Thread: Meindl Boot Failure !

Originally Posted by Reindeer

I got a pair of Mindls from @Sarvo and they shit themselves.
I went through Stagers to get some resolution as the boots I brought were MINT. They re-glued soles twice.
I got ahold of Sarvo and kept him in the loop about what was going on. Because hes such a good bastard he replaced them with a pair of Han Wags. Thats customer service right there.

There are an awful lot of other sellers/retailers that could learn from examples like that

Originally Posted by Reindeer

I got a pair of Mindls from @Sarvo and they shit themselves.
I went through Stagers to get some resolution as the boots I brought were MINT. They re-glued soles twice.
I got ahold of Sarvo and kept him in the loop about what was going on. Because hes such a good bastard he replaced them with a pair of Han Wags. Thats customer service right there.

Sorry Paul, its really out of our hands, Most high end boots have Vibram soles and if they are not worn often the PU material of the sole unit created by Vibram does show a slow degradation over time when left in storage with no use. The boot is designed to be worn often. The walking motion pushes air through the structure and materials of the boot and sole. This fresh air movement dries the materials and staves off the degradation. Life spans of more than 10yrs are normal when the boots are worn regularly.
The number one worst thing to do with boots with PU and EVA sole units is to not wear them and leave them stored for ages after a couple of field uses. Water and humidity will be sitting inside the boot materials and structure for years slowly degrading the materials. The boots should be worn for minimum a few days per month and ideally once a week. These will need to be resoled as no point in gluing them again. This would have to be at your cost however. We can send them to the repairer should take about two weeks. Cost is $180.

Attachment 86982Attachment 86983

@Reindeer
Good one Paul - was hopping you still had that info and would put on here
He is right ah ?

I replaced another pair that sold on Trade Me - the boys father who bought them was shocked with the offer of replace or refund - he was extremely happy with deal and took the replace option.

I was hoping we might get more info on soles that lasted as I need new boots I can trust, the soles on my old pair which are well over 10yrs old & sat in a cupboard for years because I had 2 pair of them are still mint (the back seam burst open) but have the Meindl sole have folks found these better ?

Well done to Sarvo I would say, very cool of you to make people happy like that & those sole don't look too bad, you would think they could be glued back up, not the ones on these buggers !

@Scout the "grey bit of the sole on my Meindls was knackered. If you scratched ya finger down it it would come away like say polystyrene.
Thats why the glue kept coming away. It would bond to the sole but the sole was knackered.

Originally Posted by scoped

5 years is a pretty good lifespan on a pair of boots really.

it could be worse, a quick google of the problem and i found this on the lowa site, seems its not uncommon as mentioned above

Boot Sole Separation (Hydrolysis)
Sole Units will degrade when your footwear is used only occasionally and is stored for long periods of time. Sole units degrade faster than if the footwear is worn regularly. Hydrolysis is a normal material aging process that occurs in all footwear with a cushioned PU midsole independent of the manufacturer. The process also occurs in automobile, tires, ski boots or helmets and does not represent lower quality or even a quality issue in materials or workmanship.

There are two types of sole injection technology popular with outdoor boots: EVA and PU. LOWA uses PU Injected Technology, to extend the life of their boots.

PU vs. EVA
We use PU on our midsoles. It's a terrific shock absorber, rebounds well, will last longer on the trail and offers better comfort. You will get two to five times the performance life compared to molded EVA midsoles.

When a PU midsole begins to deteriorate, you'll see small cracks along the injection area, above the sole unit. This is an indication that your boots are wearing out.

* If you are experiencing sole unit separation, or degradation, please send us an email. Our customer service team will contact you regarding the age of the boots and what steps can be taken regarding the sole separation.

https://www.lowaboots.com/about-lowa...nty-and-repair

I only wear my ski boots once or twice a year and they haven't fallen apart yet???

Is it possible to get the boots repaired that have shit themselves like the examples in others pictures? I’ve got a pair exactly the same with minimal use and wouldn’t mind getting them fixed rather than fork out for brand new.

I believe so by Alan Perrett of Perrett Shoe Repair Ashburton 027 437 5840, I'm told from $180 to $200 ?

Hang on a minute....so this is a known fault and their answer to it is to wear them more often to stop it.....How about you use some of the $600-700 per pair and get your R&D department to engineer the problem out?????

I have found expensive boots have an expensive upkeep, all the required maintenance need to keep them good is just not worth it.

Originally Posted by Scout

I believe so by Alan Perrett of Perrett Shoe Repair Ashburton 027 437 5840, I'm told from $180 to $200 ?

Thank you

Originally Posted by wsm junkie

Hang on a minute....so this is a known fault and their answer to it is to wear them more often to stop it.....How about you use some of the $600-700 per pair and get your R&D department to engineer the problem out?????

Maybe they poached the guy that designed the useless lens caps on the swaro binos that constantly fail (on me at least)

If I got two years out of a pair of boots I wear regularly I'd be happy! Haha. But wear them almost daily and normally the soles wear out or the internals wear out.

If you guys have a pair of boots to resole, have a look at Bennett Shoe Repair in Invercargill. Hamish is a top fella and did my last pair (Bestards that are coming up 3 years old - very happy with them). He only charged $100 - cost of the new sole and his time! Bloody cheap compared to everyone else I contacted, and his work quality is impeccable.

Originally Posted by JoshC

If I got two years out of a pair of boots I wear regularly I'd be happy! Haha. But wear them almost daily and normally the soles wear out or the internals wear out.

If you guys have a pair of boots to resole, have a look at Bennett Shoe Repair in Invercargill. Hamish is a top fella and did my last pair (Bestards that are coming up 3 years old - very happy with them). He only charged $100 - cost of the new sole and his time! Bloody cheap compared to everyone else I contacted, and his work quality is impeccable.

That is a good price $100
A guy on Trade Me sold a resoled pair of Meindl and I asked how much and he paid $180 I think from Meindl importer - but not sure
When your Bennett Shoe repair did the resole - is it stitched on or again glued on - prob the later I imagine

Originally Posted by wsm junkie

Hang on a minute....so this is a known fault and their answer to it is to wear them more often to stop it.....How about you use some of the $600-700 per pair and get your R&D department to engineer the problem out?????

See there’s the problem, they’re not 6-700 $ boots. They’re everyday footwear in the country of origin, just touted here as some sort of specialty gear.
Most of the Meindls we know of are $250 boots in Germany, a country with a high standard of living, and are therefore seen as disposable.

Easily landed here off the inter web for $350.

Be prepared for re-soled Meindls to go down at least 1/2 a size, especially if the rand is replaced, that really pinches in the toe box. Repairers, even the ones mentioned and used by Stager do not have access to factory production lasts, so the boot comes down in size.

Been through this with 2 pairs of Makalu Pro’s, a mate with Island Pro’s and Makalus.....all went to TM.

Just my real world experience.

B

Originally Posted by Sarvo

That is a good price $100
A guy on Trade Me sold a resoled pair of Meindl and I asked how much and he paid $180 I think from Meindl importer - but not sure
When your Bennett Shoe repair did the resole - is it stitched on or again glued on - prob the later I imagine

He ground/cut the old one off and glued the new one on. Only option for those boots. Look as if it was done in the factory. And better than new, the soles that were on them lacked traction at best of times, changed the sole pattern and they're like new boots.