Huh? You just said $325 to buy and 2x $125 soles over 10 years. That is 325 + $250 (77% of the original purchase price) + leather conditioner = ~$600 over 10 years.

>I don't think that's as unreasonable as you make it out to be. Resole through Redwings and it's $125. You can also resole through your local cobbler with a heavy duty sole for around the same price I bet. That's $550~ for 10 years of use including the price of the shoes, 2 resoles, and leather conditioner.

Nobody is vastly exaggerating anything. I am taking your numbers you just posted. You are spending $600 for boots over 10 years on the original $325 purchase. That also doesn't include the insole which you should be replacing every 6 months or so and is $40 or so, but lets say you only do it yearly. That alone adds in $400 over 10 years.

The reality is the majority of the costs are - shockingly - in the sole and insole which are what wear out in shoes. Including insoles yearly, that is $650 over 10 years for soles and insoles, whereas the original purchase was $325.