............ Airflo wading boots..
After just one season, now headed for the bin. They have been repaired 3 times, they started to fall to bits first time on.
[attachimg=1]
I will NEVER buy another Airflo product, save perhaps a poly leader. :roll:
You been hill walking in them Fred? :lol:
The quality looks awful how much were they?
I recall they were around £120.
I don't think the price matters as I firmly believe wading boots are utter crap and will fall to bits no matter how much you pay. OK on the manicured chalk stream or local rezzie, but for wild fishing they don't cut it.
It's shocking that they cost so much and didn't even withstand 3 trips you can get decent walking boots which will last for years for the same price. Are you going to contact Airflo?
I just checked, they were £100. As I said they started to fall apart 1st day on. Unfortunately I was in NZ at the time so had to mend and make do. Utter crap.
Why not send them that photograph and a note of your invoice number.
Tell them you want replacement boots or a full refund or you will tell lots of folk their gear is rubbish ...... :D :D
Quote from: Bobfly on September 19, 2015, 03:35:48 PM
or you will tell lots of folk their gear is rubbish ...... :D :D
A quick google would seem to indicate everyone already knows this. :lol:
That is particularly bad. I remember we were buying glue to fix those excuses for boots pretty much right away in NZ.
As Fred will recall my brand new Simms Vapor boots also started to fall apart at the stitched panels in NZ, but at least the soles were and still are okay. The stitching hasn't deteriorated any further I'm happy to say, but then the going on the Clyde etc. is a far cry from the likes of the Wangapeka :)
The stitching where two different materials meet is where my boots usually start to go. On the three pairs of Simms I have owned, the soles have never delaminated, but that has been a common fault on Snowbees and others.
On my next trip to NZ, where the going is tougher than anything I have fished in the UK, I intend to wear walking boots. We are mostly just wet wading anyway.
Alex
Quote from: haresear on September 19, 2015, 04:25:25 PM
Clyde etc. is a far cry from the likes of the Wangapeka :)
I hear that the Clyde bees also taste better :lol:
Quote from: admin on September 19, 2015, 04:28:31 PM
I hear that the Clyde bees also taste better :lol:
:lol: :lol:
Alex
I reckon your Simms Vapor boots were OK Alex. I remember Rabmax saying he had tried protecting the stitching on his boots from abrasion by coating them with some kind of sealant. It would be interesting to see how he got on.
Quote from: admin on September 19, 2015, 04:44:37 PM
I reckon your Simms Vapor boots were OK Alex. I remember Rabmax saying he had tried protecting the stitching on his boots from abrasion by coating them with some kind of sealant. It would be interesting to see how he got on.
Yes, it would be interesting to see how they have stood up. Mind you, as you well know there is a world of difference between the rivers of Ayrshire and the likes of the Rough river.
I have bought some kevlar thread to attempt a repair on the Simms. That should do the trick.
Alex
not only is airflo footwear rubbish; their customer service is too. I sent them an e-mail querying their ridiculous per item postage costs to Scotland (buying their polyleaders direct would be a lot cheaper but for the postage). I think it was over a year ago. I had a problem with one of their reels a couple of years ago; same response.....
some skb boots I got lasted just over a year. it was the uppers that went as the soles were stitched, something I always go for if possible. my simms boots are stitched.
Quote from: corsican dave on September 19, 2015, 10:10:41 PM
some skb boots I got lasted just over a year.
Boots that last only a year in the UK would be lucky to last a week in NZ. This is typical and wrecks boots. It's like walking on block scree all day up in the hills
(http://www.owenriverlodge.co.nz/assets/entries/3107_south_island.jpg)
The boots are obviously absolutely crap and I am in way an apologist for Airflo or anybody else for that matter. The title of your threads however is a little bit unfair in that modern Airflo floating lines are actually very good. Airflo also manufacture and rebadge their own products for a lot of other supposed fly line manufacturers. I fully understand that there were significant issues in the past and I fell victim to their curlywurly floating flylines myself. Things however have moved on considerably. I would add at this point that I feel that their polyleaders are about the worst I have ever used.
Which boots would you recommend Geoff?
This year I bought myself a pair of Korkers to replace a pair of Simms which started to falling to pieces after being worn about 4 times. John Norris very kindly did a direct swap. The Korkers have the unusual trait of having flex in the sole which after having worn Simms for so long I am quite unused to. I must say that I think that these are the best wading boots I have ever worn. The soles are fairly unique in that they 'plug in' to the boots with rubber cleats so can be replaced in about 2 minutes. Soles cost about £20.00 and are available in felt, felt with studs, rubber, rubber with studs and Vibram. The ones I bought are the K5 Bomber.
http://www.korkers.com/footwear/fishing/k-5-bomber.html (http://www.korkers.com/footwear/fishing/k-5-bomber.html)
Online reviews of Korkers boots seem very mixed with some people suggesting that they didn't get a lot of life out of theirs. I am however as happy as a pig in shit with mine SO FAR.
http://www.orvis.co.uk/p/river-guard-ultralight-mens-wading-boot/2a98 (http://www.orvis.co.uk/p/river-guard-ultralight-mens-wading-boot/2a98)
I was going to get a pair of these, but they don't have my size, in the sale just now.
i'll be interested to see how you get on with these long-term, Geoff. I had a look at them myself a couple of years ago and pretty much decided that the interchangeable soles were going to be a problem, especially if a lot of walking was involved. there's a pronounced differential between the flex of the boot midsole and the clip-in outer which causes a gap to appear between the two. get muck and grit in there and it's going to cause problems, surely? this has been tried elsewhere in the outdoor footwear industry previously and has always ended in products being withdrawn; having said this, Korkers have been around for a few years now so i'm prepared to be pleasantly surprised!
Quote from: corsican dave on September 21, 2015, 10:53:23 AM
i'll be interested to see how you get on with these long-term, Geoff. I had a look at them myself a couple of years ago and pretty much decided that the interchangeable soles were going to be a problem, especially if a lot of walking was involved. there's a pronounced differential between the flex of the boot midsole and the clip-in outer which causes a gap to appear between the two. get muck and grit in there and it's going to cause problems, surely? this has been tried elsewhere in the outdoor footwear industry previously and has always ended in products being withdrawn; having said this, Korkers have been around for a few years now so i'm prepared to be pleasantly surprised!
This doesn't appear to be a problem. They have quite a funky drainage system and water and debris run through vents in the bottom sides of the boots. The soles so far have not come away from the boots and the grip (with the studs being absolutely tiny I was expecting major trouble) is absolutely top drawer. The walking distance to some of the pools on the Upper Eden is upwards of a mile from the car (mud, gravel, long grass, cow and sheep shit) and they are holding up very well indeed. I have worn these every Saturday and Sunday and a couple of nights a week for sea trout fishing and so far so good.
Alex had Korkers, can't remember how he got on with them. I'd be very nervous about taking boots with swap-able soles to the tough conditions in New Zealand, but could be wrong.
Think id have my reservations about an interchangeable sole, i do a fair few miles in my wading boots so they take a hammering. The sonik ones I bought last winter (£65) have a good sole and are comfortable enough for walking but the upper is synthetics leather and all the coating is coming off from the heather/scrub and rocks. I'm starting to accept that wading boots are pretty much disposable and will only take a couple of seasons max, I've been tempted to pay the extra for Simms, guideline etc but not convinced they'd last me any longer,
Andy
sorry, it was the sonic sk4 boot I was talking about earlier, not skb. yep, Andy; my uppers disintegrated pretty quickly. far too flimsy. the pull on loops broke within a month or two and the foam in the cuffs collapsed. reflected in the price, so no real complaints
Quote from: admin on September 21, 2015, 01:00:38 PM
Alex had Korkers, can't remember how he got on with them. I'd be very nervous about taking boots with swap-able soles to the tough conditions in New Zealand, but could be wrong.
I still use my Korkers, but only from time to time. They are the old model, bought about 10 years ago and are still very comfy to wear. I tend only to wear the studded felt soles. The main reason I bought them was for a trip to Canada which involved a drift-boat trip, so studs wouldn't have been welcome in the boat..
The stitching on the uppers is now beginning to wear and one of the detachable felt soles has recently started to come detached of its own accord. I was thinking of putting a self tapper through the sole to keep it permanently attached.
Although the Korkers coped perfectly well with the Canadian rivers, some of which are quite rugged, I wouldn't take the risk of taking them to New Zealand. As I said in an earlier post, it will be walking boots for me if I get back to NZ.
Alex
So far it's only the upper that's gone but not done as much fishing over the summer as usual, ill persevere until they're really gubbed!!
I had a drive up to the Orvis shop in Banchory today and bought these.
http://www.orvis.co.uk/p/access-wading-boot-w/vibram/16fy (http://www.orvis.co.uk/p/access-wading-boot-w/vibram/16fy)
Took the waders and got a perfect fit. They seem to get good reviews from users. I like the D ring for attaching the waders gravel guard front hook, that will help the laces last a lot longer.
They look very well made, solid with double stitched uppers. At least if they fall to bits I know they will give me a replacement pair.
Quote from: admin on September 28, 2015, 03:37:37 PM
I had a drive up to the Orvis shop in Banchory today and bought these.
http://www.orvis.co.uk/p/access-wading-boot-w/vibram/16fy (http://www.orvis.co.uk/p/access-wading-boot-w/vibram/16fy)
Took the waders and got a perfect fit. They seem to get good reviews from users. I like the D ring for attaching the waders gravel guard front hook, that will help the laces last a lot longer.
They look very well made, solid with double stitched uppers. At least if they fall to bits I know they will give me a replacement pair.
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE Put studs in the bottom :shock:
Already have done .........at least the 15 studs I had - more on order .......... wading boots with no studs are lethal.
They look the business !! Good solid piece of kit that should last properly.
Quotewading boots with no studs are lethal.
Only on bottoms they were not designed for. Always been a bit of a compromise as to what ones to use. Suppose it depends on where type of riverbank.bottom one fishes has. Having said that studs are probably the better for all round use.
Studded felt possibly?
Tight Lines
Quote from: admin on September 19, 2015, 01:02:55 PM
I recall they were around £120.
I don't think the price matters as I firmly believe wading boots are utter crap and will fall to bits no matter how much you pay. OK on the manicured chalk stream or local rezzie, but for wild fishing they don't cut it.
Have had a pair of Simms wading boots for 4 seasons now . Expensive if my mind serves me right they were about £170 . But built like battleships . First couple of seasons they were out 2/3 times a week . Highly reccomend
Quote from: Highlander on September 28, 2015, 07:39:21 PM
Only on bottoms they were not designed for.
Tight Lines
Correct . Was thinking the same myself :D :D
I fish in a lot of different situations. On sandy or gravel bottoms I don't need studs, but mostly the beds are mixed and rocky and not to have studs is extremely dangerous. For instance on my local river you would easily get away with no studs on most of it, but on the Luther, West Water or the upper North Esk you would break your neck. I can think of a lot of lochs that are the same. Felt soles are banned in many places now. For example if you try to take a pair of felt soled wading boots into New Zealand the bio security guys at the airport will confiscate them. Felt soles are also deadly on wet grass or heather
Not too keen on studs myself, I find they are very harsh on pub floors :lol:
But they are essential for tap dancing. :lol:
Quote from: Lochan_load on September 28, 2015, 10:33:13 PM
Not too keen on studs myself, I find they are very harsh on pub floors :lol:
not too good in canoes or kayaks either....
Before and after. No point in half measures. :8)
[attachimg=1]
you ain't getting anywhere near my canoe with them! :lol:
Seems a real shame to spend that money and do all of that work right at the end of the season.
I guess I'll just have to go to New Zealand after the New Year in order to justify it. :8)
Grand job on those soles. They look the business now for sure !! :D :D
Quote from: admin on October 01, 2015, 04:19:14 PM
Seems a real shame to spend that money and do all of that work right at the end of the season.
I guess I'll just have to go to New Zealand after the New Year in order to justify it. :8)
It's a hard life Fred :lol:
Where do you get you're studs? Surely you aren't overpaying because there branded as "wading studs"?
Do you get the correct size in B&Q?
This is them Jamie
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SNOWBEE-SCREW-IN-WADER-STUDS-40-PER-PACK-NEW-/311412969524?hash=item4881a8d034:g:1BgAAOSw6EhUQQ97 (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SNOWBEE-SCREW-IN-WADER-STUDS-40-PER-PACK-NEW-/311412969524?hash=item4881a8d034:g:1BgAAOSw6EhUQQ97)
Ah that's much more reasonable that what I was finding!
Thanks Fred!
Orvis studs cost about £25 for a packet of 20. :shock:
They are good though........................... :lol:
http://www.orvis.co.uk/p/posigrip-screw-in-studs/9t1g (http://www.orvis.co.uk/p/posigrip-screw-in-studs/9t1g)
I'll stick to self tappers! :lol:
Other than the Orvis ones which are Tungsten & purpose made they are basically Roofing Studs. Somewhere like Screwfix would have these. You would "have"to get the LENGTH right though.
Tight Lines
Bummer. I had a pair of bison boots for a couple of seasons now. Perfect still after clambering around boulders and in and out of mountain streams. Super cheep as we'll, I'd recommend them.