's be clear, I bought and wore them in Vancouver, BC where it is very rainy. But, this is everyday use in Vancouver. Additionally, I would oil them religously once a month and kept good care of them. So now, I'm stuck with a $300 shoe that can't be resoled like I was told it could.
So, two suggestions for Red Wing. Either (A) build a shoe that you can wear in the rain and still have it resoled or (B) don't sell Red Wings were it rains. Look, this is everyday normal use in many parts of the country. If I knew a Red Wing would perform similarly to a Chinese shoe I would have saved myself $200.
Terribly terribly disappointed. I really wanted to love you guys and even convinced friends to buy your shoes, but now I'll never buy a Red Wing again. read more