Customer Reviews Blundstone BL500 Original 500 Chelsea Boot

I ordered these boots about two years ago now. While the boots are incredibly comfortable, the outer layer of leather began to fray and scuff in the first few months. Since then, the leather on the toes have been scuffed and worn completely off. I ordered these boots on a recommendation from an Australian friend, but they have come nowhere near living up to their hype.

2 stars because I love Blundstone boots, but, Beware: The color of THESE boots is not as it appears in the Zappos picture. The true color was black with a brown gusset. The picture appears as brown boot with a reddish gusset. Go to the Bundstone website for a true color picture.

CONS. (1) Difficult to put on...elastic collapses as I try to get my foot into the boot. (2) The stiff leather bites into my ankles, front and back as I walk...probably would get better as they get broken in, problem is I don't think I could wear them that long, painful! (3) Nearly impossible to get off! I though I might have to call my neighbor to assist but I finally was able to slowly and painfully leverage them off. (4) Despite my difficulty in getting them on and off, they were loose and sloppy inside. Additionally the footbed felt hard and uncushioned. PROS: Sturdy boots, traction sole. I liked the style in the photos, but find it big and bulky and far too stiff to wear. All in all, this boot was such a disappointment to me. I'm struggling to find something positive about it.

I wanted to love these boots. I've always loved the way they looked and finally bit the bullet. Well, to get them on, it required by wife pushing while I pulled. The boots were so stiff and almost impossible to get on. Finally, when they were on, they were too big in the foot. I'm not young enough to wait until they are broken in. Sadly, had to return them.

Inexpensively constructed compared to other boots I’ve purchased. Not built for comfort or labor. No lining, cheap flimsy insole....etc. But they look great.

Meh. I was expecting better quality for the price and the legendary Blundstone "ruggedness." These things wouldn't last through more than a couple Midwest winters. The leather upper is okay, but as other reviewers have noted, by the time you get it broken in, the soles are going to be worn down and not replaceable. I was actually surprised at the so-so rubber used for the sole. It has molded treads, but it's not particularly rugged material. Likewise, the removable synthetic insole was very flimsy. There's nothing on the footbed to "break in" and it wouldn't get more comfortable with wear. I don't think I'll shell out for the leather-lined version. I am going to look elsewhere for a good chelsea/work boot with vibram soles or similar.

I agree with the Top Critical Review. I love these boots. They were my comfy do-everything throw-on boots for years, but the longevity of the soles suck compared to the uppers. You can't re-sole them. It really sucks having to dump a pair of boots where the uppers are in excellent shape, just because the soles crumble as they dry out. Ugh. I've moved to Red Wing with welted construction. I'll have them for a lifetime.

Loved the boots, very comfortable and stylish...but after about two or three years of very light wear, mainly in the office, the soles began to literally crumble. That's disgracefully poor quality for a boot that costs this much.

So hard to get on and off - would have been better with a size zipper. Also felt very small. The leather top on the back of the leg digs in badly too.

The boot that arrived did not seem to even be the shoe ordered. The boot was in a generic and unmarked brown cardboard box. What was that about? The toe was square and there was absolutely no support. It seemed very poorly constructed. VERY disappointed.

I really wanted to keep these boots but after trying thick socks, thin socks, jeans tucked in, jeans out with thermals, I had to return it because it scrape the back of my leg above the ankle so bad that I had to buy a packet of Band-Aids. For those of you vertically challenged like me, the boots may pose a problem.

Buyer beware. Blundstones are beautiful boots but after a couple of years the soles completely disintegrate. It happened to mine so I did a web search and learned that it has been a wide spread product defect with their boots. I noted a number of sites on the Internet that offer resole services for defective Blundstones for a fairly high price. That is a lot of money to repair a pair of boots that should last much longer than they actually do. My 500s are little used and look almost new. I expected to wear them for much longer. They are not worth the money in my opinion. Do some web research before you buy.

The soles of Blundstone boots fall apart...believe me! And they won't take them back.

I bought a pair of these boots that were not made in my size, so I went with the closest size. As soon as they broke in and became comfortable the leather split at the sole by the small toe, in an unrepairable way. 2 1/2 years and now the shoes are garbage! I would never buy them again!