Stealth Force 8.0 Leather/Nylon Side-Zip

One of the hardest things in life is when you have to change your perspective on a situation you’ve become used to and comfortable with. Looking at a pair of boots for example, and thinking; “Will they survive being immersed... Read More

One of the hardest things in life is when you have to change your perspective on a situation you’ve become used to and comfortable with. Looking at a pair of boots for example, and thinking; “Will they survive being immersed in a trench for an hour-long contact? What about the soles melting in the baking heat of the plains of Afghanistan?” and realising that you’ll never take those boots through those situations again, or that the boots aren’t actually designed for those situations. Having shifted from military to police employment, the requirements placed upon Personal Protective Equipment can be safely said to be not as arduous as the ones found in a military environment. What it does mean though, is that having demanded the best performance available from footwear, it’s easy to spot the many cheaper infiltrators in the police industry that perform far below par, even by the less-demanding standards of such an industry. Thankfully, as always, Magnum doesn’t do below-par, and with the Stealth Force 8.0 SZ, they’ve once again created a comfortable and robust boot, perfectly designed for Urban Patrolling. The Stealth Force is also one of those rare boot styles which incorporates a side zip (Hence the SZ in the title). Say what you like about zips on boots, but used correctly they can be a time saver and are simple enough to operate. Put your feet in, tie up the laces, pull the zip up. Whenever you want to get the boots off you unzip and you’ve then got enough slack to get your feet out (or in) saving precious seconds and if you do have issues with your laces coming undone, it allows you to do a knot that you know you don’t have to mess around with and will hold and you can forget about it. It’s a controversial feature in that people often don’t see the point in zips in boots, but it’s a feature which doesn’t really diminish the properties of the boot in any way and if nothing else will provide a talking-point at (dull) parties. The outside of the boot is full grain leather with a nylon mesh upper with allows a good degree of breathability and moisture wicking – ideal for prolonged wearing and this goes hand in hand with the Agion anti-bacterial treatment the boot’s received which means it’ll be less likely to develop that peculiar stink you tend to find in other boots. The eyelets on the boot are punched eyelets instead of D-rings which you find on military use boots, but again for an urban patrol boot, this is more than sufficient and if anything creates one less possible fault-point with the boot as there’s nothing to get caught also means if you need to pass through any metal detectors or scanners (Thinking Olympic games and airports) then these boots won’t return a positive due to their metal-neutral content. The advantage of punched eyelets over D-rings is that there aren’t any pressure points applied to the foot where the metal comes into close contact with the feet. The soles of the Stealth Force 8.0 SZ are Magnums own and are slip resistant, which held true in the torrential weather we’ve had lately where the ground can go from being bone dry to drenched in minutes, or the sun showers which result in an almost oily like surface. Inside, the insole is the M.P.A.C.T sole, Magnums own brand which provides an under-cushion at the heel and ball of the foot providing extra support and minimising the risk of hot-spots. To wear, the boot as any other, does require a short period of breaking in, but unlike many other boot manufacturers, Magnum go on the catchphrase of ‘Instantly comfortable’. I’ll grant that the boots are instantly comfortable with a good, cushioned fit, but you can’t do anything about leather needing to be worked in over a period until it softens. Down at the base of the laces, the leather tends to be quite stiff and unworkable around the bridge of the foot, but after a few hours of walking around and flexing the foot, it soon starts to soften out and become more pliable. The boots weigh 627g which is incredibly light and makes a real difference to the wearing experience and adds to the fact that your feet don’t get too hot inside, again thanks to the combined features of the mesh and weight. The other big advantage to the lack of weight is of course when it comes to having to up the pace in pursuit or if you’ve realised it’s knocking-off time and you need to get back to home. Almost trainer-like, the entire boot flexes well on your foot and supports throughout. The only real issue I did have with the Stealth Force was the price, which at £100 brings them into stiff competition from other offerings. Magnum however, do listen to their customer base and so included the Stealth Force SZ 8.0 in their summer reductions, bringing them down to £74.99 direct from Magnum, but of course you can always find the boots cheaper at a third-party retailer. For the current prices available, it’s well worth a recommend and the Stealth Force SZ 8.0 has now replaced my previous boots of choice from a different manufacturer! Read Less