The NEWEST Iron Ranger - Alpine Portage

[@RoseAnvil]

Good review brutha! 💪

[@YouShoe-1985]

Wow. Huge honor. Thank you!

[@yartp]

I've had an eye out for a boot in olive. When I saw these, I was all excited. Then I come back to the odds of me reaching for an olive as a daily driver would be slim and would be a shame for this boot. However, that could easily change. I was not immediately drawn to the Iron Ranger, then one day I had to have a pair. It's been my go-to since. Appreciate you dropping the dime on these for review.

[@YouShoe-1985]

@@yartp sure thing. I gripe about the qc but they are really good boots.

[@Theheritagetribute]

Thanks for sharing! I have the 8828 Classic Moc Toe Alpine Portage. I LOVE the look and the leather. In my experience, that leather will soften with wear, gaining some beautiful creases and character, but you have to add some miles to them. The black leather laces are very cool, and the Taslan ones are a little brittle. IMO I really appreciate the simple, and straight forward heritage construction of Red Wing boots. Honestly, if I could, I’d just get every make up the launch, especially in Europe. Cheers mate!

[@YouShoe-1985]

@@Theheritagetribute I agree the simple straight forward design is classic

[@habl00pep]

Lovely boots , I have a couple of pairs of 8180 moc toes in kangatan portage green similar colour but darkens overtime

[@antonioromulodelcarmen283]

New subscriber here! Great and practical reviews!!! I appreciate you taking time to answer some of your viewers questions. Hope you get more subs and continue with this content!

[@YouShoe-1985]

Thanks for the sub!

[@waxedearth5425]

Olive collar is versatile. Great buy imo 👍🏻

[@williamswiger7547]

I ordered a pair when released. It was the worst QC boot I had even received from Red Wing. Toe caps were way off with one being around a 1/4 inch or more longer than the other. Back of the boots were not close to uniform either. Definitely a 2nds quality boot and Lisa inspected them.....lol Shame as i have the moc toe in this leather and like it. I just donated them instead of returning as I am downsizing my collection anyway.

[@YouShoe-1985]

Yeah that’s kinda what I thought. They would have been good seconds but for firsts it wasn’t up to par.

[@bassheadlife492]

Those green ones are a great value, they just need to break in

[@eddharbin3966]

All of your gripes are standard for Redwing . The leather is dyed, not painted( just not struck through) . The caces are the same as they always are . Alot of what you are seeing as glue on the stitching is the heavily waxed thread leaving a buildup around stiching. If these things bother you then move along from redwing .

[@YouShoe-1985]

Thanks for your input

[@chinatownboy7482]

I've never needed a pair of green boots. Is that for a Leprechaun costume?

[@jorge23483]

Those Green IR look awesome 💚. I have a pair of black IR: silver nickel hardware, short-ish laces, black minilug sole, and not matching color welts 😅... And they are very comfortable, the most comfortable of my 3 IR pairs, but the leather is not a T-core and is more of a greasy black. I hope you're enjoying your Green IR despite the details, thanks for the video unboxing.

[@YouShoe-1985]

@@jorge23483 Thanks I am. I need to remember sometimes that they aren’t supposed to be refined. They are supposed to be rugged.

[@Coleone139]

They also finally dropped the blacksmith in EE. Naturally I copped the Prairie 😎

[@YouShoe-1985]

@@Coleone139 nice

[@黄文霆]

I bought this pair in Tokyo like 5days ago.I ask the staff there they say it is probably the most unique ones that would not be reproduced if new type of iron ranger come out. I am always a big fan of Green so I just can't put my eyes out of it. Damn it is so nice looking, even without the cordination of jeans or cowboys sets, it can also fit suits or some short pants as a casual style. The breaking in period is quite tough at the very beginning (still working on it) but start to get much comfortable since the 4th wearing, looking forward to my journey with this baby in the future

[@YouShoe-1985]

@@黄文霆 they are beautiful boots

[@TheGameBoy56]

Yes these shoe good crazy expensive and I’m not sure if quality was like this in the past Wat I can gather is don’t expect shoe quality U need spend more money to get that You would like grant stone Very nice quality for price Red wing ur paying for name and old fashioned heritage style

[@bassheadlife492]

Yes but no

[@Coleone139]

Btw, I received my Blacksmiths, stoked to finally have a pair in EE.. but the qc was craazy. Welt joints, grinded to close and messy at the heel, the black overcoat on the prairie was too thick and inconsistent, like it was a cheap matte paint. One quarter panel on the inside was all dented up.. I stopped at that and put them back in the box without going any further. No exchanges, I’ve got to return them first.. I’ve had/got several pairs of rw heritage, but these.. ooph. Idk if they ramped up production, or hired new factory workers, though it ain’t looking good. I’m gonna try one more time, just cause I’ve wanted a plain toe #8. If not, think I’ll just get a bump toe from Zerrows boots. It’s similar to rw’s #8 and they’re known for black teacores.

[@Coleone139]

The third time I’ve tried, I even ordered a 9060 straight from Japan, sizing up to accommodate for width - no go. I been saying for years, a good black teacore is hard to come by. At least in E 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@Brajin1]

Those are nice boots. The 8040 black IR comes with the black vibram 430 sole. Eventually I’ll resole my iron rangers and add the middle. I own and Nicks and parkhurst, which do have better “specs” /finishing. But the style of the IR is just so much more unique in my opinion.

[@YouShoe-1985]

@@Brajin1 I agree there’s just something about the shape and style that makes them special.

[@MaximSupernov]

I have the Alpine Portage in 8828 Classic Moc. Yes, the leather was very stiff in the beginning, but after 2 weeks of wear, it softened up. But the leather became too soft and way too easy to get scratches. With IR, I still think CR&T leather is a much better choice.

[@YouShoe-1985]

Thanks for your input on this. Good to know you feel it scratches easily. That will be a deal breaker for some.

[@stuntmanjohnny]

I have this same pair of Iron Rangers, I also have the brown and black ones. These green ones take some more breaking in than those did. Not sure why, but they do indeed seem more stiff than previous ones.

[@YouShoe-1985]

Gotcha thanks for the heads up.

[@stuntmanjohnny]

@@YouShoe-1985 another thing I just realized. I have already scuffed them in a few places. And those scuffs come out a lighter color. Almost like a teacore, as you mentioned in your video. It’s like the color of the back of the tongue.

[@Traveler1973-jz7qo]

I have currently 2 pairs of iron rangers I need those too WOW 😮 i😮😅😊 beautiful boots truly! 💘💘

[@BWM135]

Nice-looking boot, I agree that the finishing leaves a bit to be desired for those that concern themselves with such things. One other problem, with it being a special edition, that likely means no sizes above 13 and no wide widths. I have found getting a pair of Red Wings that fit properly to be enough of a challenge even with a full offering of sizes. 4 hundo just strikes me as a lot of money when compared to something like a Parkhurst Allen or their equivalent cap toe offering. Really good quality boots offered in some very interesting leather combinations. Lots of Truman loyalists out there I expect, and they make a good boot to be certain. Then again , their pricing has crept up pretty rapidly, with their signature waxed flash boots now selling at an ask ofr $500. Plus, I find it hard to stomach a company that makes you wait 20 plus days to obtain a refund it a return or exchange is needed (Grant Stone for comparison refunds 2 to 3 days after return), and has/had a policy saying "We won't charge you a restocking fee, unless we feel like it, in which case we will." Apparently I wasn't cool enough, and even the purchase of a $460 pair of boots from them did not save me from their $30 restocking fees (Double what Parkhurst and Grant Stone charge). Anyway, something to keep in mind if you have a hard to fit foot and may need to try multiple sizes before you find what you need. Life is frustrating enough as it is without having a business extending two middle fingers to you while I trying to get a size that fits from their strangely shaped last and hand over your money... Lastly, if MITUSA concerns aren't in the mix, you have even more choices like Adelante and Bordon, the latter of which is apparently making several phenomenally made stitchdown variants of a jumper and service boot starting under $400. Provided you're willing to wait 6-8 months for them to be made to your specs down in Colombia. Thank you for the informative review, first look at and review of these olive IRs. Looking forward to what's next!

[@YouShoe-1985]

Thanks for the comment and your perspective.

[@junoherrera9781]

Did you return it? Will you make a follow up review?

[@YouShoe-1985]

@@junoherrera9781 I did just wasn’t happy with the QC

[@SidW-l4z]

Red wings QC is terrible. I gave up trying to buy an iron ranger from them. Too bad because I love the look. Check the toe width too. The last pair I sent back, the toe box with had like a 2” difference. It was weird.

[@YouShoe-1985]

Thanks for the heads up.

[@10thAveFreezeOut]

I got blisters just hearing you put those on.

[@YouShoe-1985]

😂

[@oldspen85]

Keep those boots because, they're boots not a watch or a car. As long as they don't have any popped stitching or deep scratches or broken glue. Those small human not imperfections are just that. That doesn't make for bad quality it's just human touch and ass for the leather, leather is skin just as your skin is different in places it's almost impossible to have the exact same grain on each unless they use an entire side to create one pair of boots. And, even then it won't be exactly the same. I totally get wanting quality and I think those are. I could understand being annoyed if they cost $1000 or $1500 or even the $400 that you paid if the things you pointed out were really bad but they're not. They're just human touch elements. If they were custom boots ok I'd be annoyed but, the are mass hand made produced boots. They're just as quality as your other Red Wings. Great review and hope you enjoy those great looking boots.

[@YouShoe-1985]

Thanks for the perspective

[@RichardAugsten]

The frustrating thing with this new iron ranger just like their green moctoe they only come in a D width, I need aa double EE width

[@tommythunder99]

I’m a sucker for Iron Rangers and ordered these as soon as I could. It’s my fifth pair (yeah I know), and I must say these are tougher to break in than the others. They feel stiff, but after a week they are starting to mold after my feet. I’m really curious how they will age..

[@YouShoe-1985]

I think they will age really nicely

[@RICKS11]

Nice job👏👏👏

[@YouShoe-1985]

Thanks!!

[@YouShoe-1985]

That’s disappointing to hear. This pair was definitely the worst I’ve ever had from them. But now you got me on Zerrows boots. They look amazing.

[@Trex100]

Standard IRs are excellent.

[@tedhart7708]

For $400 they shouldn't have the issues you describe.

[@markmullen1852]

I have 2 pairs of Iron Rangers and love them both. IMO my olive Helm boots look way better than these.

[@YouShoe-1985]

@@markmullen1852 I need to try helm out soon

[@markmullen1852]

@YouShoe-1985 I love mine. Great craftsmanship and extremely comfortable. Some ppl don't like the white around the boot but it doesn't bother me. Great review Sir. Thank you for it.

[@kevinleyva3003]

I think Red Wings QC is going down a bit. I ordered the Dusty Rose moc toe boots and one boot had a noticeable narrower outsole than the other. Maybe about 1/2in to 7/16in. Both are and wore like a 10D but it’s so odd to see that

[@YouShoe-1985]

I agree something is definitly going on.

[@muddyboots6157]

Very good looking boot, but dang....that QC doesn't align with the price to me.

[@YouShoe-1985]

@@muddyboots6157 yeah would have expected a little better but after a couple of wears I think they will be fine.

[@skeeter2136]

If you don’t love them I would send them back

[@YouShoe-1985]

Thinking about it

[@catbrock1]

I hope you returned these boots, they have some flaws in them that should be addressed and really should be seconds and not sold as firsts.

[@ashotinthedark3182]

shame they don't make a EEE

[@YouShoe-1985]

They. Definitely should

[@fessendenful]

i tried on some ir's at a local rw store. felt like $200 boots and that's generous. so many other options.

[@sheckydiamond7533]

Stepping stone for some. For others, this is it. Period. I am not spending more. As if a working person is going to spend more for boots that go into trenches, or stand in sludge.

[@grahamhallman243]

Having my fair share of PNW heritage boots: my God they need to be lighter. I could care less them surviving the apocalypse as most RW Heritage last plenty long enough.

[@grahamhallman243]

But be mindful, Grant Stones and the lesser priced PNW boots are same range as RW. Also, Parkhurst is a great brand. But GS b PNW boots are still on the heavier side: leather midsole n stacked heel = overkill in so many cases, especially for daily casual wear.

[@frankytanky5076]

@@grahamhallman243I really think red wings heritage are almsit perfect for just casual life and durability. Price is a tad higher than I’d like. When I think about the more expensive pnw boots they are just overbuilt tanks that at actual work boots I would never wear in casual settings. Like you said, it’s like lugging around 5 pound weights on your feet.

[@darrenhall7454]

I know your feelings. You wanted to love them, but they’re not giving you $400 worth of satisfaction. You might be happier putting that money on another pair of boots.

[@YouShoe-1985]

@@darrenhall7454 your probably right

[@馬伕]

When do you wear green leather shoes? To match your green leather pants?😂😂😂😂😂

[@toneohm]

green goes with alot.. like brown..

[@williamswiger7547]

Treat the green like a brown.

[@sheckydiamond7533]

You may need them for st. Paddy's😂😂😂😂

[@rickgoesinya8005]

Good looking boot ….👍🏼

[@YouShoe-1985]

Agreed