l-r: Steel toecapped working boots, 18 months service; Semi-retired Magnums, 2 years service, now for gardening; Current Magnums, 6 months old.
I discovered Magnum Classics about seven years ago and never looked back. I’d been wearing army boots most of my life, generally buying the cheapest boots in the army surplus store and replacing them every year. Then I saw a pair of Magnums hanging from the shelf. They cost £60, way over my usual budget, but the looked kinda nice, like a boot, but also like a shoe and potentially comfortable. I tried them on and was immediately converted, the notion that a hefty boot could be as comfortable as a trainer was incredible to me. I’m now on my third pair.
While my work boots aren’t as neat as the Magnums I’ve developed a soft spot for them because, along with the combat trousers I bought before going to the IoW farm, they’ve been with me through all my strange jobs these last 18 months, and they look it. But despite being to hell and back foot-wise they’re still perfectly functionable – not bad for £20.