Azubi Posted January 29, 2010 Report Share Posted January 29, 2010 This review is about a pair of boots I have been wearing for over a year and has had extensive use in different environments. I bought the Magnum Elite Spider 8 Inch boots when I was set to head out to my job on fast jets out in the Middle East. I was looking for a boot that was going to be light and comfortable and being the airsofter that I am, I started to look at the tactical desert boots from all the big names such as Oakley, Converse, Bates, etc. but I kept coming back to my trusty Magnum classics that I have worn for years and have never let me down. So, with the glory of my Magnum classics still shining ever so bright I had a look at the Magnum offerings and came across the Elite Spider. I think I paid £80 for the boots. First of all, tech. specs. FULL GRAIN/ACTION LEATHER UPPER WITH HIGHLY BREATHABLE AERO MESH DURABLE COMPOSITE NON-METALLIC HARDWARE SPIDERMESH LINING LIGHTWEIGHT VERTICAL BUILD SYSTEM STABILA-FLEX LASTING BOARD RUNNING SHOE LAST 3D2 MAX COMFORT CONTOURED COMPOSITE SHANK COMPRESSION MOULDED EVA MIDSOLE VIBRAM® OUTSOLE AIRPORT FRIENDLY ISO EN 20347 CERTIFIED Magnum Elite Spider boots - Manufacturers product page I wear my boots pretty much everyday, either working, for trips out to the desert, quad biking, airsofting and exploring. It's gone through deserts, urban games, woodland and greasy, dirty industrial settings with rotten floors and nasty razor wire fences ready to slash my stuff to pieces and so it has been though alot whilst I have had them. I rely on a versatile boot that is going to offer me a level of comfort, support and protection. The grip is great on most surfaces except extremely well polished floors. I play very rough and expect my kit to take alot of abuse and because of this they have taken alot of punishment over this last year. The boots are built tough. The stitching has been fantastic and I can't see anywhere where it has started to come away yet. The glue has also held up around the toe area where I often find trainers tend to come away. Sliding along the floor and spending time in the desert, I haven't seen much wear and tear to the fabric of the boot either with very little chaffing to be seen. Even the eyelets and the laces have held up and I have a tendency to lace my boots up as tight as I possibly can. For comfort, the boots are like nothing I have worn before. As with my black magnum classics, I found that I didn't even need to wear them in much, with no rubbing or chaffing at all. They seem to hug my foot and up my shin like a second skin and it is very comfortable when moving. The boot has crease points in all the right places where it needs to and this makes them great to wear without feeling as if you are being restricted. Being extremely light, the boots are very comfortable for long periods of time and is another reason why you don't feel you are being restricted whilst wearing them. My only problem I have with boots is that in the hangar I work in, the boots have a tendency to 'squeak', as they do on my floor in the villa. It isn't too bad but it can be annoying at times. Also cleaning them after a muddy day in woodland can be a bit of a nightmare but I just let them dry and went at it with a wire brush and they cleaned up alright. Overall I really like the boots. They are great to wear for long periods of time, having worn them for several days at a time without taking them off and hardly felt much discomfort and they have held up well to the abuses I have put them through. I'm the sort of person who is happy to put some good money into boots because I need to rely on them to stand up and carry me through any situation I might come across. Yesterday, I didn't even realise I was wearing them throughout the evening, after wearing them all my flight home and all of that day. Hope it was alright for my first review and it helps you guys in your next choice of boots. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Arghoslent93 Posted July 15, 2010 Report Share Posted July 15, 2010 Excellent review. I've had mine for a little over 2 years, and they are fantastic boots. I haven't put them through half as much as you but they've seen lots of general everyday wear, including urban games and plenty of abuse in the snow earlier this year. They haven't let me down once, but it's good to know from someone else that they'll withstand quite a lot of abuse. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Garside Posted July 25, 2010 Report Share Posted July 25, 2010 Ive been looking at getting a pair of new boots for a while now and ive always liked the look of these ones, Its nice to have a review of something that is going on a year old and has taken that much abuse. It has definitely sold the boots to me, something that is strong and going to last as i tend to put my boots through a fair amount of punishment. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dt00th Posted October 4, 2010 Report Share Posted October 4, 2010 I have the Magnums with the zip down the side and at first the zip was very handy for taking off muddy boots easily but within 6 months the zip has come away from the boot . Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Azubi Posted October 5, 2010 Author Report Share Posted October 5, 2010 As far as I am aware, the Elite Spider range don't have zips. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dt00th Posted October 5, 2010 Report Share Posted October 5, 2010 yep your right its some of the elite 2 range that have the zips Quote Link to post Share on other sites
SoSwift Posted October 13, 2010 Report Share Posted October 13, 2010 I used to work at Blacks and I remember the entire Magnum range being on the lower price range from around £40 to £59, so I would imagine they cost less than £80. We used to get a lot of armed forces buying them (who got a store discount.) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Colin_The+Ferret Posted October 13, 2010 Report Share Posted October 13, 2010 How do they size up? Did you buy "normal" size or a size bigger? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Azubi Posted October 14, 2010 Author Report Share Posted October 14, 2010 I just went for my normal size (UK 10) and they were spot on. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
G0LF K4RT Posted February 23, 2011 Report Share Posted February 23, 2011 i'm considering a pair of magnum boots for airsofting and some hiking/other outdoorsy stuff. which would you guys recommend; these Elite Spider 8.0s, or the Spider 8.1 Desert HPIs? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
SteevoLS Posted February 23, 2011 Report Share Posted February 23, 2011 (edited) Frankly for the price, I'd recommend something like Belleville Khyber TR360s. The military shop where I work stopped carrying Magnum boots because of quality issues. For example, the lace grommets would rip out, the soles would fall off or wear down quickly, etc. I've owned a pair of old Magnum sidezip boots for several years with no issues, but they are definitely not terribly high quality. I've owned a pair of Belleville's as mentioned above for 6 months, and wear them daily. The only issue is the soles started seperating a tiiiiiny bit at the toe, but it was nothing that some Shoe Goo and a few minutes of work couldn't fix. Edited February 23, 2011 by SteevoLS Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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