 G'day, how you going? I'm Tech, welcome to Bootlossophy, my channel about boots, the history of bootmakers, their visions and values, and the whole philosophy of the designing and wearing of boots. I'm in Perth, Western Australia, on Widget Country, and I acknowledge the Widget people of the Neumar Nation. I'm taking a look at the Australian Chelsea Work Boot from Redback. This is the UBOK model, also known as the Bobcat. So this is Redback Boot's UBOK Bobcat model. But first, what is a Redback? A Redback is an Aussie spyler, also known as the Australian Black Widow, originating out of WA here, but now widespread across the rest of Australia. It's identified by a red paint stroke on its back, as reproduced by Matilda Bay Brewery's Redback wheat beer. It's highly venomous and can kill a child and seriously disable an adult, if not killed. But don't worry, it's only one of six venomous spiders in Australia, part of an interesting wildlife that includes 20 to 25 venomous snakes, including the top 10 most venomous snakes in the world, and if you include fish, jellyfish and other insects, it's part of at least, the scientific jury is out about the exact number, at least 66 venomous species not counting poisonous plants. Welcome to Australia. Now, having set the scene, let's talk about Chelsea Work Boot. So the Redback UBOK is a Chelsea-style work boot. In my review of the Jim Green Chelsea Work Boot up here, someone wrote a comment that that was the first time they heard of a Chelsea been called a Work Boot. LOL, he said. Chelsea Work Boots were definitively dress boots or sometimes casual boots, but not work boots. Well, he might want to Google Australian Work Boots and maybe look away for a few seconds. The Wikipedia entry for Australian Work Boot says, an Australian Work Boot is a style of work shoe typically constructed with a leather upper bound together with elastic sides and pull tabs on the front and back of the boot. I don't know, mate, but I think the definition is literally a description of a Chelsea boot. This version of the Aussie Work Boot is a Chelsea just like the Blindstone, which I've already reviewed, and in that review, I've gone into the history of Chelsea Boots. You can catch the Blindstone review up here. This model of Redback is the UBOK, also known as Bobcat, in Claret or Oil Kit leather. It's also known overseas as the Easy Escape. In case I suppose the name Bobcat gives the wrong impression about how easy it is to get on and off, you identify it from the other Redback Great Barrier model by this VAT panel that goes up the instep. The Great Barrier has a V-shaped insert into a one-piece vamp here on the instep there to form the curve. The uppers have the characteristic side elastic goring panels. There are the characteristic pull tabs, but what really distinguishes it is the higher profile air cushioned spongy midsole with a translucent more durable PU plate as the outsole. Overall it probably looks meaner and more aggressively work related than the more casually styled Blindstone, which means that it's a little less versatile than the Blindstone 500 550 or 600 650 models which despite their also round and bulky toe boxes are sleeker in profile and with their lowest sole profiles are definitely more capable of being worn as a non-work casual boot. I guess you can do the same with these but they are definitely more purpose-driven which in turn means that you probably can't get away with chiners. These can only, in my opinion anyway, these can only be paired with work or rugged casual wear. They go well with work pants and jeans of any type except perhaps the more dressy dark and unfaded kind of denim. You can wear them with brown or denim blue or black or a gray. It's not the color so much as the tough casual style of the Pat and in my opinion it's better with straight legs slightly roomier than slim leg pants. They go with outfits like going to dig a bloody big hole somewhere or tracking through the mud of a building site or going to the public bar end of the pump after work. For me these are one of my three main work boots when I'm working in the yard of doing some minor reconstruction projects in my wife's investment properties. Now who are redback? The history of the company goes back to the 1920s. In fact in 1925 the Chloros brothers, Greek immigrants to Sydney, they started making shoes and boots in Sydney when they arrived and by 1927 had started the Victor Boot Company. They developed tough work boots in the 1930s including the Australian elasticized work boot which in fact was not known as a Chelsea boot until the 1960s. The company continued expanding including periods during the two world wars making boots for the Australian army. Until in 1989 the redback model boot was launched. Soon following the success of the redback boot the name of the brand changed to redback. In the early 2000s Victor Footwear also launched Mongrel Brothers another Aussie work boot producing lace up zip-sided and Chelsea work boots. To be honest I'm not sure of the market differentiation between redbacks and Mongrel except that they seem to have taken the strategic decision to launch redback overseas while Mongrels I think are not as well known outside of Australia. Unlike Blunstone they decided to withstand cost pressures in the 1990s to continue making their boots in Australia and their Sydney factory has been expanded to a capacity of turning out 650,000 pairs a year. Even their leather is sourced from Australian or New Zealand prime full grain hines. Redback also currently makes specialist boots for the five regates the police, emergency services, the hospitality industry and hot or molten metal workers as well as the Australian Defence Forces technical tactical combat boots. They now export to over 20 countries. Taking a look at the construction as usual I'll start from the bottom and work my way upwards. It's obvious this is not a welded or sewn sole shoe and technically falls into the cemented soles category even though it's not actually cemented and is much more sturdy than a cemented shoe. Right at the bottom is a compression molded translucent TPU outsole attached to a soft also heat molded PU midsole. TPU stands for thermoplastic urethane which is a hard plastic compound that's less prone to cracking and is oil and acid resistant. PU stands for polyurethane a slightly different compound with longer polymers and so the softer lightweight and cushion. PU is susceptible to hydrolysis whereas TPU not so much. Hydrolysis is a chemical reaction where the molecules separate if not regularly used for extended periods of time and they can crack and break into pieces. The trick is to use them regularly to avoid this. Now you may not be able to see but if held up to the light the TPU outsole is translucent which is quite different and it's molded into a grippy stud pattern with the redback brand and logo in the arch and heel. It's a very grippy outsole under almost any condition and the lugs grip but are also widely separated enough to avoid picking up gravel and twigs and bits of stone. The PU-TPU combination is designed to give you the best of both worlds providing the durability in the TPU plate but a lot of cushioning squish in the PU midsole. I said earlier this is not cemented but it's heat molded or firmly compressed onto the uppers. What happens is a blob of TPU is squirted into the mold bit like toothpaste then the uppers are pressed up into the mold and the whole lot is firmly heated to melt the TPU and as it cools seals itself to the leather. Actually it seals at a molecular level where the PU is pushed into the fibers of the leather forming a very durable connection and seal. Then the whole process is repeated to attach the PU outsole plate to the TPU midsole. Unlike a cemented sole it's almost impossible to tear the outsole from the midsole or the midsole from the uppers. Redback calls this a three layer midsole. Right at the bottom of what they call the midsole is this thick PU layer then inside the boot is a hard midsole layer maybe something I think like hardened fiber board or leather board and then on top of that is a removable insole. So while they call it a three layer midsole in the marketing it's really a PU midsole a fiber or leather board stabilizing midsole and a removable insole. It's actually really shock absorbing and comfortable mainly because of the thick TPU and this insole. Moving on up to the uppers this is the cleric kit leather. It's full grain leather from either Australia or New Zealand. It is chrome tan and then oil infused during the tanning so that it feels oily and waxy. It's over two and a half millimeters thick and while sturdy definitely feels soft and supple. Because of the thermally compressed soles and the leather it's marketed as waterproof but I actually had an issue with it recently. If you follow my Instagram you know that I recently stripped, sanded and oiled the deck at home wearing these. In doing so I pressure washed the whole deck. Took me about 40 minutes. There was no direct splashing on my feet on boots but there was a lot of spray thrown off and by the end of the pressure washing the toes of my socks could damp. Now to be clear there was no leak per se but I hadn't conditioned all these boots for quite a long time using them in the garden and the yard and so the leather had become quite dry. Now obviously it was dried and I realized because it sucked in the moisture enough to dampen my socks. The problem was a little exacerbated by the fact that the uppers are unlined so there wasn't a second layer of protection so the lesson is to keep this oiled kit leather nicely oiled which I'll talk about later. The uppers are hand stitched meaning a human guides the panels on a sewing machine as opposed to a computer-controlled stitching machine. The Bobcats design has the vat going up the instep, the heel back stay going up the back and two panels on the sides holding the elastic goring panels. All the panels are double stitched with a slightly contrasting lighter brown stitch. There are pull tabs at the front and at the back with the embroidered redback logo and on the back tab is an embroidered size number. The toe box is reinforced by a cardboard and plastic toe stiffener. It's actually quite firm but it's not a safety toe. At the back the heel has a heel counter made of celastic sandwiched by the two pieces of leather. The uppers are mechanically lasted on a wide round toe last. It's anatomically designed so really fits a human foot quite well if not exactly sleek and stylish. As I said earlier this model is unlined which I find a little uncomfortable in the way that it grabs at my socks. In use the PUTPU soles can withstand up to 110 degrees Celsius of prolonged contact as well as being oil, acid and alkali resistant up to a concentration of about 10%. In taking care of the boots the trick is to use it regularly especially if they are prone to getting wet or if you live in a human region. That's ensuring that you prolong the life of the soles from cracking up due to the hydrolysis. Caring for the uppers is pretty simple. Bearing in mind my experience of allowing to dry too much. Redback suggests that you regularly clean them with a damp cloth and then when dry apply a silicone wax. I have conditioned these very recently with mink oil as well as with overnose and then recently anyway I topped it with a skim of old-fashioned dubbing wax just to give it an extra waterproof layer. None of this has harmed them and it's such a dark leather that I think the waterproofing finish outweighs the darkening of the leather through conditions. As an oil kit leather I feel that they should feel a little waxy to the touch so don't don't polish them dry. As for sizing they follow the Australian sizing which is UK sizing numbers. Aussie UK numbers are one number down from US size numbers. I measure a US 8 and a half in US sizes but in most boots I do the usual half down from brannock to an egg so that makes me an Aussie 7 and a half on a brannock and indeed I also size a half down to a 7 in these redback boots. One thing of note a half size in redback does not lengthen the boot. In redbacks the half size is actually a wider width in the same size so in American terms getting an 8 and a half in these is actually getting an 8E as opposed to an 8 and a half D. In terms of fit they fit quite anatomically that is to say they follow the shape of your foot widening from heel to ball and then rounding at the toes as opposed to the sleeker stylish lasts that squish your toes quite frankly. I'm looking at you are in Williams, sleek. So that means that to some people they are as ugly as duck feet but to others they look utilitarian but are as comfy as duck down. See what I did there? The comfort around the foot and instep is matched by the comfort under foot. There is no shack but honestly you don't miss it. It feels like some shackless wedge sole boots are super supportive all through the whole length of your foot. The thick and very squishy TPU midsole is matched with the stability and grip of the harder PU outsole plate and the removable insole fits into the curves of your foot. Having said that there is plenty of room for you to take out the insoles and put in your own orthotic insoles for a more bespoke comfort fit if that's what you like. Other reviewers have said that their red backs are even more comfy than blunt stones. I don't know. To me they are at least as comfy as each other but I have a fit preference to my lined 650 blunnies. I feel that the red back there may be a little too wide at the toe so I slip into the toes of it as I walk forward or down a hill and the rough unfinished leather inside grabs at my socks and I have to kind of shuffle around for a while before everything slips and slides into place without my toes feeling like someone's giving me a foot wedgie. Now I don't know if different cultures understand what a wedgie is but imagine you're wearing just underpants and two burly blokes lift you up by the waistband of the underpants. The squish of bits and bobs that you feel is the same as the squish of the toes in the socks when you first put them in. Now let's take a look at value. This is interesting. Sure I understand that there are import duties and sales tax involved but I see on their US website that the recommended retail price is 185 US dollars that currently translates to about 268 Australian dollars. Their Australian website does not provide a recommended retail price but they mostly sell in stores for about $130 and often cheaper. They are widely available through tradee and workgear stores as well as in normal foot retail stores and you can get very competitive prices even before any sales. I guess if you're American there aren't many good boots cheaper than $185 but the price differential is interesting. In Australia $130 is well within comparison of other similar Aussie work boots including blundestones and taking in Mongol Rossi boots and steel blue. So yeah definitely in the right price range. So in summary I feel this is a good value work boot for light work including light construction work. If you wanted more protection they do make a steel toe version for versatility maybe not as versatile as the less aggressively styled blundestone 500 or 600 series but in their deep sold white toe aggressive stance there is some aesthetic beauty in the design. In Australia where to re-sold these into say a good year well took version would cost about 200 dollars so if they cost $130 to buy you're not going to get many people re-solding them. For all intents and purposes they've gone as once the soul weighs out at least in Australia. Sorry conservationists well there you are I hope you like the review you know what to do click on like right now and if you haven't subscribed yet I'll be bringing you many more boot reviews and soon I'm starting a whole series of boot comparisons between brands and models so click on subscribe don't miss all the good stuff coming up until then guys and girls you take care and I'll see you soon