Best Boots for Men: 7 Picks by Type (2026)

Four boots, four jobs.

Our best overall pick is the Thursday Captain, for the man who wants one welted boot in his width. It has a Goodyear welt, Standard and Wide (EE) widths, sizes 6 to 16 and 4.9 from 37,418 reviews on Thursday's page, at $199.

We compared 9 boots from 6 brands in two tables: with dated prices, widths, welt, made-in and return terms, and every blank in the columns shown, ours included. Prices checked October 11 and 12, 2026 (Alvies and Hevias October 16). Work, hiking and winter boots sit outside this list.

New to the types? Read types of boots for men first. Western makers in full: best cowboy boot brands. Ready to shop? See all boots.

Our picks at a glance

• Best overall: Thursday Captain, $199, Standard and Wide (EE).
• Best Western with a leather sole stack: Alvies The Lamar, D and EE to size 15.
• Most-reviewed cowhide Western: Tecovas The Cartwright, 4.8 from 15,009 reviews on October 16, 2026.
• Best Chelsea: Thursday Cavalier, the lowest-priced welted Chelsea in our catalog.
• Lowest-priced welted chukka: Meermin 101468, $235.
• Best USA-made lace-up: Red Wing Iron Ranger, Goodyear leather welt, $349.99.
• Best dress boot: Thursday Wingtip, a brogue-pattern lace-up with a Goodyear welt, $249.

How do the nine boots compare?

They differ most on construction and widths: eight of the nine state a Goodyear welt (the Thursday Boot Co Scout - Dune lists Stitchout construction) and five list a Wide or EE width, both Western picks among them.

Prices checked October 11 and 12, 2026 (Alvies and Hevias October 16).

Not stated means the pages we saved do not say. Thursday's FAQ lists factories in Mexico, Portugal, Spain and the USA but not per style, and lists men's footwear as Standard width unless noted.

What do returns and ratings look like?

For eight of the nine boots, the maker states a 30-day return window and says the boot can be resoled (Thursday does both in its FAQ); the Meermin page we saved says nothing on resoling, and its two help-center articles disagree (30 and 15 days). Alvies itself does not resole or reheel boots. The Lamar's row also shows its product page's exchange line.

Thursday's FAQ limits free shipping to the contiguous U.S. and to unworn, undamaged items. Ratings come from each maker's own page, read October 11 and 12, 2026 (the Cartwright's October 16); the Hevias and Meermin pages we saved state none.

Best overall: Thursday Captain

The Captain is a lace-up boot in black matte leather with a Goodyear welt, a glove-leather lining and a studded rubber outsole, at $199.

It wins on a rule we set before we looked: a stated Goodyear welt, a maker statement that it can be resoled (Thursday's is a brand-level FAQ line), a price under $250, a Wide width and sizes to 16, then the most reviews. Two everyday boots in our catalog pass, the Captain and the Wingtip. The Captain has the most reviews, 37,418 to 2,085.

A YouTube reviewer BootSpy interviewed called it "comfortable and breaks in well". A commenter on r/malefashionadvice got blisters on day one, then wrote that the boots "fit like socks". Our file holds 44 lines on Thursday boots: 30 positive, 11 mixed, 3 negative.

Pros

• A Goodyear welt at $199
• Standard and Wide (EE) widths, sizes 6 to 16

Watch out for

• A r/Boots commenter reported "quality control issues" on Thursday boots, offset by "amazing customer service"

Skip it if you want a stated country of origin for this boot.

Best Western with a leather sole stack: Alvies The Lamar

The Lamar is a 13-inch cowhide boot with a J-toe and a 1.5-inch stacked leather heel, made in León, Mexico. It costs $390. See The Lamar.

Alvies states a ¾ Goodyear welt and, in its FAQ, "Our sole is made of 100% leather: outsole, midsole, and insole." Of the nine boots in the table, the Lamar is the only one whose maker says so. The same FAQ answer adds "A cork filler molds to your foot over time, and a layer of EVA". At $390 the Lamar costs more than the Cartwright's $375, so this slot rests on the sole, not the price.

Alvies says men's boots fit true to size. An owner on r/cowboyboots wrote that the Lamar fit "very nicely at the ball of the foot and the instep", but said "The toe box is pretty narrow and pinch the big toe on both feet." After a week they were "a little better", yet "Can't return the Lamar. I wish I had not got them."

Our file holds 23 Alvies fit lines: 11 from Reddit (6 negative, 3 positive, 2 mixed) and 12 from store reviews of four styles outside the men's seven (5 negative, 5 positive, 2 mixed).

George's take: Fit comes first for me. I can tell you Alvies boots are all Goodyear welted.

Pros

• A ¾ Goodyear welt a cobbler can resole
• D and EE widths to size 15, with a Limited Lifetime Warranty that excludes sole and heel wear, covers the original owner and carries a $19.99 replacement fee

Watch out for

• It costs more than the Cartwright ($390 against $375)

Skip it if you want a round toe or a lower price. The Cartwright has a round toe, and Thursday's Frontier at $220 and Maverick at $265 state a Goodyear welt.

Most-reviewed cowhide Western: Tecovas The Cartwright

The Cartwright is a 12-inch cowhide boot with a round toe, a ¾ Goodyear welt and a leather outsole, $375 in hazelnut.

Tecovas's page showed 4.8 from 15,009 reviews on October 16, 2026, the most of any cowhide Western boot in our catalog with a saved count (counts read October 11 and 16). Its goat boot The Earl showed more that day, 24,299. Sizes run 7 to 15 in D and EE, with a 12-month limited warranty.

A reviewer at BootSpy wrote there was "hardly any break-in period". An owner on r/cowboyboots wrote that both pairs of their newer Cartwrights have "a sloppy fit".

Pros

• A leather outsole, with a resoling program through NuShoe

Watch out for

• The Cartwright page we saved names no country; Tecovas's León line is brand-level

Skip it if you want more than 12 months of warranty. Alvies lists a Limited Lifetime Warranty on the Lamar that excludes sole and heel wear.

Best Chelsea: Thursday Cavalier

The Cavalier is a Chelsea boot in hand-finished full-grain leather, Goodyear welted, with a leather outsole with TPU studs, at $199. It is the lowest-priced of the nine Chelsea boots in our catalog whose pages state a Goodyear welt, out of 17 Chelsea rows.

Thursday's page shows 4.9 from 3,781 reviews, with sizes 6 to 16 and no width choice.

Pros

• A Goodyear welt and a leather outsole at $199

Watch out for

• No width choice on the page; Thursday's FAQ says Standard unless noted

Skip it if you need a wide width. The Captain and the Wingtip list a Wide width.

Also here: Hevias The Diplomat, a Goodyear-welted Chelsea in bourbon calfskin. It costs $295. Our files hold no owner line on any Hevias boot. See The Diplomat.

Lowest-priced welted chukka: Meermin 101468

The Meermin 101468 is a chukka in suede from the Sciarada tannery in Italy, Goodyear welted, with a studded rubber outsole, at $235. It is the lowest-priced of the six chukka models in our catalog whose pages state a Goodyear welt, out of 16 chukka rows. The next two are the Meermin 514460 at $250 and our Statesman at $325.

In a 2023-labelled list of chukkas, an editor at Misiu Academy called the Meermin 101468 "probably the lowest quality shoe on this list" but added that there are "few that can deny the value that Meermin brings at this price point".

Pros

• A Goodyear welt, a calf lining and a leather insole at $235

Watch out for

• Meermin sizes are UK: its page says to take one full size down from your US size
• The page we saved does not state where it is made or whether it can be resoled

Skip it if you want a stated country of origin or a width beyond E.

Also here: Hevias The Statesman, Goodyear welted, $325.

Also here: the Thursday Scout, $160, stitchout construction rather than a Goodyear welt, no width choice, 4.8 from 5,286 reviews.

Best USA-made lace-up: Red Wing Iron Ranger

The Iron Ranger 8111 is a lace-up boot in full-grain oiled leather with a Goodyear leather welt and a Vibram 430 Mini-lug outsole, made in the USA, at $349.99. It is the lowest-priced of the three lace-up boots in our catalog whose pages state a US origin, with the Red Wing Beckman next at $399.99 and an Alden at $780.

Sizes run 4.5 to 14 in D and EE, and the page lists the boot as resoleable.

Pros

• Made in the USA with a Goodyear leather welt

Watch out for

• The Red Wing page we saved shows no rating or review count

Skip it if you want to spend less. The Captain costs $199.

Best dress boot: Thursday Wingtip

The Wingtip is a brogue-pattern lace-up in black smooth and pebbled leather, Goodyear welted, with a studded rubber outsole, at $249. Our dress-boot slot is an editorial call, not a catalog count: it rests on the brogue pattern, the smooth and pebbled leather and the Goodyear welt the page states. Thursday's page shows 4.9 from 2,085 reviews, with Standard and Wide (EE/EEE) widths and sizes 6 to 16.

Pros

• A Goodyear welt at $249

Watch out for

• A reviewer at BootSpy wrote that the Wingtip has "a super slim shape"

Skip it if you want a leather outsole. The Cavalier lists a leather outsole with TPU studs.

What are the best boot brands for men?

Thursday supplies four of our nine boots and has six Goodyear-welted models, from $199 to $289.

Price now is the page price on October 11 and 12, 2026 (Alvies and Hevias October 16); Johnston & Murphy and Wolverine also show a higher regular price. Alden and Crockett & Jones state Goodyear welts at brand level. Loafers and one untyped Hevias style are left out.

What does Bespoke Western make for men, and what do our pages leave blank?

Alvies makes seven men's Western styles and Hevias makes chukkas, a Chelsea and loafers, all handcrafted in León, Mexico. See Alvies, Hevias and Mexican cowboy boots.

The Statesman is a chukka in Italian brandy calfskin, Goodyear welted, in sizes 8 to 13. It costs $325, and its page says it is built to be resoled. See The Statesman.

The Hevias pages we saved state no outsole and no width, and 4 of the 14 Hevias rows in our catalog, colors counted separately, state a construction.

How we picked

To me, construction is the value of a boot: a well-built pair, looked after, lasts a lifetime, and a welted boot can be resoled as often as you like. So every slot rests on a test of catalog facts from the makers' own pages, saved October 11 and 12, 2026, and none on a wear test.

Bespoke Western makes and sells Alvies, Hevias and Olsen-Stelzer boots, so two of the nine boots are ours: the Lamar and the Diplomat. Allen Edmonds, Clarks and Timberland rank on page one for these searches, but we could not read their pages in full, so we hold no facts on them.

Quick answers

What are the best boots for formal wear for men?

The Thursday Wingtip is our pick: a brogue-pattern lace-up in smooth and pebbled leather, Goodyear welted, at $249 in Standard and Wide (EE/EEE). For a suit, read Chelsea boots with a suit and cowboy boots with a suit.

Which boots work with jeans?

I think that under jeans or slacks you cannot tell a 12-inch shaft from a 17- or 18-inch one. What shows is the leather and the ornateness.

Are Goodyear-welted boots worth it?

A welt lets a cobbler replace the sole, and eight of the nine picks state a Goodyear welt. See our Goodyear welt guide.

Do men's boots run true to size?

Thursday's pages say "Order ½ size smaller than you wear in sneakers", Meermin says to take a full size down (UK sizing), and Alvies, Hevias and Tecovas say true to size. Check your width with our shoe width chart.

Bottom line

Start with the Thursday Captain. Then choose by type: the Lamar or the Cartwright for Western, the Cavalier for a Chelsea, the Meermin 101468 for the lowest-priced welted chukka, the Iron Ranger for a USA-made lace-up, the Wingtip for a dress boot. Check your width and returns first.

Where to go next

• Types of boots for men and roper vs cowboy boot vs western Chelsea
• What are chukka boots?, how to wear Chelsea boots and what are loafers?

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• Best Chelsea Boots for Men: 8 Picks by Build (2026)
• Best Chukka Boots for Men: 7 Picks, Priced and Dated (2026)