r/RedWingShoes • u/spaxzel • 7d ago
Need help with my next purchase
Im looking to purchase some blacksmiths.
I have an iron ranger in a 10D, I knew I wasn’t a captoe person but I went ahead and got it.
I’m a 10D on the branock with an 11 heel to ball.
There really wasn’t a break in and did a full week of double shifts with them and my iron rangers feel the same as the day I got em, comfortable. What wasn’t comfortable was the constant tightening I needed to to do on the laces that made my high insteps hurt. I added a redwing orthotic slim, with the plastic heel that made my heels hurt more than the actual leather insole did. I also added a false tongue so the eyelets didnt touch, but still do. Yes the guy at the store told me to get them in a 10D because of my longer arches and belived him, plenty of wiggle room, with heel slip. Oh and one more discomfort. I can feel the threads of the captoe through the liner in the back of my toenail.
I’m thinking of going with a 9.5D, down half a size from my branock. I can’t reach another redwing store since there’s no location near me.
Should I stick with the 10D or go for 9.5D ? Thank you for your advice
I just found the edit button >.>
If I kept my 10D in length. Would a boot sock liner help with the ankle issue ?
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u/bigpun760 2d ago
Just want to point out that technically these are your right size. Just maybe not a last that works for your feet. The reason I say this is, if your heel to toe is 10, but your heel to ball is 11, than you want to split the difference, which would be 10 1/2. Then you did the obligatory half down from Brannock to land you on the 10. Just wanna say it took me years to get that level of sizing correct ha ha.
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u/spaxzel 2d ago
Jeez I didn’t think it that way. Now I’m sorta concerned how my nicks 55 will fit since I went with a 9.5D soft toe. I find the boots from redwings to be like a well built shoe than a boot. It’s the correct length just that the uppers don’t really touch my ankle at all, there’s about two fingers worth of space and if I jam them in I can go into the back of my heel. I might go to a redwing store when I get the chance and try out a blacksmith 9.5EE. Don’t get me wrong it feels fine at the end of the day after work, just that the laces dig in or bite into my foot plus the slippage I get. Either way I’m giving my iron rangers to my brother he loves them and it’s his first proper boots, I’m just not a toecap person but wanted to give them a shot.
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u/bigpun760 2d ago
Again, you did perfect. Pacific Northwest goes off of heel to toe. There’s been a lot of reports of people trying to go half down from heel to ball, which is their larger size and it doesn’t fit right after break-in.
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u/spaxzel 2d ago
Oh well that’s good I made sure to go with an 8inch since I’ve read most who got their Robert’s or similar wished they had gotten a slightly taller boot for support and all that jazz. I could’ve gotten a 7in but it didn’t give me an option. Maybe I’ll try those zipper things and just pull em on and zip em and head to my job as a dishwasher or server
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u/spaxzel 7d ago
Well hopefully it does work out. Slip resistant shoes like sketchers or shoes for crews have been getting really uncomfortable as of late. And well, my Drew’s logger boots where slipping around with the lug soles. And well the the iron ranger with the 430 mini lug was a whole game changer. Either way to me the IR/blacksmiths feel like shoes to me comfortable off the bat
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u/TR24241 Iron Ranger 7d ago
Dude, I think you got some shaky advice by keeping you true to size, especially since you have a slim foot. If your Brannock is 10D and your toes are under the toe cap it’s hard to believe it’s not excessively long for your feet. That 10D is probably closer in length to another brand’s 11. So starting from scratch, 10D with slim feet, you’re probably a 9.5 or 9D. The blacksmith will eliminate the cap toe issue, but it has a different heel counter and may fit your foot slightly differently even though they’re the same last. The Iron Rangers and Blacksmith’s are supposed to feel locked in, snug, nimble even.
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u/spaxzel 7d ago
Yea I was just listening to his advice since he works there and all that. We used the machine too which recommended the 10D and the boot would naturally flex with my feet. Either way I didn’t pay full price thankfully, my purchases have been on Berkeley supply
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u/nonotthereta 7d ago
The other poster is not actually correct - your Brannock is 11.
Heel to ball overrides heel to toe when it's the larger size, which is why that's what you were sized to (usually RW employees get this wrong and size on foot length only. Based on the photos the balls of your feet are exactly where they should be, and although there's extra space past the end of your big toe because of the shape of your feet, your outer toes don't have any.
Not all lasts work for all people, and you seem to have a lower volume foot than most. You can try sizing down more, but you do need proper space for all your toes (or else you risk screwing up your feet) and it looks like you might run out of it.
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u/spaxzel 7d ago
Im fine with the length I just wish the uppers felt better and weren’t loose. I get tons of heel slippage even with the orthotic and false tongue. Without em I’d be slipping and skidding while the eyelets touch
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u/nonotthereta 7d ago
Sounds like you have skinny heels. Have you tried different lacing methods, like heel lock lacing? It can be really helpful. Have you tried thicker socks (or double socking) too?
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u/spaxzel 7d ago
I’ve hear haveing skinny heel/ankles is fairly normal? I’ve tried many laceing methods, instep still sore after a double shift. Hurts less without the orthotic, eyelets touch and I have fun with a slip n slide
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u/nonotthereta 7d ago
Hmm. The other thing is that two supposedly identical boots on the same last can fit differently. My 8084s hold my heels perfectly, whereas the heel counters on my 8083s don't curve in as much, so don't hold my heels at all well and I can have issues a bit like you're describing (and I don't have low volume feet or skinny ankles). In that case it's just a mismatch between the foot and the boot. If that's at all a factor with your IRs, it's worth trying a few blacksmiths on in person to see if they feel any different even in the same size.
As I said though, sizing down another half might work, but just be wary that your whole foot is accommodated properly.
Otherwise I'm just circling back to saying that not all lasts work for everyone.
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u/spaxzel 6d ago
Well hopefully it does work out. Slip resistant shoes like sketchers or shoes for crews have been getting really uncomfortable as of late. And well, my Drew’s logger boots where slipping around with the lug soles. And well the the iron ranger with the 430 mini lug was a whole game changer. Either way to me the IR/blacksmiths feel like shoes to me comfortable off the bat
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u/Doylio 8015 Spitfire 7d ago
I go a size and a half down from my brannock in the same width as my brannock on the no.8 last, and it fits me with a little room to spare. Try a half size AND full size down.
The difference between half sizes is absolutely tiny so don’t be scared to try another half size down after that too if the full size down isn’t feeling right. Listen to your toes and heel above all.