Responder RF/1 Boots Test Drive

First of all let me inform you that I have not been paid to write this or given a free pair of boots to test. This has been written independently, by me, to give you a run down of these new boots on the market as Twitter does not have enough characters to give a review of these boots to @Responder_Boots

First Impressions Straight From The Box:

The box is a stealthy black emblazoned with the Responder logo on the lid. I liked the look as it gave me a secure feeling, almost déjà vu, as if I had bought these before.

The boots were better than I expected. Instantly I was reminded of top end Magnum boots. Similar to the Stealth series.

Unlike some other boots out of the box, there was no mucking about lacing them up, they were already laced up and ready to go, providing I remembered to take out the balls of paper first!

They also have a lovely leather upper for shining. Something I miss on my Lowa's.

The boots went on a treat. I love the side zipper! I've had several boots in the past where I've struggled to either get them on, or get them off. These went on and came off in seconds. The great thing is, you don't have to untie the laces, just unzip and off they came.

On The Feet:

They felt like I had worn them for years, as if they were already broken in. Many boots I've bought in the past take a while to feel right but these felt light and didn't look like cross channel ferries on the end of my legs. I suffer from plantar so I am really picky when it comes to boots especially being in this job which can involve a lot of standing around.

I have an expensive pair of Lowa's but because of feet ache I've had to buy a set of inserts. The shank on the outside arch of the RF/1's give nice support where I need it. Lifting and moving them around feel light, almost training shoe like and nothing like a divers boot.

Test Walk:

The two mile to and from walk to my daughters school to collect her gave me the chance to test these out and see how they perform.

I wore trainers on the way to the school this morning and these felt no different. As stated above, they felt light weight and very comfortable. It was a mlld Autumn day and on the way I walked quickly due to running behind. Arriving at the school, my feet didn't ache and I actually forgot I was wearing boots. Arriving back home, removing them was a synch, in fact 5 seconds per boot. No sweat on my feet, cool to the touch and dry inside. Exactly what is needed. The collar gave excellent ankle support. Just enough, with no over bearing squashing of your ankle, which constantly reminds you that you're in a boot.

Overall:

I've yet to put these to long term test but for first impressions these are excellent boots. They are well worth the price of £29.99. I would have happily paid at least another £20 for these as they compete, in my opinion with the likes of some models of Lowa and many of the Magnum series boots.

A great price for us budget cut emergency service personnel from Responder Footwear

Looks 5/5
Comfort 4/5 (based on first test walk)
Ease of use 5/5
Value for money 5/5
Overall 5/5

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