My dogs are barking and its time for another set of foot condoms I work in the shop usually 6 days a week. None stop wet sanding, welding, kneeling, etc...I've tried the cheapies (they last a few weeks) and the high dollar name brands, none of them seem to last very long. You know, toes sticking out, soles splitting... Any of youz guys have recommendations? Oh and I have high arches but that can be taken care of with inserts. Its hard to work on these cars when your go getters are hurting.
I have to wear steel toed work shoes 12 hours a day. My last two pair have been Dr Martens steel toed work shoes. Oil, Alkali, Petrol, acid resistant soles. Even though I do not have to, they are so comfortable that I wear them everywhere. I almost have the lugs wore of the bottom of my current pair but they've lasted for a few years now. Next pair will be the same. Run in the $120 neighborhood.
Ya docs are great. I used to wear the shit out of them back when they had the double stitch on the outside of the sole. Seems that when NaDa (I think) started making them the quality went down. It's been awhile so maybe I'll give them another try...
I feel your pain, I have the same problems. Everything I find is comfortable won't hold up to the abuse of shop life, and most heavy duty leather work shoe I've tried have me looking for a stool about mid afternoon. My feet ache which leads to bad posture and standing in akward positions, which in the long run I end up with knee and back aches. My biggest help has been rubber floor mats, I use them every where, have 24" runners I keep next to every car, piece of machinery, and bench in the shop. Some late nights I find myself doubling them up for more comfort. I guess my next stop is the orthopedic clinic, I never thought I would need prescription shoes
I have had the best luck with Red Wing Steel Toe and Timberland, I have tried Wolverine and Justin and they do not last long at all Rusty
last pair of steel cap docs i had lasted 6 months !!!!! lets figure out why the made in england left the bottoms , and how come the 8 year old made in england ones are still kicken around? i switched to wolverine dura shocks had em for a year no rips and the soles are still pretty good also they are re soleable. awsome shoes around 120 bux with steel caps most comfortable work shoes ive ever had and they are us postal approved says the bottom. they are oil alki and acid resistant soles i will never buy shitty china docs again im stickin with the wolverines
I have on some timbers now and at the price I thought they would last longer. They are mid-highs with a steel toe cap. The toe area has a cap piece stitched on and within sighting of the shop decided to splay open. I think they lasted 3 weeks, but man were they comfortable!
Try Corcoran jump boots. They are very comfortable, have leather caps on the toes so they don't wear through, they have zippers down the side for easy on/off and laces to keep 'em tight. Plus they're made right here in the U.S.A.
army boots,,for about 50 bucks you can get them and they last awhile,,I've worn them for years,,but don't buy the chinese cheapo's
I have the best luck with slip on Vans. They seem to last twice as long as the boots I have bought. Scott
corca jump boots are the tits. I've had many of them...never had the side zip...sounds good. The only other jump boots that i liked were made in Britian...Underground Shoes. Only thing is they have tacks holding on the sole, so if not replaced, ouch!
I'll probably never wear non steel toe shoes in a shop again. I've seen first hand what happens without. Don't really care for math but I love my digits
Pertinate thread to me I recently cooked the tops of my tootsies while welding. The sparks burned thru the tops of my New Balance tenner shoes. So I learned and got the "Dumb Ass" award for the day. Oldmics _______________________________________________________ Art Can NOT Be Created By Using Recall
I wear Red Wing Loggers with Superfeet insoles. ANSI rated toe, 400 G of thinsulate, water proof (more or less, I wouldn't reccomend them for waders). The soles last me over a year (I can usally re sole them twice before the welt rots out from the stuff I have to walk in). I put the 'boot bumpers' or 'toe savers' on, I didn't on my first set, they were junk after a year. Between $200 and $250 depending on where you buy them, but I have to buy the biggest size thye make (14 EE) so I don't have much of a choice (I've checked and the Doc Martins, Columbias, Wolverines, etc either don't make a size big enough or they outright don't fit). The insoles have lasted 3 sets of boots (I bought my second set for this newest set I'm wearing right now). As with anything though, your milage may vary.
Sears used to sell a steel toed sneaker, too, if you really don't want the boots. Would probably be allright for most basic work, cover them or wear something else when welding/cutting. I don't care for the high tops on most boots, myself, which is what led us to finding them in the first place. Right now I have some shitty K-mart boots; they've held up fairly well but I got them for the junkyard crawl rather than in the shop so I might not wear them for 2 or 3 months. But my feet slide around in them and that makes them hurt, so it's probably time for something better.
Florsheim Boots, been using them for years and i'm a big guy, they last about a years at what i do. i weld, craw, drag, wash off, stand and walk on concrete for 9 hours a day at work (and after i get new shoes they go home and turn into my dress boot ). Florsheim FE675.....and they come in wide (EEE). $100 online and $160 in stores i've tried sears, red wing, cheap ones and all suck for me....fat ass with flat feet.
On the most part I wear my Van's but if I am doing any heavy welding or other grunt work I strap on my work boots, I bought some Thom Taylor's from Kmart and I am surprised at how long they have been lasting not to mention they are pretty comfy.
I got a pair of leather steel toe sneakers made by Goodyear. I've had them for about 7 years. Very durable and comfortable. I wear them all the time when working in my garage because I can never tell when I might drop something on my foot. I also have a bad habit of using my shoe toe as a prybar or a prop rod for heavy things, like mower decks and grader blades. Wearing them 12 to 16 hours a day is no problem.
i work as a mechanic so I went out and got a pair of red wings and I love em. I paid about $180 for them and they were worth it. They have a new "tech toe" thing thats made out of fiberglass and it kicks ass
Redwing. there is nothing better or more durable. they have differnt soles for different conditions. steel toe, or not.. your choice. the ones i wore when i was in construction had a slim steel plate in the soles to protect from nails and stuff. another thing is they have people that work in the store that know shoes and get you a proper fit. they put you in the computer and when you wear them out your style and size is in the computer. when the toes wear out and your steel toe is poking out you cover them with shoe goo and get another couple thousand miles out of them. they are also more comfortable than anything else. I had a steel toe pair for work and in the shop, and a non steel toe pair for all around use. chucks and vans? no way.
Broom Ball shoes. Spongy soles - toe protection and light. Electricians working on new construction (miles of hard surface) use them. I'v been meaning to get a pair.
I'm a bigger guy and I have flat feet. I have to wear steel toes and I'm in lot of oils and coolants all day. For me Dr Martens have been the most comfortable ( right out of the box ), and seem the last fairly long, usually a year.
The EMT's, Firefighters, and Policemen I know have a boot they prefer, but most of them swear by White's for comfort and safety.
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