American-made in Keen’s Portland, Oregon manufacturing facility, the Braddock Mid WP is a classic, premium-level, 7-inch, steel-toed, waterproof, leather work boot listed at $180 retail.
Braddock Mid WP boots feel comfortable right out of the box: Foot sides, heel and ankle areas, which are asymmetrical by design to fit left and right feet, conform ideally to this reviewer’s feet, providing good support with a glove-like fit without undo pinching or hot spots.
I wore them for almost a month around the shop, office, jobsites and while doing various outdoor activities from off-roading to hiking.
The boots are nicely cushioned with very good arch support negating the need to supplement with aftermarket insoles as is the case with many steel-toe boots of lesser quality. The dual-density EVA footbed is removable, so it’s easy to keep them aired out.
Oil-and-slip-resistant, non-marking outsoles with a medium lug design provide excellent footing on all types of surfaces. I found the footbed flexes just enough to keep the day-to-day comfort level high while exhibiting very good stability and footing on rough, uneven surfaces.
The Braddock’s steel-toe area is covered with the same non-slip exterior rubber coating as the outsole and does its job protecting from serious blows as I witnessed when accidentally rolling a rock over one toe while doing landscaping work.
Keen has also done a nice job making the Braddock boots waterproof with an inner liner construction that wicks away the moisture of sweaty feet. Wading in water and mud and socks still stay dry.
The speed-lacing system works smoothly, and the hard rubber top-lace eyes, with their lock notch, makes it easy to quick-tie the boots. Laces stay tight all day long in the field.
Summary
I found the Keen Braddock Mids to live up to their reputation as being a premium quality, exceptionally comfortable steel-toed work boot that should take the daily abuse of outdoor work for many years when properly cared for.
How they rate
(10 is best)
Performance: 9
Comfort: 9
Protection: 9
Durability: 8.5
Price: 7
Value: 8.5
Total: 51/60
Editor’s note: This is the first of three Keen boot reviews we’ll be running. Next week we’ll look at the Keen Destin Mid Work Shoe, which is ideal for mechanics and technicians working in the shop. Following that we’ll review the Milwaukee 6-inch boot which is ideal for foot-unfriendly construction worksites.
