Product Description

“Made in China” is not a phrase that inspires warm fuzzy feelings in consumers. With *0% of the product recalls in the U.S. being Chinese-made products in a typical year, from lead paint toys to poisonous drywall to tainted milk, it takes a ballsy company to embrace its Chinese manufacturing origins. OSPOP has the goods to back it up, however, so they’ve managed to build a whole mystique around a revamped Chinese work boot.

OSPOP stands for One Small Point of Pride and the company’s products celebrate the worker. Call it Maoist or call it Dirty Jobs-ist, but we could probably all use a little more celebration of the people making all the stuff we use on a regular basis. The splash page  shows a bunch of Chinese construction workers heading to work in the snow. The shoes on offer are modified (and more comfortable) versions of the “liberation shoe” that workers there have been using for *0+ years.

But enough on the back story, how well do these cool shoes actually work in practice? I’m pleased to report that the clever marketing does not overshadow the product. As I’ve worn a pair of the OSPOP Steppe Series versions (pictured at the top) around town, I’ve gotten compliments from both guys and gals. They’re amazingly comfortable too—some of the nicest-feeling shoes I’ve worn ever.

Often that’s a bad sign, the old problem of feeling great in the store and then the pillowy cushion wearing down a few weeks later. These seem to be holding up very well though, even after I’ve walked for miles at a time in them. The company obviously didn’t make the footbed part an afterthought, as so many others seem to do. It’s ergonomic too, not flat like a pair of Chuck Taylors. These shoes are rugged enough to work for long-term travel, with wool-lined water-resistant canvas uppers and serious (workboot serious) rubber outsoles. These are perfect-built to be the kind of double-duty shoes travelers need, without screaming, “I’m a traveler!” in the process. These can easily make the transition from city streets to light hiking. They’re better for cooler climates though with the lining, so you might not want to pack these for a trip to Thailand.

The Steppe Series comes in six different colors, from the basic black pictured at the top to a bright orange color called “caution.” There are two other styles as well, Skywolf and Departure, that are different variations on the theme, with other color choices and thinner lining. The photo to the right shows the most basic option.

There are a lot of nice touches when you order, from the two sets of laces in different colors to the authentic Chinese packaging on the outside and inside: the box these shoes came in is pictured at the bottom. As for that little logo over the ankle, it’s the Chinese symbol for labor. Feel free to wear these when you’re laboring, but at $*6 to $*3 a pair, you may want to save them for those times when you’re enjoying the fruit of your labor instead.