Shop shoes????? Lets not be defeeted!

[Mark Singer]

What kind of shoes do you use in the shop?

[Jim Becker]

Sneakers...err..."athletic shoes". Currently Avia, but it varies depending on what was on sale at Kohls at the time I bought them...

I will say that I'm extremely impressed with the Lands End walking shoes that sell for a mere $37.50. I not only wear them for every-day, but would consider using them in the shop once the Avia's are "used up". Since my floors are concrete, any shoe I wear needs to have both good support and good "cushion". But that will be after I transistion my older Ecco walkers for that purpose...they are worn enough to be inappropriate for "good", yet extremely comfortable and servicable. I love Ecco shoes...

[brent lenthall]

I usually wear a nice pair of leather casual shoes not intended for the shop. After glue drips and varnish overspray, they look like shop shoes :)


brent

[Wolf Kiessling]

I KNOW I shouldn't do it but I'm afraid I wear my sandals. I tell myself all the time to stop doing this but I can't help myself...

[Scott Banbury]

Birkenstocks--are there any other kind of shoes?

If I'm running the sawmill, I on a pair of steel toed socks :D

[Bruce Page]

Most of the time I wear my house slippers :rolleyes:, the rest of the time I wear tennis shoes.

[John Weber]

Mark,

Well, when I'm in and out I usually just wear whatever I have on. Usually with a basketball style court shoe or a low cut hiking boot. If I get a full day I prefer work boots, usually a tan leather, lightly lugged sole. Nothing gives better support or comfort when I'm on my feet all day. Right now I'm sporting a pair of Timberland Pro Pit Boss - non steel toe. I've worn several similar boots over the years and think I like these best. Once broken in (and these broke in fairly easy), they just feel great.

http://tbl.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/pTBL-1687726v250.jpg

John

P.S. Mine don't look so nice...

[Dean Baumgartner]

I usually wear whatever were the previous version of shoes I wore to work. Right now it's a pair of Ecco. Guess I'm just to cheap er frugal to buy special shoes for the shop.



Dean

[Erin Stringer]

My wife is a teacher and always had back pain at the end of the day. Until she found her Dankso's. Now she owns 4 pair and is always on the hunt for more. When I complained about lower back pain after a day in the shop she said "get some Dansko's" to which I replied "but I have to look good in the shop..." (not really but they are a bit odd looking on men). She finally convinced me and now I love them almost as much as her (seen here (http://www.dansko.com/Product_Detail.aspx?StyleName=Carter&ID1=4124&ID2=0202)). They aren't cheap but in my experience good shoes rarely are.

P.S. I would wear Birkenstocks every day if it didn't snow or if closed toes weren't needed at work and in the shop.

[Mike Forsman]

An old pair of athletic shoes. Have thought about getting a pair of leather work boots that might offer more protection in case something sharp was to get dropped but haven't taken the time to do that yet.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

At work, I'm required to wear non-ferrous safety shoes (1.5 T. magnets like steel toes). With a size 12 wide, it's hard to find shoes that fit comfortably. I found one manufacturer that makes a shoe that looks somewhat professional, is comfortable and is a non-ferrous safety shoe. Trouble is......the shoes weigh over 3 lbs. each. Boy....at the end of a normal day you are beat carrying these around! I'd wear a work boot in the shop but with my foot problems, it's hard to find one that fits and is comfortable. So....my old tenny-runners..... :cool:

[Cecil Arnold]

Because I have a very narrow foot I'm almost forced to wear New Balance (AA width but get by on the cheaper B width all leather walkers) or combat boots as these are about the only place I have been able to find footwear that fits.

[Tim Morton]

Mostly Doc Martens, and like others its ussually once they get to banged up for wearing to work, they find a place at the door to my shop.

[JayStPeter]

I voted sports shoes, usually running shoes to help my feet absorb standing on the concrete floor.
But, they are closely followed by slippers.

Jay

[Jim O'Dell]

I wear the past, semi worn out work shoes also. The last 2 pair have been Rockports, as they fit me and are comfortable. Won't buy the air bladder ones again, though. Soles don't last worth a flip. Jim.

[Mike Cutler]

Mephisto's! in the shop? Whoa, there are some seriously well shod folks in the shop. Usually I have a pair of Merrils or Ariat boots on. I've also worn Sorrel Caribou's in the shop.

[Tom Peterson]

I usually wear a pair of Lands' End clogs, easy to slip on and off so I am not dragging dust everywhere I go

[Frank Pellow]

About 75% of the time I wear sneakers. The other 25% of the time (for instance, when I am also doing construction or outside work in the snow) I wear steel toed insulated boots.

[John Miliunas]

Sneakers most of the time. Tough on concrete floors, but have the advantage of having most of the shop and all of the workstation floors covered with those interlocking floor pads. Wow, what a foots saver!:D :cool:

[Jim Fancher]

That's easy. I own a dozen pair of Vans (for the many moods of Jim) and the oldest pair gets "garage and yard duty".

[Bruce Page]

My wife is a teacher and always had back pain at the end of the day. Until she found her Dankso's. Now she owns 4 pair and is always on the hunt for more. When I complained about lower back pain after a day in the shop she said "get some Dansko's" to which I replied "but I have to look good in the shop..." (not really but they are a bit odd looking on men). She finally convinced me and now I love them almost as much as her (seen here (http://www.dansko.com/Product_Detail.aspx?StyleName=Carter&ID1=4124&ID2=0202)). They aren't cheap but in my experience good shoes rarely are.

P.S. I would wear Birkenstocks every day if it didn't snow or if closed toes weren't needed at work and in the shop.
I just ordered a pair of their Grape Patent Leather shoes. :p

I do need to get some comfortable shoes though...

[Chad Pater]

I just bought a new pair this month, after 3 year of very hard work use from the former pair. They are Redwing 1105 pull on work boot <size 14>. Highly highly recomended.


1105 - 11-inch Pull-On

Full grain oil-tanned, Hillfire leather
Shock-absorbing Poron® 4000 cushion insole
Red Wing exclusive welt system
Durable SuperSole® is comfortable on concrete
Sizes: A 10-13, B 8-16, C 8-13, D 5-16, E 7-14, EE 7-14, EEE 6-14



Oil / Gas Excellent
Heat Fair
Chemical Excellent
Abrasion Good
Traction Excellent
Comfort on Concrete Excellent
Non-Marking Yes

[Tony Falotico]

Caterpillars, I bought at Sears. Won't enter the shop without them. Without the lace up ankle support I could not go a whole day.

Yes, they look dumb with shorts :o and are hot in the summer :( , but I'm not looking to make a fashion statement.

[Per Swenson]

I like to have as much protection as possible. But I also need to meet with clients in a business atmosphere. So...........

[Joe Mioux]

Danners Hawk, 11 inch work/hunting boot, great fit and comfort.

[Jeff Sudmeier]

Sneakers...err..."athletic shoes". Currently Avia, but it varies depending on what was on sale at Kohls at the time I bought them...

I will say that I'm extremely impressed with the Lands End walking shoes that sell for a mere $37.50. I not only wear them for every-day, but would consider using them in the shop once the Avia's are "used up". Since my floors are concrete, any shoe I wear needs to have both good support and good "cushion". But that will be after I transistion my older Ecco walkers for that purpose...they are worn enough to be inappropriate for "good", yet extremely comfortable and servicable. I love Ecco shoes...
Jim, I will agree with you on the Lands' End shoes. The best part is that I get them at a discount! However, being the clutz that I am, I couldn't wear them in the shop. Something would get dropped on my toe! :)

[Jason Roehl]

I wear Cats. Caterpillar steel-toed, that is. I wear them pretty much 6 days a week anyway. I also wear two pairs of socks year-round, with the outer sock being a heavy wool sock (yes, even in Indiana's 90-degree heat in the summer). I've found that although my feet end up a little warmer, they stay dry with the wool socks, which is much more comfortable. My line of work (painting) can often cause me to stand on a ladder for long periods of time, and the thick boot soles help immensely.

[Jeff Sudmeier]

I used to wear Moc style shoes, but after dropping a 2x4 on my toes I switched to my steel toed boots. The best part is that they are more supportive than my mocs too!

[Jim Becker]

Yea, Jeff, they are an incredible value. My feet need leather, too, and those shoes deliver. I've even been using the black ones for work! While not as comfortable as my Eccos, they are certainly not very far behind...other than about $125 or so per pair!

[Norman Hitt]

I use the White, All Leather tops, Reebok Walking shoes, as that's what fits best and is more comfortable for my feet, and like others, the shop shoes are the "Cycled Down" pairs that were my Normal Use shoes. Heck, when these get to looking too bad, you can even wash them in the washing machine and they still come out clean & pliable, not like a lot of leathers that get stiff after being wet.

[Kyle Stiefel]

I wear my steel toe reinforced slippers.

[David Fried]

Since they say Stanley on them I knew these were shop boots! Got them at Payless while getting winter ware for the kids. They had a buy-one-get-one free sale so they were effectively free! The cats think they make great scratching posts! (I was wondering why the toes looked so shredded).

[Jerry Olexa]

My son talked me into getting a pair of Merrills (I think they're called Jungle Mocs) and they have several models, They are the most comfortable shoe and very easy to slip off and on (no laces). I bought a 2nd pair (cheaper version) that I use now always in the shop. Before, I used to wear the oldest pair of sneakers/athletic shoes . Very comfortable!!

[Mark Singer]

Jerry,

I have the Merrill Jungle Moc's....my daughter recommended them! I use those in the shop as well as older Eccos and older Mephistos...I wait until they are pretty beat up and theb retire them for shop and garden use...Same with old jeans


My son talked me into getting a pair of Merrills (I think they're called Jungle Mocs) and they have several models, They are the most comfortable shoe and very easy to slip off and on (no laces). I bought a 2nd pair (cheaper version) that I use now always in the shop. Before, I used to wear the oldest pair of sneakers/athletic shoes . Very comfortable!!

[Karl Laustrup]

Yep, I wear my Merril Jungle Mocs for the shop also. At least my old ones. I have a good pair that I alternate with some tennys. Those Merril's are really comfy shoes.

I have found that as I get older [read ancient] I like shoes that I don't have to tie.

[Gene Collison]

Mark,

If you have any intention of using a woodie without a chipbreaker, it should be workshoes. A beyond razor sharp plane iron going straight through the plane and into your foot calls for precautions. I always wear work shoes in the shop for protection.

Gene

[Mark Singer]

The old slide through the mouth surprise....kind of like a spinning blade on a Skill 77 with the guard off...
Mark,

If you have any intention of using a woodie without a chipbreaker, it should be workshoes. A beyond razor sharp plane iron going straight through the plane and into your foot calls for precautions. I always wear work shoes in the shop for protection.

Gene

[Jason Roehl]

I forgot to add that my boots cost roughly $70/pair and get me about 3 years of use at the 6x/week pace. The last pair I had was retired early due to the soles coming unglued, even after my various repair attempts, and pro repairs. Probably still had a year or two of sole life left, too. Now if someone could just make a decent pair of bootstrings that can withstand metal hooks and eyes, then my feet would be in heaven.

[John Bush]

Comfy old clogs. Easy off for sawdust control to keep upstairs maid happy.

[Karl Laustrup]

I'm reading about all these shoes that eveyone wears.

But, where are the "Manolo Blahnik's"? :cool:

Is no one here fashion conscience? :D

[Keith Christopher]

Standard steeltoe non-slip workboots. AND I make my kids wear similar when in the shop "playing around"

[Mark Stutz]

Unless i am just there for a short time in the evening to put on another coat of shellac, etc., I always wear steel toed work boots.

[David Klink]

It depends on what I'm doing out there. If I'm not working with anything heavy, I wear sneakers. If I'm moving plywood or anything else heavy, I have a couple of pairs of steel toes. A pair of steel toe sneakers for summer, and boots when it gets cooler.

[Christian Aufreiter]

I can’t really vote in this poll because I have different habits regarding shoes. When I only need to get a tool or some stuff from the shop, I usually wear sandles. Last summer I wanted to clean up my shop and tried to decide between wearing sandles and work shoes. Well, I opted for the sandles (because I was too lazy to wear my work shoes) and a few minutes later I dropped a metal ratchet box on my left foot. One of my nails still looks “nice” and today I mostly wear my work shoes.
Sometimes, when I get home from a store, I play in the shop wearing my everyday shoes – usually Ecco or Clarks.

Regards,

Christian

[Carole Valentine]

I had a very close call when a chisel rolled off the bench when I was wearing sandals. Since then, I always put on my steel toed leather Vasque hiking boots when I head to my shop. I find that the steel shank also gives my feet, knees and hips a measure of support on the concrete floor.

[Jim Barrett]

I use to wear my clogs but changed over to 6" slip on work boots.

Jim

[Dan Mages]

I like my old LL Bean Mountain Treads hiking boots. After 3 years and countless trail miles, they are still comfortable, but the bottoms are worn out. They are still good for woodoworking and minor tasks.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v647/DanMages/P1010118.jpg

Dan

[Ian Barley]

Pet subject - My grandfather worked in an iron foundry and lost toes when a heavy casting was dropped on his foot. Never walked the same again. This was all a long time before Health & Safety at Work.

I won't enter the shop unless I am wearing certified steel toe cap shoes or boots. Mostly I use Dewalt shoes but am seriously considering the need to purchase a pair of boots with some ankle support.

I have to report, with at least a touch of irony considering the efforts I take for safety in the shop that I am currently three weeks into the process of recovering from a broken ankle and am looking at at least another three weeks before I can start learning to walk again. I susspect that the extra ankle support will be useful!

[Ted Shrader]

Generally have a pair of Docksiders on. Well . . . no matter what time of day it is, that is true. I have three pairs at any one time. The good ones, the everyday ones, and the shop ones. Get a new pair and they move down the ladder one rung and into the trash.

Like to have a leather shoe on in the shop. Easier to blow the sawdust off. It get stuck in the fabric of athletic shoes.

Ted

[Tom LaRussa]

Because I have a very narrow foot I'm almost forced to wear New Balance (AA width but get by on the cheaper B width all leather walkers) or combat boots as these are about the only place I have been able to find footwear that fits.
Isnt' New Balance great for those of us with ... um ... unusual feet?

I wear their super-wides -- 4E+ -- all the time.

[John Shuk]

I too wear the New Balance 4E sneaker/scuba fin!

[Bill Neely]

New Balance EEEE, usually the cheapo 60x CT. I wore steel toed work-boots for more than 40 years, usually Redwing or Wesco, and you couldn't pay me to put a pair of those boat anchors on. :)

[Steven Wilson]

Steel toe Redwings with non-slip soles. They worked great on offshore production facilities in the Persian Gulf, they work fine in the shop.

[Charlie Woods]

I wear Justin lace up steel toe work boots every day at work. I may have to work in the metal shop, scene shop or somewhere in the stage space so I make it a habit to where steel toe every day. The Justin's are the most comfortable I have owned. At home I where hiking boots, or tennis shoes while out in the garage( shop).

[John Scarpa]

The old sneakers get relegated to the shop and garden. Reading through these posts has gotten me thinking about new ones! :)

[Roger Bell]

I wear slip-on leather Romeos with a moderate traction sole.

[Mark Singer]

Something a little strange is going on.....

Not one member has confessed to using Bruno Magli shoes????

I suppose the glove won't fit either.....!



and My Daughter Jessica wants to know why no one is using Prada shoes....where is your fashion sense

[Dan Gill]

Whichever athletic shoes I've downgraded to shop shoes, with added pads to keep my knees from hurting too much. When I get a new pair of regular shoes, the shop shoes become lawn mowing shoes. After that (and sometimes before) they become chew toys.

[Brian Buckley]

I wore docksiders until my old back started hurting after a few hours on the concrete floor. I purchased a pair of Eccos about 4 months ago. They are the most comfortable shoe I have ever owned. Even though they are a bit expensive for shop shoes, they have saved my back.


Brian

[Carole Valentine]

Brian, I have two anti-fatigue mats and they are the best money I have spent! One in front of my bench and one in front of my lathe. I got the first one on sale and figured I was wasting my money... boy was I ever wrong! No more knee, back and hip aches from the concrete. No more cold feet. And a side benefit is they are kind to dropped tools! I plan on getting two more small ones to go in front of the drill press and band saw.
I wore docksiders until my old back started hurting after a few hours on the concrete floor. I purchased a pair of Eccos about 4 months ago. They are the most comfortable shoe I have ever owned. Even though they are a bit expensive for shop shoes, they have saved my back.


Brian

[Bob Hovde]

I don't think they sell those Italian or Swedish-named shoes in Alabama. :rolleyes: Notice that anyone who's dropped something on their toes now wears boots? Sneakers don't help much when you drop a 4x8 sheet of wallboard on your big toe! :eek:

Bob

[Jim Becker]

I don't think they sell those Italian or Swedish-named shoes in Alabama.
Sure they do...it's called the "Internet"!!!

[Bart Leetch]

These are a pair of $20 Wal Mart hiking boots. I had to quit wearing the boots I like from Mason because of a fall from an airplane wing in 1975 which gradually caused a heal spur. With these boots & double insoles I no longer have heal pain & my feet are comfortable all day. I watch my Dad & the LOML go through bunyan surgery & decided to quit wearing narrow toed shoes i.e. cowboy boots etc & my feet have never had that problem.