Jason Snyder
WKR
I want to preface this thread with the following statement: this is not intended to bash Lowa, rather it is intended to make you aware of how warranty issues may be handled and the frustration I have had with them in attempting to resolve an issue. If you feel I am bashing, I welcome your criticism.
Last year I purchased a pair of Lowa Rangers. I like these boots very much, and have logged a good number of miles on them. Many of these miles are in tough country with a lot of basalt rock, which I freely acknowledge is hard on boots. I have always been meticulous about cleaning my boots and have treated them with Sno Seal. I don't ever dry them next to a woodstove or campfire. I've made that mistake before, and I learned from it.
Fast forward to this fall. The rubber rand on my boots was starting to separate from the leather. I contacted Lowa about it and told them exactly what I stated above. I was told that the beeswax in the Sno Seal "overtreats" the leather and causes the rubber to separate. When I pointed out the leather was also cracking an excessive amount, I was also told that the beeswax dries it out and causes it to crack. Obviously, Lowa has no desire to help me resolve this issue. I am not looking for new boots, I've worn these hard and don't deserve new boots. I was hoping for either some help repairing the boots, which I would have gladly split costs had it been offered.
Maybe I'm all wet here and Sno Seal does ruin boots. I find that hard to believe, because two previous pairs of Lowa boots (Baffin Pros and Sheep Hunters) were treated with Sno Seal for about eight YEARS and I never had issues with rands delaminating or leather cracking. I would still be wearing those boots but my feet flattened and I needed a bigger size.
Perhaps my biggest frustration in all of this is the constant voodoo bullshit as it pertains to footwear treatment. For many years, Lowa advocated Nikwax products, and also Granger products. Granger is a beeswax product. I used Obenauf's on my first pair of Lowas, and was told by Dave Page not to use it because it affected the glues. It gets to a point and you just want to ask them WTF am I supposed to use that I don't have order with your specific name on it? I'm not a conspiracy theory guy, but at times it appears that it's just an avenue to renounce any manufacturing responsibility for what's happening with the boots.
I am not posting this in hopes of leveraging Lowa. I don't operate like that. I've been a very dedicated Lowa customer and have always been happy with their products. I am reconsidering that now and will likely go to a different boot line. I value customer service very much, even though I rarely rely on it. Usually, I accept the fact that I am very hard on footwear and that it's a fact of life. In this case, I feel the boots should show more longevity than they are.
Last year I purchased a pair of Lowa Rangers. I like these boots very much, and have logged a good number of miles on them. Many of these miles are in tough country with a lot of basalt rock, which I freely acknowledge is hard on boots. I have always been meticulous about cleaning my boots and have treated them with Sno Seal. I don't ever dry them next to a woodstove or campfire. I've made that mistake before, and I learned from it.
Fast forward to this fall. The rubber rand on my boots was starting to separate from the leather. I contacted Lowa about it and told them exactly what I stated above. I was told that the beeswax in the Sno Seal "overtreats" the leather and causes the rubber to separate. When I pointed out the leather was also cracking an excessive amount, I was also told that the beeswax dries it out and causes it to crack. Obviously, Lowa has no desire to help me resolve this issue. I am not looking for new boots, I've worn these hard and don't deserve new boots. I was hoping for either some help repairing the boots, which I would have gladly split costs had it been offered.
Maybe I'm all wet here and Sno Seal does ruin boots. I find that hard to believe, because two previous pairs of Lowa boots (Baffin Pros and Sheep Hunters) were treated with Sno Seal for about eight YEARS and I never had issues with rands delaminating or leather cracking. I would still be wearing those boots but my feet flattened and I needed a bigger size.
Perhaps my biggest frustration in all of this is the constant voodoo bullshit as it pertains to footwear treatment. For many years, Lowa advocated Nikwax products, and also Granger products. Granger is a beeswax product. I used Obenauf's on my first pair of Lowas, and was told by Dave Page not to use it because it affected the glues. It gets to a point and you just want to ask them WTF am I supposed to use that I don't have order with your specific name on it? I'm not a conspiracy theory guy, but at times it appears that it's just an avenue to renounce any manufacturing responsibility for what's happening with the boots.
I am not posting this in hopes of leveraging Lowa. I don't operate like that. I've been a very dedicated Lowa customer and have always been happy with their products. I am reconsidering that now and will likely go to a different boot line. I value customer service very much, even though I rarely rely on it. Usually, I accept the fact that I am very hard on footwear and that it's a fact of life. In this case, I feel the boots should show more longevity than they are.
