Magnum Boots - A Review

Just like Medic Triple Nine, I have been asked to review a pair of Magnum Elite boots. Obviously, a disclaimer is needed first - the opinions in this blog entry are, as always, completely my own, and not necessarily those of Basics. I have a conflict of interest, and that is that, as a result of agreeing to review the boots, I get to keep them! As a Basics Doctor, and especially as a bloke, I love the opportunity to try out new gadgets. All right, that's that out of the way; now on to what I thought of the boots.

These are a new style of boots, known as Elite. The main selling point of them is what is known as Ion-Guard. It is a special waterproof coating that actively repels moisture, which is designed to keep your feet dry, even when submerged. It will also repel other fluids, such as blood and urine, which I didn't try.

Let's get the bad out of the way immediately. These boots do not have steel toe protection. This essentially means that they are unsuitable for most pre-hospital practitioners. I contacted the the manufacturers, and they assured me that there is a new boot coming out, known as Shield, which will be much more suitable for us.

But, apart from that, how did the boots fair? I have certain key factors that I consider when considering which boot is right for me.

The obvious one is comfort. These boots get a resounding thumbs up for this. I wore them for a day while at work in the hospital, and I had no problems. There are no uncomfortable seams, and they did not rub at all.

Second obvious is looks. These boots do look the business, as can be seen here:

Now for an unusual one. I don't as a rule, walk around in my boots all the time. As a Basics Doc, I need to be able to jump into my personal protective equipment quickly, at a moment's notice. And, when I looked at how high up the ankle these boots come, I was expecting problems. I was, therefore, very pleasantly surprised when I saw that the boots do not have the usual eyelets for the laces. Instead, there is a very clever arrangement, that means that the boots can be opened wide very easily, and subsequently tightened remarkably quickly:

And finally, the water repellent coating. I and Mini RRD did the water test this evening, and as you can see from the photos, there was a very definite running off of water, and my foot was completely dry, despite his best efforts to soak me.

I would be very interested to know what happens when the boots get scuffed, as they inevitably will. Also, especially considering a recent job I was on, I am interested to find out how they fare with diesel...

So, in summary, as a stout pair of walking boots, a resounding YES. As a work boot for pre-hospital care, definitely not, certainly until the new ones come out, with the steel toe-protectors.

Now, anyone out there want me to review a new car, I'd be happy to oblige - as long as I can keep it!!