The Rock is our most affordable work boot on the market. Retailing at only 27 $, you might be inclined to think that they won’t protect you as well as other more expensive work boots over time. We ensured that this would not happened and that your feet would be safe at anytime.
Today we want to share with you what a Rock model looks like after 6 months of use on construction sites. For the purpose of this case study we will compare the worn and used boot with a new pair of the same model. The worn boot has not been clean voluntarily so you may judge of its state by yourself too. This will give us the opportunity to see in which state the leather, the sole and even the stitching are after 6 months.
THE LEATHER
After 6 months, we can see that the leather has slightly stretched from it’s original shape. This change occurs during the first month of use, it allows the leather to better fit the shape of each feet therefore offering better comfort through the day.
The other key aspect to look for in leather is the resistance to abrasion. You can see on the front of the shoe that the leather has little cuts and damages. The work on construction sites is among the hardest for safety footwear, yet thanks to the high quality leather we use it did not rip open. The steel toecap is not visible, meaning that the damages visible on the leather are only superficial.
IMPORTANT ADVICE :
If you where ever to damage your boots to a point where the steel toecap would be visible, please change your boots immediately!
THE SOLE
The sole seems to be in a very good state considering it has been used for half a year. The sole is slightly smoother than when new,this is most visible on the heel part of the sole. The grip there has faded but overall the grip of the shoe remains intact.
This is a very important feature to look for in a work boot, as for obvious reasons you do not want to slip and injure yourself.
IMPORTANT ADVICE :
Make sure you clean the sole of your boots as often as possible. Removing the mud will help spot possible damages on your sole and will maintain the required level of grip.
THE STITCHING
The Rock uses a lockstitch process to stitch the sole with the leather in addition to being glued. Because the shape of the sole was specifically designed to protect the stitching of the boots, even after 6 months the stitching remains intact.
Whether or not a work boot is stitched makes a huge difference in it’s life time. Stitching provides a noticeable additional strength to the boots, avoiding the sole to separate from the rest of the boot.
IMPORTANT ADVICE :
If possible make sure to choose stitched boots as they will last you a lot longer, therefore saving you money. The Goodyear Welt stitching process is still to this day the best quality stitching.
I hope you now understand that the price of work boots is not a reliable indicator of the quality of the boots. When choosing your safety footwear you should pay attention to the process that are used in the making of your boots and in the quality of the materials chosen rather that the price.
My last advice would be that you should clean and grease your shoes regularly. Cleaning your boots will help you make sure that your boots are not damaged, while greasing the leather will increase its lifetime.