Can you recommend some work shoes

[Günter VögelBerg]

I am interested in getting some purpose built work shoes. These would not be for "work", but for work in the shop, around the house, in the yard, etc. I have always just re-purposed old shoes I don't mind getting dirty, but I am starting to wonder if this is partly the cause of pain in my back and feet after a whole weekend wearing them. So I am looking for something that is short (not a boot), breathable (not waterproof or especially insulated), does not have a safety toe, and will last a long time (I am hard on shoes). I am looking to spend somewhere in the $200 range and would like something I can have re-soled in a few years. Thoughts?

[Pat Barry]

Get a pair of Skechers

[roger wiegand]

Visit your local Redwing store. Great boots/shoes in a wide range of styles and fits. They last a long time and can be repaired. Some are even made in the USA if that matters to you. Then buy some good anti-fatigue replacement insoles (These (https://www.amazon.com/Timberland-PRO-Fatigue-Technology-Replacement/dp/B009R9EJO8/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=timberland+insoles&psc=1&qid=1571142018&s=apparel&sr=1-1) work well for me) The insoles that come with most boots aren't very good.

If you have shoes you like you might just try the new insoles in them first.

[Paul F Franklin]

You have to be selective even with Redwing these days....some of their newer designs do not have replaceable soles, and you see a lot more reviews complaining about shorter than expected life. But at least they offer quite a few styles that can be resoled; many shoe/boot brands have moved completely away from them. I don't mind paying a couple hundred for good boots if they last a few years, but that seems to be the exception these days (like with so many other products). There, do I sound enough like a grumpy old man?

I found a pair of the Redwing brand Irish Setter boots I really liked at Hartville Hardware, but they didn't have them in my size. They had sewn on, replaceable soles. Went online to try to find my size, to find reviewers complaining that that model boot had been changed to molded on soles that were wearing out after a year.

[Jim Becker]

I use Sketcher's GO-Walk series athletic shoes that have a thin layer of memory foam in them with "custom" support inserts from Dr. Scholl's for shop and "work around the house" use. The inserts are selected by standing on a machine at the retail store while it measures pressure points from your weight, stature, etc., relative to the bottom of your feet. The inserts have totally cured leg, knee, hip and back issues from standing long-term for me and the cost is reasonable when I wear out the bottoms and need to replace them. This has worked for me for a couple of years now and for me, I can't justify buying really expensive shoes and re-soling these days isn't inexpensive, either...if you can find a cobbler that's able and willing to do it.

[Erik Loza]

I've used everything from combat boots to trail-running sneakers to muckers. For me, the magic is in the insole. Sole or Superfeet brand, to be specific. I have high arches and while my feet seem to tolerate a wide range of shoes, if the insole is flat, I have issues. Just what works for me.

Erik

[Günter VögelBerg]

Looking at the red wing shoes. Also looking at timberland pro. Skechers are not going to cut it for me. I have had some in the past and they fall apart in a few months. I am hard on shoes so I'm willing to invest in some. There is an excellent cobbler close to me and I think he would resole anything that could be resoled.

[Lisa Starr]

My husband, a commercial roofer, is very, very hard on shoes. He has the best comfort and durability from Keen work shoes and work boots. He uses shoes in the warmer months and boots for the cold months.

[Darcy Warner]

Merrill, oboz, or keen.

[Günter VögelBerg]

I love Oboz. Those are my general walking shoes. I have had mixed results with Keen. I hate Merrels. They just do not last.

Might try the Keen work shoes.

[Paul F Franklin]

For ten years or more I used to wear Merrel hiking boots and loved the way they fit. But then they changed them and like Günter's experience, they started wearing out after a year of light use. Often the waterproofing would fail within months.

[Stan Calow]

Agreeing with Erik on the Sole brand insoles. Made a huge difference and ended my plantar fasciitis. They seem to be hard to find, however.

[BOB OLINGER]

I'm not sure they have the style you're interested in, but take a look at SAS. American made; have insoles.

[Jerome Stanek]

I have been wearing Redwing work boots for the last 30 years and they hold up good and I am rough on shoes. I had Wolverine that only lasted 1 year but I can get 3 years out of a pair of Redwings

[Jim Koepke]

Back in my days of wearing safety boots Redwing was the brand of convenience for me since a store was fairly close. Some of the designs were comfortable, some were not. They do not get more comfortable over time.

An friend of mine worked in an ER and said most of the folks in the medical field preferred Chippewa brand shoes. This was about 15 years ago so things may have changed.

If you know anyone in the nursing or medical field they may have an opinion of value.

jtk

[Erik Loza]

Might try the Keen work shoes.

I have two pairs of Keens. One is sort of an urban casual hiker and the other is a pair of insulated leather boots. The urban hikers, I just wear around when I'm visiting customers. Stiff but comfortable. The rubber "nose" on the work boots has started to de-laminate from the leather toe area on both feet. For now, it only appears cosmetic. Still 100% functional otherwise. They are actually some of the most comfortable boots I've ever owned, as I think about it. Gonna wear them until they fall apart.

Erik

[Aaron Rosenthal]

In don't know if they will fit your needs, but a huge number of chefs I know, and food service workers use blundstone (check the spelling). They take forever to break in, but are resoleable and last.
Now, they're made in Australia so the American firsters will burn me in effigy but sorry folks, quality is quality no matter where it's made.

[Perry Hilbert Jr]

Every body's feet are different and some folks due to foot shape simply can't wear normal shoes. I have high arches. A shoe without arches hurts my feet, but because the tops of my feet are a bit higher, many brands of "tie shoes" hurt when tied snug across the top of my foot. Oddly the most comfortable boots I ever wore cost me $300 and the guy that sold them to me told me to wear wet socks and put the shoes on to watch television. each night for a few weeks I did the same thing. damp thin socks and put the boots on and then tied the shoes as tight as I could stand it. The leather molded to the shape of my feet and ankles. The kicker, they were ice skate boots for figure skating. Blades were not installed until the boots fit and formed I could and sometimes did spend 8 or ten hours in them on a Saturday or Sunday. For around the house and yard, I have been wearing Sketchers for the last 20 years. I even found some heavy steel toe work boots from Sketchers once. Best darn work boot I ever had. I recently purchased a pair of Sketcher loafers. The first pair of sketchers that hurt my feet after being broken in. Some folks swear by Red Wings, others by Knapheid. I was given a pair of timberlands. They are crap.

[Günter VögelBerg]

Thanks, guys. I want to try the Red Wing shoes but all the places around here that carry them are out in the far flung suburbs and I probably won't get a chance to head out there any time soon. I'm a big fan of buying shoes online from places that have free returns, so I have ordered some Carhartt, Timberland Pro, Irish Setter and Keen shoes. Hopefully one of them will be useful. These are probably not the multi-year shoes I was looking or, but it looks like that quest is going to involve a little more legwork than I have the appetite for now.

[Mark Bolton]

The best wear Ive gotten out of any shoe (though re-soling them wouldnt be an option) is Salewa. They are an outdoor/hiking company but they have by far been the best shoes Ive ever owned. Im on my third pair in perhaps 8 years. But much of that was similar to Lisa's post above, in the construction world and very hard on shoes. You will often blow out a pair of work shoes in places that no human ever puts wear on a shoe in the construction game. I use to be a Redwing/Georgia guy exclusively but started seeing some of the issues mentioned already.

[Jim Koepke]

L.L. Bean also sells shoes.

jtk

[Bill Dufour]

In don't know if they will fit your needs, but a huge number of chefs I know, and food service workers use blundstone (check the spelling). They take forever to break in, but are resoleable and last.
Now, they're made in Australia so the American firsters will burn me in effigy but sorry folks, quality is quality no matter where it's made.

Who cares where they are made. We do not even know what continent the OP is on. But, he seems to be able to import most brands into his country.
Bill D.
USA
W

[Günter VögelBerg]

Who cares where they are made. We do not even know what continent the OP is on. But, he seems to be able to import most brands into his country.
Bill D.
USA
W

I am from Switzerland but have lived in the United States most of my adult life. Country of origin is not really a criteria to me because I know that quality has less to do with country of origin than it does with the specifications and QC that companies use when they subcontract.

That said, there are goods where I am more inclined to trust a company that tells a story about their sourcing and manufacturing.

[Jim Falsetti]

Have you looked at Steel Blue? They appear to be good quality. Don't have personal experience with them, but maybe someone on the forum has,

[Günter VögelBerg]

So of all the ones I tried the ones that are actually the most comfortable are a Carhartt slip-on ankle-high boot. They were also the cheapest ones, so I am not very confident in their longevity, but they were comfortable enough that I thought they were worth trying. I have been wearing them around the shop and yard and have walked to the store a few times in them and so far so good.

[Myk Rian]

Thoughts?
Chukkas. I have a pair of Bull Boxers. Great shoes. Got them at DSW shoes.
Next is Skechers. Another great shoe. I like the toe room in them.

[Brian Tymchak]

I am interested in getting some purpose built work shoes. These would not be for "work", but for work in the shop, around the house, in the yard, etc. I have always just re-purposed old shoes I don't mind getting dirty, but I am starting to wonder if this is partly the cause of pain in my back and feet after a whole weekend wearing them. So I am looking for something that is short (not a boot), breathable (not waterproof or especially insulated), does not have a safety toe, and will last a long time (I am hard on shoes). I am looking to spend somewhere in the $200 range and would like something I can have re-soled in a few years. Thoughts?

Gunter, I don't have a specific brand recommendation, as I too am searching for a good quality work shoe/boot. However, regardless of the shoes/boots you might buy, it sounds as if you could benefit from orthotics. Orthotics will align your foot inside the shoe and should help with the back, knee, ankle, foot pains. Wearing a worn out shoe will also cause the pains you mention. I use custom orthotics and they have eliminated my plantar fasciitis and knee pain.

[Andrew Hughes]

When I was Roofing full time I wore Red wings 2156 chukka.
They would last almost a full year on sloped roofs. Very comfortable

[Jeff Monson]

I really like Irish Setters, I get them at my local Red Wing store. Very comfortable and my feet seem happy with them as I'm on concrete floors all day.

[Bill Dufour]

My feet are US shoe size 14, so very big. Most stores sock size maxes out at size 12 which is shoe size 10. I switched to Oddball socks size 14-18. So shoe size 12-16. They have larger if needed. They cost more but they do not wear out the toes so they last a lot longer for me. They are big enough to be comfortable and not too tight.
Bill D

[Steve Demuth]

I wear Rockport Work Men's RK6762 Work Shoe - low top, steel toe, very comfortable, wear well. Getting good memory insoles helps a lot with the feet.

[Thomas McCurnin]

I've used everything from combat boots to trail-running sneakers to muckers. For me, the magic is in the insole. Sole or Superfeet brand, to be specific. I have high arches and while my feet seem to tolerate a wide range of shoes, if the insole is flat, I have issues. Just what works for me.

Erik

+1 I have custom molded inserts, which last a lifetime, and have performed miracles

[John RStegall]

I’ve worn Apex shoes and this one in particular.

Apex foot dot com Sierra Trail runner. They wear like iron for me. They used to be called Aetrex.

[Dan Hulbert]

Crocs. Cheap enough to be disposable, but I have a summer and winter pair that have lasted for about 2 years now. Very comfortable.

[Bruce King]

Agree on Crocs, I had all sorts of feet problems until I started wearing these. Nice and cool too, no major sweating. Slips on and off easily. Just don’t walk in a flooded parking lot though. Signup on their site and get notified about sales.

[Curt Harms]

Believe it or not - I bought a pair of Dickies at Walmart and added an insole, I have a high arch. I wear them on a concrete floor and my feet are not tired at the end of the day.

[Tom Bender]

Keen makes good shoes, last reasonably long. Sketchers used to make very good shoes but lately, not so much. I recently went shopping for new shop shoes. Criteria, smooth bottom so they don't pick up sawdust or grass clippings, mud etc. slip on, smooth on top so they shed water, dust etc. These are Clarks. can't be resoled but at a disposable price.

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