Hi, I’m considering getting a pair of Blacksmiths or Beckmans. I like both of them, the major difference for me between the two is the soles. Can any of the members on EDC shed some light on the nitrile cork sole of the Blacksmiths or Iron Rangers? How do they take gravel, mud and wet rocks? There are plenty of opinions on their performance on ice and snow to be found on the web.
I’ll most likely be wearing the boots around town most of the time and occasionally on hiking paths (-> gravel and mud), but especially when on vacation, I don’t want to take another pair of boots along just for hiking. I guess the Beckman’s would be the better choice for these purposes, but I somehow like the Hawthorne Muleskinner leather a lot – and that’s not available for the Beckman.
Looking forward to your experiences with the soles!