The "Clown Shoe" Gets A Softer Nose - Red Wing Merchant Boot (Now $134.99 at Sierra Trading Post)

Red Wing Merchant (photo from Red Wing)

Read through enough reviews for Red Wing Heritage boots (I've written two on the Beckman and Iron Ranger myself), and you'll find a few common threads throughout. 1) They're solidly built with materials and construction that pace the price point 2) They're generally considered the gold standard for the entry level boot market, and 3) They sport one of the most bulbous toe boxes around. "Clown shoes" is a common descriptor, even if I don't quite agree with it being a bad look. And while many prefer the quality control and build of Red Wing over their closest competitors Wolverine's 1000 Mile line or Chippewa, the toe profile has long been a sore spot for a lot of guys that otherwise might have given them a try.

Merchant Boot in Ebony Harness

Last year Red Wing introduced the Merchant boot as an addition the the Heritage line, which uses the same "8 Last" the Beckman/Iron Ranger are built off, but notably includes a soft, unstructured toe. It's considerably more svelte, enough that on first glance I would never guess it to be a Red Wing. 

Red Wing #245 - photo from Life Time Gear

"The Merchant is based on traditional work boots from the 1920's, when Red Wing started making boots without toe reinforcement to provide a more comfortable fit without stress points. In 1929, 20 out of the 50 styles came without a toe-box. The "no toe-box" provides flexibility and comfort around the toe area. Style #245 from 1920 is the oldest and closest Red Wing work boot to the Merchant"...called "black chief" and was made without a toe-box. The black chief came with a plain toe and was raw cut at the quarter edge."   - Red Wing

For those looking for a more streamlined silhouette, the introduction of the Merchant boot is a great option for the <$300 price point. I haven't got my hands on them myself, but there's a great review and 9 month follow-up post written by Reddit member and bootmaker Sulucniv, who makes his own line of boots under the "Østmo" moniker. I really like how the deep ebony color has developed on Sulucniv's Merchants after some months of wear, in particular, which has lightened up into some gorgeous reddish brown hints at a few points.

New (above) and 9 months (below) - Reddit u/Sulucniv

The reason I'm talking about this now is that Sierra Trading Post just got a shipment in for the first time of the Merchant in Ebony Harness, seconds quality (usually mild cosmetic blemishes). Like most Red Wing and Wolverine stock, they're also eligible for extra 20-25% off codes, which come daily to some older members on the e-mail list. The bad news is that if you don't already receive these codes, there's no way you can sign up to get them. The good news is that you can just email me and I'll send you mine, as long as I'm not using it that day. Retailing at $319.99, they're listed at $179.99 on STP and available in all sizes at the time of this post, but a 25% off code comes out at $134.99 shipped, which is also $15 cheaper than how both the Beckman and Iron Rangers are priced normally. Size down 1/2 to a full size (I go down 1/2 from Brannock to wear with thick boot socks).

When you think about it, it's a bit funny that we've gotten accustomed to workwear being somewhat of an expensive thing to attain over the years, but deals like these help lower the cost of entry significantly.

Link to the Red Wing Heritage Merchant Boot at Sierra Trading Post

**Update 12/2017** - Red Wing Heritage is going to be putting out a ton of new models, with the Merchant just being one of several choices now with an unstructured toe. The new catalog was posted here, which shows a few models that look fairly similar, to be honest. The Williston, Sheldon, and Merchant are going to all be offered as new options, in addition to a Japanese market model named the "Flat Box." Even bigger news - the Beckman sounds like it's being discontinued in favor of the new slimmer-toed models. Woof.