Men Mephisto Curt Mt SNEAKER vs Men's Fastpack Mid Waterproof Boots: which is safer?
Men Mephisto Curt Mt SNEAKER is our pick: better on PFAS and on the overall hazard picture.
Our pick
Mephisto
Men Mephisto Curt Mt SNEAKER
PFAS grade
Good 65/100
Overall grade
Good 59/100
Verdict
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Hazard flags
⚑ 1
Material
leather, textile, rubber sole
Confidence
55%
PossibleVolatile organic compounds (VOC) off-gassing from adhesives
The North Face
Men's Fastpack Mid Waterproof Boots
PFAS grade
Bad 20/100
Overall grade
Bad 0/100
Verdict
Skip
Hazard flags
⚑ 3
Material
synthetic leather, textile upper with water-repellent coating waterproof treatment
Confidence
45%
PossibleVOC off-gassing from synthetic leather coating
Likelywater-repellent coating treatment chemistry (fluorinated compounds)
PossibleCoating durability and degradation over time
Where these two actually differ
- We flag Volatile organic compounds (VOC) off-gassing from adhesives on the Mephisto and not on the The North Face.
- We flag VOC off-gassing from synthetic leather coating, DWR treatment chemistry (fluorinated compounds) and Coating durability and degradation over time on the The North Face and not on the Mephisto.
- The Mephisto is leather, textile, rubber sole where the The North Face is synthetic leather, textile upper with DWR waterproof treatment, 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