Red Wing 9268 Engineer Boots - 11”, Leather, Factory 2nds (For Men)

I just received these beautiful boots. I normally wear a size 10 I'm glad I went with a 9 in these. The fit wasn't as tight for me as other reviewers. I can tell after breaking them in they are going be perfect. .There was a slight difference on the left outside back of the 270 degree welt. Very slight. Other than the small holes at the top of the boots due to these being factory seconds I would not have thought they were 2nds. Top quality boot at a amazing price. Glad I pulled the trigger as red wing has discontinued these.

High quality boots. These are the Asia exclusive version. Vamp is tight as others mentioned, but you’ll want that in order for them to fit correctly. They fit true to size compared to other Red Wing Heritage (about 1 full size down from “normal” shoe size). 2nd quality defect was only very slight on one boot, at the top buckle area. Mine were punched with a small hole through the top inside calf, not at the back top as in photos.

These boots look great and are of the highest quality. I ordered a size 9 D, which fit perfectly. Similar to any good boot constructed for a rugged work environment, they will have to be broken in. For the first few times, sliding your foot into them will be tight, but, will loosen up. I wore them for about an hour inside the house so the leather could contour to the shape of my foot. You won't notice the steel toe and they get more comfortable the more you wear them.

The tea-dyed leather is gorgeous and full of character, and the stacked heel is slightly clumsy, though I can safely climb ladders, but the stack actually helps my back health (with a super thin gel insole, since I do work on concrete floors in these). Mine had a small scuff on the toe on arrival, no other visible flaws. They have a very small punch hole through the back of each boot, near the back top of the shaft, presumably to mark them as seconds.
I get compliments every time I polish these up and go out—they’re a classic old-fashioned round-toe engineer style, look great, and I’m glad I invested in them.

Now the caveat—breaking these in is a process. They’re a tight fit (as well as somewhat on The narrow side) to begin with, I had to do as other reviewers recommended and go up a half size. The first time I put them on I thought they were gonna squeeze my feet right off! Then, on the recommendation of a boot-wise coworker, I poured warm water into the boots and back out again the first 4 times I wore them, then gave them a good saddle-soaping and conditioning with Pecard’s Boot Oil. After that I would soak my thin wool socks in warm water before putting them on for another 10 or so times. Soaked and conditioned them again. Now, they’re well on their way towards acceptable comfort, while being protective enough for work (mine do have the safety toe) and terribly good lookin’.

The tea-dyed leather is gorgeous and full of character, and the stacked heel is slightly clumsy, though I can safely climb ladders, but the stack actually helps my back health (with a super thin gel insole, since I do work on concrete floors in these). Mine had a small scuff on the toe on arrival, no other visible flaws. They have a very small punch hole through the back of each boot, near the back top of the shaft, presumably to mark them as seconds.
I get compliments every time I polish these up and go out—they’re a classic old-fashioned round-toe engineer style, look great, and I’m glad I invested in them.

Now the caveat—breaking these in is a process. They’re a tight fit (as well as somewhat on The narrow side) to begin with, I had to do as other reviewers recommended and go up a half size. The first time I put them on I thought they were gonna squeeze my feet right off! Then, on the recommendation of a boot-wise coworker, I poured warm water into the boots and back out again the first 4 times I wore them, then gave them a good saddle-soaping and conditioning with Pecard’s Boot Oil. After that I would soak my thin wool socks in warm water before putting them on for another 10 or so times. Soaked and conditioned them again. Now, they’re well on their way towards acceptable comfort, while being protective enough for work (mine do have the safety toe) and terribly good lookin’.