Who makes the most comfortable, steel toed work boots?

[LeeB]

when I buy my own I prefer Wolverine Durashocks. I get most of my boots free from work these days and they are red wings. I prefer slip on but wear lace ups a good bit now days for the support. LeeB

[Ron Wenrich]

I also don't wear steel tips.  I'm DanG glad I don't.  I got my foot caught in a log splitter a good number of years ago.  It was a production firewood processor with few safety guards.  Anyways, it tore the tip off my boot and one toe.  With steel tips, it would have cut all the toes off. 

I do try to buy Redwings, since they seem to outlast any other pair I buy.  Dollar for dollar, its a better buy than cheap boots.  They also make them in wide widths. 

[SwampDonkey]

My boots aren't steel toe either. Only place I seen no steel toe in the boots was Walmart. The shoe store has all steel toe. I get my Red Wings in Maine. Steel toe would freeze my feet, and wears the toe of the boot off quicker.

[MDP]

Whites boots or Hathornes are both excellent. Yeah they're pricey but they support your foot like no other boot on the market, which I feel makes a huge difference at the end of the day,i.e. Feet are not as tired, lower back not as stiff, hips not as sore and so on.

They have an option on there boots it's called a Celastic toe box, it's a $20 option and I think it is cut resistant, I don't know what it's made of, but sounds like a good option and warmer than steel toes.


Mark

[Part_Timer]

I haven't had problems with my feet getting cold.  I've had to wear them for the last 16 years and don't notice them anymore.  I just went over and looked and I don't have a pair of boots that aren't steel toes.

[rebocardo]

Steel toe boots have saved my toes, so, I wear steel toe boots  8)

I have been buying Bates combat boots because they feel so good and my feet no longer hurt at the end of the day. Though the rubber is really soft and I wear through the sole well before the rest of the boot is even worn in. Comfort has its price  :D

I find the zipper nice and handy, especially for making quick trips for firewood or removing my muddy boots to go into a customer's house.

http://www.sportsmansguide.com/cb/cb.asp?a=121772

Noteable track record. Since 1885, Bates® has supplied the U.S. military, U.S. Postal Service and Civil Service workers with top footwear. And these babies are no exception.

Quality YKK® side zipper for easy on / off
Breathable full-grain leather and nylon uppers
ANSI 75 steel toe rating
Moisture-wicking Cambrelle® lining
Comfort-padded tongue and collar
Padded insoles absorb shock
Heel, toe counters plus a sturdy steel shank for added stability
Non-slip rubber lug outsole
Each stands 9" tall and weighs 29 ozs.

[asy]

I have a pair of Hard Yakka Workboots, I bought from K-Mart for $70, they're steel toed and so comfy!

I have bought a pair of orthotic insoles (2/3 length, cost $22.50). So, for, under $100AUD I have a great pair of boots which are really comfy to wear.

I wear a Mens size 10 (european 45) so that's far too large for any ladies' boots made :( But I find these really nice. Not heavy, and can work a full day on a house site, no problems.

Of course, I can't say what they're like in snow, coz short of putting my feet in the freezer, there ain't any here!

Here's a pic... http://www.yakka.com.au/Catalogue.asp?Product=316

asy :D

[Raphael]

  I had a real nasty experience with a cheapo pair of K-Mart steelies a very long time ago.
I don't think they had any sort of certification, the toe cap was brittle cast steel.  I wound up slipping and wedging in a rock chimney with a shard of toecap imbedded in my big toe.  The Worx boots are the first steel toed boots I've purchased in over 20 years...

  My winter boots are amazing, my grandparents purchased them for me for my 16th birthday, they are Vasque "Skywalks" and cost the outrageous sum of $33 (with tax).  They are a tough gortex that still looks almost new, the original plastic lace loops have been replaced with brass and there is still tread left under the ball of the foot...  Not bad for 28 year old boots.

  I'm in the market for lighter shop shoes that will also stand up to the business end of a framing chisel.  Would carbon fiber resist shearing?

[SwampDonkey]

What wears out leather boots in my case is walking on semi wet ground, and stepping through brush and weeds. That is always scraping your boots and wearing at them. If you walk on level ground or around a site prepared for building it's a lot easier on the leather. Now some construction sites can be just about as bad if it's muddy or there is field stone and wood pieces to walk through around the yard, something abrasive on the leather and poking in the area between the sole and the leather sides. Can tear the stitching. Crawling around on a shingled roof can wear to, it's like sand paper obviously. But, I'm going out on a limb and say woods walking is the hardest on boots. Of course that could be debated. :D Them logger boots sure don't last long if wading and cutting brush for a summer. ;)

[ely]

i have worn every kind/brand of boot mentioned here. and i have had good luck wwith most of them. the last couple of years i have taken to rockys. i have a lace up pair that have 800 grams of thinsulate and i havea pull on pair that are the best if its not too cold out, say down to 32 or so. all of them steel toe.
i own one pair of sneakers for fishing or going to the movies. if i wear them any place else i hurt myself. i get one pair of new boots each march from work. i have several that have never been out of the box. we also get a pair of climbing boots every other year, mostely westcos, and it is hard to wear those out.

[scsmith42]

All - very good feedback across the board - I really appreciate it.

Re steel toe versus non-steel toe, for most of the year the weather on the farm is not cold enough for steel toes to cause a problem.  When it does get that cold, I have a pair of Baffin's that really keep my feet toasty. 

When I was 16 I one of my toes got crushed by an engine head in a machine shop.  It's never recovered, and I've been a big believer in steel toes ever since.  I've only had one bad steel toe experience, and that was in Fargo, ND in January of '91.  I was called in to weld up a split in a pipe leg at the top of a 1000' guyed TV tower, and was riding the winch line up the tower with a portable generator and welding tanks hanging underneath me.  As we got close to the top of the tower, I kept having to "kick off" the side of the tower to keep the gear away (couldn't tag it out from the ground at the upper heights).  Near the top, my foot slipped on the snow on the tower and one of the steel toes on my boot got caught betwen a couple of angle inner members.  Hmm, winch line pulling me up, tower wasn't going to move, and old Scott started stretching like Gumby!  By the time that the winch operator got the load stopped, the boot had sliced almost in two right behind the steel toe.  It was a pair of Redwing boots, and I had them repaired and used them for 4 more years.  Seems like my body was tougher (and lighter) then!

I'll check out some of the brands listed in this string that offer the soft, cushioned soles.  I'm to the point of giving up some durability so I can walk straight in the morning!   :D

[Phorester]

I've worn Redwing uninsulated vibram soled steeltoed loggers for probably 10 years, gone through 3 pair.  The last pair I got, I switched to their firefighter boot, also steeltoed.  Also have another Redwing pair, can't remember the style number, but they are smooth soled, also steeltoed.  All styles have served me well.  I do a lot of mountain walking and also forest fires and prescribed burns where I'm occasionally walking through hot coals.  I take good care of'em, waterproofing often.  I also have 2 pair and will switch off if one pair has gotten soaked from snow or water or if I have sweated a lot in one pair.  I wear a D width, which equates to a medium in today's size charts. No foot problems.  I also wear two pairs of socks even in summer.  A light cotton pair next to my foot then a heavier pair over that. The boots fit good and with the extra cushioning effect of two socks they are nice and comfy for me.

From what I understand, the USFS doesn't allow steeltoed boots on the fireline, but I have never found any USFS person who can tell me why.  I've heard a couple explanations, but they don't make sense. 

[rebocardo]

> the USFS doesn't allow steeltoed boots on the fireline, but I have never found
> any USFS person who can tell me why.

I think because the steel toe is retains the radiated heat, has no insulating barrier between your foot and itself like the sole, and no way to drain the heat, and most important does not have an effective barrier between it and the outside heat source.

Metal transfers heat very well and I think the concern is it will rapidly transfer heat from the outside source (only a thin layer of leather between it and a fire) to the inside of the boot before you can cool the boot off or remove it.

What I have noticed when feeding my wood stove is a metal anything under your shirt feels much hotter then the fabric on top of it.

[beenthere]

...............What I have noticed when feeding my wood stove is a metal anything under your shirt feels much hotter then the fabric on top of it.

Rebo, Just how do you feed your wood stove  ???

[BBTom]

SC,

I don't know if Red Wing makes a steel toe version of their model 606, but it is the most comfortable boot I have ever worn.  The sole is quite soft and admittidly does not last like the normal RW sole.  I have had two pair of the 606 resoled in the standard RW sole, but I still like the fit of them.

[scsmith42]

Tom - thanks for the tip.  I'll be sure to check these out along with the others. 

Scott

[Phorester]

RECARBO, I haven't been on the huge western fires with those 200-300 foot tall flames.  But I have been on fires standing on the fireline within 50 feet of 50-75 foot flame fronts.  No problem with my steel toed boots.  The metal toe might conduct heat, but I would also think it would reflect heat, at least when the boot first starts heating up.

I've read dozens of fire accident reports where the firefighter sufferd horrible burns on hands, face, airway, etc.  None of them ever mention burns on their feet.  This leads me to believe that the all-leather boot is a good heat insulator.  I would think that by the time a leather boot heated up to be uncomfortable, steel-toed or not, the firefighter would have long been in deep do-do and hot feet would be the least of his/her problems.

I've heard other explanations of this regulation and they just don't sound logical.  I've pressed a couple of FS fellows on it. After they look it up, they say, well, it doesn't explain why, just that we should not wear them. I'm just wondering if some USFS burearcrat years ago decided on a whim to make this regulation, with no real thought put into it.

[Dan_Shade]

Do the firefighters have to wear kevlar or some other sort of toe protection?

you could be right, someone hated to wear steel toes, so they made it a rule you couldn't wear steel toe.

[SwampDonkey]

I hate'm and not afraid to admit it.  :D ;D  ;)

[Dan_Shade]

what's bad about them?  I honestly don't mind wearing steel toed shoes at all.  almost everybody I know hates to wear them.

[OneWithWood]

The most comfortable boots I have ever worn were Wolverine durashox.  Unfortunately I wore them out in about two months  :-\   The soft soles just could not stand up to the rough concrete floor in the barn and the rocky steep slopes in the woods.  Wolverine replaced the boots at no charge but the replacement boots are a cheaper model, do not fit my arch and have caused some nasty knee pain.

My logging boots have steel toes but I am inclined to replace them with non steel toed boots.  I have a odd sized feet, 8 1/2 EEE and I can never get a steel toe that is wide enough to be comfortable.  Everything is made now on lathes that are undersized.  If I move up to a size 9 the arch is in the wrong place  :(

[SwampDonkey]

Top 3 complaints:

• makes my toes sore
• toe of the boot wears faster
• cold on my feet

[amberwood]

It is an interesting topic.. While I was in Canada/US I spent alot of time trying to find insulated safety toe boots..SOREL type, and ended up with 2 pairs. Dakodas and Sorels. It appeared that the use of safety(steel or other) toed boots is alot less prevalent over there. This thread seems to back that up. I dont own any work boots that are not steel/safety toed.
DTR

[Ron Scott]

I've fought a lot of fire around the country for long hours on varied terrain during my 38 years with the USDA Forest Service from flat to steep and always wore Red Wing steel toed boots without any problems. I'm not aware of any policy against them other than personal perferences. Steel toes were required on some job assignments or highly recommended so I found it best to wear them as one never knew where they might end up on a fireighting assignment.

A key is to be sure that you have a "good leather" boot and "good fit" as a poor boot and fit in a steel toe will surely kill your feet.

A excerpt from some documentation on there use:

Safety Toe Footwear on the Fireline.

Some firefighters believe the safety toe is uncomfortable and can be a source of
blisters. Organizations operating in wildland conditions, and not using safety toe footwear, can not provide research documentation to support their policies.
However, they do provide comments on the issue.

The USDA Forest Service (USFS) employed over 25,000 firefighters during the 2000 fire season. The organization does not require toe protection. Federal firefighters are required to wear footwear meeting the NFPA standard. According to George Jackson, a recognized authority on protective clothing and equipment in the U.S., the incidence of impact and cut injuries to the foot are infrequent on the fireline. The USFS does not specifically collect foot injury data, but the organization provides training on the choice, care, and maintenance of boots, and on techniques for walking in the woods.

[rebocardo]

> Just how do you feed your wood stove 

With a long pair of tongs  :D

> I'm just wondering if some USFS burearcrat years ago decided on a whim to make this
>  regulation, with no real thought put into it.

I could agree with that and maybe ONE person suffered an accident attributed to a steel toe boot, rightly or wrongly, and it became recommended.