5 Blundstone Alternatives: Testing Out Boots to Buy Instead

Blundstone are like the Levis red tab jeans of the boot market. One of the most well-known brands in a sea of brands all competing for your hard-earned cash. 

But does brand popularity mean that it’s the best product on the market and more importantly, is it the best product for you?

I’ve put together a list of Blundstone alternatives that cover a range of styles and uses so you can decide with confidence what the best boots are to adorn your feet with. 

Why Are Blundstones So Popular? 

Blundstone is an Australian company that began its journey in 1870 and is based in the small island city of Hobart, Tasmania. They made their name in the early 1900s by supplying the Australian military with boots during World Wars I and II. 

Over the decades, Blundstone boots became staples in many different industries further propelling the brand into the hearts and minds of everyone who wore them.

In the 1960s, Blundstone released its iconic #500 line, which would cement its legendary status, similar to the way Levis and its iconic red tab jeans did in 1936.

Brand recognition is one thing, but are Blundstones worth the hype and price tag they demand in 2022? Some boot enthusiasts would say no. 

The Blundstone Chelsea boots are an all-rounder that comes in genuine leather, an inferior material that is more prone to creasing and cracking under harsher conditions. The sole is also a cemented sole construction which means they are glued on, making it less resilient to water and more likely to separate sooner rather than later. 

However, they have a style that sets them apart from other boot brands, most notably their signature double pull tabs. 

How Did I Come Up With My List? 

I’m very particular about what I wear on my feet because, to me, visual gratification is the most important part of choosing any footwear. 

All the shoes I own are chosen from a fashion perspective because they have a form and aesthetic I personally find appealing. I feel the same way about boots. I know footwear, for most people, is about function, but I admit, I choose fashion over function ten times out of ten. 

With that in mind, I’ve chosen the following boots because they cover a range of functions and features but also remain aesthetically pleasing, and stack up as genuine alternatives.

Here are some alternatives I recommend if you’re thinking about purchasing a pair of Blundstones, particularly the Chelsea series.

My Recommendations

Best Overall: Thursday Legend

The Thursday Legend Chelsea boot does it all. Stylish, practical and superb value for money. Thursday makes some of the best quality boots for its price range and the Thursday Legend Chelsea boot is no exception. 

Sporting all the good stuff like matte rugged and resilient leather, Goodyear Welt Construction, Poron Antimicrobial shock-absorbing insoles for superior comfort and hygiene and Thursday’s patented StormKing rubber lug outsoles, all handcrafted for a tidy package under $200. It’s hard to beat. 

Most Durable: Red Wing Classic Chelsea

Red Wing Classic Chelsea boots are comfortable and come in a Chelsea design that suits most occasions, but really excels in casual situations.

Made with full-grain, oiled leather with a Goodyear leather welt, all features the Blundstones doesn’t have, the Red Wings beats it on both style and substance.

While they’re more expensive, you’ll also get a lot more use out of them.

Most Comfortable: Redback Easy Escape

Redback Easy Escape are the workhorse boot of choice for many. Also an Australian brand, Redbacks are made with high-quality full-grain leather and Thermo-Plastic Polyurethane (TPU) soles that apparently exceed Occupational Health and Safety Authority (OSHA) requirements for oil and slip resistance. 

The Redbacks also come with an air cushion midsole to increase shock absorption making the overall experience more comfortable and they have double pull tabs, like the Blundstones. This makes the Redbacks a better alternative to Blundstones in my opinion, especially if the majority of your boot time is for work. 

Redbacks deliver a higher quality product at a very comparable price.

Best on a Budget: Jim Green Stockman

Jim Green Stockman Slip-On boots are probably closest to the aesthetics of the Blundstones. Both have the signature double pull tabs that Blundstones are famous for, but the Stockmans can be significantly cheaper depending on the style and color you choose. 

The sole is made from genuine rubber and the Stockmans have a wider toe box if you have a broader foot than most. 

The Stockmans are an active all-rounder ideal for daily use in farm-like environments and in rural conditions.

Best Vegan: Dr. Martens Felix Vegan Leather

The Dr. Martens Felix are some of the best looking vegan boots I’ve seen. 

Vegan leather is often called faux leather or “pleather” due to a majority of leather alternatives being made from polyurethane and is a much cheaper alternative to real leather. The upper used in the Dr. Martens Felix Vegan Leather however, is all plant based. 

Ethically produced, the leather on these vegan boots looks just like the real thing. So, if sustainable shopping is important to you, these boots check all the boxes and they look fantastic too.

2 Key Considerations When Choosing Between Blundstones or an Alternative Brand

Everyone has a different reason for buying boots. As I mentioned earlier, some people like myself prefer form over function, probably because I don’t do a lot of physical work. So to myself and many others, how a boot looks is first and foremost. 

Those who are more active may require something that suits their lifestyle with more practicality. Depending on what purpose you need your boots to serve will no doubt influence the type of boots you purchase. 

Regardless, there are two key considerations to keep in mind that’ll hopefully help ou decide whether to opt for BLundstones or an equivalent alternative brand.

1. Look for Boots With Full Grain Leather

As you may have gathered throughout this article, there are a few important things to look out for when assessing the quality of the boots you are considering purchasing. 

The type of leather used on your boot is important to know, particularly when you’re purchasing boots in the mid to higher price ranges. Genuine leather, whether it’s used for jackets, boots or anything else, is an inferior form of leather.

Genuine leather is generally less durable, prone to creasing and scratches which doesn’t allow the leather to age with character. This is most evident when over time genuine leather tends to fade more unattractively and develop more unsightly blemishes than full grain leather. 

Genuine leather is usually put together with various offcuts of leftover leather and blended to make a pair of boots or jackets that are of inferior quality to ‘real’ leather or full-grain leather. 

It’s always a good idea to check what type of leather is being used before deciding on your purchase.

2. Watch Out for a Goodyear Welt

Make sure that if you’re paying a premium for your boots, they are constructed with a Goodyear welt, or at the very least a Blake stitch.

A Goodyear welt is when the sole is stitched onto a welt and the upper part of the shoe is also stitched to the welt, which not only gives the boot a higher quality construction but makes it far more water-resistant. This is a time-consuming process for the manufacturers and also a very old school method, but it’s one of the key indicators that your boot is of superior quality. 

A Blake stitch is when the upper part of the boot and the sole are stitched together without the welt in between. This is not as good as a Goodyear welt but it is better than a cemented sole construction, which basically has the upper part of the boot glued onto the sole leading to the sole separating from the boot more often than not.

It’s typically a cheap and unreliable shoe construction method and should be avoided whenever possible. 

Blunnies Be Gone

It’s easy to go with the familiar choice such as Blundstones because of popularity and brand recognition, but when you break down the features and benefits through genuine comparison, the result may not be what you first imagined.

Personally, the clear winner for me is the Thursday Legend with a price to quality ratio that’s hard to beat and Thursday’s signature style that is always so visually appealing. 

If I had to choose a runner up it would be the Jim Green Stockmans as the build and durability give it a confident appeal as a functional boot and the wider toe box gives it an added comfort benefit.

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