Customer Reviews Red Wing Heritage 6" Iron Ranger Lug

Ok here is the trick - buy one-half size down and buy a quality insole like the Superfeet Greens and these will be a lifelong friend. And see below for my break in trick... If you don't use an insole you should probably buy a full-size down but be ready for a hard sole with significant foot fatigue. I hear after substantial break in the sole becomes a bit softer, but let's be clear, you really want to buy an insole for these boots. And don't be discouraged if your angle or even lower shin is sore or bruised as these are a heavy leather that needs broken in over several days or even a few weeks. My advice - wear them for a half-day to break in the leather a bit, and then give a good coat of Redwing Mink oil after warming the leather with a hair dryer. The warm leather will soak the mink oil right up. Wipe off excess oil. Leave sit overnight, wipe off any seepage in the morning and then wear a half day again. Wear it in half-day increments until they are comfortable to you. Note that you should NEVER use cheap shining products or oils on these. No synthetics!! Mink oil is best and if you warm up the leather and give these a good oil after a day of wear they will soften up faster.

This is an update to my last review. I want to love these boots, they look great, are really well made, heavy leather etc. Just good old school boots. Problem is that there was a extra fold of material in the right boot right where the tongue meets the shoe upper. I can't break it in at that point and it's painful enough that I can't wear them. Brought them to a Red Wing store and the owner confirmed that there's a problem with this pair. Wore them too much for Zappos to take back so I'm trying to deal with Redwing. Way too much money to have this problem. Next time I'll buy from the local store to avoid this. Oh well.

I don't understand how they can be charging so much for these. Leather is high quality but the construction is terrible. Speed hooks were completely uneven making the leather bind in weird ways when you laced them, even the cap toe was about an inch different between the boots. Immediately returned and won't be bothering with Red Wing again.

I own many boots from Red Wing and this is my 4th pair of Iron Rangers. Just order a half or one size down than your regular sneakers/shoes. The break in for IRs will be very painful , wear them with thick wool socks. You will not want to wear another boots once these have broken in and molded to your feet shape.

The quality of this boot is fantastic. It's certainly better than my last pair of boots (which lasted me about 5 years). The leather is of high quality and is very comfortable after finding the right size. Only time (and hopefully a lot of it) will tell if they're as quality as they seem. Speaking of sizes, I normally wear 11 in boots, but 10-1/2s sometimes work too. Again with boots, I try and get extra-wide. I ordered 10-1/2 wides from Red Wing's official site. These were like buckets on my feet. I returned them and ordered 10s (non-wide) from Zappos, and they fit like a glove. These boots do run large, no doubt. Find the right size and they're magical.

These boots do not disappoint. Yeah ... they're pricey, but built well with amazing leather. Like other reviews, they do run 1/2 size larger, so scale down. They don't come with any insole, so I ordered a pair of Dr. Scholl's AIR-PILLOW insoles and they're perfect. No break-in period for me, but maybe that's because I wear boots all the time. Before wearing them, I gave them a healthy dose of Brick 4 leather conditioner and they're like a glove. I have worn them straight for the last 2 weeks; a perfect boot for the start of Fall. I give them 5-stars because they met my expectations. Excited to see these boots patina over time.

It's typical for Iron Rangers to run one size larger, order down one full size.

I purchased mine 3 months ago and I just can't go back to wearing any other boot or shoe. I use shoe trees at the end of the day to keep them nice and dry and to remove any moisture. It's been comfortable on my feet since the day one but it feels as if it keeps getting better with use. I do not like to wear any insoles and it was a great call reading other reviews first and then going to a Red Wing store next to actually try it on. One full size smaller is what i did and I'm glad. It needs to be a snug but with room at your toe box and then you wear it and let the boot break in. They develop a character of their own the more you wear them. scuffs cum off very easily by just rubbing them or using a damp towel. I took it to Red Wing Store to adjust a few of speed hooks. They didn't ask any questions were I purchased them from and gladly did the service and applied Red Wings new Cream to them which does not change the color of the boots. I don't often write reviews but I had to on these boot. I waited a long time to buy it and I'm very glad I did. I will be buying another pair very likely in Charcoal or Black. Buy it. you will be glad you did. Worth every dollar.

The Rough and Tuff Copper Iron Ranger leather is very nice looking. The leather will gain more character over time and will darken with Red Wing boot conditioner products. The sizing does run large. I wear a size 11D Red Wing steel toe work boots. I ordered a size 10D Red Wing Iron Ranger and they fit perfect with the same socks that I wear with the Red Wing steel toe work boots.

5 stars for style, 1 star for comfort. Definitely the coolest looking lace up boots on the market. But, absolutely no cushioning at all. Feels like walking on bricks, especially under the heels.

Ordered a half size down and it’s a perfect snug fit. I might be an older last but it’s snug in the heel and plenty roomy in the forefront which is my preference. I ordered the Black Harness leather and I should name them the “Cast Iron” Rangers because of the matte appearance. The leather is thick but feels quality. Red Wing owns their own tannery and they have great control of the the leathers they pick which is their secret sauce. Along with quality construction these are great American Heritage workwear. These will look good with selvedge Denim and a chambray or denim shirt, maybe a Black Carhartt Detroit jacket or black Denim Jacket. Buy less, buy better

Stiff right out of the box. This review is on day 1 so can’t speak to break in period. Boots are great looking. Rugged but stylish. I can see why they last a long time, but I could imagine a boot being heavier and better-made. $350 feels like a lot, but I think that better boot would be $500+ and made by hand. I wanted something more rugged than my AE’s, which I’m scared to get dirty. My old JCrew Kenton cap-toes lasted literally 8 years but recently got a hole between the vamp and upper and are hard to get on and off. I’d buy those again and I recommend them but they’re out of stock right now. I wear an 11 in “normal” shoes, 10.5 in AE, 12 in running shoes (a little large for toe spread). A 10 in these is snug on the sides but I think is going to be the right fit; toes have some room. I’ll update review if I think about it after break-in.

Sturdy boot. Very well made. Break-in period is not too bad if you take it slow and wear thick socks. Wearing them gives you +2 to perceived manliness.

About a month ago, after reading all the advise, I went to my local Red Wing store, and put my feet in the Brannock device. I'm a 9D on the left, and almost a 9.5D on the right. So, the very nice Red Wing lady brought me out a few sizes to try. She brought 8.5 to 10.5, which confused me a bit as everything I'd read said get the boot's size smaller than your Brannock size. So, I started with the 8.5. It was roomy, didn't fit snug anywhere, and was a too long. So, I asked about an 8, which she brought out. It was snug, but not uncomfortably so...so I thought, "fits like a glove". I told myself, 8 must be the right size without an inner sole, and 8.5 would work with an inner sole. A week later, I was TDY in Virginia, and I was digging through a Nordstrom Rack, and I found they had a pair of the Beckman Round 9061s in 9.5. I knew they'd be too large, but I tired them anyway...yep, way too big. They said they didn't have anymore, but I'm pretty good at finding the unfindable, so I looked around for myself. I found a 7.5 Blacksmith 2961s (made for Japan, but I guess the seconds ended up in the US) , and figured, "What the heck, give it a try." I was already expecting the stiffness, due to the leather type/thickness...but I wasn't expecting to find what "fits like a glove" really means. WOW! I was thrilled to snag the 7.5s, and I updated my Red Wing thoughts...7.5 is my size without inner sole, and 8 is with inner sole. (I don't know what the official colorway is for my 2961s, but my daughter's first comments about them were spot on. "Dad, they look like Kidney Beans." I thought, "Exactly! Soooo cool.") A week after that, I snagged a pair of the Iron Rangers 8119s (Oxblood) in an 8. Then, some Beckman 9013s (Chestnut), also 8s. The Beckmans I use an inner sole, but the Iron Rangers I don't... Still with me? The moral to this story, when you try these on, go smaller than your Brannock Device sizing...and keep going downward until you find 'too small'. If your toes are against the front of the boot...too small. If you can't get your foot into the boot, even with a shoe horn (use them!)...too small. If you foot pops into them, and they are grabbing your foot, like a good leather work glove...congrats, you found your size.

Update to previous review from last week. 2nd order of same boots resulting in same issue of different sizing between left/right boot even though they are both marked 10 D. This time left boot fit perfect, but the right one measured 1/4 inch shorter heel to toe. Overall dimensions of right boot are 1/2 size smaller. Sole stitching wasn't straight and leather around toe cap wasn't stitched properly. These quality control issues are a complete failure at this price-point. Returning them and unfortunately have to eat $200 in gift cards because Zappos cannot deliver a 1st quality product.

I went a full size down and fit perfectly

Read this first! Okay so Zappos is awesome as always. The first pair I received were defective, this happens with Red Wings. You might get a good snug fit on one foot and loose on the other. This isn’t normal, also the finish on each boot should match. If you get something that isn’t right, let Zappos know. They took care of the issue and the second pair fit as expected. Tight!!!! Very tight but not uncomfortably when sitting. It takes time to break in the leather. It isn’t going to happen in a day. If you wear them continuously for about a week, they’ll end up fitting like a leather sock. It’s incredible. If you don’t like it being too tight, then order a wide. Sizing. I’m a 9 usually. But in redwings I order 2 sizes down to get the glove like fit. If you plan on using insoles or thick socks, then 1 size down should do it. Who are these boots for??? Honestly people. The soles of these boots are essentially cork and leather. They’ll mold to your foot over a short period of time and will be incredibly comfortable in that regard. However… if you typically wear highly cushioned shoes; you’re gonna probably hate these. Once these mold to your feet they’ll feel like expensive dress shoes. The balance between the heel and toe is on point which makes you feel confident with each step and gives you a very tactile feel to the ground. Again. Probably not gonna like these if you’re expecting some magic cushion. There is almost zero cushion and that’s fine; it works. Almost feels like barefoot shoes if that makes sense.

Love these boots! I think this is my 6th pair. As a contractor, I put a severe beating on these boots everyday! No other boot holds a candle to the Iron Ranger boots - not Chippewa, not Frye, not Thorogood, not anyone. As for the lack of arch support - I put an aftermarket arch support in and they're comfortable all day.

I’ve owned iron rangers in the past and never really liked them. Either too big or too small or not comfortable. That was until I actually ordered the right size. It truly pays to try them on in a store first to get an idea what the fit is supposed to be like. Once that’s settled, like everyone else says, they fit and wear like a glove.

Ordered 1/2 smaller than usual, and they work well. Very heavy, very well built boots.

Almost all my shoes are a 9. I had to return and get a 7.5 but that now fits perfect. They aren’t comfortable but I understand they are meant to wear in and conform to my feet with time.

Still new, so I cannot comment on how they will hold up. They are, however, comfortable to start with. From reviews of these types of boots, they will age and form to my foot more and become even more comfortable. Per many reviewers, I did purchase a full size down... normally I am an 11, but bought a 10 and that was the right call.

The Red Wing Heritage line quality has gone down drastically over the last 2 years. Buying a pair online feels like spinning a slot machine and hoping you get two pairs that actually look like they belong together. My last attempt had missing glue near the ball of the foot so every step I took it made a POP. Annoying! Can't recommend but if you do buy, purchase .5 size down from your usual tennis shoe.

Awesome boot, after fitting at brand store, went down a whole size and up width, also I use an insole

What more can be said about this boot. The Iron Ranger is an American legend, and for good reason. It also seems like Red Wing increased the spi which only enhances the look of the boot. For sizing advice. I’m a 10.5D on Brannock device and the 10D fits perfectly (down half size). For anyone with an E or wider foot go for the EE width.