Customer Reviews Blundstone BL500 Original 500 Chelsea Boot

It's amazing that a boot that has stood the test of time could send their manufacturing overseas and now the boot feels cheap, plastic and the leather is actually painted not dyed. I purchased these against my better judgment and now I'm sorry to say I was right. My last pair lasted over 8 years and now these look old and worn after only a month.

It\'s heart-wrenching for me to write this review. This will be the first "one" star review I have ever sat down to type out - for this product the rating is justified. I have lusted after a pair of Blundstones for longer than I can remember. I finally broke down this week and ordered a pair. Like a little school girl on Christmas Day, I giggled and shaked as I anxiously opened the box after receiving them the next day (Zappos, you ROCK!). I pulled one boot out of the box and my jaw hit the floor. I could not believe how cheap and "plasticy" the boots felt in my hands. The leather is very thin and very tough. Not the supple high grade leather I would expect from a high end boot. I reluctantly slipped them on and immediately took them back off again. I looked inside at the tag - "Made in Thailand." That immediately explained all. I placed them back in the box with a heavy heart and sadly returned them. Those boots were not the Blundstones I had lusted after all these years. They are crap. I might have kept them if I only paid 50 bucks, NOT $150. I checked every shoe in my closet and, with the exception of a pair of Sidi cycling shoes and a pair of Redwing boots, every one was "Made in China." I guess that's where all the craftsmen are, because I have very little complaints with the quality of every single one of those shoes. Thanks Zappos for being such as awesome company. I hate to send these back to you, but Blundstone has lost my business for good.

For a women’s size that can be either a 9.5 or 10 with a moderately wide foot, the Blundstone size 7 was the good fit. The 550 is identical, but was snugger at the top of the foot where it meets the ankle and at the heel. If you tend toward a narrow to average width foot, I would try the 550. They are indistinguishable side-by-side. We ordered four different pairs to pin down which model and which size worked best. A Blundstone store would’ve been great, it is comical how many models they have now and with the sizing, wow, that was an undertaking.

Great, comfy shoes.