Did you know Chippewa was the first boot company to incorporate a padded collar into a work boot? In 1970, the company received approval on US Patent 3545107 (source) and incorporated what the company calls the Kush-N-Kollar®.
I recently purchased the Chippewa Edge Walker so that I could use it myself and then cut it in half to examine the boot parts. One of the things I liked the most about this boot was this cushioned collar area.
In this article let’s take a closer look at how comfortable this collar is. You can also watch my video below where I review the Chippewa Kush-N-Kollar:
Reviewing the Kush-N-Kollar of Chippewa Edge Walker Boots
The Chippewa Kush-N-Kollar is designed to reduce stress on the Achilles tendon as you walk and work. You can see this area on the back of my Chippewa Edge Walker Boots:
A padded collar is an underrated part of a boot and can greatly impact comfort. This area is very important for those of us who bend and crouch into tight spaces. The padded collar prevents the boot from eating into your ankle.
These Chippewa Edge Walker Boots have one of the best collars on the market. There is a lot of padding – I tried to capture how thick the padding is in the photo below:
Not only does this help with bending and crouching, but it provides a bit of extra “bang” protection to the ankle area. If you are someone who prioritizes padding around the collar, I don’t think any boots do it better than this.
When I recently tested 11 different types of the most popular waterproof moc-toe boots, this Chippewa Edge Walker had the most comfortable collar. If you are bending and crouching on the job, this is a great option to help keep stress off your ankle.
Pros & Cons of Chippewa Edge Walker Boots
As I mentioned earlier, I reviewed the Chippewa Edge Walker Boots by cutting using them myself and cutting them in half:
I was shocked how much I liked these boots. To read more visit my Chippewa Edge Walker Review.
I also listed the pros and cons of this boot below in case you would like a quick understanding of what makes this boot great:
| Good | Neutral | Bad |
|---|---|---|
| This is a unique leather that is thinner than many other boot leathers, but still has premium, long-lasting qualities. The thinner leather makes this boot very lightweight versus competitors (learn more) | This boot has 6 total grommets per side (2 speed hooks) which is very typical for 6-inch boots | The insole on these boots is not uncomfortable, it just doesn’t separate itself and feels like an insole I’d find in a $150 boot. It’s removable so you can swap if needed (learn more) |
| The leather is heavily infused with oils and is tumbled so it is very soft, flexible, and easy to break in (learn more) | This boot uses a rubber midsole which is very common in this price range | Again, this boot uses a thinner leather. I found the leather to still be a great, dependable leather, but if you need extra abrasion resistance, there are thicker options on the market (learn more) |
| The quality of this leather combined with the infused oils makes this leather long-lasting despite being a thinner leather (learn more) | This boot is available in both soft and safety toe | This boot uses a flat welt instead of a storm welt. Both welts are dependable, but the storm welt adds extra water protection to midsole area (learn more) |
| The well-oiled leather was also much more water-repellent than the other boots I tested (learn more) | This boot uses wax-coated laces which I like, but they did still absorb some water when I tested them, so I’m putting this as a neutral even though they do perform better than cheap laces (learn more) | |
| The internal waterproof membrane passed my waterproofing submersion test (learn more) | ||
| This boot is built using a Goodyear Welt Construction for easy re-crafting | ||
| The Vibram Cristy wedge outsole is a rubber-based wedge, which makes it softer than polyurethane-based wedge outsoles, and therefore better at absorbing shock (learn more) | ||
| My heavily used boots have no damage to the seams which are holding strong | ||
| I like the smell of the leather out of the box. It has a fresh, oiled smell | ||
| The foam filler in these boots proved to be very resilient and much thicker than other types of foam filler (learn more) | ||
| The price point of these boots is within the price range I like to use for waterproof boots (learn more) | ||
| Extremely comfortable, padded collar designed to feel soft against Achilles and ankle. | ||
| The welt material used on this boot is leather and not synthetic like some competitors. This means it’s longer lasting (learn more) |