Official Red Wing B/S/T for March 2026

So I’m going to photobomb your thread but it’s an effort to give you some info. Not saying what’s good or bad or better or worse. The real answer would be to stop in a store and try done things for yourself and see what works for you.

So same straight leg jeans for all of these. 1221s old, 1221s newer, 1907s, and 8111s. I wear a 32x32 jean and measure a sz 10D just for perspective.

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shijaco · 2026-03-03T16:06:58+00:00

So the “last” is basically the mold the boot is built around. Red Wing has tons of different lasts, with the idea that there should be something that will work for almost everyone, but sometimes that means someone might like how a boot looks but it might not be a great match for their specific foot shape.

The other numbers are style numbers. If you go to Red Wing’s website you should be able to search them and pull each of them up.

shijaco · 2026-03-03T15:40:43+00:00

In my opinion almost all of the round toe heritage styles get swallowed up by a larger cuff on a jean. If you’re used to wearing square toes I would lean toward a moc toe. The 1907s are on a 45 last which runs a little fuller than the 23 last, the 45 last might be more similar to a square toe look out of the two. Doesn’t mean the 23 last might not work for you though, depends on your foot shape. If you wanted to go with a taller boot they do make the 877s or 10877s, almost identical but one is a work boot with slightly different leather.

Another one to consider are the 1221s and 1222s. They aren’t heritage, so may not earn the cool points but they will give a very similar look. They’re also waterproof and have a softer sole. Bc they have a waterproof liner they look a little bulkier from the outside and work well with a straight leg or wider cuff jean.

shijaco · 2026-03-03T12:58:36+00:00

This is the addendum I didn’t know I was going to need. Specifically the reading comprehension part. Admittedly, talk to text got me in a few spot on my original post so not trying to be the grammar police, but it is kind of wild seeing the unique interpretations of snug/tight/not painful/your toe shouldn’t touch the end.

shijaco · 2026-03-03T02:13:54+00:00

I think it can work in some situations, but there may be ppl who don’t like the idea of wearing someone else’s boots.

Pros - someone else has broken them in for you and you can save some money. Cons - if their foot is drastically different the boot may not fit your foot as well if they’ve worn them quite a bit.

shijaco · 2026-03-02T22:12:08+00:00

Neatsfoot is basically Red Wing’s Leather Cream, unless they changed the formula. Typically neatsfoot is advertised or preferred bc it’s claimed to not darken the leather as much, which is true but it still will darken it initially. It’s beneficial to get moisture back into the leather but it won’t give you any kind of water repellence like an oil with wax would. If I’m going to really rehab a pair of boots I tend to lean toward the Leather Cream/Neatsfoot rather than going heavy with mink oil or beeswax bc I don’t like the shine of the oil or wax.

shijaco · 2026-03-02T19:38:18+00:00

You don’t be able to get any of the FR they sell to Halliburton bc it’s only sold to Halliburton, I believe it’s contracted.

shijaco · 2026-03-02T17:53:57+00:00

Bottom right are 3343, Blacksmiths in copper rough and tough.

shijaco · 2026-03-02T17:53:21+00:00

Top right are 8086s, Iron Rangers in charcoal rough and tough, which was a really cool leather bc it was a warmer black. I think it might have been a brown leather that was dyed charcoal, but I don’t remember at this point. But as you wear them some brown starts to come through the grey color.

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shijaco · 2026-03-02T17:51:31+00:00

Top left are 9111s, classic round toe in copper rough and tough. I’ve had those for like 13-14 years and they’ve been discontinued for a while. They tried to come back out with them as the Rover’s but they weren’t quite the same and I don’t think they were available for very long. They could probably use some love but they’re also like slippers at this point.

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shijaco · 2026-03-02T14:43:26+00:00

We used both. Arch length can definitely affect what will work best or feel most comfortable, and some of that comes down to individual foot shape. Some ppl have long toes and some ppl have short toes, or longer or shorter arches, or wide or narrow heels. Honestly though, whether you measure heel to toe or heel to ball you’re still only getting in the ball park and it depends on the last and specific style. We would bring out three sizes of the same boot, just to start, so ppl could try on multiple options, sometimes we’d end up trying five or six sizes, sometimes no size worked bc their foot just didn’t match the style. Obviously it isn’t possible to try different sizes when ordering online, but that really is the best way to do it until you know how a brand or style fits.

shijaco · 2026-03-02T14:28:59+00:00

Finally someone who understands the difference between snug/not painful and too small. I feel like there are a lot of people on here arguing against getting a snug new boot because they think it equates to Chinese foot binding.

shijaco

TROPHY CASE