I have just started volunteering with Habitat For Humanity in Denver Colorado. I need to get a pair of work boots. Can anyone suggest a good brand? Do I need steel toed boots? I would be grateful for any advice I can get.
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Steel Toed is a great idea when you're working with strangers you haven't worked with before. Simple fact of y'all aren't used to carrying/lifting as a team and the next thing you know a hunk o' plywood is resting on what used to be your big toe.
GET GOOD SOCKS with which to break in your boots. And break them in before you have to wear them all day long on a job!
There's a neat insole product I've heard of... not sure exactly what it is called. I can describe it best as a thin insole that acts like a bulletproof vest for your feet: Step right ona sharp nail and the nail won't get to your foot. BUY THESE for about 35 bucks a pair. As soon as I figure out who makes 'em I'll do the same.
Just GOOGLE'd it: Do this:
http://www.rhinotuffinc.com/
Good luck!
Thanks for a speedy reply. I hadn't thought about socks at all and the Rhino Tuff insole is something I will use.
garyg
I'm going to buy myself a pair of those right now, wish I would have had those a few years back when I got a bone infection in my foot from stepping on a nail.
Be sure the boot you get has tuff toe guards. I find the toe area wears out faster than anything. I have several pairs of boots and I have glued on They protect rubber protectors that cover the toe area. Sure does save the toe area!Paul
Uve got ur feet covered...dont forget hearing protection; saftey glasses,a good pair of gloves .They may provide these but its better if u find what fits and works for u best and ull use them.Oh and maybe a kevlar jock.
Plus ur the most courteous poster Ive seen in years here.Thank you.!
Edited 5/23/2005 7:20 pm ET by Treetalk
One thing I like in work boots is a steel shank in the sole. I makes working on ladders and standing on uneven surfaces a lot easier on your feet at the end of the day.
Good for you for working with Habitat. They're great!
Many thanks, I didn't even think about a steel shank.
garyg
I really like my Wolverines. Been weariung them for years. Comfortanble all day long. Academy Sports sells them. I have not tried any other name brands, so I can't give a fair compariosn. They are available with or without steel toes. It took me several weeks to get used to the steel cap, it rubbed against the side of my big toe.
I'm sorry, I thought you wanted it done the right way.
Check out the Red Wing Store...hi-bucks but worth it...several styles and lot of sizes.
Be sure and take the price tag off before showing up the first day. Cuts out a lot of jokes...I know.
Hello Lenny,
Thanks for your speedy reply and recommendatiom. I am leaning toward red wings
Garyg
Hello Ed,
Thanks for your speedy reply and the recommedation. I really appreciate that a professional such as yourself took the time to answer my question.
garyg
Gary, Red Wings are the best I've worn. Most pairs lasted between 2 and 3 years with an occasional reheel.
mike
Mike, thanks for that speedy reply and recommendation. I am grateful that a professional such as yourself would take the time to get a rank beginner started on the right foot.
Gary
Redwings are the best and also the most $, if you were going to use them alot I'd say spend the money. The last pair I just retired lasted about 2 years
I also like a pair of Timberlands I picked up a few weeks back, more like a sneaker except a heavy sole and steel toed, very comfortable so far.
I'd get a steel toe, they're not any more uncomfortable in my opinion and worth it if anything ever drops on your feet.
Thanks for your feedback. The Timberline shoes sound good as do the Redwings. I appreciate that a professional will take the time to advise me about something so basic.
Gary
I alternate back and forth between RwedWings, Wolverines, and Masons.
The Masons are most comfortable as well as being long lasting. The redwings have definitely given me more miles per dollar but take more breaking in. The Wolverines are right in between. Good value and fairly comfortable. A,ost any real work boot will come with a steel shank, the steel toe is optional. Working around other novices, it is a good idea.
Welcome to the
Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime.
where ...
Excellence is its own reward!
Thanks for your speedy and helpfull reply. I plant to get steel toes ; we will all be novices and I am as likelt to drop something on my own toes as anyone else is.
Gary
I alternate back and forth between RwedWings, Wolverines, and Masons
I really think everyone should alternate boots on a regular basis. I always had feet troubles until I started wearing a variety of footware.
The other thing people always overlook are socks. Cotton socks are only good for about 3 months of everyday use. Once the fabric starts to breakdown they become totally useless.
BTW, I switch between wolverine, timberland, and nike.
Edited 5/23/2005 8:55 pm ET by dustinf
I once read a study that some shoe company did.They reported that if you have two pair of the same boots - identical, and wear each every other day, that they will both last about 60% longer. In other words, if you owned pair A for one year, and then bought pair B and they lasted for one year = total two years of useage.
But if you bought both at the same time, and wore one pair every other day, you would get a total of over 38 months of use, instead of only 24.Socks - they not only keep the feet cushioned, but they hold the sweat and bacteria that would otherwise eat the leather up - salt does a number on good leather.
I learned from hiking and backpacking long ago to wear two pairs of socks. Cotton close to skin and wool for cushion and warmth. But the doubled pair will also help prevent callouses and blisters. Climbing hills, logs, or roofs, when the foot tends to slide in the boot, the slip-friction will be between the two pairs of socks instead of between skin and sock or sock and leather - result that the feet and the shoes last longer and stay more comfortable.
And on roofs, I still wore the two pairs. With less friction on the foot, and less heat from black tarpaper, the feet sweat less with two pair of socks than with only one.But you have to be fitted for the doublesocks. if the boot is suddenly too tight from another opair os socks, then the circulation is cut off and discomfort ensues.Now that you have me writing an essay -last year I destroyed a toenail and it is finally just now growing out. So I switched to a boot fitted for two pairs of socks and wear only one in it now, so that it is slightly looser around that toe and doesn't cause an ingrown toenail. Problem with that is that when I ran out in rough terrain the other day, the boot flopped and I rolled my ankle right in under me. Lesson - that the boot has to gfit right for support
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
"last year I destroyed a toenail"
something like the picture?
This happened to me after a pair of boots, that were soaked threw, dried about a size smaller. Didn't realize until the next morning, when I went up and down the ladder a few times.
That's nothing. Looks like mine after eight months of healing...What I did is a good example of why to wear steel toes - but i still don't. Can't stand how they make my feet coldAnyways, freak accident. I stepped around a pile of lumber on the edge of a deck that was maybe 20" off the ground. I stepped on a cord there for the circ saw. The cord rolled under my foot, so I slipped off the edge of the deck.no problem right? I mean I landed standing, with my feet under me. So what if I happened to scrape the skin off my shin on the way down.The problem was that I somehow had a loop of the cordyanked around my foot in such a way that there was only 14" of slack to the saw. That means that the weight of my body yanked that eleven pound saw off the deck hfast and it followed my foot to the ground. Imagine a 180# man using the full force of his body to slam the base plate of a circ saw into your big toe right at the base of the cuticle. I was pretty sure I had broken my toe, but I was wrong. It just felt that way for a coule of months.
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
These are what I've been wearing the last year. Pretty comfortable after the break in. I work in all types of terrian and there pretty comfortable.
One more tip that I can't put enough emphasis on is to use baby powder on your tush. Serious, when it gets hot that's when you sweat, and working outside alot you really sweat. I pour on the baby powder keeps you from getting nasty rashes.
http://www.irishsetterboots.com/shoe-zoom.cfm?style=844
Shout out to Andy C. Namaste my friend.
http://www.hay98.com/
Gunner,
I know that i will thank you for the baby powder tip. Thanks for the boot recommendation too.
Gary
Just trying to help a brother out.
Shout out to Andy C. Namaste my friend.
http://www.hay98.com/
For work boots, I've worn Red Wings for many years. I started with the higher boots, like the Irish Setters Gunner recommended a few posts back. Then I got older, my feet changed, and I started wearing a lower boot. This is my current favorite:http://www.redwingshoes.com/shoe-zoom.cfm?style=2156One reason I buy RW's is because they are only sold in company stores. Apparently, they pay these people well enough, so I have always had someone who really knows what they're doing -- as far as sizing your foot, and recommending the right boot for what you are doing. For me at least, this alone is worth the extra cost of buying the RW. I always toss the insole that comes with the boot, and replace it with the "Super Feet" insole mentioned earlier. These are sold by REI, who also sells a great work sock under the brand name "Smart Wool."It sounds like you will only be working sporadically for Habitat, so boot rotation may not be an issue for you. But Piffin is right, alternating among 2-3 boots will not only make the boots last longer, but they will be more comfortable if allowed to dry completely (from either perspiration or rain).********************************************************
"I would never die for my beliefs because I might be wrong."
-- Bertrand Russell
Redwing are the best boot I have ever had, I will never buy another pair. The material is so tough and thick it take forever to break in. It just not worth the hassle. I wear Justin Boots now. From the store already broke in. I got three pair of new wolverine and a new pair of H&H, just too tough to break in.
I know everyone's feet are different, but I have never had this sort of "problem" breaking in my RW's. Normally, I will carry another pair during the first week with a new boot. If I my feet grow weary toward the end of the day, I switch to the older pair. For the last pair, I remember doing that the first day, but after that they were fine. Maybe you prefer a generally softer, more supple boot than I do.********************************************************
"I would never die for my beliefs because I might be wrong."
-- Bertrand Russell
. From the store already broke in.
You buying used boots again?
I'm sorry, I thought you wanted it done the right way.
Thanks for your advice. Reed Wings seem to be a favoriate of nearly allwho have replied to my question. I like the you second reason for buying Red Wings , they pay their staff a decent wage.
Again, many thanks
Gary
I have been very happy with these Red Wings
http://www.redwingshoe.com/shoe-zoom.cfm?style=982
Don't have the steel toe, but do have a double layer of leather on the toe.
Tread is not too aggressive - doesn't drag a lot of mud into house.
Sole is non marring.
Good comfortable boot - I am on my third pair in about 10 years or more.
Last couple pair I bought were factory seconds - substantial savings and really can not tell why they were seconds.
Good luck on your search.
If you click on your name at the top of your posts here, you can fill in some profile information. Most helpful is your location. Someone might be able to recommend a good store near you.
Welcome to Breaktime, and good on ya, for your work with Habitat.
Shoeman,
Thanks for your reply; alot of the responses I've received recommend Red Wing. I appreciate that you have taken the time to advise me.
gary
I have different boots for different jobs, but for work where there may be mud and you shouldn't be tracking it around, I like the farmer work boots from Mason Shoes. They are not the most comfortable boots I have, but I got some sole liners from REI called "SuperFeet" and they are fine with those. Mason is also one of the only places where I can find extra wide boots.
If you want top of the line and price is not a problem try Filson or White.
"But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.... and just as you want people to treat you, treat them in the same way."
Thanks for your reply. I never thought about mud as an issue. Thats why i called myself a new guy.
Gary
hey Gary,
Whatever you get ,try to stay away from soles with deep lug patterns, you track in lots of mud and sometimes the lugs will "hang" on an edge of a board when you least expect it. Also, try to pick something with a low heel .
Carry extra socks with you to change at lunch if you need to.
You also may want to get a pair of two buckle rubber boots , to keep your new work boots dry /clean in the rain/mud.
Good Luck,
maddog
Maddog,
Thanks for your advice on lugs, extra socks - life saver I'm sure, and rubber boots. I'll probably get Red Wings and I will bring extra socks and will use rubber boots this winter.
Gary