Red Wing Iron Ranger Boots - what's the dilly yo?

[s1rrah]

Just a timely heads up for any lurkers who might be thinking about buying a new pair of Red Wing boots ...

I have a coupon code for $100.00 off any Brooks Brothers purchase of $300.00 or more that's good between April 8 and April 18 ... (if you spend more than $500.00, the discount increases to $200.00 off ... great time to buy two pair of boots!) ..

With the code, you can get the following Red Wing boots, brand new, for the following prices:


Red Wing Blacksmiths in Briar Oil Slick leather
with code "BCSP15" : $217.00 shipped to US
...

Red Wing Iron Rangers in Amber Harness
with code "BCSP15": $237.00 shipped to US
...

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There's several more unique pair that Red Wing makes just for Brooks Brothers so just search for "Red Wing" on their main site if you are interested in those ... they are quite a bit more expensive than the typical Red Wing boots as shown above but the $100.00 discount still applies (the code works/applies to anything over $300.00).

BTW... here is the code again ... good only between 04/08/16 and 04/18/16 ...

BCSP15


https://www.brooksbrothers.com/

Cheers!!!

 

[Captain Insano]

Wearing my IR Copper Rough & Tough today...

 

[Ace1626]

Someone please help! Lol

I just got my new pair of iron Rangers. Normally I'm a size 10.5 but I got them in a size 9.5. I've been reading a lot about the famous "crease" and I am freaked out their too big. Could someone give me some insight based on these pictures ?

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[Captain Insano]

You can kinda see my creases in my last pic. My IRs fit me great super comfy and I sized down a half size. If anything they are a tad roomy which I really like for days I wear thick wool socks.

 

[sask boot]

I went tts and regret not going a half size down. They fit well with a thick sock but I am seeing some deep creases already. That could be the leather though. Not as thick as viberg or oak street.

 

[Captain Insano]

Brogue/Iron Rangers after a polish:

 

[s1rrah]

Someone please help! Lol

I just got my new pair of iron Rangers. Normally I'm a size 10.5 but I got them in a size 9.5. I've been reading a lot about the famous "crease" and I am freaked out their too big. Could someone give me some insight based on these pictures ?

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Those look fine ...

If you have an inch of space between your toe and the front of the boot then I'd say it's too big. I went a half size down first and everything was fine but the toe was too long. Going a full size down (like yourself) is what worked for me ... same basic fit but a much better forefoot fit ...

 

[buzzlulu]

Ok - two pairs of 6" moc toes in size 9
One pair plain toe boots in size 9
Two pairs of Chukka's in size 91/2

Iron Rangers? Same size as Moc Toes - 9???

 

[Captain Insano]

Do you have a local Red Wing store? That is absolutely your best ticket to good fitment - trying them on.

If you don't have a local store, IRs typically are sized down a half or full size from your brannock. For example my brannock is 10D and I wear a 9.5D IR comfortably after break in.

 

[scrwl]

Yeah I'd take 9.

 

[buzzlulu]

Thanks. I was planning on getting a 9 just like my mom toes and plain toes. I only stay true to size (91/2) with the Chukka

 

[s1rrah]

Just a heads up ...

6pm.com has a sale going on ROUGHNECK STYLE NO. 2947 "Olive Browns" ... only $150.00 ... I just bought a pair in 8.5D ... these are basically the same as a "Blacksmith" but with lug soles ... these are brand new (not factory seconds!) and at this price are nearly 50% off retail ...

http://www.6pm.com/red-wing-heritage-6-round-toe-lug-olive-brown-roughneck

They won't last long either ...

Here's what they look like...

...

 

[inmyterritory]

Ok folks. I read this entire thread when deciding between 8111’s and 8115’s and after owning the 8115’s for about 8 months now, I feel like I never really found a good review of the Copper Rough and Tough Iron Rangers (8115’s) and how they were different from the Amber Harness (8111’s). After wearing the 8115’s pretty consistently over the past 8 months, I’ve really gotten to know and understand these boots. With that said, I wanted to share my review of the Copper Rough and Tough rangers and how they differ from others.
Leather
Red Wing’s Copper Rough and Tough leather is an oil-tanned leather, but it seems to have more texture and contrast in color than other RW oil-tanned leathers such as Amber Harness and Oro Legacy (875). I’ve seen Copper R&T boots advertised as a “distressed look”, which I absolutely hate as it implies they were designed to look pre-worn instead of developing wear and character over the years, which is NOT the case. However, I believe they’ve been called this because of how the texture and color contrast changes as you wear them. Creases both in front of the toe cap and on the sides appear more prevalent because the leather lightens in these areas as it’s broken in. This why you may see a lot of 8115 creasing concerns on this and other threads, as this is the first color contrast that develops when you first begin to wear them, however, the creases stand out less and less as the rest of the boot gets broken in. I also think a lot of people take the creasing and color contrast as a sign of the leather drying out, which is absolutely not the case. As the name implies, this is a rough & tough leather that is not going to have the same smooth and consistent color and texture as the Amber Harness. If you want your boots to shine, the 8115’s are probably not for you.
Color
This is an important topic as there seems to be a misconception that the 8115’s are much lighter than the 8111. This is the case when you first take them out of the box and depending on how you wear/condition them, there’s a good chance they will stay lighter than many 8111 you come across. As mentioned above, Copper Rough and Tough leather has more depth in color and texture and while they will darken a bit as you wear and condition them, the lighter color of the creases and more broken in areas can make them appear lighter. However, do not make the mistake of assuming they will stay the same color as when you first take them out of the box. The fine texture of this leather seems to really soak in anything it comes across, causing the color to change and provide contrast and depth. The double layer leather toe and heal will stay a bit darker as these areas will not bend and crease like the single layer areas which is why a lot of 8115’s can appear darker than say, the 1907. Personally, love the contrast and depth that this leather has to offer.
Conditioning
This is a topic that everyone has a different opinion on, so I’m not going try to convince you of what product to use. However, I will say that what you put on this leather and how often will affect the look and texture of these boots. Most conditioners will darken this leather, but I believe more liquid oils such as Obenaufs Oil and RW Boot Oil will darken the leather more than the recommended mink oil. I’ve also heard products like Lexol or Mustang Paste offers conditioning without significant darkening.
If you’ve looked at a lot of 8115 pictures online, you’ve probably noticed they seem to vary quite a bit in color or event texture. I believe this is mostly due to what they are conditioned with and how often. If you want to keep the original look of these boots, do not over condition and either use the recommended mink oil or something lighter than a heavy oil.
My humble opinion on frequency; I understand when you spend this much money on leather boots you want to do everything you can to protect your investment, however, I think a lot of heritage boot owners condition their boots way, way too often. I read of people conditioning them weekly or bi weekly, but it seems as monthly may be more common. I feel that even monthly is way too often for most people that don’t wear their boots every day in extreme conditions. This is premium leather that will not dry out suddenly and begin to fall apart. With that said, I try to treat my boots like a pair of selvedge jeans and not baby them, but allow them to take on as much character as possible before conditioning them. With that said, I typically go 4-8 months or more between conditioning boots that I wear frequently. If you wear yours in extreme wet or hot/dry conditions every single day, then you may need to do it more often. Either way, you really don’t need to condition them until they need conditioning.
Hope this has helped!

 

[s1rrah]

I try to treat my boots like a pair of selvedge jeans and not baby them, but allow them to take on as much character as possible before conditioning them. With that said, I typically go 4-8 months or more between conditioning boots that I wear frequently. If you wear yours in extreme wet or hot/dry conditions every single day, then you may need to do it more often. Either way, you really don’t need to condition them until they need conditioning.
Hope this has helped!

Superb comments all the way around and I have to say that my experience with both the Amber Harness and "Rough and Tough" leather is pretty much identical to yours...

I have the Brooks Bros Iron Rangers which are really just a pair of 8115 Copper Rough and Tough IR's with a fat ass lug sole (also a fat price tag) ... and like you, I very much love the varying "moods" that this oil tanned leather can take on over time and according to various conditioning routines, it's one of the most "interactive" sorts of boot leathers I've ever run across and one should really consider the sorts of leather treatments one might use on them as their appearance can be drastically changed according to which conditioner one uses.

But just regarding the changing state of the various leathers? Here are some shots from earlier in the thread ...

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I had two pair of the Coppers at on time, one that I had already worn for about a week and one that was brand new in the box (which I would eventually sell on Ebay) ... but here is a good shot of the "out of box" Copper leather versus the same leather after being walked in/worn for about a week; as you mentioned, as you first walk/wear them, the leather lightens in/at all the flex and crease points ... it's super cool ...




And here are my Copper Rough and Tough after a super vigorous saddle soap washing (stiff brush and lots of pressure); I had previously over conditioned them with Mustang Paste and wanted to "start over" and this is what they looked like after they dried:

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Currently, after about five months of wear, my Coppers look way different than the shot above; I'll add some new photos of them this weekend some time and in a new post ... suffice it to say, though ... if you find you have over done the conditioning then just get a stiff brush and some saddle soap and scrub the living hell out of them, being sure to cover all areas equally .. and it works greatly to return the boots to their original, lighter color ...

Personally, I've tested it and Mustang Paste is indeed the least discoloring conditioner I've found. If you apply it very lightly? It will hardly change the color at all (or not at all); if you "gob" it on thick? It will indeed darken the leather noticeably, but unlike other conditioners I've used, it "dries" faster than anything else and your boots will quite noticeably lighten over the next month of wear/normal use; but then again ... the vigorous saddle soap washing works wonders if you think it's too dark ...

...

Here are a pair of well worn Amber Harness' that I found from a user online; he had used a number of different oil based pastes/conditioners as well as strategic use of regular old wax based shoe polish in certain areas of the boot to achieve a look that he personally wanted; another great thing about the Amber Harness' ... that one can "spot" condition/shine with quite a few different substances to basically create any sort of look one wants...

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I had previously owned the Amber Harness but sold them (will be buying another pair when I see them on sale half price somewhere) and I loved them.

My Black Harness Leather IR's are completely different than both the Ambers and Coppers in that the leather is noticeably more stiff and has a noticeably less absorbent surface; they seem to be the most durable pair of IR's I've owned in regards to not scuffing or showing wear (which I guess is in large part due to the color). The Black Harness IR's have taken the longest to break in as well ...

But again .. great post ...

Joel

 

[s1rrah]

Just washed the Copper Rough and Tough boots ... I had previously over conditioned them I think .. with Mustang Paste ... here is how a 6 month old, worn pair looks like ... these are the Brooks Bros Iron Rangers ... really just copper rought and tough with big lug soles ...

The leather is cool .. scratches and what not can just ge "rubbed out" ...

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