Red Wing Blacksmith Boot Review - The Ultimate Plain Toe Boot?

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The Minnesota-based Red Wing Boot Company is one of the most popular and influential American boot brands out there. From 1905 to today, they make those classic work boots your dad and granddad wore, and much, much more.

Today we’re looking at the Blacksmith, an important edition to the Red Wing pantheon. Does it stack up?

FIRST GLANCE

The Red Wing 3340 Blacksmith features a unique briar oil slick leather, which looks like a traditional brown in some lights, but delightfully red in others.

At first glance, this boot looks an awful lot like the Wolverine 1000 Mile boot, which isn’t really a surprise as these two companies are pretty clearly competitors.

** SEE MY RED WING VS WOLVERINE COMPARISON:    • FIGHT! Red Wing Vs. Wolverine: Which ...   **

The Blacksmith features a Vibram mini-lug sole, which combines a classic Commando sole and a flat sole. I like that it’s got a good grip but from the side looks nice and slim.

The sole is attached with a 270-degree Goodyear welt. Other features include dull guilt hooks and eyelets, an unlined inside, and triple stitching along the vamp.

Red Wing calls this really round toe a bump toe; it’s a little on the bulbous side but it does give you some wiggle room. Whether you like it or not really depends on your aesthetics.

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LEATHER

This boot features a Briar Oil Slick leather, which is produced at Red Wing’s tannery, SB Foot Tanning Co.

Like I mentioned, the leather has a red tint - I love wearing these uniquely colored boots when the outfit is right, though they’re not dressy.

The tanning process on this boot is interesting. It’s oil tanned (in white mineral oil, to be specific) but it’s also chrome tanned to finish. While it doesn’t necessarily have the lustre of some combination tanned leathers, it’s very hardy and won’t require a ton of conditioning.

LEATHER CARE

So while mink oil is really popular for making boots extremely waterproof, the downside is that it can definitely alter the color of your leather. I use neatsfoot oil instead, which doesn’t penetrate the leather as deeply and preserves color better. Just brush the boot down with a horsehair brush and apply the oil to condition.

** SEE MY GUIDE TO RED WING BOOT CARE:    • Boot Oil vs Mink Oil - What's Best fo...   **

SOLE

The Vibram 430 mini-lug sole is a medium traction, oil resistant, non-marking, and long-wearing rubber sole. It’s pretty slim for a commando sole, and pretty flexible, too. One downside is that they don’t have great shock absorption, since there’s no foam or urethane or anything like that in the sole.

The midsole is cork, and the insole is leather. The steel shank provides some decent arch support and stability, which I like.

Finally, there’s the 270-degree Goodyear welt. It’s slightly less waterproof and slimmer-looking than a full 360-degree welt.

FIT & SIZING

The Blacksmith is available in full and half sizes from 7 to 13 on Red Wing’s site and on Amazon. They only come in one width, though.

Surprisingly, these boots took no time to break in (unlike other Red Wings I’ve owned).

Decent arch support, and a snug but not too snug fit along the side of the foot - plus they’re nice and roomy in the toe box. Shock absorption isn’t amazing, but it’s fine.

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PRICE

Generally between $280 and $300, though if you’re patient you can usually find them on sale.

Pros
* Awesome leather
* Minimal leather care
* Good grip
* Decent arch support
* Resoleable
* Easy break in

Cons
* One width
* A bit pricey for the average joe
* Informal, wide toe
* Leather not super lustrous
* Mediocre shock absorption
* Unlined