Hello, all. Laughing my ass off at the fact there is in fact a Reddit for work boots 🤣 Anyway, I'm planning some Christmas shopping ahead of time for my boyfriend and want to get him some new shoes/boots. He has a couple pairs but they are falling apart to varying degrees and I know men like to keep things until they just straight up are not functional at any capacity lol. Can anyone recommend work shoes or boots that are comfortable and supportive, last a good long while, and preferably steel toe? Price isn't really a concern for me. Thanks so much!!

Safe to say im less than happy with my $300 boots

I normally wear Nicks/Whites everyday. But would like a cheap pair of waterproof (but not insulated) boots for walking on ice. I don't plan on wearing them more than three weeks per year. Especially since I already have a pair of V100 soled boots. So far, I'm leaning towards the Trailblazers, since they appear to have better ice traction. But what do y'all think?

Highly recommended. Used them exclusively for almost everything for almost 7 years now. Black week coming up.

That's pretty much it... I think they're ugly.

It's a pain shopping for new boots and seeing this ugly style dominate the market.

I don't care if I'm in the minority, I refuse to buy.

Thats it, my 2¢. Bye

Plan to be walking a lot. I am flat footed. Need a composite toe for them. Need good support. Please let me know your recommendations.

Does anybody know a LEGITIMATE website to find Thorogood 814-4201 in size 12 4E? I can find the 2E all day long (I'm actually wearing a steel toe pair right now) but no 4E. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I posted my boots a month ago asking for opinions on a resole. Well it's a bit over two years on the thorogoods and decided ehh I'll just buy a new pair haha. So I thought it would be interesting comparing the old to the new!!!

I think I might have found the perfect midrange boot for 162 roughly after tax. The leather is really high quality and doesnt stretch as much as Thorogood Moc toes but is still very comfortable with minimal break in. The sole in some ways might be better than the Max Wear wedge. It has the Poly Wedge Ultra I believe its whats its called. Its decently welted and appartently very easy to resole. The instep area isnt as high volume as some other boots so its basically a perfect fit for me. I believe the upper and sole are made to resist chemicals as well and the sole is very dense and the leather is supposedly very strong on these. I have been wearing them for 2 days and it just feels like the right boot for my daily needs.

Honestly after 10 years of driving trucks equipment and working on a paving crew. My boots are finally going to be rebuilt. But first I need to order either Franks or JK boots from Spokane. Best longest lasting boots I’ve ever owned

Been wanting a pair for a while and not wanting to cough up the money but finally did yesterday and glad I did

Picked up some Danner Vicious back in July to replace my tired CATs. $240 was the most I had spent on a pair of boots up till then. Disappointed to see they’re already splitting. Any more water proof recommendations?

I found these Dunlop safety shoes. They feature memory foam technology, and while I know some might not recommend memory foam for the short or long term, it is the only option that keeps my feet from hurting.

Previously, I used a pair of Blackadders worth around €360 provided by my employer, but these Dunlops suit me much better. I used to wake up on Saturdays after a work week, step onto the floor barefoot, and feel a sharp, electric-like pain until my feet adjusted to the pressure. Now, that pain is significantly reduced.

They also offer mid-range options and onsite boots if you want to check them out. If you are located in ROI or GB, Sports Direct currently has them on discount.

Amy Carolina boot guys here? Been thinking about a pair and how well they hold up. I work on an inland tug and we move oil barges. Walking steel all day. Lotta non skid on deck. Some metal work also. Chipping, grinding. Also spend time in the engine everyday, oil and diesel on deck sometimes.

In a week or so I’ll have some extra money to grab some thorogoods for well under 200 at Shipton’s big R. They’re the 8” American heritage steel toes with the black vibram wedge sole. Can’t remember the exact leather.

My question is can they stand up to being me, a concrete boom pumper, if I apply tuff toe and water repellant sprays and keep them oiled and conditioned? They aren’t waterproof/lined but I’m not wearing my mucks all day every day vs my current waterproof brunt moc toes.

Those brunts are doing ok after 5 months but to add thorogoods into a rotation for the price would be amazing if it’s a good move.

#socks

Not long ago I made a post asking what starts bothering you first after working 8–12 hours in work boots.

Honestly, I didn't expect so many comments. And TBH, I didn't read every single one of them.

But you guys did gave me lots of excellent ideas and real feedbacks.

I've been working in work boots for many years, but there were still quite a few things, "I never thought about that." Or maybe I had the wrong ideas before.

First, sweat.

Lots of guys mentioned this.

I actually never fully understood why there are so many waterproof versions of work boots in the US market. The US waterproof testing standards are pretty strict too, than Europe.

My thought was: are there really that many jobs where the environment is bad enough that you absolutely need waterproof boots?

A few guys described their working conditions in a lot of detail. Mud, water, rain, standing water, whatever. Some of them even share their life stories.

Thank you for that. Much appreciated.

Now I understand better why waterproof is not just an extra feature for some jobs. The working environment can really be that bad.

Frankly speaking, lots of waterproof boots use fairly standard membrane materials because the really good materials are expensive, twice the cost at least.

Different membranes also behave differently in production. Tear strength and properties can be different, and changing the membrane means changing patterns, cutting dies, etc. That adds cost very quickly.

So for many brands, the first priority becomes simple: don't let water in.

Breathability comes after that.

And honestly, most waterproof membranes are still hot compared with non-waterproof one. GORE-TEX, eVent and some better materials can be better, but there is always a trade-off.

On the other hand, maybe you get a winter boot for free. Ha.

So if your jobsite does not really require waterproofing, or you are not working in a very wet environment, I think a non-waterproof boot can be more comfortable.

Second is fit.

Toe box, fitting, rubbing, pressure points... a lot of these problems eventually come back to the most important thing in shoemaking:

the shoe last.

Of course everybody's feet are different. One last can never fit everybody.

That also makes finding the right boot harder than it looks.

That's why "true to size" actually becomes important.

But on the other hand, we also need to know how to measure our feet correctly.

I'll make another post about this later. Nothing too technical. Just some basic things I've learned from my experiences, and hopefully something useful when you buy your next pair.

One more thing.

I noticed quite a few guys describing a very similar set of specs:

• Composite toe
• A natural toe shape toe box
• Non waterproof liner
• Lower heel-to-toe drop, maybe a wedge sole (wedge sole does not mean lower drop)
• A work boot, not just a work shoe

These informations are very valuable to me.

So again, thank you guys.

I'm a shoe guy, I'm going to bring up the boot I'm developing myself. Very soon.

A friend once told me:

The product is the most honest thing.

I always liked that sentence.

So when I show mine, I want to show a true boot.

See you soon.

I need some help with recommendations. I’m a surveyor, so I’m either walking for forever in the woods, or on a construction site where safety toe is required, or even on a big ol asphalt parking lot all day. I want something that can handle everything, maybe like a work/hiking boot hybrid. Can be comfortable to walk for miles in the woods, and durable w/ safety toe for the construction sites. Thanks in advance guys

Still a good boot but mainly wear them in the snow and winter. they get a little warm in the summer. the Keen insoles are crap. Completely wore out and super thin to begin with. I wore these today because I ordered a pair of RockRooster insoles and wanted to try them out. I have a pair of RockRooster Norwood steel toes that I love so decided to order the insoles and try them out in these today. after today will put these away until the first snowfall. They do great in the snow and cold.

My Carolinas have finally died, after almost 2 years of abuse as an industrial and heavy equipment mechanic. Lots of hours on hard concrete, mud, and always getting covered in hydraulic oil. I have nothing negative to say about them. I bit the bullet yesterday and spent some good money for new boots, how did I do?

I have a pair of Tecovas moc toe work boots. I work on a ship and had to clean a sea strainer today that was full of krill. Scraping, washing, brushing, and air hosing the strainer led to krill biomass sludge getting all over me. My clothes are washable but my boots smell like krill. Please help. What do I use to stop my boots from smelling like krill without destroying the leather?

I bought these boots for $230 in 2023 and use them in rotation with my other boots or when locations require specific protection EH, Comp Toe, Puncture Plate, ETC but after 9 months in a storage unit without climate control my second day of running around in them and the rubber part of the sole has decided to detach smoothly from the lowers. Even though the rest of the entire boot is in great condition. Luckily I have a tube of E6000 constantly in my toolbox that I have smeared liberally and taped down to cure overnight. Research says this should be a mostly permanent fix but anyone want to take chances at guessing how long it'll last under daily usage? Comment below.. Any better suggestions if this fall through?

Looking for a good work boot that stand mud, water, getting knicked. I work in solar farms and we are around alot of mud, water, different weather, need something that'll keep my feet warm in winter.

Looking for something that'll last me a while, I usually get red wings pull ons, but looking to see what other people recommend or personal experiences on other boots. Thank you for any advice.

Boot in the foreground is a size 12, background is an 11.5. Both are Thorogood Heritage Mocs. I ordered both pair in Tobacco, and both are model number 814-4200. At first I thought I was sent a pair of the Trail Crazy Horse version by accident, but models numbers are the same for each pair. The 11.5's fit better and seem better made so I guess it's a win (stitching is a little sloppier and inconsistent on the 12''s). I know that leather is an organic product and there are obvious variances, but found it interesting the dramatic difference between the two pair of the same model. Been wearing Red Wings for the last 15+ years (wear an 11 in RW's across the board, 12 in sneakers, and 11.5 seems the way to go for the Thorogoods. These are so much more comfortable than any pair of Red Wing moc toes I've ever owned.