Blundstones are fab. They are truly the urban boot of choice. I love them.
Pros:
- Almost indestructible. They last for years.
- Weather proof.
- Very comfortable for the right foot.
- Easy on easy off (once worn in).
- Styles can work in very casual and less casual settings. More versatile than they might initially appear.
- Insoles available, including warm insole.
- Different soles on different styles -- lug sole on some for more wintery conditions.
- Removable insoles.
Cons:
- People with extremely high arches or wide/ high volume feet can't get them on.
- People with very narrow feet might find many styles too wide.
- AU sizing is a bit hard to figure out. Half sizes in most styles are not longer, but wider, which is useless for narrow feet with long toes.
- Might not provide enough foot cushioning for walking on pavement long distances (could exacerbate PF -- it did for me).
- In the wrong style, provide zero grip on icy roads. (Lug soled styles probably better for this, to a degree -- but remember these were built originally in Oz and not for Canadian winters).
- In wrong style or with wrong insole, not warm enough for Ontario winters. The winter style is evidently better and the warm insoles also help a lot.
Unfortunately, only certain styles work for me -- it is a sizing issue. Australian and UK sizes tend not to work well for me.
However, I *can* wear their chisel toe and their heeled women's boot. Alas, neither of those styles had the lug sole I needed for a chelsea boot this season and so I had to pass. I would otherwise have bought Blundstones instead of the Ecco walking boot I bought. Since I seem to be wearing down the Ecco boot at a rather astonishing rate, I may be returning to try a few more Blundstone styles next year!
In Finds is the "dressier" women's boot I have from them. I absolutely love these -- I don't need to wear a Superfeet insole because the last is exactly right, holds my foot in place, is snug in the instep (where I need it to keep foot in place). They were very difficult to get on an off at first due to my arch, but I persevered and now they are fine. They're surprisingly warm, too.
I've also owned the chisel toe in the past and that, too, worked pretty well for me, apart from developing PF eventually. In future, I might try on with Superfeet insoles int he store to see how they could work.
