Best Boots for the Shop

[Jim Becker]

Now these would be perfect for you Jim.

http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/cb.aspx?a=350029

Thanks, Mark, but I haven't found a need for the steel toe in my shop...and I hope I never do! I "promote" my daily-wear "sneaks" to shop and home improvement use once they get to a certain point of, well...dirtiness. Right now my shop shoe is a nice pair of K-Swiss whites.

[Dylan Smith]

I stick w/ Doc Martens always: boots, steel caps, oxfords, wingtips - all with the Bouncing Sole. I've worn 'em nearly exclusively for a couple of decades.

Problem is, they've stopped making them in England, and have moved production to China, etc. The new ones are **** not very good.... The original factory turns 'em out under another brand, but with the current exchange rate, they're terribly expensive.

So much like tools, I seek out NOS boots. Gotta build up a lifetime supply.

[Joe Chritz]

I have (now worn out) slip on shoes so I can remove them easily coming back inside. They were some cheap ones that I tried out and it seemed to work ok.

I think I will go back to a hiking boot style soon.

If you are looking for full boots the best I have ever worn are Danner Arcadias. They are the .mil contract boots and are a pain to break in but are like sneakers once they are. I am in them for 40+ a week and have worn out several soles already.

Joe

[Joe Mioux]

Danner is just about near perfect.

[Bob Slater]

Blundstone safety boots some days. very easy to slip on and off, but a little hot in the summer. One added bonus of safety boots is the sole has added protection against electrocution.

[Tim Morton]

I stick w/ Doc Martens always: boots, steel caps, oxfords, wingtips - all with the Bouncing Sole. I've worn 'em nearly exclusively for a couple of decades.

Problem is, they've stopped making them in England, and have moved production to China, etc. The new ones are **** not very good.... The original factory turns 'em out under another brand, but with the current exchange rate, they're terribly expensive.

So much like tools, I seek out NOS boots. Gotta build up a lifetime supply.

x2 I have always loved my DM's...until a few years ago I bought a pair of those china made DM's...I put them on for about 30 seconds and then took them off and gave them to my neighbor

I have 3 pair of the good ones and i still wear them most days...NOS is the way to go here.

[Peter Quinn]

When I worked in a flooring mill I wore Timberland steel toe steel shank electrically and thermally insulated leather work boots in the cooler months, and a light weight pair of timberlands, synthetic steel toe electrically insulated 3/4 height work shoes in the warmer months. Those steel toes saved my feet on several occasions. The necessity for steel toes and shanks probably depends on the environment you are working in.

In my home shop its either an old pair of tennis shoes, my Birkenstock londons (anti-skid electrically insulated bottoms...I hate getting shocked by static in the winter) or the old insulated timberlands if its really cold.

More important for me than the shoes are the anti fatigue mats I put in front of several work stations to keep that cold slab from permeating my feet and wrecking my back.

[James Carmichael]

I got a pair of Wolverines last Father's Day and don't know how I went for so long without a good pair of Wellingtons, they're awesome.

[Thane Duncan]

Try Timberland Pro, have a model with Titanium safety toe which make them light and if you hit your piggies will make a difference. I like my low oxford and ankle size, use superfeet inserts and you'll get great support. Just my two cents.

[Dan Barr]

from a strict functionality perspective, i prefer the following features:

-food comfortable fit and cushioning
-steel toe
-oil and slip resistant
-insulated for cold temperatures

-quick eyelets on the top two or three eyes so that i can remove the shoe-string without untieing it. (allows me to put them on and take them off without tieing or untieing.) i just slip the laces over the quick eyelets. one thing i hate the most is having to fight a boot at the end of the day or have to take more than a few seconds getting one on or off.

i dont care what brand the boot is as long as it meets these requirements.

ciao,

dan

[Mike Seals]

Try Timberland Pro, have a model with Titanium safety toe which make them light and if you hit your piggies will make a difference. I like my low oxford and ankle size, use superfeet inserts and you'll get great support. Just my two cents.

Love those shoes, I wear them at work. They are so comfortable that I often walk out to the truck, ofrgetting to change back into my sneakers. As for the home shop, it's sneakers, the same ones I wear all the time. Now that summer is near and the weather is warmer, you can catch me bare foot from time to time. Helps to keep the shop floor clean, inspiration!

[Wayne Cannon]

Steel toe -- absolutely.

I like Red Wing 6662 Chukka boot -- light weight, quick on/off.

I would consider a pull-on steel-toed boot, as well.

[John Stevens]

A couple of years ago I bought my first pair of good boots: Chippewa. Can't say how they compare to other good boots, but they're much more comfy than the Timberlands I always used to wear, and light years beyond sneaks. If it matters to you as it does to me, some of the Chippewa models are made in the USA, and these can be re-soled. I've had these boots about three years and they've held up very well. Expensive, but I'll buy them again when the leather wears out someday.

Hope this helps.

Regards,

John

[David Tiell]

I usually don't wear boots in the shop. Most of the time, I wear my skechers flip-flops. I'm 90% certain one of these days I'm gonna be sorry about it, and have had some close calls with falling wood and stuff, but I'm a self-proclaimed slow learner and prefer the comfort they provide.

[Chris Allen]

I've worn almost every boot out there. I work(ed) in job where even the best boots last little more than 6 months.

There is one brand that, by far, stands heads and tails above the others.....Red Wing. Most durable I've found, and equally important, the most comfortable. Don't waste you're money with the other brands.

And no, I don't work for Redwing. Although, I do wish they'd send me a paycheck