Women's Newton Ridge Plus Waterproof Hiking vs Men Mephisto Curt Mt SNEAKER: which is safer?
Men Mephisto Curt Mt SNEAKER is our pick: better on PFAS and on the overall hazard picture.
Columbia
Women's Newton Ridge Plus Waterproof Hiking
PFAS grade
Bad 20/100
Overall grade
Bad 0/100
Verdict
Skip
Hazard flags
⚑ 4
Material
leather upper with waterproof coating
Confidence
45%
PossibleFormaldehyde resins in leather finish or dyes
ReportedCoating degradation and reapplication residue
PossibleChromium in leather tanning
Our pick
Mephisto
Men Mephisto Curt Mt SNEAKER
PFAS grade
Good 65/100
Overall grade
Good 59/100
Verdict
Skip
Hazard flags
⚑ 1
Material
leather, textile, rubber sole
Confidence
55%
PossibleVolatile organic compounds (VOC) off-gassing from adhesives
Where these two actually differ
- We flag Formaldehyde resins in leather finish or dyes, Coating degradation and reapplication residue, Chromium in leather tanning and Adhesive and glue off-gassing on the Columbia and not on the Mephisto.
- We flag Volatile organic compounds (VOC) off-gassing from adhesives on the Mephisto and not on the Columbia.
- The Columbia is leather upper with waterproof coating where the Mephisto is leather, textile, rubber sole, which is most of the difference in these two grades.
- The gap is 45 points, wide enough that this is not a close call, and the Mephisto is the one to buy.
Both products run through the same public rubric: materials, coatings, brand disclosure, lab findings, and recalls, plus a beyond-PFAS hazard analysis. Grades are model-based estimates, not lab tests. How grades work →
More waterproof boots: see the full ranking