Should I keep non-leather boots?

[HaveringWavering]

Recently bought these from Schuh:

Ashen biker boots

I knew they were synthetic upper when I ordered them, only £45 and I liked the style. I’m not a vegan, or even a vegetarian so no ethical motivation in buying them.

They look indistinguishable from leather for now, but I’m worried they will deteriorate quickly, not sure if polish will work on them and wonder if they will have less give in them than leather boots. (They are quite snug around the ankle.)

I love the style and they fit well, but with the sales on I could probably find similar leather ones for up to about £60. Should I keep them?

If you are having to ask, return them.

I always buy leather as they are really hard wearing and withstand the rain.

I’m asking because I have no direct experience of how synthetic uppers wear though @WhoppingBigBackside. Was interested in others’ experiences.

@DSGR

I always buy leather as they are really hard wearing and withstand the rain.

I know, but wellies are also hard wearing and withstand the rain and they are not leather

From my experience they won’t last as well or look good for as long. I only buy leather now.

They don't last long compared to leather. Less than a year if you wear them often. I don't bother with synthetic boots anymore, as leather is much cheaper long term assuming you can afford the up front cost.

Maybe it's just the leather boots I've had lately (all from M&S) but I've found my synthetic boots have been wearing better. The last leather ones I got two years ago just look wrecked and I didn't even wear them that much. I have a pair of synthetic brown Chelsea boots (also M&S!) that still look good 5 years later with regular use. So I think a good quality synthetic might be better than a cheap leather?

I have some synthetic leather boots from Rieker which are about 3-4 years old and still look great despite regular winter use. I don’t polish them but wipe them occasionally. However, they were about £50 in the sale and heavily reduced, so probably started out as pretty good quality. Synthetic can be hard wearing but I’d trust your instincts as to the quality of the boots you have.

I'm vegetarian and don't buy leather. The boots I bought when I was pregnant with DS 15 years ago are still going strong and have outlasted multiple pairs of DH's leather shoes/boots. I also have a pair of vegan DMs that I'm still wearing regularly, which I bought in the mid-90s.

I am a vegetarian and tbh I'd say go for good quality leather over poor quality sybthetic. I prefer to buy leather boots (secondhand usually, due to the type of shoes I buy). I don't use leather elsewhere/unnecessarily - bags, shoes etc. - but I also hate the thought of plasticky shoes which don't last and end up in landfill so I weigh it up.

It’s an interesting point, the quality of the synthetic. I think part of my thinking was that with some many people moving away from leather now, perhaps synthetic had become better quality (more funding for R&D etc). But I suppose it would also be a good excuse to flood the market with bad quality synthetic and charge more to take advantage of people’s ethical motivations.

They seem good enough quality but I guess I’ll never know till I have subjected them to a bit of wear and tear.

I find leather wears better but I'm never careful with my shoes and like the battered leather look. I'd be happy with those shoes but I wouldn't expect them to look good after 2 winters of heavy wear.

@HaveringWavering

It’s an interesting point, the quality of the synthetic. I think part of my thinking was that with some many people moving away from leather now, perhaps synthetic had become better quality (more funding for R&D etc). But I suppose it would also be a good excuse to flood the market with bad quality synthetic and charge more to take advantage of people’s ethical motivations.

They seem good enough quality but I guess I’ll never know till I have subjected them to a bit of wear and tear.

This is probably true tbh, and the posts just before mine back it up! I gave up on synthetic years ago but it probably has improved a lot.

I would return them. They probably won’t last like leather, plus synthetic is a lot less breathable.

I should say that I am lucky that £45 is a fairly affordable amount for me and I bought them as a sort of fashion extra pair rather than as my main winter boots. I’d have spent up to about £100 on ones that I expected to be used several times a week and last a few years. But I won’t be wearing this style that regularly. Might give them a whirl for research purposes. Thanks all.

I have some synthetic Chelsea boots that I bought from TKMaxx last year. I've worn them loads, and I'm pleasantly surprised at how good they still look. I assumed the coating would have started to wear off by now, but it hasn't.
So, you may be surprised too!