Looking for ways to relieve ankle/knee/hip fatigue from standing on a slab shop floor

[Paul Canaris]

Scott, there are three things that have helped me:
1. Horse Stall Mats (available at local tractor supply) as they are very durable; use them in area's where you stand in a lot.
2. I also attempt to do tasks such as sanding (which can take a long time) from a seated position when feasible.
3. If you can afford it; orthotic supports (the real custom fitted kind, not the store bought junk). They hard as a rock, but actually provide significant relief when standing or walking a lot.

[glenn bradley]

I have had the cheap colored interlocking mats that Sam's sells for years. Plenty of abuse. No failures, Lots of saved edges on dropped tools. Lots of saved fatigue. They were about $20 for 48s q. ft. when I bought them. Gray on one side (colored side goes down in my shop) and about 1/2" thick.

[Craig Coney]

I have had the cheap colored interlocking mats that Sam's sells for years. Plenty of abuse. No failures, Lots of saved edges on dropped tools. Lots of saved fatigue. They were about $20 for 48s q. ft. when I bought them. Gray on one side (colored side goes down in my shop) and about 1/2" thick.

+1 for the Sams Club mats. I have tried many different brands, and the Sams Club mats are much more comfortable for me.

[Scott Driemel]

Hi. I just was in the exact position. I'm on a hobby farm so I 1st tried my stall mats from my farm supplier. Heavy, & worse ... smelled like rubber for months. They are about 1" thick so they had a trip factor I didn't like. Also stepping backwards off one sometimes gibbled my leg. Next I tried an actual "anti-fatigue" mat at a local Borg. Expensive! Mine was too soft, and I had to constantly struggle with balance. Not a huge issue but it was distracting enough to not fully concentrate on the tool I was working on. This is sounding like Goldilocks isn't it? The next one I tried was from Costco. I'd looked at 'em for years and thought, "man, for the price ..$14.99 for 32 sq ft, these things must be garbage!". But I figured what the heck, and bought a set. Easy peazy to hook up. They are grey with a checkerplate pattern on them. At this price I figured they'd curl or not be soft enough or just too soft. WOW! Was I ever pleasantly surprised. They aren't the best in the world I'm sure, but pretty dang decent for me and the price was so reasonable I was able to put a ton of them into my shop. Only con I see is they are light in weight and if you only have 2 or 4 together, (they come as a 2'x2' sq) you can kick them out of place. I've dropped chisels, screwdrivers and other "stuff", so far not a gouge & it's saved each tool. In my opinion, I will recommend these. They are cheap, easy to install, (oh but they do smell quite chemical-ish when 1st opened I must add, goes in a week or so) and by design, interlock so I can "wrap" them around my machines. I couldn't be happier. Got a product that works for me just fine and saved a ton of dough to spend on other stuff. Shoes sure help too of course. Hey for $14.99, try a pkg and see. I kick myself now for not doing it years ago.

[Dan Hintz]

Yeah, now if I can just find a friend that still has a Sam's/Costco membership... we let ours go a year or two back. Just wasn't seeing much of a benefit.