Drew’s 1918 vs. Red Wing vs. Thorogood: Which Moc Toe Work Boot Is Right for You?

If you're shopping for a traditional leather moc toe work boot, there’s a good chance three names are going to come up:

Red Wing. Thorogood. Drew’s.

Red Wing helped make the moc toe one of the most recognizable American boot styles ever built. Thorogood’s American Heritage has become a staple on jobsites across the country.

And then there’s the newest boot of the three: the Drew’s 1918 Moc Toe.

We're obviously biased. We designed the Drew’s.

But we're also a boot store.

Drew’s has been fitting hardworking people into boots since 1918, and after more than a century in the footwear business, we don’t believe there’s one boot that’s right for everybody.

So rather than tell you the Drew’s is automatically “better,” we want to look at what you're actually getting for your money.

Because once you get past the similar moc toe styling and start looking at the leather, welt, heel counter, shank and other components underneath the surface, these are three very different boots.

The Three Moc Toe Boots We’re Comparing

For this comparison, we're focusing on three traditional 6-inch wedge-sole moc toes:

Drew’s 1918 Moc Toe — Shop the Drew’s 1918 Moc Toe

Red Wing Classic Moc #875 — Red Wing's iconic USA-made Heritage moc toe.

Thorogood American Heritage 6" Moc Toe — one of Thorogood's most popular American Heritage work boots.

All three start with a similar formula: leather upper, 6-inch height, moc toe, welted construction and wedge-style outsole.

But that's about where the simple comparison ends.

Drew’s vs. Red Wing vs. Thorogood: Quick Comparison

Specifications can vary by individual style and production. This comparison focuses on representative 6-inch moc toe models from each collection.

1. Let's Start With the Leather

This might be one of the biggest material differences between the three boots.

The Drew’s 1918 Moc Toe uses heavy 7.5–8 oz leather. Drew’s currently offers the 1918 in both Crazyhorse and roughout leathers.

The leather used in comparable Red Wing Classic Moc and Thorogood American Heritage boots is approximately 5.5 oz.

That does not mean thinner leather is bad leather.

Red Wing uses excellent full-grain leather, including its famous Oro Legacy leather on the #875. Thorogood also uses full-grain American leather on its American Heritage Moc Toe.

Quality and thickness are two different conversations.

When we developed the 1918, we intentionally went heavier.

Why?

Because that's where our Pacific Northwest boot background starts influencing the design.

Traditional PNW work boots are known for substantial leather uppers designed around demanding use. We weren't trying to turn the 1918 into a $600–$700 handmade logger boot, but we wanted to bring some of that same philosophy into an everyday moc toe.

So we chose 7.5–8 oz leather.

Pick up a 1918 next to a conventional moc toe and it's one of the first differences you're likely to notice.

2. What's Inside the Heel Matters Too

Leather thickness is easy to see and feel.

The heel counter isn't.

It's hidden inside the boot, but the heel counter is an important structural component that helps support your heel and helps the back of the boot maintain its shape.

This is another area where these boots take different approaches.

The Drew’s 1918 uses a genuine leather heel counter.

The Red Wing Classic Moc uses leatherboard.

Thorogood uses a synthetic counter material.

Does that automatically determine which boot is best?

No.

But when we developed the 1918, we specifically chose leather.

Why?

It comes back to the question we kept asking while developing the entire 1918 Collection:

How much boot can we build for around $200?

The customer may never see the heel counter.

We still wanted leather there.

The 1918 product specifications confirm the leather heel counter as one of the core structural components of the boot.

3. Leather Welt vs. PVC Welt

This is another difference that can get lost when product descriptions simply say “Goodyear welt.”

Goodyear welt describes the construction method. It doesn't necessarily tell you what the welt itself is made from.

The Drew’s 1918 uses a genuine leather welt.

The Red Wing Classic Moc also uses a leather Goodyear welt; Red Wing specifically identifies the #875 as using a Goodyear Leather Welt.

Thorogood's American Heritage uses a PVC welt with Goodyear storm welt construction.

Does a PVC welt make Thorogood a bad boot?

Absolutely not.

Thorogood has built an extremely successful work boot around its construction.

But it's a good example of why we encourage customers to look beyond the words “Goodyear welted.”

The construction method matters.

The materials used in that construction matter too.

When we developed the 1918, we chose a genuine leather welt because it fit the old-school construction philosophy we wanted for the boot.

It's another component where we decided not to take the cheaper route.

4. Steel Shank vs. Composite Shank vs. No Shank

Here's another significant difference hidden underneath your foot.

The Drew’s 1918 uses a steel shank.

The Thorogood American Heritage uses a composite shank.

The comparable Red Wing Heritage Classic Moc does not use a shank.

There are legitimate reasons for all three approaches.

No shank can allow a wedge boot to remain more flexible.

A composite shank provides support while keeping weight down.

We chose steel.

Again, that's influenced by Drew’s history with traditional Pacific Northwest work boots, where substantial underfoot structure has long been an important part of the build.

Even though the 1918 uses a wedge outsole, we wanted more structure underneath the foot.

So we put a steel shank in it.

5. Why All Three Use a Wedge Sole

There's a reason the wedge sole has survived for generations.

If you're spending long days on concrete, shop floors, warehouses or relatively flat jobsites, a wedge sole gives you broad contact with the ground without the pronounced heel of a traditional logger boot.

Red Wing's Traction Tred has become one of the most recognizable wedge outsoles in the world.

Thorogood uses its MAXWear Wedge on the American Heritage we're comparing.

Drew’s uses an oil- and slip-resistant wedge outsole and adds another feature we specifically developed for the 1918:

The Drew’s Safety Stitch.

The Safety Stitch runs directly through the toe area of the outsole to help reduce sole delamination at one of the highest-flex areas of a work boot.

It's a small detail.

But work boots often fail at small details.

That's why we put it there.

6. What About Comfort?

Comfort is where work boot comparisons can get subjective, but it's also an area where the construction underneath your foot matters.

Thorogood puts considerable emphasis on cushioning. Its American Heritage incorporates a shock-absorbing footbed and cushioned insole designed around spending long days on your feet.

Red Wing's Classic Moc takes a more traditional Heritage approach and has developed a loyal following for its fit, leather and the way the boot breaks in over time.

With the Drew's 1918, we wanted both cushioning and substantial support.

The 1918 uses a Poron footboard and removable cushioned insole to provide comfort and shock absorption underfoot. But we didn't want to achieve that comfort by sacrificing the structural components we believe belong in a serious work boot.

Underneath that cushioning, the 1918 still incorporates a steel shank for support.

And that supportive philosophy continues throughout the rest of the boot with:

7.5–8 oz leather.

Steel shank.

Leather heel counter.

Leather Goodyear welt.

Poron footboard.

Removable cushioned insole.

The goal wasn't to choose between a comfortable boot and a substantially built boot.

We wanted both.

A boot you can spend a long day working in, with cushioning underfoot, while still retaining the heavier materials and structural support influenced by Drew's background in traditional Pacific Northwest work boots.

Of course, comfort and fit will always be personal. Different feet prefer different lasts, insoles and levels of support.

That's why we've spent more than 100 years telling people:

Fit still matters.

7. Made in USA vs. Dominican Republic

This is probably the most obvious advantage Red Wing and Thorogood have over the core Drew’s 1918.

The Red Wing Classic Moc #875 is Made in USA.

Thorogood's American Heritage is Made in USA with USA and globally sourced components.

The core Drew’s 1918 Moc Toe is made in the Dominican Republic to Drew’s specifications.

And we're completely transparent about why:

Price.

We wanted the 1918 Moc Toe to start around $200.

If our number-one goal had been putting "Made in USA" on the label, we could have gone that direction.

In fact, Drew’s now offers USA-built 1918 Moc Toes as part of the broader collection.

But they cost more.

The purpose of the original 1918 was different.

We wanted to find out how much traditional boot construction and how many premium materials we could put into an everyday work boot while keeping it accessible to the working person buying it.

That's why we partnered with skilled bootmakers in the Dominican Republic.

It's not something we're trying to hide.

It's part of how we hit the price.

8. $200 vs. $280 vs. $330

This is where we think the comparison becomes especially interesting.

The Drew’s 1918 Moc Toe starts at $199.95.

A Red Wing Classic Moc is roughly $330, depending on the model.

A comparable Thorogood American Heritage Moc Toe is around $280, depending on the specific model and retailer.

Price alone doesn't tell you which boot is better.

Red Wing's American manufacturing has value.

Thorogood's American manufacturing and reputation among working tradespeople have value.

But our goal with the 1918 wasn't:

How cheaply can we make a boot?

It was:

How much boot can we build for the money?

And that's an important distinction.

9. Plain Toe or Safety Toe?

Work boots aren't one-size-fits-all, and neither are jobsite requirements.

That's why the Drew’s 1918 Moc Toe is available in both a plain/soft-toe version and an ASTM-rated composite-safety-toe version. The composite version currently retails for $219.95.

Thorogood's American Heritage family likewise offers plain-toe and steel-safety-toe configurations.

The Red Wing Heritage Classic Moc we're comparing in this article is a plain-toe boot.

Red Wing certainly makes safety-toe moc toe work boots, but those belong to Red Wing's broader work collections rather than the Heritage Classic Moc being compared here.

That's worth distinguishing because we don't want to cherry-pick features from several different Red Wing boots just to make a better-looking comparison chart.

So Which Moc Toe Should You Buy?

Buy the Red Wing Classic Moc if...

Made in USA is a top priority.

You want the iconic Red Wing Heritage styling and Oro Legacy leather.

You appreciate Red Wing's history and want one of the benchmarks of the entire moc toe category.

There's a reason the Classic Moc has been around for decades.

Buy the Thorogood American Heritage if...

You want a work-focused moc toe made in the USA with USA and globally sourced components.

You prioritize cushioning and immediate underfoot comfort.

You like the MAXWear Wedge.

Or you've worn Thorogoods before and already know that their fit works for your feet.

Thorogood makes a good work boot.

Buy the Drew’s 1918 if...

You're looking for more traditional materials and heavier construction at a lower price point.

You want 7.5–8 oz leather.

You want a genuine leather heel counter.

You want a genuine leather Goodyear welt.

You want a steel shank underneath your wedge sole.

You want the choice between soft toe and composite safety toe.

And you like the idea of bringing some traditional Pacific Northwest boot DNA into an everyday work boot starting around $200.

That's exactly why we built it.

Three Good Boots. Three Different Priorities.

We're not going to finish this comparison by telling you Red Wing and Thorogood make bad boots.

They don't.

Red Wing makes good boots.

Thorogood makes good boots.

So do we.

The better question is:

What are you actually getting for your money?

When you're comparing work boots, don't just look at the logo stamped on the side.

Look at the leather.

Look at the welt — and ask what the welt is actually made from.

Ask what's inside the heel.

Find out whether there's a shank.

Look at the outsole.

Look at where the boot is made.

Think about whether you need a safety toe.

And most importantly, think about where you're actually going to wear the boot.

That's the same kind of advice we've been giving customers for generations.

The 1918 Collection exists because after more than a century around work boots, we thought there was room for something different.

Not a $600–$700 traditional PNW boot.

Not a disposable bargain work boot.

Something in between.

Heavy leather.

Leather components.

Traditional construction.

Work-ready options.

A price working people can afford.

That's the Drew’s 1918 Moc Toe.

A Working Man’s Boot at a Working Man’s Price.

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