Timberland Pro Quadro long-term review

It’s been a long time since Timberland has appeared in this column, almost two years, in fact. During this time, the Timberland Pro Quadro Oxford has spent hundreds of hours lashed to my feet. While lashed to my feet, these shoes have had to endure acres of cement floors, innumerable stomps through the pitted and imperfect urban topography of San Francisco, the stinking muck of not one, but two rural chicken pens, various trails ranging from hot and dusty to rain-soaked and slippery, as well as a few hours on a dance floor. These “work” shoes have certainly had their work cut out for them.

Amazingly, after 22 months of regular use, these unassuming oxfords have proven to be about as close to perfect as a shoe gets. Let’s start with the fit. The Quadro, with its 2E width, has a toe box that is both naturally shaped (as in shaped like a human foot) and accommodating. The innersole provides plenty of cushioning and does a very good job of molding to one’s foot without losing its resiliency or moisture managing qualities. The liner and soft padded collar are almost as good as new, with no holes and only minimal wear being evident. As for the outside of the shoe, the oiled leather has required almost zero maintenance and, with the exception of a gouge across the top of one shoe caused by dropping a heavy chunk of angle iron on it, their general appearance is that of a nearly new shoe. Lastly, after hundreds of hours of wearing these shoes, it has become apparent that the outsole is at once one of the best on the market as far as durability goes, yet is quite hard to get used to. To elaborate, the soles of these shoes are incredibly hearty, showing very little wear after all this time, but the cushioning material that resides between the outer-most layer of the sole and the innersole of the shoe is so squishy and squirmy that, at first, it feels like walking on loose sand.

To summarize, one would be hard pressed to find a better pair of work shoes at the $130 price point of these Timberlands. They live up to every promise made by the manufacturer while being very comfortable and good looking enough to pass as a casual shoe with jeans or khakis. If you are interested in getting a hold of your own Quadro Pros, good luck, they appear to have disappeared from the Timberland website. However, it looks like they have been replaced by these. Click here for more information on Timberland shoes or swing by their new store in downtown San Francisco at 845 Market Street, Suite 145 in the Westfield Mall.

Full disclosure: These oxfords were provided at no cost for the purpose of testing/reviewing. It would be unrealistic to think otherwise.