Replies

1. 
   gulfstar | Dec 24, 2020 12:59pm | #1

   Construction shoes with steel cap.

2. 
   GruntSgt | Dec 24, 2020 02:33pm | #2

   I use Redback Boots exclusively. They are made in Australia and are the most comfortable for all day in the shop on and off fatigue mats. They have a stretch fabric on the uppers (6 inch) so no lacing, easy on and off and reasonably priced. Podiatrist at the VA said to never wear the same shoe everyday so I have two pair. No this isn't ad, I just think they are great foot wear for work.

3. 
   _mj_ | Dec 24, 2020 03:09pm | #3

   Ecco Track 6" boots.

4. 
   jfsksa | Dec 24, 2020 06:40pm | #4

   I wear the Timberland Pro Titan shoe. Great shoe, leather upper, slip resistant sole. They make it in a safety toe also. When these wear out, I'm buying another pair.

5. 
   chuck66 | Dec 24, 2020 07:05pm | #5

   umm, I wear crocs.

1. 
   ysu65 | Dec 25, 2020 08:35am | #8

   +1 for crocs. Plus a sweat shirt and pants. Basic stuff.

6. 
   lordulrich | Dec 24, 2020 08:27pm | #6

   I usually wear my redwing shoe in an athletic style, but I should not (a few reasons, not that they are bad shoes). I should wear my work boots, which are carolinas. Any good work boot is a good idea. Good boots will be a few hundred dollars. Your foot will affect what brand fits well. I used to buy lots of redwing boots and they are great but i have trouble getting ones that fit due to a wide foot and the toe box shape. I like my carolina boots, have heard good things about danner. Keen is descent, probably a small step down from those I mentioned.

   I have to have boots for my day job, and find good ones last longer and make my feet hurt less.

7. 
   RevHef | Dec 24, 2020 10:21pm | #7

   thanks all.Merry Christmas Happy Hanukah. Thanks for the input. Sounds like I have to spend money on a good boot.

8. 
   stantheman | Dec 25, 2020 05:18pm | #9

   low leather boots, or old Army boots. I've had too many sharp things fall off the bench and land near my feet.

9. 
   geedubbee | Dec 26, 2020 01:21am | #10

   As mentioned, multiple pairs of work shoes/boots so you don't wear the same pair day after day. Red Wing, Merrill or whatever your favorite is. I don't put the wear on shoes and boots in the shop that I might if I were a lumber jack ;-) Also, I bend, reach and squat a lot in the shop so higher boots are not always welcome. It's an echo . . . multiple pairs of footwear.

10. 
    user-7022764 | Dec 26, 2020 02:12am | #11

    Thorogood!

    Dang near every professional in the PNW that I know wears Thorogood wedge soles. Made in USA.

    Light weight and tough. Lots of look alikes including redwings. None actually work like the Thorogoods.

    Doubt it find real professional construction folks. Hikers and cheap boots need not apply. No contest as to what actually works.

    Buy once, cry once.

11. 
    weymouth2 | Dec 26, 2020 10:44am | #12

    I'm loving my Caterpillar lightweight boots (Excavator?) they're not high end, but not low end either. They're $160-$165 MSRP but I got mine on sale for $120

    Note that I'm a hobbyist not a pro, and a "full day" in the shop for me is 6-7 hours. But I have the same set up as you - concrete floor with a rubber mat in front of bench. I was wearing old running shoes, and after a "full day" in the shop my dogs (and body) were feeling it. The boots help, and I like the protection. Now I just need to lose 20 pounds and work on some core strength, which has almost completely atrophied over the past year :(

    Neal

12. 
    ysu65 | Dec 26, 2020 11:06am | #13

    OK, the request is problematic and undefined. If you are spending 4-6 hours in the shop at one time, then some of the boot references are suitable. If you are going back and forth between the shop and home every hour of so- in rain and snow - there is no way I want to lace up 8" boots for every trip. Hence crocs. And no, snow does not bother me.

13. 
    elmaduro | Dec 27, 2020 05:51pm | #14

    So I had this heavy 3/4” thick side of a three drawer chest clamped in a Leigh dovetail jig at a raised bench level. One end was done and those pins were pointing down. I decided the uncut end needed adjustment and when I released the cam clamps, the side dropped out of the jig like a guillotine.

    Luckily, the pins missed my toes by a hair and the thick rubber mat saved them from breaking. I’ve now become much more aware of what’s on my feet and where they are while in the shop.

14. 
    rob_ss | Dec 27, 2020 07:44pm | #15

    So no-one else wears 6 inch heels then?

1. 
   john_c2 | Dec 27, 2020 08:16pm | #17

   Kinky boots.

15. 
    timbrack76 | Dec 27, 2020 08:13pm | #16

    A lot of good boot advice here--but don't forget the socks. After years on shop floors wearing Red Wings/Keen/etc. but wearing cheap socks, I recently purchased 6 pair of Stance Divide ST merino wool socks ($20/each). My feet feel so much better at the end of each day now and I regret the 12 years I wasted wearing cheap socks.

16. 
    _mj_ | Dec 27, 2020 08:38pm | #18

    Toenail paint makes all the difference. If you feel pretty, you ARE pretty.

17. 
    DRBWWing | Dec 28, 2020 09:47am | #19

    All I ever wear is sneakers, never, never my Crocs...right.