Hands-On: Wolverine Raider 8″ Work Boots
By Sean O'Hara
How do you tell Toolmongers from average folk? Look at their feet! Flip-flops are for the pool (or community shower) and sneakers are perfect for walkin’ the swap meet. But around the shop, boots rule the roost. We’re a fussy lot when it comes to footwear, and we know that no single pair works for everyone. But when we recently got our hands on a few pairs of Wolverine Raider 8” work boots, we jumped at the chance to wear ‘em around the shop to see what would happen. Hint: they’re very comfortable and durable as hell.
The Boots
Before donning a new pair of boots, we first see how much grunt it takes to crunch the toe up. The harder it is to bend the boot in the middle, the harder it’ll be to break in the boot and the more punishment you’ll take over the course of the day. The Raiders felt stiff, but very flexible — a good sign.
Wolverine claims the Raiders’ flexibility comes from an improved contour welt — a strip of material stitched between the boots’ sole and upper that keeps both parts flexing correctly as you walk. If this band is too stiff, so are you after a hard day’s work.
The Raiders also feature free-floating rubber pads on the sole, dubbed MultiShox. These pads provide slip resistance (even on oily surfaces), but also flex individually to give the wearer a sturdy grip on slightly uneven surfaces. Combined with a removable padded insole, the MultiShox also give the boots cushioning for additional comfort.
All this is wrapped in an attractive, durable leather upper. These are great-looking boots.
Read on to page two for our in-use experiences.
September 22nd, 2008 at 1:55 pm
I had a pair of 8″ Multi-shox, and found the soles to be too soft for construction work. I wore the soles, and through the footbeds in abotu 6 months. I have not tried the dura-shox, but I was not impressed. I can get about 2 years out of Justin loggers versus the Wolverines. They may be alright for warehouse or shop work, but definitely not for the jobsite.
September 22nd, 2008 at 5:03 pm
There are a lot of good boots out there, and Wolverine is one manufacturer of them. Several years ago however, I needed boots, and bought a pair of Texas steer boots from K mart, still wear them, and they have outlasted all other boots I have purchased.
September 23rd, 2008 at 8:07 am
Wouldn’t that be Feet-On?
September 23rd, 2008 at 9:48 pm
Are these snake proof? They look like they would be good hunting boots…
November 1st, 2008 at 11:15 am
I bought this boot for work from a local dealer. I wear these boots approximately 2 days per week in an environment that is not particularly harsh. After 10 days, the boot’s uppers began to come unstitched. The local dealer replaced the boots. Now, after about 60 days, one of the metal lacing lugs has broken (not pulled through the leather) and the local dealer says he can’t help me. I did find the boots very comfortable with easy break-in. However, the quality of construction and materials used seems to be very lacking. I am reluctant to recommend this boot.
November 9th, 2009 at 4:51 pm
[...] retired those chunkers in favor of his current boots, pictured above: some Wolverines he wore for a week to test for you. Obviously Wolverine didn’t want them returned after he wore ‘em. So if [...]