REVIEW: Red Wing Heritage Beckman 9029 Moc Toe Boots

[LCDR]

PART I:

As many of you know, Sierra Trading Post recently had a sale on Red Wing 2nds: the RED WING-AMAGEDDON. I could not pass it up, so I purchased the moc toe boot in black. Many other models sold out quickly also.

This is my first experience with Red Wing, and also my first experience ordering shoes with defects. My only other casual boot is the Alden Indy, so I will use that as a comparison.

The box appeared genuine Red Wing, and it was labeled 09029-0 8D MADE IN USA 6 INCH BLACK.



The boot is a black lace-up with a moccasin toe that includes non-contrast stitching. (One of the things I did not like about the Alden Indy was the white stitching). The upper is genuine leather. The outsole is leather and rubber, which should give it good traction. It features Goodyear welting. The laces appear to be waxed cotton.

These pictures are right out of the box, then brushed and laced up. No conditioner or polish applied yet.





I really did not see anything wrong with the leather uppers. The interior also looked perfect, as far as I could tell. The only defect I could see was this gouge of the outsole edge, near the heel. It looks very minor, and hardy noticeable overall.



Next, I will post some more pictures and discuss the fit, value, and overall impressions…

[Johdus]

Nice!
Beat the stuffing out of them and then show us some pics.
Wear in good health.

[LCDR]

PART II:

More pictures:





On my feet:





Quality: The construction of this boot appears excellent. The quality of the leather upper, however, appears slightly inferior to the Alden. It is stiffer, which makes it more difficult to put on. It is also less comfortable to wear, compared to the Indy. I have not walked any distance with it, but I can tell it feels stiffer than the Alden. Hopefully it will ‘break in’. Also, the lining does not appear as soft and supple as the Indy.

Value: Excellent. For $138.60 + shipping, for a Red Wing Goodyear-welted boot,'Factory Seconds', I think this was a great deal. I would not consider this a defective boot in any way. At worst, I could use this as a beater boot. For 1/3 the price, it was a better value than the Indy, but it sacrifices some comfort, and maybe some style points.

Overall Impressions: I like the style of the boot, including the non-contrast moccasin toe stitching, and the rubber lug outsole. The Goodyear welting also appears well-constructed. The laces are slightly higher quality than the Indy due to the waxing. It fits well. ( I would recommend sizing down by a half size).

Although I cannot see any defects in the leather surface, I can tell that the leather upper and boot has a stiffer feel than the Alden Indy, and will require some sort of break-in period. The Indy was much more comfortable right out of the box.

The style should go well in a casual environment. It could even go with a casual sport coat and heavy chinos. I would not wear it with a suit.

I plan to apply some Allen-Edmonds leather conditioner and the Obenaufs LP to protect it from the winter.

Final Rating: 8 out of 10

Also, see my review of the Alden x JCrew Indy boot. http://threads.dappered.com/showthre...403-Indy-Boots

[alanm]

Thanks for posting! Hope I'm not bursting your bubble, but the "moc toe" stitching on the right boot looks horrifically off-center. I ordered some Wolverine 1000 seconds a while back and had the same issue.

[LCDR]

Thanks for letting me know. I actually did not notice that. I just looked again, and I agree it is off-center. Slightly, but not 'horrifically'. Doesn't bother me... yet.

[JBarwick]

I had the same lace problem as you have, then I switched how I tied my knot: http://www.gilt.com/giltmanual/2011/...the-right-way/

[Murph65]

I've got these coming tomorrow. Thanks for upping the anticipation level...

[LCDR]

I would be interested to find out what kind of defects other people got. Please post.

[Jamie]

Because they're black, that off-centered mic toe stitch isn't as noticeable. I'd say that's more likely your defect than that tiny scuff on the sole.

[Alex P.]

Fit wise, are they pretty true to size? Or bigger/smaller than what you normally wear?

[TravelingJ]

Fit wise, are they pretty true to size? Or bigger/smaller than what you normally wear?

I haven't tried the 2nds out, but I wear a 10.5 in RedWings, and a 11.5 in Wolverine 1000 mile, if that helps at all. The Redwing Heritage that I tried on, fit the same the other Redwings I had.

[jackbauer24]

here some IR with lugs soles 2nd from stp:

http://imgur.com/a/8YIlI#2

more moc and round toe:
http://i.imgur.com/g2fwedw.jpg

still waiting for my RW.

[Trueflame]

here some IR with lugs soles 2nd from stp:

http://imgur.com/a/8YIlI#2

more moc and round toe:
http://i.imgur.com/g2fwedw.jpg

still waiting for my RW.

Is that how those IRs arrived from STP?! They skipped right over seconds and went to thirds on that one.

[fey]

i got my 9030 moc toe beckmans, and they have the same issue as yours. i'd share a pic, but imgur is crapping itself right now. i think i might return them as they seem worse than yours.

finally imgur worked. the whole upper is tilted:

[fey]

my impressions of the rest of the boot-

i sized down a 1/2 size from my usual allen edmonds size. the fit is on the snugger side with thin cotton socks. unless this boot stretched out with use, i think going tts would have been fine. it is very stiff, though the leather seems to be of high quality. i don't think it is neccessarily "inferior" to alden cxl, its just a hardier, thicker leather. i like it the styling, but that crooked moc toe bugs me. probably should have seen it coming!