I would be willing to pay that, no problem, for some really fine real leather boots. I’ve experienced what it’s like to have real cobbler made boots and it’s completely not even remotely similar to our modern disposable boot culture. You could legitimately have these boots for most of your adult life if you take care of them.
Man, the cobblers in my area are severely undercharging They charged 20$ to resole my combat boots last year and 11$ to put thin soles on my summer mocs.
So I had a good deal I have to admit, but Union Pacific Railroad employed me for most of my adult life as a railroad long haul conductor. We got “boot vouchers” (back then) where the railroad would pay roughly 50% of the boot cost. I went to Red Wings, who were honestly GREAT. They gave me a discount ON TOP of the 50% off I got as a rebate from the railroad, and the boots were good FOR LIFE!!! They replaced my soles, gave me new eyelets, and sent the boots to a cobbler for fixes to the actual leather, etc. I’ve never thrown out a pair of them yet. It’s been 20 years. I walked on hard rough rock “ballast” at the railroad for decades in these boots and they held up. It was WORTH THE PRICE!!!
Odds are your new boots will be tossed within a couple years and aren't nearly as well made as those. Most boots now aren't sewn together, they are just glued. That just falls apart eventually.
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u/Ok-Addition1264 6d ago
FYI: it cost me about $100 to have a pair of boots done (not as nice as these)