Ahoy hoy folks. Considering the popularity of Redwing boots (who produces Irish Setter), I'm surprised to see these not reviewed, so hopefully I can provide some insight on them. First things first though, I did NOT buy these on amazon.com. I purchased them in an official Redwing dealer, and the service I received there was extraordinary. They polished the boots I walked in with for no charge before I even bought anything. and the staff was very friendly and helpful. I highly recommend going to one of these dealers if you are interested in these boots, or any Redwing/Irish Setter product.

Anyway, let's get down to business. These boots are in the Logger style, which typically means a rather thick sole and heel, as well as a more upward stance when wearing them. This is the first time I have tried this style of boot, but in the future I will continue to seek it out. The stance the boots put you in is far more comfortable and natural to me than the more flat sole/heel of more "traditional" work boots. It also seems to help me a bit in keeping good posture, which is a definite plus.

The leather and finish on these boots is top notch. I always used to buy black boots, but these were just so nicely finished I couldn't resist them. To the touch, the leather is very smooth, yet it also seems very sturdy and tough.

A feature I find to be very useful are the speedlace-style laces. Basically, it allows you to thread the laces from just above your ankle all the way up to the top in seconds. It makes taking the boot and on and off much faster than traditional laces where you had to thread them through individually.

The boots also have a steel shank, which should provide nice protection from sharp objects, however, you can feel it through the stock insole, especially at the tip. Thus, I recommend getting your preferred pair of insoles to add to these so you won't feel the shank.

After having these for only a few days, they already feel pretty broken in, which is very quick by most shoe standards.

As for sizing, they seem to be pretty true to size. I tried on some Carolina boots before buying these, and the sizing seems to be practically identical. I say, buy spot on whatever you normally wear, however you might want to go up a size if you plan on adding the insoles.

Overall, the initial impressions I get from these boots is very positive. They seem tough and ready to tackle whatever I throw at it. I will try to update in the future to see how they hold up. Thanks for reading.

6/20/13 Update: Ahoy hoy, folks. These boots are still going strong. They still look almost as good as the day I bought them and they are showing no signs of wear except for the amount of tread on the sole, but that's to be expected. I still highly recommend these.

9/4/2014 Update: Ahoy hoy again. It's been a year and a half and the boots are still great. The leather has been beat up a bit but that's mostly my fault from all the hell I've put them through. The sole is noticeably worn down as well, especially at the heel, however I'm pretty musclebound and walk hard so that might be again mostly my fault. Despite that, they're still chugging along!