I have been wearing a pair of Blundstone #992 work boots for the last ten months and have been very happy with them, so I was extremely keen to give the new #984 unisex boots a workout. These boots have all the great safety features Blundstone are renowned for but are just a little bit fancier and if you keep them clean, they will look just as great at home, at the Pub or recreational pursuits as well as on the worksite.
The upper of the boot is a stylish stone coloured Premium Nubuck that is also water resistant, an essential feature in work boots for our industry. The rubber outer sole has an aggressive tread pattern that has been designed for grip in varied situations. I wore the boots on a worksite with varied surfaces including mulch, gravel, soil, and some wet sloping grass. In addition to this I wore them at home when I had to fix some pool heating pipes on a tiled roof and had no slip issues in either situation.
These boots are electrical hazard resistant, and the soles are extremely protective being heat resistant to 300 degrees Celsius. Additionally, they are resistant to oil, acid and organic fat giving the occupant of the #984s protection in extreme conditions and piece of mind.
A moulded TPU bump cap on the toe eliminates the usual leather wear that occurs on steel toe boots and there is also an extended heel moulded cap for extraprotection at the rear of the boot.
As these boots are unisex and are designed for both men and women, there is a huge size range available from 3-15 in addition to half sizes available from 7.5-10.5.
I am a big fan of the lace-up design with zip access. This gives all the support of a lace-up boot along with ease of access and removal. The lace up section has seven eyelets with a lace locker on the fifth, enabling the wearer to loosen the laces from the top two eyelets, keeping the bottom five secure. This gives extra access when removing or accessing the boot as well as room for removal of the footbed without having to re-tie the entire lace setup. The zip is heavy duty construction and slides easily. There is also a Velcro fastener to keep the tag of the zip secure in its upper position.
The boot height is 150mm from the sole up the occupant’s ankle and fastens very securely and firmly giving great ankle stability and support. The tongue is well padded as is the collar of the boot which felt very comfortable even when secured tightly. The interior of the #984 consists of a thermal regulating bamboo lining which keeps your feet cool as well as an anti-bacterial, breathable, and washable footbed. This footbed has a slight arch for comfort as well as an XRD® Extreme Impact Protection forepart pad for added comfort and protection. An additional Extreme Impact Protection pad is constructed into the heel of the boot under the footbed, this gives extra protection in this high impact area, ensuring comfort.
Often when you purchase a new set of work boots, they can be uncomfortable and it takes a while to wear them in, but these #984 boots were so comfortable straight out of the box, as were my pair of #992s previously. The boots are so light for such a big robust boot and it’s easy to forget that they are steel caps. Other boots I have worn in the past, required me to remove them after work for the drive home but in these Blundstones, I had no problem wearing them all day as well as after work. Blundstone offer a 30-Day comfort guarantee and a 6-month manufactures warranty.
For more information visit https://www.blundstone.com.au/men-s-or-women-s-style-984