Best work boots??? (2 Viewers)

[Kofoed]

Huh. Interesting. When I got mine, I was prepping for wildland fire work :

In the 1980's a friend and his crew swore by Redwing 899's (doscontinued). A friend's kid guys all swear by Whites and Wesco, they laugh at Red Wings. I run Red wings, but am not Cal Fire

 

[bigndn]

I've got 4 pairs of Whites, I use a custom built pair; wear them 90+ hours a week when I'm working. This includes a lot of walking on concrete. Have had them for 6 years; great boot. If your going to use them on hard surfaces get them built with the honey vibram sole.

Yeah, some of my buddies are into the honey vibes now and say they're a lot softer. I've been seeing a lot of wildland firefighters, especially jumpers going to different boots, such as Cabelas Alaskan Hikers, too.

 

[JLH911]

Man, all these responses today after I went to Boot Barn and tried on everything they had. I went there because a friend recommended the Georgia boots. They had a nice soft sole but no support around the foot, kinda flat. Then I tried the Cats; no good. The Wolvereen's: nope. The Dr.Martins; flat feel and no quick hooks for the upper laces, nope. Dickie's; didn't even try. Finally, the Timberlands; perfect feel and the steel-toes were even better feeling than the standard boots. I hope they feel this good in a year, then I'll definitly give one of the upper-end boots you guys mentioned a try. I've learned the hard painful way that you can't spent too much on quality footwear when your on your feet all day, working hard.

Is anyone wearing the slip-on, Cowboy style, instead of the lace-ups? Just curious.

I had a pair of Justin "Roper" boots that were super comfortable, but not exactly the kind of boot you'd want if something heavy fell on your foot.

At work, I use Red Wings. I use the "Logger" type with a steel shank and toe, but they're kind of on the heavy side.

 

[nate-gk]

well i do construction and i like to go hiking in upper elavations in winter so i have a coupel different boots that i like.

for snow and real cold weather I will wear nothing but whites. I have the elk pac version and love them for working and hiking. White's Boots, Hunting Boots, Work Boots, Outdoor Clothing - White's Boots

for general construction work I have had all sorts of brands of boots from $50 to $150 (i wont spend more ) georgias are ok for 6months timberlands are better but more expensive and their saftey toe is more comfy.

 

[151fab]

I've been wearing the timberland steel-toes for about four months and I love them. I will definitly buy them again.

 

[MOfj40]

I love my timberlands. Timberland Pro 8" safety toe (non conductive) all leather with speed laces. First boot I've ever worn that feel just as good after working 16 hours as they do when you first put them on.

I usually wear out the toes first due to crouching/kneeling/crawling on and around equipment. I bought a set of glue on rubberized toe caps and now I get 2-3 years out of a pair instead of one.

 

[Gold Boy]

i'm currently using "Ballistic" Nylon STSP Boots they have "ok" comfort, but they are hard wearing and fairly lightweight.

 

[sirenmoses]

Here's my new pair. $333 to my door, and fit like sneakers -- no break-in required. Happy footsies

 

[cody c]

your boots have handles like a purse, are you sure they're boots?

 

[Gumby]

I had a pair of Red Wings. I was wearing them about a year ago at the Rad Wing store buying the wife a pair of riding boots. The guy told me they were worn out. They were 5 years old. How much longer should I expect to get out of them? I expect to get a whole lot more, especially since I rotated them with my 10 year old Danners every other day.

Currently wearing Carhartts. They are re-branded Red Wings. I would not recommend them other than they are cheap.

I like Danners a lot. I'd buy another pair in a minute.

I'll have to check out Whites. edit - maybe not. No dealers within 2 hours of me.

I haven't tried Timberlands in a long time. 20 years ago they wouldn't last me more than 6 months.

 

[splitshot]

I just picked up a pair of these today.


Super comfortable, and made in the US to boot..

Specs:Non-SafetyToe

 

[Mace]

Whites are in a class with themselves. A VERY nice boot.

That being said, I picked up a set of the redwing loggers. Nice boots..

 

[EUROTECH1986535]

I JUST BOUGHT A NEW PAIR OF REDWING 468 'S I WEIGHT 450LBS AND STAND ON CONCRETE 9 HRS A DAY HAD MY LAST SET FOR OVER 2YEARS ONLY REPLACED THEM CAUSE ONE HOOK FOR THE LACES BROKE OFF. WHEN BUYING RED WINGS CHECK THAT THEY ARE US MADE ABOUT 80% OF THE PRODUCT LINE IS MADE IN CHINA AND AINT WORTH SQUAT BUT THE US MADE ONES ARE STILL OK i build transmissions so i am in oil and metal shavings with weekend camping/ mudrunning in between walmart boots dont last 3 mo for me (sorry bout the cxaps lock it sticks sometimes)

 

[splitshot]

One of my favorite mud scores, (thank's to siren) for wood cutting..

I doupt they will ever need to be rebuilt, but if they do, I'll be all over it.

 

[agomez]

a good work boot needs to be a lace up..imho.

 

[Chloe Taylor]

Never knew, it was this much easy to simple in order to go buying work boots.... Thanks a lot for sharing the information......

 

[D'Animal]

The Best Work boot greatly depends on the enviroment the work boot lives in.

White's are terrific for wildland use. There is no way I would wear mine rebuilding transmissions or chains saws on a daily basis. Petrolium fluids and cleaning fluids are hard on leather and stitching. The soles wear pretty darn quick when wore on concrete day in and out.

I have never owned a pair of Danner's.

I can wear the internal heal portion out of a pair of Timberlands in less than 3 months. I have 4 or 5 pair that I have done this.

A pari of LaCrosse Wellingtons lasted me a little over 4 years in a shop enviroment. When I went ot buy another pair I found out there were NLA. I bought a pair of Carhart wellingtons and they almost lasted me 2 years. On the new ones they changed the cut of the boot in the arch area so I could not even try a pair on. I switched to Ariat. I ahve not worn them in the shop enviroment yet.

I switched to Wolverines about 2 years ago. My first pair is 99% worn out so I just bought a second pair and began breaking them in. They did not really need broke in. At $74.00 at Tractor Supply I cannot Complain.

 

[Georgio]

It's not that hard to choose.
step one. What are you willing to spend? Expect to pay at least $350 for a custom made boot that's rebuildable. That's for no frills
minimum.
Next, what environment will you be wearing them? A fire boot, logging boot, linemen and construction boot all need a different type of sole.

next, does your job require a steel toe? This may be mandatory check with your company.
Minimum leather thickness? What options are available? Steel shank?; Kevlar toe caps? Logger scalloped heal? What are the lace styles? Eyelets and speed hooks? Side zipper?
are there choices on insulation?
What you get for that money is a custom made shoe made to fit your feet exactly . plus once they are worn in, you can avoid the pain and blisters of breaking in another pair. If you don't mind the effort of maintenance, cleaning, oiling, drying and cycling them so they have time to dry between wearing them, they can last an endless time. Others rather cheap out but like the look and feel of brand new boots every few months. If that's you, choose Georgia, Chippewa, cat etc. I think red wings made in the USA rebuildable are a good middle of the road high end boot to start with. Once you know you enjoy custom boots, then treat yourself to a pr of fully custom whites, wescos

 

[kybishop]

I have a couple of Keen working shoes. They are extremely comfortable which is something that can often be lacking in a lot of heavy work boots.

I have gotten to where I prefer something less bulky when out working on the farm or on the house. I have the Keen Flint mid high steel toe like this;

http://www.keenfootwear.com/us/en/product/shoes/men/industrial/flint mid

And when working on home repairs and renovations I really like the comfort of this steel toe "work sandal". I wear these things all the time they are so comfortable. And I don't need lace up support for most of the work I do. Like these; (I wore them to the office today and still wearing them now)

http://www.keenfootwear.com/us/en/product/shoes/men/industrial/atlanta cool esd

Comfort is the biggest plus to Keens, they are comfortable right out of the box for me and even more so after a few days of break in time. Will they last? We will find out. I have a pair of their original sandals that I have had for about 15 years or so. Wore them everywhere, in creeks, lakes and rivers. Finally retired them to home life and got a new pair.

Keen is just a well made very comfortable shoe. I also really like the quality and durability of Salomon. I have a pair of hiking boots that must be about 20 years old that I still wear. Used to wear them back packing, also a very comfortable boot.

Everyone has different needs and level of protection and support. For my needs flexibility and comfort are important. For the most work I really don't like the feel of a big heavy boot up around my ankles. Unless I am cutting wood or in the muck I wear the lighter and low work shoes.

I am doing a major home renovation https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/penn-marshall-stone-house.610375/ and usually wear the steel toe work sandals. When squatting and kneeling you barely know they are on.

Some of our field guys have boots provided to them by our work (Highways Department). They have several options to choose from and a lot of the guys went with the Keen Detroit steel toe boots based on comfort.

Good luck in your search.

Redmon

 

[splitshot]

Wow, almost 3 years later, and I recently replaced these.

I just picked up a pair of these today.
View attachment 516690

Super comfortable, and made in the US to boot..

Specs:Non-SafetyToe

I figure around 2500 hours coated with alkali mud.
Justin makes several lace up and pull on versions.