Page 2 of 3 FirstFirst 123 LastLast
Results 16 to 30 of 37

Thread: Can you recommend some work shoes

  1. #16
    Quote Originally Posted by Günter VögelBerg View Post
    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
    Ex-SCM and Felder rep

  2. #17
    Join Date
    Jan 2018
    Location
    Vancouver Canada
    Posts
    716
    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.
    Young enough to remember doing it;
    Old enough to wish I could do it again.

  3. #18
    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.

  4. #19
    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.

  5. #20
    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.

  6. #21
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    Longview WA
    Posts
    27,347
    Blog Entries
    1
    L.L. Bean also sells shoes.

    jtk
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  7. #22
    Join Date
    Sep 2016
    Location
    Modesto, CA, USA
    Posts
    9,882
    Quote Originally Posted by Aaron Rosenthal View Post
    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

  8. #23
    Quote Originally Posted by Bill Dufour View Post
    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.

  9. #24
    Join Date
    May 2009
    Location
    Northwestern Connecticut
    Posts
    147
    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,

  10. #25
    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.

  11. #26
    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Location
    The Hartland of Michigan
    Posts
    7,628
    Quote Originally Posted by Günter VögelBerg View Post
    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.
    Never, under any circumstances, consume a laxative and sleeping pill, on the same night

  12. #27
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Location
    Columbus, OH
    Posts
    3,063
    Quote Originally Posted by Günter VögelBerg View Post
    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.
    Brian

    "Any intelligent fool can make things bigger or more complicated...it takes a touch of genius and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction." - E.F. Schumacher

  13. #28
    Join Date
    Jun 2008
    Location
    So Cal
    Posts
    3,739
    When I was Roofing full time I wore Red wings 2156 chukka.
    They would last almost a full year on sloped roofs. Very comfortable
    Aj

  14. #29
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    Grand Forks, ND
    Posts
    2,336
    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.
    A bus station is where a bus stops. A train station is where a train stops. My desk is a work station.

  15. #30
    Join Date
    Sep 2016
    Location
    Modesto, CA, USA
    Posts
    9,882
    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

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •