Customer Reviews Blundstone BL519 Original 500 Chelsea Boot

Shaft description is innacurate - it says that the shaft is 4-1/2". The shaft is closer to 5-1/4".

I have high arches, the shoes are very tight across the top of the arch, I couldn’t wear them.

Felt true to size and I really liked the brown--dark enough to look almost black. Unfortunately, the back of the boot dug into my heel enough to cause a blister just walking around the house. I tried thick socks, thin socks, double socks, a band-aid... it was just too uncomfortable. I had to send them back. I really wanted these to work and was so disappointed.

Trying to figure out what Blundstone number means what is a challenge. I have had two pairs of 172's for work. Great looking and durable. I beat the hell out of them, clean them, wax them, and I think that they look better than when they were new. The only problem is the steel toe. My feet are wide, and the edge of that steel toe cap hits the edge of my big toe metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joint. After a while that causes discomfort and pain. This is true of any boot with steel toe caps. The caps all come from the same manufacturer. Too bad they cannot come up with a new design to save the MTP joint. So I looked for the boot without the steel toe and mistakenly bought the Original 500's. Big mistake. I expected them to be as comfortable after I wore them a while. They won't be, because the sole is an actual 1/4" narrower. If you go with the steel toe, that's great, but if you want that boot without the steel toe, go for the 490 or the 491. That's right: the 172 without the steel toe isn't the 170 or something that makes sense. It's the 490 or the 491. Go figure.

I really wanted to keep these shoes, but unfortunately Blundstone's don't fit my feet. I've tried 3 pairs and 3 different styles. I've tried style 490 in the women's size 7/AU4 and they were way too large. This style is not made in a smaller size. I tried style 519 in a women's 6.5/AU3.5, and the back of the heel on my left foot rubs against the back of the shoe which is very stiff. This must be due to the ankle shaft. I went up a half size (size 7 women's/AU4) in style 500 (the 519 was sold out in a size 7) and they were too large. I'm giving up as the third time wasn't the charm. I may consider the summer boot style sold through Blundstone to see if a softer leather shoe makes a difference in fit.

I was disappointed with this shoe... it rubs at the back of the ankle uncomfortably, hard to get on and off, but my foot was swimming in excess space inside the shoe... I have heard so much about Blundstone, I was hopeful! Also... 'stout brown' was very very dark.

I've worn Blundstones for over twenty years and have always worn the same boot. I changed it up this time and ordered the 519 and it looks great, but is too small. Not sure if Blundstone changed their last, but something is different. Anyhow, I ordered a bigger size. Love these boots, they've taken me all over the world.

These are really hard to get on and off -- lots of tugging and mess up my socks, pushing them too tight against my toe when I pull the boot on and pulling the socks all the way off when I take the boot off. They are the right size and I would like to keep them, but I know I will come to hate this hassle and the socks thing will really be impossible.

I have worn Blundstones for 25 years. Something had absolutely changed with the construction. The boot at the stitching crushes the top of my feet. Unwearable. If you look it up online, appears to be common problem.

Four years ago I bought the Blundstone 558 boots from Zappos. I usually wear a 9.5 US women’s shoe so ordered the Aus size 7. The boot was roomy and comfortable right out of the box. I could wear it with medium weight socks in winter. I liked the look and color of the Blundstone 519 so ordered it in the same Aus size 7. The length was fine, but it was very tight in the depth of the toe box. The toes were pushed painfully up against the leather at the top of the boot. I reordered the boots wider in a 7.5, and the depth still seemed too tight. The boot was a bit wider side to side but still pressing against the top of the toes. I ended up sending both sizes back. I did ask Zappos customer service if they could suggest a Blundstone boot made on the same last as the 558 since that model fit me so well. The suggestion was that I keep ordering different boots til I find a fit. I guess I’ll either try to find Blundstone’s in a store or try a different brand. I really don’t want to keep ordering and returning countless Blundstone boots. From reading the many reviews, Blundstone sizing seems inconsistent between the different models of boots. I also should mention that this model did not come with the extra insert and the boot wax like the 558’s did.