Any recommendations for good standing shoes? [Archive] - Sawmill Creek Woodworking Community

David Keller NC

11-12-2008, 3:45 PM

What Perry said - though in my case my preferred brand is New Balance. Seems that brand preferences in running shoes have a lot to do with your foot shape - the guy at the Athelete's foot told me that different brands tend to run narrower or wider - Nike being one of the wider ones.

I tried wearing steel toed boots in the shop to protect my feet from an accidentally dropped chunk of wood or a falling carving tool. No dice. My feet hurt so much after one day that I went back to running shoes.

Matt Meiser

11-12-2008, 4:16 PM

Put rubber mats anywhere you spend any time doing a signifcant amount of standing. I have them in the operator position on most of my tools and in front of my bench. Some are rubber, some are the interlocking foam ones that are black on one side and multicolored on the other. All work great.

Tom Esh

11-12-2008, 4:22 PM

Two words: gel insoles.
They're cheap (maybe $20 tops for good ones) and will turn a even a nearly worn out pair of sneaks into super comfortable shop shoes. I suppose mats are still useful if you drop things, but your feet won't care.

harold brock

11-12-2008, 4:25 PM

crocs work great for me

Bob Slater

11-12-2008, 4:47 PM

I wear Blundstone steel toed boots. Pretty darn comfy for a safety shoe. Last forever.

Scott Myers

11-12-2008, 4:49 PM

Another good choice are the leather shoes that nurses and doctors wear. They are made for standing on concrete all day long. Pretty cushy. You can also get the type in black or brown. With cloth or leather uppers. So the leather upper type would give you decent protection, although it's not the hard type of leather that you have in a workboot, but the shoe is light weight, unlike a workboot. (I think my workboots must weigh several pounds each.)

There are also made good concrete insoles (non-gel) for your work boots. Red Wing carries them. The gel type insoles work OK, but I have found that my feet sweat too much and I get "hotfoot" when I wear gel insoles. Just depends on your feet.

Scott Schwake

11-12-2008, 5:00 PM

I, like many others, have a concrete floor in my shop. I'm out there a lot and even though I'm young and even though I have those big pads on the floor at each of my main stations, I know I need some better shoes. Does anyone have any recommendations for some good shoes I can buy that will be good for a lot of standing on hard surfaces?

Broomball shoes are very comfortable.

Terry Barr

11-12-2008, 5:14 PM

crocs work well for me

Tom Veatch

11-12-2008, 5:24 PM

I've not bought any shoes except Red Wings for the last 35 years. They are a little pricey, but are comfortable and last darn near forever. My local shoe repair guy says that in his opinion, they are about the only brand he feels is worth replacing worn out soles.

Ted Shrader

11-12-2008, 5:36 PM

David DeCristoforo

11-12-2008, 6:08 PM

I used to be a Red Wing guy but then I splurged on a pair of Ecco boots and I have not worn anything else since. Not cheap but worth every penny.

Maurice Ungaro

11-12-2008, 6:18 PM

I'm in the shop all day, every day. For me, I've found running shoes to be the best for me. Specifically, Brand: Brooks; Model: Beast. I buy 2 to 3 pair a year.
Perry

Brooks "beast" is what I wear for running shoes. Oakley also makes some excellent boots that I've worn for construction. These are actually incredibly comfortable for standing in the shop: http://oakley.com/pd/5989/20623

Les Zielinski

11-12-2008, 7:09 PM

Clark's Air Movers. Ugly but very comfy. If you take this route, make sure that you try the shoes before you buy. They look unconventional and you will "gain" some height wearing them.
Hope this helps.
Les

Ron Jones near Indy

11-12-2008, 7:13 PM

Red Wing seems to be best for me--New Balance is a close second.

Bob Noles

11-12-2008, 7:19 PM

I love my Crocs

Jim Becker

11-12-2008, 7:56 PM

I do the rubber mats and generally wear athletic shoes in the shop. But I have to say that the Ariat Terrain paddock boots I have on my feet as I'm typing this are the most comfortable non-athletic shoe I've ever had on my feet. Great arch support and lightweight, too. I believe I could actually stand in these things all day long and in comfort.

Jeremy Parkins

11-12-2008, 8:04 PM

crocs work well for me

I have to second the crocs.. they are like double thick foam pads that follow you around.

JP

Nancy Laird

11-12-2008, 8:06 PM

Joe Mioux

11-12-2008, 8:28 PM

At work, I always tell a new employee to get used to using leg muscles they never used before.

For a new designer, that means standing at the design table for 8 hours.

They complain for about a week. After that time it gets easier.

Most of the pain you feel is muscles that you don't use. The problem with this hobby is that you don't spend 40 hours a week in front of your tools.

Danner boots are just about perfection when it comes to footwear.

joe

Joe Mioux

11-12-2008, 8:31 PM

When LOML was a store manager and walking 5-7 miles a day on concrete, his doctor recommended Rockports, and he's worn them ever since. Pricey - about $100 a pair for the cheapest ones - but they have saved his feet.

Rockports are also great! My dad wore them for years. At 89, he still wears them, but the concrete greenhouse floors won out.

Casey Carr

11-12-2008, 8:48 PM

An added bonus to New Balance is they are made in the good ol' US of A. Of imported materials of course, but they're an American Company.

Ben Davis

11-12-2008, 9:01 PM

Michael Pauly

11-12-2008, 9:23 PM

I also say that running shoes are my choice (Brooks Adrenaline), but I often wear Timberland Pro steel toed boots. Not the most comfy for long walks, but standing around they are great.

Now crocks....how do you guys deal with all the sawdust/chips getting into the holes and stuff?

Michael

Brent Smith

11-12-2008, 9:28 PM

I used to be a Red Wing guy but then I splurged on a pair of Ecco boots and I have not worn anything else since. Not cheap but worth every penny.

I wore Ecco for years, best shoes and boots I ever had. That is until this past spring. I bought a couple of pairs and they near broke my feet. It appears that the Ecco company was sold and they are now made just a bit different. David, before you buy another pair make sure you try them on and walk around the store a bit.

Denny Rice

11-12-2008, 9:45 PM

Brian -

Have have Red Wings that work great for me. Can wear rhem all day long with no problem. Currrently have a compsite toe (vice steel) model - very light. Great durablity and top quality construction.

Regards,
Ted

I use to wear nothing but Red Wings boots, until I came across a boot made "down under" in Austraila. The name of the company is called Redback. These are the best work boot I have bought in 30 years, I will tell you they are a little pricey at my last pair bought last year was 110.00 dollars but the pair I purchased before the pair I bought last year almost lasted 5 years, (and thats wearing them everyday and everywhere.) Since I purchased my first pair of Redbacks, I have never bought a another pair of tennis shoes. These boots are comfortable enough to where everywhere. The insoles will wear out within a couple of yrs of everyday use, but Redback sells insoles for 8.00 a pair on their website or like me I have purchased the gel insoles at Meijers and cut to fit the boot.

William Hutchinson

11-12-2008, 9:57 PM

For my wide dogs, these are the most comfortable boots I've ever worn.
Tinner Plain Toe http://www.danner.com/product/tinner+plain+toe+work+boots.do?search=basic&keyword=tinner&sortby=price&asc=false&page=1

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y66/wlhutch/boots.jpg

Paul Steiner

11-12-2008, 10:11 PM

I work at a school so I have to wear "brown" or dress shoes 4 days a week. I buy the softest ones I can find, but there is no comparison to running shoes. If I work after school the running shoes go on immediately.

joseph j shields

11-12-2008, 10:51 PM

I have tried several brands over the years and I have found that Asolo hiking boots to be the best for me. They are comfortable, have great support and they last. They can be hard to find locally.

I buy mine from Sierra Trading Post - excellent prices and services. If you sign-up for their emails, you will get 15-25% coupons so the below boots would be ~$75

http://www.sierratradingpost.com/Product.aspx?baseno=72553&cdf

A few things about Asolo. Most of their boots are made in Romania and are much higher quality than the Chinese made cr@p and their sizing is pretty true. (Plus you can get them in different widths) Also, the linked model received Backpacker's Magazine "best backpacking boot" status.

-jj

David DeCristoforo

11-12-2008, 11:09 PM

...It appears that the Ecco company was sold and they are now made just a bit different...before you buy another pair make sure you try them on...

Why is that not surprising? Well I have a pair right now that's just under a year old and I usually get around five years out of a pair so I won't be buying any soon. But thanx for the head's up. Who knows, by the time I need new boots they may cost twenty eight billion dollars a pair.

Dylan Smith

11-13-2008, 12:30 AM

Old school, made in England Doc Martens are what I swear by. They're pretty hard to find these days, but I've been wearing nothing but for a great many years.

Just don't waste you money on the new, made in China/Taiwan/wherever ones. Abject garbage! So cheaply made that I'd be amazed if they lasted a month, much less the years I can get outta a pair of the 'real' ones....

Wayne Cannon

11-13-2008, 3:57 AM

Your best bet are shoes made with cork insoles. Cork provides a solid base, and cork will conform to the contours of your foot for comfort.

I bought post-office approved shoes from Red Wing until about ten years ago. Most shoes today use softness as a sales tool because of the nice feeling in the sales room. Cork and leather, on the other hand, take a few days to conform to your foot.

It may be counter-intuitive, but if your shoes or mat are soft, you will continually rock slightly back and forth, and your legs will tire more.

Bob Hallowell

11-13-2008, 4:16 AM

Croc's

Bob

Jim Becker

11-13-2008, 8:16 AM

I wore Ecco for years, best shoes and boots I ever had. That is until this past spring. I bought a couple of pairs and they near broke my feet. It appears that the Ecco company was sold and they are now made just a bit different. David, before you buy another pair make sure you try them on and walk around the store a bit.

Thanks for that info, Brent...I've been a long time Ecco fan myself and will have to be careful next time around. I generally buy online for cost control, but the return privileges are there if I don't like something.

James White

11-13-2008, 8:48 AM

Thanks for that info, Brent...I've been a long time Ecco fan myself and will have to be careful next time around. I generally buy online for cost control, but the return privileges are there if I don't like something.

I just went though a nightmare of a time trying on boots at all the big local retailers. DSW, Bob's, Dick's. I must have tried on twenty different boots. No exaggeration. They have cheapened all of the premium brands. As mentioned the Dock Martens made in China are pure junk. Timberland made in the Dominican Republic the same. Chippawa made in china are uncomfortable. They feel very "flat" under foot. No support. The ones made in the USA are $219. Logger boots. I don't like logger heals. They had one pair that was $199 that were not logger boots. But they had no country of origin anywear. They look very similar to the US made ones with suttle differances. The Indian head embossed on the side was smaller and not as deeply stamped into the leather. The font of the embroidered Chippawa name was smaller and the stiching was not as refined. Enough of a differance to realize that there were not made in the same factory. However they were being sold in the made in the USA section of the Chippawa dispaly. I would hate to think that they are trying to pull a fast one. But with no country of origin on the box or the boot. I was not going to drop $200 on these boots. Has anyone seen this?

I wound up getting a pair of Columbia titanium Bugaboots. Very comfortable and well insulated. I think these will be my shop boots during the winter. Since I have issues with my feet hurting from inexpensive foot wear and am not prepared to buy more footware at this time. I recomend giving them a try if you need a shop/outdoor boot.

http://www.amazon.com/Columbia-Sportswear-Titanium-Bugaboot-Omni-Tech/dp/B001C4IVOK/ref=pd_sbs_shoe_6

http://www.amazon.com/Columbia-Sportswear-Mens-Bugabootoo-Hiking/dp/B0009WG1CA

James

joseph j shields

11-13-2008, 9:25 AM

Thanks for that info, Brent...I've been a long time Ecco fan myself and will have to be careful next time around. I generally buy online for cost control, but the return privileges are there if I don't like something.

Jim,

Here is good source with great return policies... I've used them for years. (and maybe good prices for Ecco Shoes???).

Here is a link to their selection of Ecco shoes:

http://www.sierratradingpost.com/search/SearchResults.aspx?Ne=9900000&anyWords=&N=9400343+9905115&allWords=&exactPhrase=&allAnyWords=&searchWithin=

If you sign-up for their emails you will get 10-25% off coupons every month.

Enjoy!

-jj

Charles Trout

11-13-2008, 9:59 AM

This is a great thread. I've been thinking of new footwear lately.

Normally I wear my crocs or a pair of trail running shoes in the shop, but I noticed the crocs can get kinda slippery sometimes.

For ordering shoes online I usually pick Zappos. Free shipping, free returns, and they carry the brands discussed here.

Doc Martens have always been my favorite, but I'm thinking of trying out the Redwings.

Robert Parrish

11-13-2008, 10:03 AM

I have lot of problem with my feet at my age so I have anti-fatigue mats at every machine and my workbench. They really make the difference. I also wear SAS shoes. You can get nice mats in various sizes from Uline.

Peter Quadarella

11-13-2008, 10:30 AM

If I were wearing boots, I would wear my extremely comfortable Danner's. However, generally I don't want to wear heavy boots in the shop, as I am a hobbiest and don't want to get suited up to go in the garage. I found Red Wings from a similar thread to this one and bought their basic brown shoe - it is extremely light and the most comfortable shoe I have ever worn. I actually have foot pain when wearing certain shoes that is absolutely gone even if I'm on my feet all day while wearing the Red Wings.

I used to be a sneaker wearer when casual, but I have hung them up and now wear my simple brown Red Wings all the time (when not at work).

Jason Roehl

11-13-2008, 10:32 AM

For me, it's Caterpillar steel-toed boots (Birmingham model, I think). Six days a week usually, and I get about 3 years out of a pair, and they're about $70 per. I just bought about my 4th pair a few days ago, so they will go into service here in about a month or two, after I get them broken in wearing them a few hours here and there casually. I love the extra thick soles--makes them great for when I spend all day on a ladder, and I'm always surprised when I buy a new pair at how much of the sole I manage to wear off! Coupled with merino wool socks, and I'm good to go for 8-12 hours a day. Their only downside is that they don't do all that well keeping my feet warm in snowy conditions, so I have other insulated boots for those few days a year when I know I'll be trudging through snow (back and forth to the truck on a new-construction jobsite, for instance).

I think more important than padding (like mats and such) is proper, whole-foot support to correctly distribute your body weight over your whole foot (or the appropriate weight-bearing parts). Posture is probably important, too...

Bob Marino

11-13-2008, 10:32 AM

I like the "Katahdin Iron Works" boots, (Made in the USA) manufactured by Chippewa.

http://www.llbean.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?page=katahdin-iron-works-engineer-boots&categoryId=49464&storeId=1&catalogId=1&langId=-1&parentCategory=502771&cat4=502767&shop_method=pp&feat=502767-sub2&np=Y

Lot's of support, very comfortable, made tough and I wear them all day long sometimes. A bit pricey, but can be resoled.

Bob

jim oakes

11-13-2008, 12:37 PM

I get low cost running shoes that feel good in the store. I cut my own insoles from 1/4" thick crock like foam( I have lots of scrapes of this eva foam). I buy one size bigger than normal or bring the insoles and try them in the shoes before buying.

Mike Davin

11-13-2008, 1:08 PM

I bought a pair of Keen shoes. Good support and very confortable. They are slip on too, good for going in and out of the house.

Cliff Rohrabacher

11-13-2008, 4:17 PM

I wear cross country sneakers.
In the machine shops I liked crepe soles but they didn't stand up well to oil.

Eric Gustafson

11-13-2008, 5:06 PM

Everytiime a shoe thread pops up, I post the Z-coils I wear. MY wife is a nurse who works a 12 hour day. She swears she would never make it through the day if it were not for these shoes. She bought me a pair and nothing keeps my feet happier duirng a long day on my concrete shop floor. Anybody else ever use these?

Chuck Tringo

11-13-2008, 9:46 PM

I wear combat boots all day at work so by the time I get home , I'm usually pretty lazy and wear flip flops or go out barefoot....not the wisest, I know :p

John Callahan

11-14-2008, 1:07 PM

New Balance 926 ........ they run about $100. They're a walking shoe with a broad flat sole, excellent cushioning and great support and imho a better choice for standing than a running shoe. Wear well too. For someone like me with total hip and knee replacements, they make life on concrete tolerable. Have you ever considered a wood floor? Sleepers and plywood would do wonders.

Dave Sharpe

11-14-2008, 1:23 PM

One more vote for crocs - I too have a concrete floor with some thin rubber mats, and used to have trouble standing all day in the shop. But with crocs I have no problem. I'm also a nurse and have tried running shoes, gel insoles, etc, and find crocs are far more comfortable than anything else, whether I'm at work in the hospital or in my shop. Admittedly not a lot of toe/foot protection from dropped objects or penetration, but that's not an issue for me and the type of work I do in the shop. Best of all - they're cheap! I bought my last pair for less than $20 (croc knock-offs) at a feed store.

Dave