Is Thorogood's 1892 Dodgeville Boot the New Iron Ranger? (REVIEW)

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Owned by the Weinbrenner Shoe Company and made in Merrill, Wisconsin, Thorogood is an employee-owned company that is known for their moc-toes, but I wanted to try out their 1892 Dodgeville boots. Why? Because they’re 100 percent meant to compete with the industry’s big dog, the Red Wing Iron Rangers. Let’s take a look.

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THOROGOOD 1892 DODGEVILLE FIRST GLANCE

There are a ton of similarities with the Iron Ranger: toecap, silhouette, Vibram sole, Goodyear welt.

But a big difference is the leather. Surprisingly, for boots that are so inexpensive, these are made with Horween’s beloved Chromexcel leather.

Quality control-wise there were a few loose threads when I got them and a lot more after I’d been wearing them for a few weeks but I don’t really see that as a con for boots at this price point.

**COMPARE WITH RED WING IRON RANGER:    • Red Wing Iron Rangers Review, 1 Year Old  

THOROGOOD 1892 DODGEVILLE LEATHER

This is made with Chromexcel leather, a combination tanned leather with a long history in footwear. (It also has history not in footwear — it was used in tanks during World War 2.)

Made over 28 working days using every floor of the Horween facility in Chicago, the leather is jam packed with oils and greases and results in a very nice, moist, lustrous leather that age very well.

The downsides are the top finish scratches kind of easily and more importantly I had a big problem with the counters. As you can see in the video or in the article, after a week of wear the counter of the right shoe had darkened WAY more than the left.

Now I have asymmetrical shoes. I think Thorogood’s leather selection just isn’t that great, but again, it’s hard to be too upset given the cost.

Care for the leather with Venetian shoe cream every few months. Make sure you clean them with a horsehair brush and/or a wet cotton cloth when necessary.

THOROGOOD DODGEVILLE SOLE

You might call this a combination sole: it’s leather and cork with a Vibram lug on top of it.

Vibram is a really high quality Italian rubber that’s great in slippery conditions and pretty good at absorbing shock, too. The sole on the Dodgeville is particularly grippy because it’s not entirely dissimilar from a Commando sole.

This makes for a shoe with a pretty chunky silhouette that’s harder to pull off in formal situations, especially because the dark Vibram contrasts noticeably with the cork.

But if you hate the sole, you can always replace it because this shoe is made with a 360-degree Goodyear welt, which makes for a pretty water resistant shoe that’s also easy to resole.

THOROGOOD FIT & SIZING

I ordered a half size down from my regular size. My Brannock measurement is closer to 11.5 o 11.75 but most of my boots, including Red Wing, Wolverine, Thursday, Viberg, and others, are size 11.

Only the “D” (normal) width is available so you’re out of luck if you wear wider shoes. Fortunately I’m a D and I found the shoes to be pretty comfortable with a good amount of heft to them as well.

They didn’t need any breaking in, though after a week, as mentioned earlier, there were a lot of loose threads and the counter of the right shoe had darkened a lot.

THOROGOOD DODGEVILLE PRICE

These shoes are $270. They’re hard to find online but I’d recommend going to Zappos, though they don’t sell the lighter Cognac color, which I could only find on Garmentory.

VERDICT

Pros
* Inexpensive — about the same price as Chippewa but better quality.
* Chromexcel leather
* Grippy Vibram sole
* Good weight

Cons
* Leather went dark on one of the counters
* No other widths available
* Kind of chunky sole that’s hard to dress up
* QC issues

Overall, these boots worked out better for me than my Wolverine 1000 Miles and they were a hundred bucks cheaper. They’re not the cheapest boots on Earth, but you could do worse.

** COMPARE WITH WOLVERINE 1000 MILE:    • Wolverine 1000 Mile Review: Are They ...