Need a work boot guru

Shorttime

Shorttime

Gold Member
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Oct 16, 2011
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I work in an environment that will tear a $150.00 pair of boots apart in a year. I need to find someone who really knows details about the boots on the market now.

The trouble is, I want to find someone who I know isn't trying to sell me on a particular brand.

Anybody know where to look?
 
on sportsmans guide you can get a pair of wellco rat factory second boots for 80. 1000d ,sharkskin, vibram sole, us made seems pretty good.
 
I work around quicklime. It will give you a chemical burn in about two hours, depending on how much you get on your skin. Mixes with your sweat, then oxidizes. Feels like sunburn. When mixed at about a 1 part quicklime to 2 parts water, it will heat up to 250 F, and melt it's way through a styrofoam cup.

Even when neutralized, the dust is abrasive. Add the continuous pounding on steel and concrete for twelve hours at a shift, and some foot shtank from the inside, and the combination simply dissolves leather boots. Gore-Tex would help with the sweat, I wear socks that wick pretty good, but traditional leather lasts about eight months if not treated.

I've oiled and waxed my boots. That was washed away by one day of mixing hot dust with water for cleanup. The outsole started separating from the upper a week later, and now I walk around with small pieces of grit in my boots all day.

Direct attached soles seem to last longer than traditional stitched soles, because the dust eats the stitching. Shame, too, since the stuff gets slippery when it gets wet, and some logger soles would be nice. Likewise, some pull-on boots would be nice since they would stay waterproof longer.

So what I'm left with is a pull-on style boot with an aggressive tread pattern, a direct attached sole, Gore-Tex lining, steel toe caps, EH protection would be nice, and some sort of protective coating on the leather.

It would be great if I could get somebody to Rhino-Line a pair of boots.

I wasn't going to list all of the requirements here, but, hey. Why not?
 
Sounds like only chemical resist pull on boots would work in this case. Hazardous materials require that you go the next step. Check out the safety supply places both online and in person. Leather will not work here. Chemical resist boots do. I am surprised that your company does not help you get them as quicklime is toxic. As a past safety monitor for a large company, this could be a safety violation.
 
That's why I don't share a lot of information about my offline life. Safety violation or not, I ain't no snitch.
 
Try marine issue desert combat boots. I'm not hard on mine but my brother us a USMC fixed wing aircraft tec and they trash their work boots. His last about a year.
 
If you wish to avoid the marketing hype and want the real truth, go seek out your local cobbler. Tell him (or her) what your work environment is like. A good cobbler is a true boot guru, which is an art form, dates back to medieval times.
 
I have a pair of Carolina 309 leather boots I wear daily at work. I've had them for a year or so and they are on their first full resole. I'm pretty sure they'll see a third. I read water meters so I walk around 10 miles a day minimum. The original soles are on the soft side and grind down a it fast. Not 100 percent waterproof for me, but their not claimed to be. unless it's really pouring rain it isn't an issue. Also made in USA if that's important to you. Probably not what your after but it's all I have experience in. The 1309 model is steel toe if you need that. Basically durable and comfortable. Sorry About poor wording and grammar. Learning the iPad still
 
You have to buy your own boots for work, that's sad. My company rolls the boot truck up to the door and we pick what we want. Our one chemist works mostly with reactive metals and acids. He gets regular looking boots that are rubber coated so the acids don't eat them in short order. They are special ordered for him, I'll have to see what the brand is.
 
Hey brother, I'm a correctional officer out here in California,I walk the teers. All day ho and down. I used to go thru boots every 6 months, then I got a pair of DANNERS, THEY are very pricey but u can resole the boots every year,I've had this pair for 7years and they still feel like new,especially when u resole them. When u resole them it'll run u around 50 bucks.,but it is so worth it. These boots are Gore Tex, waterproof, and u can be ankle deep in shit or blood, literally, and your toes will be dry and comfortable . I'm on the SETTING TEAM AT WORK,SO I COME IN CONTACT WITH SOME PRETTY FUCKED UP SHIT. these boots never let me down - Danners.
 
broe said:
Sounds like only chemical resist pull on boots
Click to expand...

^This. Deal with the wear and tear, and be happy you get a full year out of them in your conditions.

Mine last about a year, and I don't have any chemicals falling on them or around my feet. I just have a large area to cover, and have to do it frequently.

I have worn out stitch down soles, molded plasticized soles, and plasticized soles with stitching. Nothing lasts long in my work environment. It doesn't matter if I pay $300 or $100 for my boots. I have worn out Danner's, RedWings Timberlands, all of them.

I have had problems with the soles on Timberlands, Doc Martins, some Danner boots. Good luck with your harsh work conditions, I wouldn't blame the boots.
 
Actually, the company buys us boots every year. They just don't seem to last that long, and the quality seems to be getting worse.

I ordered a pair of boots from Wellco, they're called the Resistor. I'll see how long they last. I might just try a pair of Danners, but the Rocky mudsox are too fragile to take the heat and dust.
 
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