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What’s the difference between Timberland and Timberland PRO?



TIMBERLAND PRO® VS. TIMBERLAND

If you’ve been looking for a new pair of Timberland® boots, you may have come across Timberland PRO® boots and wondered what the difference is. Timberland PRO® boots are exactly as the name suggests – boots for professional workers in the construction, manufacturing, warehousing, public safety, healthcare, and hospitality industries and tailored to the exact needs of those particular working environments. Classic Timberland boots, though many are waterproof and feature insulation and traction that could be useful in some professional scenarios, are designed for everyday wear. We’ll dive into the differences between our traditional boots and Timberland PRO® collection, and how we ended up with two dedicated product lines.




TIMBERLAND STARTED AS A RUGGED BOOTMAKER

Timberland  started out as a manufacturer and designer of boots for hard-working Americans. Designer Sidney Swartz simply wanted to make a waterproof, hard-wearing boot that would provide comfort, dryness, stability and support for the nation’s skilled labor workforce – loggers, factory workers, engineers and so on. What he came up with in 1973 was the now-iconic Yellow Boot, an undisputed triumph of form and function. It wasn’t designed to be fashionable! 




NOBODY FORESAW WHAT HAPPENED NEXT

Who would wear it for fashion, we ask? Well, it turned out that when something is designed with form and function in mind, the form part matters more than we’d imagined. Starting with the hip-hop scene in the 1980s and 1990s, the boot was adopted as streetwear – a nod to its blue-collar roots, but also an acknowledgement of the boot’s enduring quality and proportions that matched the hard, stomping beats of the genre.


Timberland the fashion brand was born, and without slacking on the design, workmanship and function, we became a global name, with collections branching into women’s and kids’ styles, casual footwear, clothing, outerwear and pure streetwear. But we were never going to leave our original customers out in the cold! Timberland PRO embodies the original spirit of the Timberland brand, although it’s now a more high-tech proposition than it was in ’73.




WHAT MAKES THE TIMBERLAND PRO® COLLECTION SO TOUGH?

We’ve designed the PRO® collection for hard work, often in dangerous situations where safety is the number-one concern:

  • Safety Toes
  • Anti-fatigue Technology
  • Electrical Hazard Protection
  • Waterproofing
  • Slip Resistance
  • Metatarsal guards
  • Puncture-resistant plates
  • Static-dissipative
  • Insulation




SAFETY TOE OPTIONS

It’s not a feature on all Timberland PRO® footwear, but if your job requires safety toe boots or shoes, there are plenty to choose from.  Steel toes are our thinnest toe caps and still offer maximum protection from potentially dangerous machinery, equipment and falling objects. Composite toe boots are lighter in weight and still strong on protection; alloy toe boots feature lightweight, military-grade aluminum strength and we also offer soft toe work boots in case your job doesn’t have a safety toe requirement. Our line also has a large selection of women’s safety-toe boots, designed especially for women’s feet.




ANTI-FATIGUE TECHNOLOGY

When you’re on your feet all day long, your boots need to cushion and protect . That’s why we use our proprietary anti-fatigue technology in many of our work boots.  Anti-fatigue technology with conical geometry in the polyurethane midsole reduces shock and returns energy to the foot.




ELECTRICAL HAZARD PROTECTION

Boots with electrical hazard protection offer protection against electric currents passing into the body via the foot. They do this with the thick rubber sole that gives natural protection, and comply with all electrical protection safety standards.




WATERPROOF

We’re historically known for waterproof boots for men and women’s waterproof boots. Most Timberland shoes and boots offer a degree of waterproofing, from light showers to heavy rain. Most styles use a waterproof membrane that locks out water.


Timberland PRO® waterproof boots for men and women are designed as they originally were, to keep your feet dry when you have no choice but to be out in the driving rain or snow for prolonged periods – in other words, when you’re earning your living. 




TIMBERLAND PRO®: TRUE ORIGINALS

We hope this clears up the differences between our traditional Timberland® collection of boots and shoes vs. Timberland PRO® shoes and boots. Sidney Swartz’s original idea for a rugged waterproof boot lives on in our classic and in-line collections, and we’ve built upon that for our Timberland PRO® collection. Both are trusted, respected and much-loved among fans of fashion and skilled tradespeople, and we’ll strive to keep all of our customers happy, regardless of how you wear them!