Should You Buy Red Wing Boots? Yes, Absolutely.

"My first pair of Red Wings was a gift, a hand-me-down from a studio photographer I worked with who didn't have the patience to break them in properly. A classic pair of Moc-Toes. He had bought them in a rich navy blue by accident, and instead of returning them, rubbed on black shoe polish and called it a day. Surprisingly, it worked: the boots had a depth and hue to them richer than the man-in-black versions straight from the retailer."

"Unfortunately, I worked for a rival shoe company at the time with a strict no competitors footwear dress code and had to be discreet about my Red Wings. It was an illicit rush, sneakily wearing them during company happy hoursthese boots were better than anything we produced in-house. Red Wing Classic Moc I wear a lot of boots. It's both a professional and a personal interest."

"But you'll pry my Red Wings from my cold, dead feet. It may be the Midwesterner in me. Michigan and Minnesota have their differences, like Minnesota misrepresenting the number of lakes it has (don't Google that, I'm lying to you to protect my own state's ego), but there's a home town pride that Red Wing still makes its heritage collection boots right here in the U.S.A., across the big lake from me in aptly named Red Wing, Minnesota."

A first pair of Red Wings arrived as a hand-me-down Moc-Toe accidentally bought in navy and darkened with black polish to a richer hue. The boots were worn discreetly while employed at a rival shoe company, creating an illicit thrill. The narrator has extensive boot experience across many makers but remains fiercely loyal to Red Wings. The company still manufactures a heritage collection in Red Wing, Minnesota, celebrating roughly 120 years of production. The boots convey a humble, old-fashioned character tied to hometown pride and American-made craftsmanship.

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