Copper Nine Eight

I work in a warehouse. We have to wear steel toe boots. At the end of the day my feet are on fire! I know steel toes arent meant to be comfortable but jeez! There has to be something better! And we are required to move fast and steel toes arent exactly the lightest shoe on the planet.

Does anyone recommend a boot that is comfortable and lightweight? And affordable? Under 100 bucks

slantflat

My favorites are Redwings, though they tend to wear out a little fast. But take them to the Redwing place and they send them out for resoling and they ship them back to your door. Right now I wear Doc Martins. They are comfortable and wear like iron.

I'm afraid you're not going to find a good boot for under 100. My Redwings cost 250 and I don't remember what the DMs cost but I know it's over 100 and my work subsidizes them.

One option is the composite toe boots. They are rated comparable to steel toes and they are lighter. I've never had them so I can't comment on them but some guys at work have them and seem to like them.

cherokeepeople

i wear wolverines,kinda like a hiking boot with oil resistant soles.i usually get 2-3 yrs out of em,just make sure you treat them with a leather conditioner before you wear em.otherwise when they get wet they will stiffen up.i usually spray em when i get em then let em set for a week or so and hit em again before i wear em,then i will rotate for a couple weeks,new boots one day old the next.because your feet need to adjust to new boots.i think my last pair was 120 and that was 2 yrs ago and i might hit the company up for a pair here before winter sets in.

Fun71

Back when I worked in an industrial setting we had the option of steel toe shoes instead of boots. They were a lot more comfortable from what I remember.

ELY442

What socks are you wearing? Try the thin type. I use to wear steel toes and you're right that they are not comfortable. Where I work, the company supplies work boots but they are heavy steel toes. I feel like walking like Frankenstein. I wear Timberland Mens White Ledge Mid and they're mad light but not steel toes. Google search composite toe boots.

jensenracing77

I get 2 to 3 years from my Redwings at about $200. The model I use SUCK to brake in but after a month of that I love them more than any boot I ever had. My experience is opposite of Mikes on Doc Martins. I only had one pair and they fell apart in 8 months. They were comfortable right out of the box though.

budg

I have to wear steel toes and do ALOT of walking and at 59 with plantar faciatis I feel your pain. What I do is buy red wings or wolverines and use the Dr Sholl inserts you get at those kiosks in the stores. They work wonders for my feet. Best thing I ever did.

m371961

I have worn steel toe boots almost daily for 40 years. Under 100 bucks? Forgetta bout it. Wolverines, Red wings good quality. Working on concrete floors everyday is very hard on the feet and legs. Good insoles every few months helps. A new pair once a year helps. Alternating shoes once they are broke in helps. I am retired and only wear them a few hours a day now, but always for any serious work or push mowing. Cheap shoes are never a good thing.

VC455

I can wear steel toe shoes. I found Red Wing Worx shoes are as comfortable as any pair of street shoes I've worn. They have a very big toe box. Made in China but the comfort overrides the offense I feel at that.

I also have a 15-yr-old pair of Red Wing steel toe boots for the occasions when I visit a construction site. Those are the most comfortable boots I've worn. With a bit of treatment, they were even waterproof in the muck at Shemya AK. Made in USA.

jensenracing77

I believe most of the Red Wing men's work boots are still made in the USA. I know the pair I wear are.

Carshinebob

Only redwings for me for the last thirty years. the last two pair I bought were used from ebay for less than $100. a pair. I've found that if there's no wear on the soles, they're just as good as new. also I find the best deals in the auction format, not "buy it now". as mentioned above, good insoles can help keep your feet in good condition. I'm going to be 62 in December and have been on my feet every day of my adult life and my feet are in great shape. ~BOB

2blu442

I worked in Forestry and there's several brands of good work boots but most are in the $150-400 range. West Coast, Hawthorne, Whites are all popular brands. I've had boots stitched to fit my feet, they took several measurements before building them and those were really comfortable. But if your on concrete or asphalt having a really good insole may be the key. I also used to wear a thin pair of cotton socks with a thick wool sock over the top of that. That helps prevent blisters and keeps my feet cooler.

Funkwagon455

I've had worn three pair of these Red Wings out over the course of the last 16 years. They are not cheap, the last pair I purchased last winter were $240, of which my employer pays $85. Even though they last several years, I've always kept a fresh pair in my closet for when I decided to retire my current pair. Bare in mind how valuable your feet are and how much you use them. I like the way my Chuck Taylor's look, but only wear them when I am not doing a lot of walking because they suck for support! I like the slip on boots because they are very easy to quickly put on, and no fuss with laces that get destroyed by sand burrs. They also provide a first line of protection against snake bites. I know steel toes are heavy, but you will get used to them eventually. Best wishes

gs72

X2 on red wings. I wear the ones with composite toes instead of steel. They are a little lighter and the composite doesn't transfer Cold temp to your toes in the winter like steel does.

coppercutlass

Red wings . Irish setters with the ortho inserts. Best 280 dollars i spent. Did wonders for my back. I work in a body shop so im on my feet all day , kneeling and what not and they wear a bit faster than my old Snap on boots made by goodyear i believe but man the comfort is just amazing. Im never buyin another cheap set of work boots again.

1969w3155

Bought a pair of Keen a year ago @ $180, they have the composite toe, plus I am required to have the metatarsal guard. pretty durable and comfortable

zeeke

I will never wear any boot other than Red Wing! 25 years ago, when I worked in the streets of NYC in the sub vaults (manholes) I reluctantly spent over $250 on a pair that were steel toed and steel re-enforced in the soul. Back then we were doing an average of 12 hour days trying to get as much fiber optic in the ground as possible. I explained the type of work I did and they gave me a boot to fit that profile. Best work investment I ever made. Since then I've wore nothing but Red Wing. I only buy the made in USA ones. I even buy them for my wife for a winter boot. She loves them to.

The current pair I've been buying for the last 15 years do not have composite toe, but I'm pretty sure they make them with composite, they might be made in china though. They are lighter and very comfortable. Like New Ballance they held out as long as they could.

Best advice I can give you is go to Red Wing and explain the type of work you do. Let them fit you with a boot. They do free cleaning and re-lacing too.

texxas

On my 3rd pair of Keen's. Got them on sale for $150. Keens make the boots for the USMC. Comfortable and water proof until they were nearly worn out. They last much longer than the Timberlands I was wearing. I haven't bought a pair of Doc Martens since they quit making then in the UK. But I have 2 older pairs of UK made Docs that are still hanging in there.

Koda

I run the Redwing 6672. It's a steel toe hiking shoe. I've worked automotive engineering for 11 years now, and I've burned a Timberland, a Rockport, a pair of Redwings I did not like, a pair of Redwings I dearly loved but wore out the sole and the upper separated, and those were the predecessor to the 6672.

My first pair I bought in 11 and wore quite well, then I bought another pair in 13. In 15, the only problem the first pair had is the cloth lace loops tore. Redwing said this was a factory recall, and upgraded them to the metal rings that my newer pair has. I just bought a third pair to put in the rotation, and they go for $170.

Like said above, they break in slowly. I have worn the new ones three times, and wear them once a week. I will eventually wear them twice a week, the middle ones twice a week, and the old ones once a week and if I do weekend work. I estimate I have worn a little over half off the sole of the oldest ones, and I think these three pairs should last me the next ten years or so.

Rotate your boots, and wear good socks. I like Hanes crew socks, they have a nice extra pad on the sole.

Copper Nine Eight

You guys were super helpful! Guess im going to have to cough up the cash! Thanks guys!

budg

I just had to buy another pair of work boots. My employer gives out 150 for saftey shoes. Last year i bought the RW Worx brand. Honestly they have been good boots, but I decided to shell out the extra money for the red wing version. About 70 dollars more, but I think they are worth it. My last pair of RWs lasted 5 years until the leather wore to thru to the steel toe.

Over the years I have purchaces varying degrees of quality boots from Catapillar , Brahma, Sears Diehard, Iron Age and Wolverine. I would not go back to any of those other brands as I think RW are the by far the best.

Olds64

I wear work boots all the time unless I wear sneakers for sports. Since I wear a size 18 boot I can't just buy cheapies. Red Wings are by far the best followed by Wolverines and Carolina.

oldsmobiledave

If you are working in a dry environment Red Wings are the boot.


If you are in a wet environment the only boot is Dunlop.


24 years on oil rigs & that is what I see on the feet of every Rig hand.