Reddit mentions: The best safety footwear

I used to work in a work boot store, so let me give you some tips on boot care.

• I would highly recommend changing out whatever laces your boots come with to leather laces. Leather laces last longer and can be cut to length.
  
  
• If you kneel a lot and the toes of your boots are rubbing on the ground, I'd get Boot Saver Toe Guards. They'll extend the life of your boots a bit further.
  
  
• At the end of the day, wipe whatever is on your boots off. It doesn't have to sparkle, just get the majority of the gunk off.
  
  
• Anywhere from once a week to once every two weeks, wax or oil your boots. I recommend Obenauf's, but any leather wax/oil will do. Huberd's Shoe Grease is a good alternative if you're looking for something cheaper.
  
  
• Alternate between two pairs of boots. Two $100 pairs of boots will (usually) last longer than one $200 pair of boots.
  
  If there was one boot that fit all of your criteria, that company would be the only boot maker in the world. If you're looking for a boot that will work year round, I'd get something with GoreTex for waterproofing and then wear thick wool socks in the winter. Also, get something with a Vibram sole. Those tend to last the longest in my experience. My recommendations are as follows:
  
  
• Danner Vicious 4.5" Plain Toe is a good general purpose boot. It does have a GoreTex liner, a Vibram sole, and tends to be pretty comfortable. If you have wide feet, this does tend to run wider through the ball of the foot. Cons, it has a glued on sole(usually doesn't last as long as stitch-down soles) and a composite shank(doesn't offer as much support as a steel shank). I personally prefer shorter boots, but if you'd like more ankle support, it does come in an 8" version.
  
  
• Georgia's 8" Loggers are styled more like traditional boots. They're great for arch and ankle support if that's more your speed. It does have a non-GoreTex waterproof liner, but Georgia usually does pretty well in that department. Cons, its pretty heavy. Not terribly heavy, but worth mentioning.
  
  Of course, every foot is different, so definitely find a local boot store and try a few options on.

>over $600 to start

If you want a cheaper version of the above, without having to buy all the Slacktivity equipment (I live in the USA, so importing all that comes out as quite pricey), you can do the following:

• Buy 2 cheap stainless shackles and approximately 20-30 feet of 1 inch tubular webbing (any type will do). Tie a frost knot (or an overhand on a bite with extra slack will do, as there is essentially 0 force on this ever) in one end of the webbing, and make your own soft release.
  
• 3 - 5 of these 1 inch pulleys off of amazon. Use a grinder/hacksaw/drill to grind off the metal nub on the end, and go to the hardware store to buy some locking nuts, washers, and a 1.75" bolt.
  
• Some skate bearings off of amazon (4 bearings per homemade webbing pulley). These go over the bolts, with washers in between, of the pulleys that you took apart to make a homemade set of these. Buy some cheap pear carabiners to go with them. You have now made your own highslides/cheap hangovers for 1/3 - 1/2 the price depending on how many you wanted.
  
• Find a 3d printing service near you and 3D print your own linegrips. Buy some very thin rubber (most people recommend the 1 mm vibram sheets, but I used this cheaper one and it works fine) and super glue, thread it with ~6mm cordelette and you have your own linegrip. Do this as many times as you want.
  
• Tie some cordelette into bunny-ears knots with differing lengths on each one, and clip your homemade webbing pulleys to each loop. The loop lengths should be long enough that your webbing pulleys don't hit each other. Clip one of the sets of webbing pulleys to your home-printed linegrip, and the other set to anywhere on your anchor. These are your homemade soft RPs.
  
• You need 1 weblock. For price, instead of buying 2 stainless shackles, just get 1 and buy the cat-on-slack soft release to hook in directly to your soft release. Or get the normal weblock they sell and hook it onto your stainless shackle. For weight, get a weblock that does not have sharp edges at the connection point and use a soft shackle (discussed below) to connect it to your soft release (like the alpine weblock or use a purelock to go straight into your soft release, both of which are pricey).
  
• Don't buy pre-constructed soft shackles, as they gouge you for the price. Buy your own 1/4" amsteel and make your own soft shackles (1 or 2 is fine for long-lining, make 4 or 5 for highlining as you will swap these out for the steel ones on your soft release).
  
• For anchors themselves, buy static rope. There are plenty of options out there, and what thickness/weight/breaking strength you want depends on your personal priorities in anchor construction, so I won't make a specific recommendation to you. Canyoneering static rope tends to be better in terms of weight/breaking strength, but is pricier. Depends on what you want.
  
  This allows you to use the above posted method, even up to a 27:1 mechanical advantage (if you 3d printed 3 linegrips, with 5 pulleys so you could put 2 extra 3:1 multipliers on a 3:1 system) without losing efficiency. Rigging 100m in the park is impossible just using normal carabiners; you really need the webbing pulleys/hangovers. Best of all, you've accomplished this at a fraction of the price of buying pre-made gear, and none of your janky homemade pulleys or linegrips are life-dependent pieces of gear if you went highlining.

Buy well-constructed boots that can be resoled easily. Welted boots are probably your friend.

Have two pairs of boots and cycle them. The soles will still eventually need replacing, and the uppers will still probably eventually wear out eventually, but a great pair of work boots should last far more than a year of wear with regular maintenance.

Bringing me to maintenance: If you're working construction you probably need to give them a good clean every couple of months, then reapply your wax/oil/preservative of choice.

For concrete work, use overboots like this or this.Something like this might help with the extreme toe wear you're experiencing (...seriously, how did you do that?). Those things will wear out, too, but in the spirit of BIFL the rubber is a lot more sustainable to replace than leather, both on your wallet and on the environment.

I wear safety shoes, good quality ones so I don't have heel or ankle pain. Also, I like high ankle ones because they stop the ankle from going sideways should you step on uneven ground.

Personally, I've found Allen Copper shoes to be the best between comfort and safety at an adequate price. https://www.amazon.in/Allen-Cooper-AC-1110-7-GRY-Safety-Size-7/dp/B013V4DA2Q/

However, I know some people might find it too heavy and cumbersome as a daily commuter, so I would also suggest DC shoes: https://www.amazon.in/gp/product/B0185FHCOI/ I have this shoe and it has served me well without blisters or shit. When looking to buy sneakers, buy one with Cup sole, not vulcanized sole. Of the sneakers I've worn, DC and Nike have given me the best pleasure. Better spend a little more than buying cheap sparkx/khadims shit that lasts barely a year and only gives you a pain in the foot.

They already make Tyvek shoe wraps for painters, thats a good point, I was thinking whole body protection.


Ive been trying to spread the tyvek suit idea around, but I could easily buy boxes of the shoe wraps in bulk to just hand out, or even just give to local shelters.


Thanks for pointing out that, I was very focused on the rain protection.


But on my mourning walks, (been walking at 5 am) the first thing I noticed was how soaked my non-water resistant shoe gets. Its annoying.

Already experiencing blistering and peeling just from walking in the mourning. So much so that I started to just go sockless for part of the walk once they get wet.


I was thinking of using sandals just to see... Its kinda silly but Im just trying to figure out solutions on my own, I really need to start talking to people that actually lived the Experience.



Heres a Link for a box of 200 on amazon with grip protection, feel free to point this out to anyone that could be interested.

http://www.amazon.com/DuPont-Tyvek-FC450S-Skid-Resistant-Disposable/dp/B0085OAB7A/ref=pd_sbs_indust_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=0HMXHY106VBSMPPETJBC

I personally think the packaging is perfect. Its a skateboard... Not a trophy. I also don't believe that any of the grip tape is worn off. Pics or it didn't happen. My board has shipped across the country three times in the same box, same way it was originally packaged. I can't believe you'd complain on the internet over something that you just admitted isn't really a big deal.

Make sure to wear booties over your shoes before you step on it. Here is amazons value pack. Good luck!
http://www.amazon.com/Enviroguard-Heavy-Cover-Disposable-Universal/dp/B009AGLMFC/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1450928853&sr=8-5&keywords=protective+shoe+covers

Yes, they'll show up. It'll need sanded back out and redone, especially since you used a cleaner on it. After the stain is applied, great care has to be taken to not walk on the floor in anything but CLEAN socks. If shoes have to be worn, shoe covers should be used. This is a pretty expensive learning experience.

What kind of stain did you use and what kind of finish are you planning on using, out of curiosity? Floors are too much work to use hardware store Minwax on.

Latex gloves, facemask that protects against viruses - I believe 3M makes a mask that is N95 (n95 is good but N100 is even better or you can buy a regular gas mask and then just make sure to get NBC filters), hazmat suit, BLEACH, contractor bags for waste, plastic sheeting/tarp if you need to seal your windows/doors, duct tape!!

Edited - even better than latex gloves are these

2nd Edit - don't forget to cover your shoes! You could use contractor bags with duct tape if you don't have shoe covers.

Love these! Definitely giving me those sanitary shoe cover vibes

I think insoles are your best bet.

When I run, I use 'motion control' shoes and insoles to prevent the exact same thing you are describing. When I skate, I use insoles too and it helps alot.

/u/cyanicenine is correct, custom insoles are best.
However, if you do not have custom insole specialists available, you might want to try these:

http://www.amazon.com/Spenco-Polysorb-Total-Support-Womens/dp/B000Q8NDEQ/ref=sr_1_21?ie=UTF8&qid=undefined&sr=8-21&keywords=insoles

These are what I use in my skates, and they work pretty well for me. Everyone has a different foot, so your milage may vary.

I had a arch injury a few years ago as well, and while that healed I also taped up my arch. I tried KT tape, but I could never get it work correctly. What I eventually did was use regular sports tape and this technique:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDyk7suigUw

If there’s no way of getting out of the client now, these may very well be your new best friend.

I think they would look silly, but they would not feel any different probably. Here is a potential solution: http://www.amazon.com/Disposable-Polypropylene-Covers-100-Pack-DSC100/dp/B000ICKO88/

I hope you work it out.

Had this problem: length is perfect, but my heel was a little too narrow for the shape of the boot.

Get heel grips like these: https://www.amazon.ca/ASIV-Adhesive-Cushions-Protector-Blisters/dp/B01M9FCVCE/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1542126695&sr=8-3&keywords=heel+grips

You can have them sown, or glue them with shoe goo, which is more reliable than the stock adhesive. You can even stack two on top of another if one isn't quite enough.

I don't wear steel toes and I've had good luck with Muck Edgewater for low-cut (http://www.amazon.com/The-Original-MuckBoots-Adult-Edgewater/dp/B008FJR3T4) and the Muck Masters for hi-cut (http://www.amazon.com/Original-MuckBoots-Muckmaster-Hi-Cut-Boot/dp/B000WH2QAS). I had BOGS for about a year until the tread wore out way too quickly and then proceeded to crack down the back of my heel (which of course I discovered when stepping into a very muddy field). I wear them with thick wool socks year round.

> a pair of slippers for her exclusive use

I was going to recommend those blue slip-cover, but then I saw these (link).

NTA. Let us know how she likes them.

One-time use ? This place doesn't provide those slip-on safety toe covers for temporary use ?

Would they allow these ? https://smile.amazon.com/Osborne-OG-3601-Osborn-Pro-Tek-Plastic/dp/B00CB3M3SG/ref=sr_1_12?keywords=steel+toe+covers&qid=1574297920&sr=8-12

I have the same issue and I turned to insoles; it's been a game changer.. I really like these insoles off amazon:

1

2

3

Treat yourself and buy one of the Xiaomi sets, which you can get cheaper elsewhere. It's a quality set in a really nice storage case that will cover all your needs including philips, flat-head and torx bits. Future proof and will last a lifetime, rather than the plastic container that will crack and you lose your screwdrivers.

I use Spenco insoles in all my boots with replaceable insoles. FWIW, my boyfriend really likes the green and yellow heavy duty comfort insoles in his Blundstones, but I prefer the total support ones.

You should definitely test insoles yourself. I tried Superfeet at the local running store, and ended up with Spenco instead. They're similar to superfeet but have a little more padding which works better for me (for the record, I broke my foot eight months ago and I'm still recovering, so the padding is better.) You can also get the Spenco's on amazon for about have the price of superfeet (these are the ones I have) even though they were approximately the same price in store.

If you're committing crimes every night, it sounds like you'd be making money from it.
EDIT: also this.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00LO5VYXC/

Seems like this does the same job without needing electricity

Some guys at work have muck masters, a proper heel, neoprene so you've got some comfort

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B000WGD3XI/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1466424068&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=muckmasters&dpPl=1&dpID=41biyRdvapL&ref=plSrch&th=1&psc=1

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B000WGD3XI

This sort of thing should be just fine waterproof-wise higher up. It's neoprene with a rubber shell. Neoprene is softer than rubber so more comfortable.

Exactly. This is more of a post to look at and go, "oh cool." Rather than to purchase for your home.

I saw a way cheaper version on Amazon linked in the other thread:

https://www.amazon.com/Automatic-Dispenser-MS2-305-Emperor-Gadgets/dp/B00LO5VYXC

It's $70 and essentially just used rubber bands instead of shrink wrap. It isn't powered either.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000Q8NDEQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FT2I8F8/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000WOW3W2/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1

You could just get these

After that initial message, where he tosses in the "you wore your boots, no big deal", at that exact point I knew they were going to try and fuck you over. I would have declined working with them based on that alone stating that you've unable to schedule them based on a down payment from another client. Good on you for staying professional.

FYI: Toss something like these in your truck and you won't have to worry about that shit and its $9:
https://smile.amazon.com/Disposable-Polypropylene-Covers-100-Pack-DSC100/dp/B000ICKO88