Jack Snipe
goose on the loose
Well well well
- what gives here...?.....I didn't notice this earlier thread as I'd previously posted in the similar one about what boots / footwear to recommend that somebody else started. Anyway, as it's an interesting discussion nevertheless, allow me to take each point in turn....
By "decent" I would advise anyone who really needs a pair to last the course to avoid all that cheap foreign PVC rubbish - as they DO split after a very short time. For me it's always a case of choosing wellies wisely - if you can that is. For years I have always sworn by the old (now no longer called) Uniroyal make....I think they are now owned by Hunters outright but the company are now called Gates. However, being a purist (sad, I know) I don't like green wellies for aesthetic reasons, so the trusty old Argyll wellington has been the boot of choice for well over 25 years now (had my first pair way back when I was still in school in the early 80s). However, they don't make them like they used to - if they're still being made that is, which I think they are, but they ARE now very expensive - unlike when I fortuitously acquired mine when they were still relatively cheap (under £15) - which takes me to the next point....
Hunter wellies are now ridiculously expensive - over £40 for all sorts of mad colour varieties! And I think the Argyll sells for around the same now....I dare say they now sell well cos of the gimmicky/fashionable aspect, rather than the old practical aspect of days gone by when they were still known as Uniroyal - I do know that even now the old heavy duty boots they used to make for farmers and industrial needs have also been redesigned such that they look ugly and - most importantly of all - less durable than they used to be before. The best soles are the old cleated ones, these new commando ones some of the newer types are manufactured with are useless as the treads chip and break easily - I should know, two of my friends who work in the clay yard in Buxton have bemoaned how their newer more expensive Century 3000s have nothing like the durability of the old-style cleated-tread Argyll Safeties from the Uniroyal era, sadly. I actually took some photos of the broken treads of one of the newer pairs - (which actually, shockingly, resulted in a puncture making the boot unusable!! - and this for £45 a pair!) to send back to Gates/Hunter Boots Ltd. to protest at how they are no longer made to last like the old style. I could post them up if you wish to see them just to illustrate the point I'm making.
As Forest Knights said above, these agricultural shops which sell the specialist types of black wellies as well as the ubiquitous Hunter/green varieties tend to be rather pricey - and indeed these days it's almost normal to see a pair of decent black wellies retailing for over £40 and as much as £60-£80 a pair, which is just ridiculous. There was until recently a very durable make of welly called the BTR Bullseye which was the definitive old-style [agricultural] handmade boot - natural rubber with cushioned insoles and tough reinforced cleated soles. Much like the Uniroyal Argyll varieties but even stronger and designed for very tough terrain, they are somewhat heavier and bulkier-looking, especially round the toes and heels. As a result of this, they're not to everyone's tastes, especially if you want a narrower/ more snug fit round the heel. These have now - apparently - also been bought over by Gates/Hunter and are made in their usual flimsy style and sold at a huge mark up, but back in the day they were the best ones to have. They have always been a tad expensive but I was lucky enough to have found TWO pairs of these boots - brand new - at Oldham Tommyfield Outdoor Market (the army surplus clothing/footwear stand owned by a nice lady called Pat - she's still there now actually, usually pitched near the toilet/cafe block end of the site - give her a visit if you can) back in 1997, selling for an incredible £8 a pair - I bought both pairs - the other as a spare for any friends/guests on muddy walks etc...
The pair of Argylls I have - which are much lighter on the feet but extremely comfy due to ther cushioned insole supports - I have had for over 16 years now and they're still going strong - with treads intact - despite the battering I have given them over the years. Again, I was lucky enough to find a second pair going really dirt cheap (£5.00) at a car boot sale near Knutsford a couple of years ago - amazingly, these were as new and will come in handy as a replacement pair when my older pair finally bite the dust....
Of course, all these types are so pricey I certainly wouldn't think of spending that amount of money on them now - it's just pure good fortune that I found them when they were dirt cheap - usually at the best places to find them (i.e. NOT from the direct retailers or sellers!!)
I have included a few attachments showing these Argyll and Bullseye wellies - mostly taken on recent country walks/strolls/dog-walking sessions in the nearby vicinity, natch - for the benefit of those who don't know or remember what they look like. For years, both varieties were very common amongst labourers, farmers, jobsworths, contractors, etc... but of course now, only the more discerning amongst us will even possess them any more!
- what gives here...?.....I didn't notice this earlier thread as I'd previously posted in the similar one about what boots / footwear to recommend that somebody else started. Anyway, as it's an interesting discussion nevertheless, allow me to take each point in turn....Forest Knights said:
Corvus Corax said:
By "decent" I would advise anyone who really needs a pair to last the course to avoid all that cheap foreign PVC rubbish - as they DO split after a very short time. For me it's always a case of choosing wellies wisely - if you can that is. For years I have always sworn by the old (now no longer called) Uniroyal make....I think they are now owned by Hunters outright but the company are now called Gates. However, being a purist (sad, I know) I don't like green wellies for aesthetic reasons, so the trusty old Argyll wellington has been the boot of choice for well over 25 years now (had my first pair way back when I was still in school in the early 80s). However, they don't make them like they used to - if they're still being made that is, which I think they are, but they ARE now very expensive - unlike when I fortuitously acquired mine when they were still relatively cheap (under £15) - which takes me to the next point....
Frogbad said:
Hunter wellies are now ridiculously expensive - over £40 for all sorts of mad colour varieties! And I think the Argyll sells for around the same now....I dare say they now sell well cos of the gimmicky/fashionable aspect, rather than the old practical aspect of days gone by when they were still known as Uniroyal - I do know that even now the old heavy duty boots they used to make for farmers and industrial needs have also been redesigned such that they look ugly and - most importantly of all - less durable than they used to be before. The best soles are the old cleated ones, these new commando ones some of the newer types are manufactured with are useless as the treads chip and break easily - I should know, two of my friends who work in the clay yard in Buxton have bemoaned how their newer more expensive Century 3000s have nothing like the durability of the old-style cleated-tread Argyll Safeties from the Uniroyal era, sadly. I actually took some photos of the broken treads of one of the newer pairs - (which actually, shockingly, resulted in a puncture making the boot unusable!! - and this for £45 a pair!) to send back to Gates/Hunter Boots Ltd. to protest at how they are no longer made to last like the old style. I could post them up if you wish to see them just to illustrate the point I'm making.
bob hastie said:
As Forest Knights said above, these agricultural shops which sell the specialist types of black wellies as well as the ubiquitous Hunter/green varieties tend to be rather pricey - and indeed these days it's almost normal to see a pair of decent black wellies retailing for over £40 and as much as £60-£80 a pair, which is just ridiculous. There was until recently a very durable make of welly called the BTR Bullseye which was the definitive old-style [agricultural] handmade boot - natural rubber with cushioned insoles and tough reinforced cleated soles. Much like the Uniroyal Argyll varieties but even stronger and designed for very tough terrain, they are somewhat heavier and bulkier-looking, especially round the toes and heels. As a result of this, they're not to everyone's tastes, especially if you want a narrower/ more snug fit round the heel. These have now - apparently - also been bought over by Gates/Hunter and are made in their usual flimsy style and sold at a huge mark up, but back in the day they were the best ones to have. They have always been a tad expensive but I was lucky enough to have found TWO pairs of these boots - brand new - at Oldham Tommyfield Outdoor Market (the army surplus clothing/footwear stand owned by a nice lady called Pat - she's still there now actually, usually pitched near the toilet/cafe block end of the site - give her a visit if you can) back in 1997, selling for an incredible £8 a pair - I bought both pairs - the other as a spare for any friends/guests on muddy walks etc...
The pair of Argylls I have - which are much lighter on the feet but extremely comfy due to ther cushioned insole supports - I have had for over 16 years now and they're still going strong - with treads intact - despite the battering I have given them over the years. Again, I was lucky enough to find a second pair going really dirt cheap (£5.00) at a car boot sale near Knutsford a couple of years ago - amazingly, these were as new and will come in handy as a replacement pair when my older pair finally bite the dust....
Of course, all these types are so pricey I certainly wouldn't think of spending that amount of money on them now - it's just pure good fortune that I found them when they were dirt cheap - usually at the best places to find them (i.e. NOT from the direct retailers or sellers!!)
I have included a few attachments showing these Argyll and Bullseye wellies - mostly taken on recent country walks/strolls/dog-walking sessions in the nearby vicinity, natch - for the benefit of those who don't know or remember what they look like. For years, both varieties were very common amongst labourers, farmers, jobsworths, contractors, etc... but of course now, only the more discerning amongst us will even possess them any more!
Attachments
Last edited:
