E
Erica W.
October 15, 2017
Good job, bates! Now, just don't discontinue them
These are pretty good boots for law enforcement/corrections-type work. They keep my feet comfortable during long hours on concrete and steel surfaces and grip well when said surfaces are wet, which is often, since I work in a prison and flooding is a popular source of entertainment among convicts. I've had my oldest pair of these for over a year now and there's just now the slightest sign of wear on the heels. The leather and nylon are still in perfect condition and I've not had any issues with stitching coming loose or giving out. If you put some effort into your boot care, these do take very well to spit-shining. They're cool, although a bit heavier than some offerings on the market but that isn't a problem for me. I like them quite a bit, which means that Bates will probably discontinue them, like they do with everything of theirs that I've ever liked. They remind me of my Danners (Acadia, Ft. Lewis) that I had in the Army, without the $300.00 price tag.*UPDATE*So, if we fast-forward to 02/12/2019, these boots are still holding together well and look just as sharp as ever. I've been spit-shining my own boots since 1989 and I have to say that these Bates take to it more easily than any I've ever owned before. Here's a tip that I'm not even going to charge you for...... When your boots stop taking a shine, DON'T STRIP THEM. Just change the polish that you're using and keep working them. KIWI is my everyday polish but when my boots just won't behave and take a shine, I switch it up and work them with Lincoln and it has NEVER failed to get a breakthrough shine and, after getting the breakthrough, I can switch back to the much cheaper Kiwi.So, let's see..... If I've had this pair of Defenders since 2016, that makes them three years old. I haven't resoled them and still haven't had any issues with stitching or leather or nylon wear-out. I paid less than $150.00 for them, so I still can't justify paying over $350.00 for the Danners that these are based on. Just CAN'T. I'm completely satisfied with this product and may add another pair to my repertoire in the very near future.Oh...... One more thing.... Have I mentioned that I was a "grunt" in the Army, in "light infantry" and "airborne infantry" units for over 11 years and that I post under my wife's screen name because I'm too lazy to create my own account? Yep, fellas... I take my feet and my boots VERY seriously and I HIGHLY recommend these boots for anybody in the law enforcement/corrections/security business. I can't say that these Bates will hold up in a load-bearing role but, if you're just pounding pavement every day and need to look sharp, these are your huckleberries......PS.... Don't be an idiot. Order Sorbothane Insoles. These boots are going to outlast your feet, so you might as well be comfortable.
✔ Verified Purchase
B
Brandon T. Curtis
December 04, 2017
GREAT BOOT FOR THE PRICE, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!
Pro's:I am very impressed with these boots. I am writing this review nearly 3 weeks after my purchase. As soon as I took them out of the box, I felt as if these boots were designed for my foot. Very comfortable, and the break-in period was very minimal. I wore them for a full 10 hour shift the very first night I got them, and never had a single problem. The leather is very high quality, not the knock-off stuff that you get with cheaper boots.Con's:1.) Although I stated these boots fit wonderfully (which they do) I would say however, that they run "slightly" big. I always struggle with finding the right size footwear for my awkward, flat feet. My foot ALWAYS falls between a size 9 and size 9.5. I took a gamble and bought a size 9 (Iknow, I like to live life on the edge...) and I found that the size 9 might be a hair too big, but so minimal that I don't notice it after walking around in them for a minute. Although it might just be me because I am very anal and like my boots to fit perfectly snug around my entire foot.2.) There is no zipper for the lazy men like me that have to untie and tie them back up at the beginning and end of every shift.3.) The shoe laces that come with the boots are longer than the Boston Marathon so I had to wrap them around my boot a couple times before tying them up.4.) The shoe laces that come with the boots are almost too thick for the boot which makes it hard to loosen and tighten them, therefore making it hard to get your foot in and out of the boot.As you can see, the Pro's heavily outweigh the Con's. For the price, comfort, and quality of these boots, I shouldn't be complaining about the boot laces (However, I do highly recommend that you buy a pair of 72" thin black workboot laces, which will compliment these boots perfectly...) I WILL BE BUYING THESE BOOTS AGAIN once my first pair wear out! I highly recommend them!
✔ Verified Purchase
J
Joseph McCormick
January 04, 2026
Comfortable boots
Nice boots but could use a pull loop on the back
✔ Verified Purchase
D
Daniel Tomkinson
March 16, 2024
These are the best damn boots I've ever owned.
Boots arrived in 4 business days, which is great, because I didn't realize they had to pass through customs. They fit great, the insole is well cushioned. First work I did was in marshy wet areas of the farm and I was walking in water for hours and my feet stayed nice and dry. Even when the water level was above the tops of the boot, the water never got in. On unlevel ground I never felt any slip, the treads did a fantastic job of grabbing the wet ground. My wife was in her Mucks and her soles are separating and her feet got soaked. My toes stayed warm and dry!I would buy these boots again in heartbeat, except...I don't believe I'll ever need another pair of boots!As Terry Pratchett once wrote in a discourse on poverty:“The reason that the rich were so rich, Vimes reasoned, was because they managed to spend less money.Take boots, for example. He earned thirty-eight dollars a month plus allowances. A really good pair of leather boots cost fifty dollars. But an affordable pair of boots, which were sort of OK for a season or two and then leaked like hell when the cardboard gave out, cost about ten dollars. Those were the kind of boots Vimes always bought, and wore until the soles were so thin that he could tell where he was in Ankh-Morpork on a foggy night by the feel of the cobbles.But the thing was that good boots lasted for years and years. A man who could afford fifty dollars had a pair of boots that'd still be keeping his feet dry in ten years' time, while the poor man who could only afford cheap boots would have spent a hundred dollars on boots in the same time and would still have wet feet.
✔ Verified Purchase
