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Twisted X vs Ariat – How to Choose Which of Their Cowboy Boots?
When choosing cowboy boots, there are always pros and cons and brand comparisons to make. Two brands we are looking at here are Twisted X vs Ariat. We will compare and contrast these two brands to understand the main differences and strengths of each brand to help you decide which to choose.
Each of these brands have some unique features that cater to different buyer preferences. Let’s dive into it and find out what they are.
Brand Overview
Twisted X History
Twisted X was founded in August 2005 and is a comparatively new cowboy boot brand, but they have quickly made themselves known. The company was founded by Bob Frazier, who has decades of experience in the boot industry and worked at Laramie and Justin before founding Twisted X. This brand brings a world of experience and passion to their designs.
Twisted X has a key focus on creating comfortable, sustainable, and built to last footwear that caters to various customer needs with choices in western, work, and casual styles. Twisted X boots want to be known for both their comfort and their use of sustainable materials. They have won several awards for sustainability over the years.
Ariat History
Ariat has a slightly longer history, being founded in 1993 by Beth Cross and Pam Parker. They started off with two boots and grew from there. They have led to some innovations in cowboy boots by combining athletic shoe tech to riding boots. As the brand has grown they have started to work hand in hand with professional equestrian organizations like the Professional Bull Riders, US Equestrian Federation, and the Federation for Equestrian Sports. They are well-known for good working boots.
Materials and Construction
Twisted X Material Choices
Twisted X makes it a point to use eco-friendly materials in their boot construction wherever possible to do so without compromising quality. While also including high quality leathers in their construction, they have a keen focus on the environment and use materials like merino wool, cork, bamboo fibers, and similar where possible. In addition, they use recycled materials and also became carbon neutral in 2020.
Ariat Material Choices
Ariat also uses quality materials in their boots. While they may not start with the heavier focus on sustainability like Twisted X they do concentrate on making a long lasting, high quality product that can be maintained for the long run. Ariat routinely uses good full-grain leathers in their boot construction.
Style Options
Twisted X Styles
Twisted X offers a wide variety of both boots and shoes. They have a fit for every occasion. In addition to their boots, they also have a popular driving moccasin that they feature prominently. Twisted X has a good selection of work boots, western boots, and casual wear. Their product line doesn’t have as much focus on exotic skins and only has ostrich when it comes to exotic leathers.
Ariat Styles
Ariat also provides a wide range of styles to choose from in both work and casual wear styles. Ariat is also known for providing a good solid work cowboy boot that has good fit and good quality. Ariat has a broader selection to choose from, especially if you are looking for an exotic leather – they have numerous exotics to choose from while Twisted X only has an ostrich leather in exotic.
Comfort and Fit
Twisted X Comfort Features
Twisted X boots focus on comfort as part of their design. They are often considered comfortable all the way from break in and start off comfortable from the beginning. Twisted X boots include their CellSole and CellStretch comfort technology that focuses heavily on giving the ball and heel great comfort and support.
Ariat Comfort Features
Ariat boots incorporate their ATS or Advanced Torque Stability technology to provide support and cushioning for your feet in their boots. They also include their Duratread outsoles focusing on being more durable in outdoor use.
Price Comparisons and Sales Channels
Both Twisted X and Ariat have numerous choices that would be considered affordable and available to an entry level cowboy boot buyer. They can have a wide range of prices depending on which features you are looking for, but you can find an affordable boot in either brand with a good value.
Ariat does sell their boots directly on their own website as well as in numerous retailers while Twisted X doesn’t sell direct to consumer and uses retailers and wholesalers to move its products.
Twisted X or Ariat – Which one to pick?
When you compare Twisted X and Ariat you will have to consider the different features, and styles that each brand brings to the table.
Twisted X stands out in this comparison for its eco-friendly approach focusing on sustainability while starting with an emphasis on comfort that then leads to the boot itself.
Ariat has a long track record and a history in equestrian sports that gains it buyer and market credibility. They also generally have a broader selection and more exotic skin choices than Twisted X.
Both of these boot brands create a good cowboy boot, western boot, and work boot. Their prices generally have a lot of overlap and both brands have a decent reputation for durability and quality in their work boots. In this case there is no clear winner. As both brands have a lot of pros in their corner you can safely choose the ones that you like the look of the best and feel confident in your choice.
You can watch a Youtube video that is based on a summary of this article by going here: https://youtu.be/PhDT2juQIs0