I Wore Red Wing Boots for 20 Years. Here’s Why I Stopped.

I wore Red Wing work boots for 20 years. Mostly the 2406 SuperSole 2.0 and the insulated, Gore-Tex-lined 2412. And for most of those twenty years, I was replacing them about every nine months. Not because the leather failed. Not because they lost traction. Because I kept wearing holes straight through the soles. I’ve spent twenty years working in garbage collection, pushing heavy dumpsters, climbing in and out of trucks, and walking through mud, gravel, grease, and just about everything else you can imagine. Those Red Wings took a beating, and there were plenty of things I genuinely liked about them. In this video, I’m breaking down what Red Wing got right, what drove me nuts, my experiences with warranty replacements and factory resoling, and what twenty years of buying these boots actually cost me. I’ll also explain how I discovered Nicks Boots and traditional Pacific Northwest boot construction, why breaking in my first BuilderPros was miserable, and the unexpected difference those boots made in how I felt after a long day at work. Would I still recommend Red Wing? Absolutely. But there are some things I’d want you to know before buying them. This isn’t a sponsored video. It’s twenty years of firsthand experience from somebody who actually worked in the damn things. Boots discussed: * Red Wing 2406 SuperSole 2.0 * Red Wing 2412 Gore-Tex / Thinsulate * Nicks BuilderPro Have you worn Red Wing SuperSoles? How long did yours last? Let me know in the comments, especially if you’re working in a trade that’s particularly hard on footwear. Subscribe to BootNerd101 for American-made work boots, heritage footwear, leather goods, and honest reviews from actual use. 🌐 https://bootnerd101.com #RedWingBoots #NicksBoots #WorkBoots #workbootreviews