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momo6548 t1_iw9vx6e wrote

Boots can never truly be “for life” but I’d personally avoid a zipper if you want them to last as close to a lifetime as possible.

Zippers are often the first thing to fail on boots, and are a huge pain to replace. Boots can be resoled and leather can generally be repaired, but a broken zipper can kill a boot (this is my personal experience and opinion).

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Muncie4 t1_iw9wr8x wrote

https://www.amazon.com/Thorogood-Mens-Side-Jump-Gen-flex/dp/B002QQ8U80

You should google goodyear combat boots zipper and see what you like that fits your budget. Step zero is to know your shoe size as you, respectfully, likely don't. Use a Brannock device at a local shoe store or print and use https://www.golflocker.com/images/dynamic/Allen_Edmonds/Allen-Edmonds-size_and_fit_guide.pdf and also know your men's shoe size. Reason for this is that there are MANY more men's options and if you know your men's size, you likely doubled the field to choose from.

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JimmyBGlass t1_iwaacvz wrote

https://nicksboots.com/

Handmade in Spokane Washington, very high quality boots, 2 different zipper models (Patrol and Station), any of their boots can be ordered in any size and width (from AA to FFF).

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Rocksoezy t1_iwla4qz wrote

This or whites are probably the only true buy it for life boots.

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F-21 t1_iwonyow wrote

Franks boots, JK Boots and Wesco are usually considered higher quality than those two.

Nicks and Whites seem to have the most publicity and fame.

They're all of course extremely good, but they also all cost about the same.

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BeginningCharacter36 t1_iwrpo20 wrote

If money is no object, I would head to an army surplus store and grab anything Swiss or German if you really want quality (based on my own shopping/browsing). Mind you, I just have "cheap" Terra combat boots intended for the Canadian military, and they're very supportive, with an aftermarket gel cushion insole that makes them genuinely comfortable. I only wear them when I absolutely need excellent ankle support and a steel toe, so they look a year old despite being nearly a decade. And breaking them in requires a metric crapton of mink oil.

A zipper is just a failure point that will have you sending them to a cobbler every few years, especially if you're actually out in harsh conditions. Plus, don't step in a puddle, you will in fact get wet.

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