Men Mephisto Curt Mt SNEAKER vs Men's St. Elias Waterproof Hiking Boots Brown 7.5: 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
Vasque
Men's St. Elias Waterproof Hiking Boots Brown 7.5
PFAS grade
Bad 20/100
Overall grade
Bad 4/100
Verdict
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Hazard flags
⚑ 4
Material
Leather/synthetic upper with waterproof membrane coating
Confidence
45%
PossibleAzo dyes in leather and synthetics
PossibleFormaldehyde in leather tanning or synthetic adhesives
PossibleCoating degradation and microplastic/particulate shedding
Where these two actually differ
- We flag Volatile organic compounds (VOC) off-gassing from adhesives on the Mephisto and not on the Vasque.
- We flag Azo dyes in leather and synthetics, Formaldehyde in leather tanning or synthetic adhesives, Coating degradation and microplastic/particulate shedding and Heavy metals in tanning or leather finishing on the Vasque and not on the Mephisto.
- The Mephisto is leather, textile, rubber sole where the Vasque is Leather/synthetic upper with waterproof membrane coating, 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, which covers 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