The Best Black Derby Boots - VR600.01 Black Bison IGS

The perfect safety boot for construction, engineering and the oil and gas industry, we are very proud to introduce the VR600.01 Bison IGS, which will directly replace both the VR600 and the VR640.

It's part of a family of three: also available in Brown and Sand, but Bison has its own distinct audience, so we thought it deserved its very own blog!

what are the Safety features of the VR600.01 Bison IGS?

Like its predecessors, the Bison IGS features a composite midsole and toecap, providing wearers with excellent but lightweight protection from falling and underfoot objects. With an SRC slip rating, the safety boot offers the highest levels of slip resistance, and it also meets the high spec S3 safety standard, packing in the following features:

Anti-static
Heat and chemical resistant outsole to 300ª.
Water-resistant

What other features are built INTO THE BISON?

Our in-house designer has not only been busy designing our innovative new IGS sole, but totally remodelling and modernising the uppers of our safety boots too.

The Black Bison is constructed from a polished full grain leather upper with a cut-away perforated scoop collar for easy foot access and comfort when driving. A bound bellows tongue reduces water and dirt ingress, and the boot benefits from reinforced triple stitching and a non-snagging quick and easy lacing system.

Now completely metal-free, the Bison has reduced risk of sparking and is safe for airport and high security environments. We have also worked hard to make this an incredibly comfortable black safety boot. We have developed a brand new extreme comfort shape to create the footwear around, and buried a shock-absorbing heel pod in the sole, reducing impact on your knees and back.

We have also included our new Energyse insole within each boot. This high quality PU insole has a unique heel pump to channel air around the foot, reducing heat build-up. With rebound foam, the insole provides full foot cushioning and shock resistance. All of our test pilots rated their comfort as 5/5.

But the biggest feature has got to be the new anti-slip sole...

The new IGS^TM sole

Falling from height is the biggest killer in our wearers' industries. Above and beyond the safety boot requirements, the VR600.01 Bison IGS has four strong, deep ladder grips and a well-defined heel to keep you stable and firm footed while climbing or descending ladders, and ultimately help preventing falls from height.

Inspired by tyres, the sole pattern is based on small hexagons which provide multiple sharp edges to cut through liquid and channel it away, while the larger, self-cleaning lugs provide stability on chunkier terrains.

What's more, to protect you from aquaplaning, we have designed the heel strike of this metal-free black safety boot at 7°, the angle at which most slips occur. Five angled splines provide increased contact with the ground, effortlessly cutting through water and dirt on every step, keeping you firm-footed and slip-free.