Red Wing Heritage boots, and how to buy them highly discounted

The Red Wing Heritage 877 is a boot model that I've wanted for for years, but I couldn't really justify another expensive Goodyear welted boot in my footwear collection.

A few years ago I owned the 6-inch brother to them, the 875, which I loved but ended up selling because I had too many boots at the time and not enough cash. It wasn't a decision I made lightly, but it was one I made with this in mind:

I will eventually buy the Red Wing 877 to replace the 875 boots I sold

It took a few years and buying other pairs of boots (from both RW and other brands), but I eventually decided to finally replace my once-beloved 875s — and that day was on March 23rd, two days after my birthday.

The order was confirmed that day and physically shipped Tuesday, the day after

I've been buying higher-end workwear and heritage boots like Red Wings, Allen Edmonds, Aldens, Wolverines, and much more since 2017. Let me tell you now: $208 for an 8-inch Red Wing Heritage boot is an absolute crazy bargain. And the 6-inch models are usually a little bit cheaper on this site too.

How to buy Red Wing boots for cheap

This pair specifically, the 877, I bought online from a company out of Denver (great city, I used to live there).

Red Wing Second - 877D- Red Wing Heritage 8″ Moc Toe - Factory SecondOnce the footwear choice of factory workers and scaffolders in America’s heartland, Red Wing’s 887 boot is crafted from oil-tanned Oro Legacy leather. Premium Goodyear welt construction secures to upper to its durable Traction Tred outsole, while two-toned taslan laces ties them off in heavy-duty style. Leather UppersBerkeley Supply

The exact listing I bought the boots from Sierra.com sells seconds too.

Berkeley Supply specifically sells Red Wing Heritage factory seconds , which is essentially a pair of boots that wasn't up to Red Wing's standards, but still good enough to sell to the general public.

RW moves these "lower quality" boots from their Minnesota factory to places like Sierra Trading Post (now called just Sierra).

Are factory 2nds actually lower quality?

Absolutely not. They might have small issues like an off stitch that doesn't affect the construction, or maybe a piece of leather with a blemish on it.

Red Wing Heritage, a label of Red Wing Shoes, was made explicitly to create boots the way they were made in the 20th century, way back when the company was founded. The label is targeted toward people that are into things like high end denim, heritage jackets, and Americana as a whole. And because of these higher standards for this line of boots, RW is also willing to take small losses where it matters, so that they are able to keep the effective vision of the label intact.

My personal experience:

I've owned at least half a dozen factory second boots from RW, and I'm also a major nerd about this stuff, so I consume content myself (usually via YouTube video reviews, but written reviews too).

Red Wing Heritage 8015 Brown Spitfire Blacksmiths, special non-USA edition. I moved these on, but these were factory seconds with no discernable issues. Wish I kept 'em.

From everything I've seen from other people? Same experience — RW Heritage b-grade boots are nearly as good as their firsts-quality boots, and most of the time we cannot even tell what's wrong with the boot.

My sneaking suspicion:

This maybe doesn't apply so much with their regularly sold models, but RW sells special makeups to places like Europe and especially Japan.

Since Red Wing is an American company, I believe they have staff that appreciate their fellow Americans that intentionally mark Japan-only models as factory 2nds so that they can be sold within the USA.

I don't believe they can ever admit they do that (they have exclusivity deals with Japan), but the fact that we can find so many good Japan-only RW boot models on our own shores leads me to think this is the case.

This would also make for smart marketing in general, because they can still hype up specific models, and enthusiasts know they can still buy them despite being Europe- or Japan-only models.

And my point? The 2nds boots are as good as the firsts-quality boots

The biggest thing that's "defective"? Just having 1 tiny pinhole punched into each of the boot or shoe's tongues to indicate 2nds quality. On a model like an engineer boot, the hole punch will be near the top in an inconspicuous place.

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You can use some leather filler to fill the tongue pinhole back in, then leave it like that or even apply a very small amount of dye to blend it in. The hole DOES NOT functionally matter, this is purely a visual/OCD move.

If you look closely at the top of these 9268 Engineer boots, you'll see I filled in the holes and painted over them. They're in a tasteful spot to begin with, hidden away where nobody would ever see the holes to begin with.

Other ways to save

I won't push too much about how 2nds are just as good as firsts, especially if we're purely talking about functionality. I think it's been stated enough over the years, and you can even verify it yourself by either watching YouTube videos or just buying some boots and returning them if you decide you don't want to keep them (be sure the place you're buying from allows returns).

However: not everyone wants seconds, sometimes people just draw a line and stick with it. In that case, the best way to save is to look in two places:

1. Amazon.com
2. eBay.com

On Red Wing's official website they sell models for this much (at the time of this writing anyway — prices are subject to change):

• Iron Ranger: $349.99
• 875: $329.99

On Amazon:

That's $65 and $72 in savings right there compared to RW retail price

I bought my 8085 Iron Rangers in 2017 for $212 before tax on Amazon. I still own and wear them today, nearly 9 years later.

As for eBay, that's self-explanatory but bear in mind that the boot you buy doesn't have to be used. Plenty of businesses, wrong sizes purchased, and people looking to make money quick will be on marketplaces like eBay. Same concept as Amazon, just a little more hunting on your end.

Wrapping up

Red Wing Heritage boots are amazing , no matter the price you buy them at. There's a reason guys have full closets of these and only two feet.

Whether you want to go directly into a store and buy-in right there for full price, or shop around and hunt for deals — both scenarios will end up with you wearing a great boot on your feet.

The break-in time for Red Wing boots can be tough for people, but once they mold to the shape of your foot and soften in all the right places... there's something magical that happens every time you put your boots on.

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Your thoughts are always appreciated! Do you own any Red Wing Heritage boots, or plan to buy any? Are they firsts, or seconds?