Rigger boots split opinion on every site in the country. Half the trade swears by them for the pull-on convenience; the other half has had a pair banned by a site manager who wants ankle support and laces. But if your job lets you wear riggers, the real question is which pair actually survives a winter of mud, scaffold and diesel without the sole peeling off by March.
Two names come up again and again at the trade counter: Buckler and DeWalt. One is a specialist boot maker that does nothing but safety footwear. The other is a tool brand that puts its name on a licensed boot. Here’s a straight head-to-head on build, comfort, safety and price, for people who stand in these things ten hours a day.
Our quick verdict
Buy the Buckler Buckshot 2 if you want the boot that lasts. It’s a proper piece of safety footwear from a company that only makes boots, and it shows in the outsole, the waterproofing and the SRC slip rating — expect to pay around £100, but on a boot you’ll replace every eight to twelve months, that gap closes fast. Buy a DeWalt rigger if you want a solid, widely-available boot for less money — DeWalt’s Tungsten waterproof rigger comes in well under £50, comes with a one-year guarantee, and you can pick a pair up on the way to a job. It’s not built to the Buckler’s standard, but for lighter wear or a second van pair it does the job.
If you’re on rough ground all day, every day, the Buckler is the smarter money. If you want cheap, available and backed by a guarantee, DeWalt wins on price.
What a rigger boot actually is — and where you can wear one
A rigger is a pull-on safety boot with no laces, a padded collar and a couple of finger loops to haul it on. The appeal is obvious — kick them on in the morning, off at the door, no laces to wear through or trip on. They got their name from oil-rig workers who needed boots they could get in and out of fast.
The catch is ankle support. Because nothing laces the boot to your ankle, a rigger gives less lateral support than a laced boot, which is exactly why a lot of principal contractors ban them on site — particularly on uneven ground or scaffold-heavy jobs. Check your site rules before you spend anything. If riggers are allowed, read on. If they’re not, you want a laced S3 boot instead, and both these brands make those too.
Buckler: the specialist
Buckler — trading as Buckbootz — is a British-founded company that does one thing: safety footwear. No drills, no batteries, no workwear range to prop up. The Buckshot range is their flagship pull-on rigger, and it’s the one you’ll see on plant operators and groundworkers who buy their own boots and want them to last.
The current Buckshot 2 (BSH010BR) is certified to S3 HRO SRC — the injection-moulded rubber outsole is heat-resistant to brief contact with hot surfaces, useful if you’re anywhere near hot tarmac, welding or roofing torches. The upper is dark brown crazy horse leather with a genuinely waterproof construction, not a water-repellent coating that gives up after a month. The steel midsole and standard 200-joule steel toecap round it out. That SRC slip rating is the detail worth coming back to.
DeWalt: the tool brand’s boot
DeWalt footwear is made under licence — the yellow-and-black name is on the boot, but it’s produced by a footwear manufacturer to DeWalt’s spec, the same way most tool brands do workwear and PPE. That’s not a criticism in itself; plenty of licensed boots are perfectly good. The Tungsten is DeWalt’s waterproof rigger, and it’s one of the better-value safety riggers on the UK market.
You get a brown buffalo leather upper with a Hydroguard waterproof membrane — pores small enough to keep water out, large enough to let air through so your feet stay dry rather than just wet from the inside. A steel toecap rated to 200 joules and a steel midsole handle the protection side, and a PU dual-density outsole tested to 35,000 flexes handles durability. It’s rated S3, comes in comfortably under £50, and is widely stocked, so if a boot fails on a Friday you’re not stuck waiting for a replacement.
Head to head
Both boots use steel toecaps rated to 200 joules and a steel anti-penetration midsole, so underfoot protection is comparable. The Buckshot 2 carries the fuller S3 HRO SRC rating — heat-resistant outsole, full waterproof leather — while the DeWalt Tungsten is rated S3 with its Hydroguard membrane doing the waterproofing. On price, the gap is real: the Buckler sits around £100, the DeWalt Tungsten under £50. On availability, DeWalt has the edge — it’s stocked widely online and at trade counters, while the Buckler is more of a specialist workwear-dealer and Amazon buy.
Slip resistance: SRC beats SRA
This is the difference most people miss. Slip resistance is tested two ways: SRA means the boot passed on a ceramic tile floor with a soap-and-water solution; SRB means it passed on a steel floor with glycerol, a harsher, oilier test; SRC means it passed both. The Buckshot 2 carries the SRC rating. In plain terms, it’s been proven to grip on oily, greasy surfaces as well as wet smooth ones — worth having if you’re around diesel, hydraulic oil, wet steel or greasy plant. On a normal wet-concrete or muddy site, an SRA-only rating is still fine — it’s a genuine gap, not marketing.
Build and durability
Both boots use steel toecaps and steel midsoles, so underfoot penetration protection is comparable between them. The difference is in the outsole and how it’s joined to the boot. The Buckshot 2’s injection-moulded rubber sole is bonded in a way that resists the classic rigger failure — the sole peeling away from the upper after a few months of flexing in cold, wet conditions — and the HRO rating means it shrugs off hot surfaces that would soften a cheaper compound. The DeWalt Tungsten’s PU outsole is a common, perfectly serviceable construction and has been tested to 35,000 flexes, but PU generally breaks down faster than a specialist rubber compound under constant heavy wear. For a first-fix chippy or someone in and out of the van all day, it’ll hold up fine. For a groundworker standing in slurry, the Buckler’s construction is the one built for it.
Comfort and fit
Riggers never fit quite like a laced boot because you can’t cinch them to your foot, so both rely on a padded collar and a shaped footbed to stop your heel lifting. The DeWalt has a comfort insole and TPU heel support that makes it comfortable straight out of the box. The Buckler runs a firmer, more supportive footbed aimed at all-day standing rather than immediate softness.
Sizing tip: both brands come up close to true size, but riggers are easier to get on with a thicker sock, so if you’re between sizes and wear heavy work socks, take the larger one. Buy from somewhere with a returns policy so you can size at home.
Price and value
On the shelf, DeWalt wins clearly — the Tungsten sits under £50 against around £100 for the Buckshot 2. If budget is the deciding factor, DeWalt is the sensible buy, especially with a one-year guarantee behind it.
But rigger boots are a consumable. If the cheaper boot lasts eight months and the dearer one lasts fourteen, the cost per month evens out — and you’ve swapped boots less often, which matters when a failed sole means a day in wet feet. For heavy daily site use the Buckler is arguably the better value despite the higher ticket price. For lighter or occasional use, or as a backup pair in the van, the DeWalt’s lower outlay makes more sense.
Which should you buy?
Choose the Buckler Buckshot 2 if you’re a groundworker, plant operator, roofer or anyone on rough or oily ground all day, and you want the boot that lasts and grips best. The SRC rating, heat-resistant outsole and specialist build justify the extra money for hard daily wear.
Choose a DeWalt rigger if you want a dependable boot for the least money, value wide availability, or need a second pair. The Tungsten is a lot of boot for the price and the one-year guarantee is reassuring.
And whichever you pick, check your site allows riggers before you buy — because the best rigger boot in the world is no use if the site manager sends you home to put laces on.
FAQs
Are rigger boots allowed on all UK sites?
No. Many principal contractors ban rigger boots because the pull-on design offers less ankle support than a laced boot. Always check the site rules before wearing them — if riggers are banned you need a laced S3 boot instead.
What does S3 mean on a safety boot?
S3 is the standard for a water-resistant boot with a 200-joule toecap, an anti-penetration midsole, an energy-absorbing heel and a cleated outsole. Both boots here are S3. The extra codes — HRO, WRU, SRC, SRA — tell you about heat resistance, water uptake and slip resistance on top of that.
Is Buckler worth the extra money over DeWalt?
For heavy daily site use, yes. The Buckshot 2’s SRC slip rating, heat-resistant outsole and specialist construction are built to outlast a cheaper boot, so the higher price often works out even on cost-per-month. For lighter wear, the DeWalt’s value is hard to beat.
Which is more waterproof?
Both are waterproof when new. The Buckler’s full leather waterproof construction tends to hold up longer under constant wet conditions, while the DeWalt relies on a waterproof membrane that performs well but can be more affected by heavy daily abrasion over time.
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