I’m a big fan of cowboy-style work boots. You can often find them with and without steel toe, as is the case with a pair of Oliver Western work boots I received for review. My pair was in the soft toe format, but you can get these Oliver cowboy boots with a steel toe option for only a $10 premium. These don’t work well for me during the summertime here in Florida, but during the cooler winter months when I wear work pants, they do nicely.
If you’ve never heard of Oliver Safety Footwear, you should have. The company, now part of Honeywell Safety Products, dates back to the mid-1800s. James Oliver was a bootmaker who traveled to the gold fields of Ballarat Australia. He didn’t strike gold, but he came back with a comprehensive understanding of what a mining worker and farmer need in a boot. That knowledge has progressed with technology, and innovations like Poron XRD are allowing for better and more flexible protection across the top of your feet. Oliver’s NANOlite footbed is unique in its ability to both cushion and massages your feet as you walk. Their NATUREform wide profile steel toe caps are also engineered as much for comfort as they are for protection.
Oliver Safety Footwear has well over a dozen specialized styles of boot for both men and women. Their boots are specialized for the oil and gas, mining, and heavy metal fabrication industries.
Editor’s Note: Check out our best work boots review article for our favorite products for all applications.
Oliver Western Work Boots Features & Use
Our particular Oliver Western work boots came in brown, though they just discontinued a popular camouflage version. This is an 11-inch pull-on boot with or without a steel toe. The retail pricing is $175 for the soft toe and $185 for the steel toe model.
While the Oliver Western work boots are technically a pull-on rigger style, the stitching and style make it very much a hybrid 11-inch cowboy work boot. Our model’s non-safety toe gave it a bit less weight, and the square shape remains to give it a firm look.
Being a fan of Western cowboy work boots, I love when I find a new model with the classic patterned stitching (in this case red). More than just a pretty design, however, the Oliver Western work boot uses a tried and true Goodyear welt construction. This involves a welt that’s stitched to the upper and a strip that is cemented to the insole of a shoe to attach the sole. The outsole is then cemented as well as stitched to the welt. It’s not the easiest way to handle a sole, but it’s considered one of the best.
To get the Oliver Western soft toe boots on, durable pull-on loops are provided. These are solid loops of leather that are through-stitched, straddling the 11-inch boot’s double stitched side seam. Inside, the Oliver Western work boots have an impressively constructed footbed. You get a ton of cushion from the removable dual-density poured polyurethane and open-cell foam construction.
The electrical hazard rated outsole rounds out the feature set, and the Oliver cowboy boots meet ASTM F2413-11 electrical hazard certification.
Oliver Western Work Boot Specs
- Non-Safety Toe (Safety toe model available)
- Sizes: 7-14 mens (US)
- Height: 11-inches
- Rubber heel guard
- Goodyear welt construction
- Dual-density poured PU footbed
- Meets ASTM F2413-11 EH
Conclusion
Using a Werner podium ladder, installing ceiling fans, and replacing the radiator on a Jeep Liberty all had me wearing the Oliver Western work boots. They held up under greasy concrete, mud, rain-soaked steel, and more. I love a good-looking boot, but one that doesn’t slip and slide on you is even more impressive. The footbed is one of the best I’ve yet seen, with an extra thick base, plenty of arch support, and a nicely cushioned heel.
The Oliver cowboy boots can be worn for a full 8-hour workday. While great on the job site, they also look great for casual wear. And that’s the real issue. With boots that look this good and wear so well, you may want to pick up a couple of pairs!
