In some parts of the country, it’s already pretty chilly. Do you have your boots ready? Um, we sure do! I was asked to review the The Empire Hi WR boots, so I let my husband try them out for me! He’s pretty happy with them.
Let’s start off with the style, shall we? This particular pair is black, but you can get them in different variations of black, brown, and grey. Um, they look sharp, and are versatile enough that they can be worn with a work uniform or jeans. Or a Santa suit. I bet Santa wears Lugz too.
The upper is water resistant and the seams on these boots are nice and tight, so there won’t be any fraying with normal use, and they should make it through a few years with no problem. They’re also high enough that puddles and smallish snowbanks won’t SLOSH into the top of them if you walk through them.
The soles have nice deep grooves in them so that you won’t slip, slide, or skid across the mud or snow when walking and they’re nice and light, which is also a plus. Men and women can BOTH relate to the heavy boot… you don’t want to wear them a lot because it’s like wearing ankle weights all day, and heavy boots put extra strain on your back. These are also very flexible, so they’d be great hiking boots too (or for hunters in the woods – deer season is coming up shortly!). Stiff soled boots are actually dangerous because they don’t allow for the natural movement of the foot, so the person wearing them is at a greater risk for injury. The sole is also a perfect height – enough to get through the snow and mud, but at the same time, not so high up so that walking feels unnatural.
Another problem with many work boots is the comfort level. It’s tough to find comfort and function in the same boot, but these have solved that problem as well with the Flexa-stride memory foam sockliner. That’s a very nice addition to the padded tongue and collar. It seems that Lugz has really solved many problems for the boot-wearer.
This pair isn’t steel toe, so it’s probably not the best boot for those in construction trades, but Lugz makes other boots with the steel toe reinforcement that also look really good and have the same comfort level. In addition, they make all sorts of different styles for women and children.
As far as price goes, these are pretty comparable. They’re not much more than the price of cheaper boots, honestly, and you get a lot more for your dollar.