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OT - made in the usa steel toe work boots

WILLEO6709

Diamond
Joined
Nov 6, 2001
Location
WAPELLO, IA USA
The last time I bought my redwings I recall the owner of the place mentioning that the heavy workboot redwings wold be made offshore in the future... any good work boots made in the USA anymore?
 
How can USA manufacturers compete with the low wages overseas? Untill the labor rates get equal to or above the USA labor rates we will continue to see manufacturing go overseas, but we already know that don't we.
 
Alot of companies now offer both USA boots and the overseas versions. I believe that Red Wing, Whites, Chippewa, Danner, and others still offer USA made boots.
 
Not quite...
Chippewa, Mason, (and I believe Red Wing, by contract) was formerly made right here in Chippewa.
The factory was gutted, all machines shipped to China, EVERYTHING now imported from China.

The last thing the maintenence workers had to do was crate up all the machines, so they could be shipped to China. How Cruel is that?
Now they have a call center, and warehouse/shipping docks.

The former Chippewa Boot factory was converted to an electronics assembly house.
Celestica bought that up, to get the contracts, and gutted it to to send all the electronics work to China.
 
Hello,
I've wore Cove Boots for the 4 years. I've got the 10" SAR/EMS boots. These are the best boots I've ever owned!!!! They are Kevlar, Gortex, thinsulate lined. Matterhorn Flexible Internal Metatarsal Guard (a god send), and steel toe and steel shank. About all the kevlar is for is abrasion and cut defense.

These boots are made in Martinsburg, Pennsylvania.

here is a link
Cove boots

They also make a mining boot that looks about the same as the SAR boots.

Thanks!
Richard
 
Carolina footware makes some styles in the US. They're website says that the moved production from their North Carolina facility to other parts of the US and also overseas in 2000.

The models on their website are referred to as Domestic if they are made in the US.

I've had a pair of logger style Carolinas since 1991. They need a resole, but otherwise they are holding up. I don't wear them daily, but I used too.

If price is no object, there is Wesco. I've never worn them, but they are supposed to be made in USA. Pricy too.
 
Thanks JL!

I didn't know thye bought the brand name, and moved (somewhere?) else. The website does not say.

The Chippewa Boot factory as I mentioned, has had several owners in recent years.
The latest is a furniture factory.
No more boots made in Chippewa, unless it si in someones basement.
I wonder where they are located.

Thanks!
 
carolina offers s.t.... boots + some models in taiwan
or usa version. about $40 difference in the price.

are the taiwnese loggers as good/worse/better than
the usa made versions....i'll never know.
i rotate 3 prs of similar carolina- usa made
boots. one is pretty stiff,newish...the other
two have been resoled .

the Georgia boots are chinese and don't seem
to fit as well as Carolina usa boots.

taiwan-$79
usa- $125
 
Buying things is a bit like voting for politician's - it only reinforces their own beliefs.

By this I mean: if enough people wanted boots made in the US (or whatever country) and not some cheap nasty rubbish from China, it would happen.

If you don't want gear from China, don't buy it, simple.

Hey, machinists are a resourceful lot right??? Why not make some dies and then your own boots - leatherwork is quite interesting and dying art like many things.
 
I suspect that "Made in the USA from imported materials" means that very little is done in the USA. Before labeling restrictions required disclosing the degree to which a product was made overseas, you could import almost the entire thing and "assemble" it in the USA and call it "Made in the USA." When I worked at Commodore in the 1980's, the Commodore C64 was made with imported PCB, keyboard, power supply, case parts, etc. A little line in Pennsylvania put these parts together with something like 9 screws and put it in a box labeled Made in USA. I guess now they would have to say "Made in USA from imported materials".

Cheers,
Bob Welland
 
They also make a mining boot that looks about the same as the SAR boots.
I've worn the Matterhorn 12255 10” Waterproof Leather Mining Boot for years. Drop dead comfort with total foot protection, from below as well as above.

Pricey, but worth the money. Find out where your local coal miners get theirs (the company pays for them), sometimes as low as $210/pair.

-------------
Barry Milton
 
Greetings, All,

I've been to the Cove factory many times and have three pair on hand just now. I still have a pair of their Corcoran jump boots I got courtesy of Uncle Sam in 1968. They are a bit of a tight fit, as I am a bit larger everywhere than as a 22-year-old, but the boots could still make a jump.

They deserve our support. You will be glad you did.

thnx, jv.
 








 
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