Red Wing Iron Ranger

“I bought these for [Treat Yo Self 2024](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSjM5B3QNlw) last January, and figured I would post a review since I've had them for a year now. Construction: A+ as good as advertised. Not a single stitch is out of place. There's really not a lot to say here that hasn't already been said. Grant Stone has a reputation for top-shelf craftsmanship, and I can see now why that's the case. These boots actually sent me into a heritage footwear buying frenzy, and nothing has been able to live up to the standard that these set (except the plain toe shoes I recently bough from... Grant Stone). the one downside is that the shoe laces frayed and broke just last week. They are very thin and IMO far too long. Because of the sizing issues, I have to lace them pretty tight. This may have contributed to their failure. Size and Fitting: This is where they lose points. As is typical with heritage boots, Grant Stone suggests sizing down one half size from your Brannock size. I'm a 9.5D on the dot, so I ordered these in size 9D and they are absolutely C A V E R N O U S on my foot. If I don't have arch supports, my feet rattle around inside the boot. It's almost like they're a full size too big. Even my Iron Rangers, which have a reputation for running larger than other heritage boots, fit better than these. Unfortunately when I got these, I was too enamored by their looks to refrain from wearing them around. As a result, I didn't accept that they were too big until I had already worn them too much to return. Once I put an arch support in, however, they fit perfectly. The toe box is still a little bulky, though, and every now and then I accidentally scrape them when walking up stairs. The fitted heel counter does a great job of making the boots fit snugly around my ankles. Leather Quality: These are the crimson chromexcel leather. People like to talk about the "CXL lottery", and it's safe to say that I pulled a winning ticket on these. Maybe it was luck. Maybe it was mindful clicking on the part of GS. Maybe both. After a year of pretty frequent wear (2-3 times/week), the leather is completely broken in without any loose grain at all. I actually love the way it has developed ultra-fine wrinkles on the vamp. I tried a few different conditioners (Bick 4, Saphir greasy leather cream, and venetian shoe cream), and the clear winner was VSC. The CXL picks up scuffs and scratches pretty easily, but a tiny little dab of VSC followed by a horse hair brush usually makes them disappear. Style: They're super versatile. I've worn them with everything from jeans to suits, and they get people's attention everywhere I go. They're too chunky to wear with slimmer-fitting pants, but I just used that as an excuse to buy another pair of boots. Overall Impression: As I mentioned earlier, these were the gateway drug for me and heritage footwear. I've been chasing that dragon for a year now and the only thing that has come close w”