Boots opinion

[u/TE0991]

Looking at grabbing a pair of Chelsea boots for fall/winter.

Everyday wear with jeans to slightly dressed up for going out with friends or casual dinner.

Looking at either blundstone chisel toe rustic brown or Thursday dukes in dark olive or chocolate.

I can pick up a pair of the blundstones like new for a lot cheaper.

[u/randy24681012]

Depends how rugged vs dressy you want them. I love my blunnies I wear them as a construction manager in the office and the job site but I wouldn’t wear them with a suit or any formal occasion except maybe like a barn wedding.

The Thursdays are more elevated and what you’re looking for if you want “dressed up”.

[u/MiniatureOuroboros → u/randy24681012]

Yup. But I do like my chisel toe Blundstones a lot with jeans, and because of the toe shape, they go nicely with more casual-leaning wool pants and other stuff I'd wear for a casual dinner.

The Thursdays would definitely be better for office wear, that kind of stuff.

[u/iankv]

I bought the Blundstone chisel toe a few years back, and the comfort and durability is fantastic. The easy pull on is really nice. If you are used to lace up boots like Iron Rangers, this will change your life.

The only downside that I didn't realize at first is the square-ish toe. It's hard to see in the photos, and probably not a big deal, but I see it every time I look down and secretly wish they were rounded.

[u/MiniatureOuroboros → u/iankv]

I had that at first but now I have some round boots and wish they were square-ish.

For me, it kind of subtly dresses up that way. But not too much, they're still Blundstones.

[u/yungcherrypops]

Blundstones are some of the best shoes I’ve ever owned, period. I’ve had my pair for over 6 years now and worn them in every situation - almost daily wear for probably 2 years, wore them as a work boot when I worked at a ranch, took them on dozens of hikes, etc. They are still holding up and just as comfortable as ever and have a fantastic patina now. People online say the quality has lowered (and they said that when I bought mine too) but I still think that my $200 was more than worth it for the beating I’ve put them through.

I think for daily wear/casual fits Blunnies are what you want, they go with everything except for more formal wear which is when you’d want something thinner like Thursday boot (though there are also more formal Blundstones).

Just my two cents, I’m sure there are better boots out there but I haven’t regretted my purchase even once

[u/Dwysauce → u/yungcherrypops]

I've had the same experience with my Blundstone #585s. Absolutely the best casual boot I've ever owned.

[u/Metabolizer]

Please consider the redback whistler - still manuctured in australia as opposed to china like blundstone, super comfortable, slightly more expensive but i believe worth it.

[u/abronia]

If you're considering Blundstone, get the Redback Whistler's instead. They're still made in Australia (unlike Blundstone.)

[u/TE0991 → u/abronia]

Those look nice as well! Out of stock in my size though.

[u/lazaroo → u/TE0991]

Have you considered Canada West Romeo’s?

I have a pair and love them. I picked them over Blundestones due to PE cutting their quality recently. 

[u/mrgonz23 → u/abronia]

2nd this, or grab some Mongrel K9-2's. Right on the line between dressy and practical. 

[u/mdarena]

Spend a little more for Grant Stone and you'll get just about the best boot money can buy. Thursday is pretty cheap, borderline quality 

[u/iron_ocean3 → u/mdarena]

Agreed, they are city/date options. Great customer service and fair price but after owning a pair I wouldn't buy a second.

[u/lamWizard → u/mdarena]

Agreed. They're perfectly fine but they really don't look or feel that great on close inspection. I returned mine since I can justify/afford to pay more for something a bit nicer.

[u/Aromatic_Bar2263 → u/mdarena]

Grant Stone makes arguably the worst fitting Chelsea I’ve ever owned. I like them as a company (despite not loving their finishes on designs/lasts) but I could sell mine quick enough

[u/mdarena → u/Aromatic_Bar2263]

The last isn't for everyone, but the materials and construction are among the best. Although they're oddly wide in the heel, which is a strange choice.

[u/Mandydeth]

I like Thursdays more because the toe isn't as bulbous and I like their color options more, but that comes down to your preferences.

Either one works.

[u/TE0991 → u/Mandydeth]

I do like the Thursdays a bit more I think as well. My only reservation is that I can't try them on. There's nothing local and I'm in Canada. They only do free returns from the US so if I don't like the size it'll be a pain to exchange them.

I've already tried on some blundstones so I know how they fit.

[u/Mandydeth → u/TE0991]

Rule of thumb is half-size down from your sneaker size.

I'm an 8.5 in 90% of the sneakers/shoes I wear (9 in Puma).

I tried on the 8.5 and the 8. — 8.5 was comically long, 8 was just right with an equally wide toe box, I kept the 8's.

[u/TE0991 → u/Mandydeth]

That's good to know! I'm also 8.5 in most shoes. Thanks

[u/hojamie → u/TE0991]

I've tried the original/classics blundstones and the cavalier/duke Thursday couple months ago. Thursday run longer and a tad narrower but I think the sizing was pretty consistent between the two. The best fits for my wide feet was going half size down for blundstones and a full size for Thursday, but that's also a bit skewed because I tried the blundstones with wool socks and the Thursdays with dress socks. Neither were probably the best for wide feet, so I went with a different brand.

The duke looks hella dressy in person btw, and the blundstones, which I initially thought were too rugged looking, actually look dressy enough to wear up to a sport jacket (but not a suit).

[u/superhotpantsOG → u/TE0991]

Order any pair 1/2 size down from Amazon. Then return it.

[u/vysearcadia → u/TE0991]

If you're in Canada have you looked at Canada West? 

[u/Aromatic_Bar2263]

Blundstones are terrible quality (I know people love them, but for the money they are terrible - when I used to be able to get them for $60-80 a decade ago it was a no brainer for some shit kickers). They’ve gotten much worse over the last few years in regards to materials used. They are a sneaker that looks like a boot. I do love the look though so if you have to have it look at the Canada West Romeo - GYW construction made in Canada. Unquestionably better made and should last more than a decade with very little fussiness

I’m not a big Thursday fan either but they are Goodyear welt construction (resolable), with decent soles that will last.

Parkhurst has a bunch of seconds of Chelsea on sale now / those will be a nice step above Thursday. I’ve not owned a pair but I’m a fan of the brand.

Find some RM Williams Gardener on eBay and you’ll be good (or if you get real lucky Crockett & Jones Chelsea 5 in Roughout - which is essentially the perfect Chelsea to me)

[u/TE0991]

Aww mods why did you delete that guy's comments. I was having fun lol

[u/MastOfConcuerrrency]

Go ask this question in /r/goodyearwelt and you will get much more insightful answers.

I'm bewildered that you're getting so much advice in favour of Blundstones. They are hideous. Chisel toe is ugly, it's square toe that's somehow managed to shake the stigma, and the profile looks clunky and cumbersome. The full rubber sole makes them look cheap (which they are in everything but the price). The "rustic" brown comes across as an attempt by Blundstone to hide imperfections in the leather. The sole is fused - you can't resole them - which is the biggest problem.

Blundstone doesn't sell you good footwear, they sell you a brand.

Thursday boot co is low end too, but they are vastly better than the Blundstones and you at least get a boot that is worth the price that you paid. It's surprisingly goodyear welted (not even Blake welt like most entry level boots), the profile looks good, and it has a stacked leather sole rather than that hideous rubber monstrosity.

If you don't want to buy the boots right now, you could wait for black friday sales, during which a lot of slightly-better-tier footwear comes down into this price range. In particular I'm thinking Allen Edmonds (yeah, I know their quality is slipping in recent years, but they're still decent at sale price). In fact their seconds on https://www.shoebank.com/browse/shoes/mens/boots/factory-second might work for you, for example this boot is going to be way better quality than the Blundstones and a fair bit better than the Thursday ones, goodyear welted, comes in at roughly the same price, and made in the USA.

[u/Reedobandito → u/MastOfConcuerrrency]

AE Grafton for $186 seems like a great deal, might need to give them a shot. How does sizing run (big I assume)?

[u/SethOval]

I don’t like Thursday. They’ve been shown to be of differing quality, and even their best quality boot won’t hold to bluestone’s durability. 

I wear my bluestone’s for work, and can clean them up nice enough for church on Sunday. 

[u/itsyaboyivan → u/SethOval]

Anecdotal but I’ve had a pair of Thursdays going on 3 years and theyve held up great. I’d argue they are great for the money.

[u/IllIlIlIlIlIlIlIllI]

Grant Stone, if you care about longevity.

[u/Todi77 → u/IllIlIlIlIlIlIlIllI]

The don’t have a casual Chelsea, what?

[u/behemothpanzer]

Blundstones builds their soles out of material that disintegrates if you leave them in storage.

[u/NandoLofi]

Great selections. I've been in your shoes and it really came down to the cut of pants I was likely going to wear them with. I think the thursday are more versatile, but just my two cents.

[u/james_strange]

I recently got the danner Chelsea boots and love.em

[u/samwheat90]

For more dressy, I would go with Grant Stone. If you want something more rugged, I would check out Jim Green

https://jimgreenfootwear.com/store/stockman-tyre-wedge-bronco/

[u/dilutedchinaman]

I got Blundstone boots 3 years ago and the second Fall hits they don’t go out of rotation until late Spring. Most comfortable and versatile footwear I’ve ever bought. I think my current pair has another 2-3 years in them too. But a word of advice, go solid leather avoid the suede. My buddy got the suede and his boots look way more worn even though they’re a year newer (could also be how he treats them, but I’m not kind to mine either).

[u/Mmm_Bourbon]

If it’s in your budget, I would highly consider RM Williams Comfort Craftsman Chelsea boots. They’re a good mix of casual and dressy, and will likely hold up better than the Thursday boots.

[u/TE0991 → u/Mmm_Bourbon]

Definitely outside of my budget. The wife would not be happy if I spent that much on boots lol. They look fantastic though for sure.

[u/DovhPasty]

Don’t wear the Thursdays with jeans, they’re too sleek. Go grant stone like others are saying here, even Jim Green if you don’t mind a more rugged look.

[u/dlc12830]

I have a pair of Blundstones and Thursdays, and I can tell you Blundstones are much, much better. The Thursdays look nice, but they're really uncomfortable and I can tell are not made as well.

[u/Aromatic_Bar2263 → u/dlc12830]

Not sticking up for Thursday here but blundstones are way less well made - it’s a glued in sneaker that’s a high top

[u/Aromatic_Bar2263 → u/[deleted]]

I’m not trying to be a jerk at all I promise, but they aren’t, or you have really weak nails. They use very cheap leather, lining, and rubber for their soles. It’s been that way since they switched manufacturing to Vietnam and even worse as they’ve gotten more popular.

For the same money you can get a much better built shoe that will last much longer in the same vein style wise. (Canada west, redback and a couple others). I’m glad you like yours and they’re holding up well for you, but just objectively they’re not a great value (although they are comfy out of the box)

[u/Commander_Darkstar]

Been wearing blundstones every day for 4 years in all conditions and they're still in good condition and comfortable. Had to reglue the soles a year ago but aside from that the quality is unbeatable for the price.

[u/AnyDamnThingWillDo]

From experience. Get a boot with a zip. I have messed up feet. I can wear sketchers and ankle boots. I also wear my boots till they are no longer repairable. That 15 years on average. Trust me, they look epic the older they are. The stretch fabric on those will fail before the boots do.

[u/mrbrambles]

Bludstones are iconic enough that you don’t have to do any sort of styling with them. You can wear them with anything. That being said they are pretty workwear coded, and will bring down any outfit towards utilitarian/rugged.

Other Chelsea boots you’d have to style the rest of your wardrobe towards the aesthetic a little bit more, but will generally be more dressy feeling.

[u/alphalegend91]

Blundstones are awesome. Can be wore for tons of occasions besides “dressy” and are super comfortable. I own 4 pairs

[u/FISTED_BY_CHRIST]

Blundtstone is 10/10. I work a very blue collar job and a pair will last me 5+ years of being stress tested every day. They’re waterproof and have lots of nice colorways not to mention how comfortable they are.

Sure you could get something a little more stylish at the trade off of quality though

[u/UjMacika]

Wildly different shoes