Merrell Sawtooth

Review by Neil Ferguson  Cherokee Indian Police Department

I first came across Merrell Sawtooth boots in summer 2003 while taking a

gut-check sniper course best described as SOTIC-for-Law-Enforcement. The SF instructors had them on and loved them, having worn the Sawtooth in Iraq and Afghanistan. When I asked why they didn’t wear other more expensive brands that seemed part of the local hippie hiker / kayaker dress code, they told me the Merrell Sawtooths were personally tested and re-tested under combat conditions as opposed to semi-risky weekend warrior romps.

Since then I have owned two pair, the first of which I bought following the class from diamondbacktactical.com for $89 and wore out over four years of training and knocking around. I bought the most recent pair last year direct from merrell.com for $100 plus s/h. It is the best $100 I have ever spent. The boot is firm yet flexes just enough to stay easy on the feet for a long training day. Following knee surgery these have been the only boots I could wear for quite a while due to the relatively light combined weight at 2 lbs., 14 ounces. The color and styling don’t scream “Cop!” like my Danners when off-duty or dressed down for other assignments.

As with all my boots, I use an extra insole to cushion my tootsies but I could wear the Merrells without them if I had to. The flexing Vibram sole also does a lot to cushion the consistent pounding I give them. The wide knobby tread pattern also gives me plenty of traction in the near constant mud, in range gravel and up steep wooded hillsides.

The eyelets and laces are simple and quick to hook up and go. There are four closed metal eyelets at the lower end and three speed lace hooks at the top that I really like for easy donning and secure retention. I don’t use the lowest speed hook too much but, when it is used, it locks your ankle in tight so that there’s little or no roll. The only downside is that this lower hook has a tighter opening and eats up the laces more than the other eyelets or speed hooks but it seems to be a cost of the lace lock-down design.

The toe and heel have rubber ‘bumper guards” that absorb much of the wear and tear and to me just looks cool. To clean the boots, I just hit them with a potato brush and a baby wipe.

Although not water-proof, I have kept the boots sprayed with Scotch-Gard and then worn them in the snow, slush and mud when I didn’t feel like wearing my Danners and still stayed dry. Incidentally, Gore-Tex is best here in Western North Carolina during the winter in a pair of 8” or 10” Danner boots but in summer its pretty useless. If a pair of boots gets wet in summer, its usually because you were wading a creek or river and the water went over the top. Around here when that happens, Gore-Tex boots just become lace-up buckets and take forever to dry (picture a Southern version of Seattle). When I have gotten the Sawtooths wet, they dry relatively quickly and are none the worse for wear and don’t eat up my feet when worn wet. A change of wool / polypro socks and I’m good to go. In desert conditions the Sawtooth has been reported to be the best in that environment that many have tried so far.

I am something of a boot connoisseur having worn them daily since I was a little hick kid growing up in these here mountains. You name the brand and I have probably worn them, if worth wearing, and the Merrell Sawtooths are the best I’ve ever had. As I’ve mentioned in the past, I make triple sure I’m onto a good thing before I spend money on my personal gear. My wife is a grad student and my kids are as the sands of the sea so money is not wasted but I guarantee when this pair is worn out, I will certainly buy another. The old Sawtooths will probably be thrown from a distance to my youngest son who was recently described as a Chucky doll. Until that black day, my Merrell Sawtooths feel and look great and do more than their part to keep me the beautiful man that I am.

Sgt. Neil Ferguson

Cherokee Indian Police Department

Cherokee, NC