Work Boot Best Buy

2024 - Volume #48, Issue #4, Page #13

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Work Boot Best Buy

Jim Ruen, La Crescent, Minn.: “KEEN work boots and their online store have earned my best buy nomination. Both are impressive.
    “I liked the looks of the 8-in. Camden work boots with their carbon-fiber toes. I spend enough time working with heavy logs and rocks that I value toe and foot protection. The carbon-fiber toes are lighter than the steel-toe boots I used to prefer.
    “The Camdens are oil and slip-resistant, which is important to me…no broken body parts are needed. They’re also EH-resistant should I step on one of my ‘should-be-thrown-out’ extension cords.
    “The treads are designed to give me the traction I need on my steep slopes, especially in wet, slippery conditions. The only downside is it can be hard not to carry bits of gravel into the house.
    “The boots claim to be waterproofed while still letting moisture escape. After a couple of months, I still haven’t walked through water to test their waterproofing.
    “While I could see all the product claims mentioned above on the website, I didn’t see the lace retention. I love it. The boots have hook/eyelet combinations for the upper two-thirds of the boot. You can use either or some combination, such as hooks for most of the way and then eyelets at the end for the most secure fastening.
    “For the most part, I just use the hooks. Unlike most hooks that secure laces, these are turned down on the ends to capture the laces. They also extend farther down than any other boot I’ve seen. This means the boot is loose and easily removed when you’ve unhooked the laces. It may be a little thing, but it’s welcome after a long day of hard work in my boots.
    “I don’t like ordering online if I can find a store with workers who know the product and how to fit it. That seems harder and harder to find. It was easy to access when I checked out the KEEN online store. I wasn’t sure about sizes, so I ordered a 10 1/2 regular and a 10 1/2 wide. The wide was too wide, so I sent it back at no cost.
    “Where the company really surprised me was later in the day, after dropping the boots off at UPS, an email arrived. The company had already credited me for the return. I was impressed. Some companies can take weeks to credit a return. KEEN really stands out, just like their boots.”

Editor’s Note: I put a lot of steps in at shows in different conditions. My go-to shoe for shows is the KEEN Targhee waterproof shoe. They hold up well and keep feet dry and comfortable all day long. -S.G.

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Work Boot Best Buy FARM HOME Clothes Jim Ruen La Crescent Minn : “KEEN work boots and their online store have earned my best buy nomination Both are impressive “I liked the looks of the 8-in Camden work boots with their carbon-fiber toes I spend enough time working with heavy logs and rocks that I value toe and foot protection The carbon-fiber toes are lighter than the steel-toe boots I used to prefer “The Camdens are oil and slip-resistant which is important to me…no broken body parts are needed They’re also EH-resistant should I step on one of my ‘should-be-thrown-out’ extension cords “The treads are designed to give me the traction I need on my steep slopes especially in wet slippery conditions The only downside is it can be hard not to carry bits of gravel into the house “The boots claim to be waterproofed while still letting moisture escape After a couple of months I still haven’t walked through water to test their waterproofing “While I could see all the product claims mentioned above on the website I didn’t see the lace retention I love it The boots have hook/eyelet combinations for the upper two-thirds of the boot You can use either or some combination such as hooks for most of the way and then eyelets at the end for the most secure fastening “For the most part I just use the hooks Unlike most hooks that secure laces these are turned down on the ends to capture the laces They also extend farther down than any other boot I’ve seen This means the boot is loose and easily removed when you’ve unhooked the laces It may be a little thing but it’s welcome after a long day of hard work in my boots “I don’t like ordering online if I can find a store with workers who know the product and how to fit it That seems harder and harder to find It was easy to access when I checked out the KEEN online store I wasn’t sure about sizes so I ordered a 10 1/2 regular and a 10 1/2 wide The wide was too wide so I sent it back at no cost “Where the company really surprised me was later in the day after dropping the boots off at UPS an email arrived The company had already credited me for the return I was impressed Some companies can take weeks to credit a return KEEN really stands out just like their boots ” Editor’s Note: I put a lot of steps in at shows in different conditions My go-to shoe for shows is the KEEN Targhee waterproof shoe They hold up well and keep feet dry and comfortable all day long -S G

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