it’s time to upgrade form £25 a pair service station boots.

I need something in a trainer/lightweight boot stylee.

preferably will have a steel/kevlar mid sole and not be too heavy. needs to be comfortable enough to walk around all day but tough enough to survive loading and unloading trucks and kicking stuff. Also needs to be flexible enough to climb ladders and walk around on trussing up in the air safely.

any recomendations?

Mike

I’ve got a really nice pair of Makita boots that sound like they would fulfil all of your criteria. They are leather uppers but really light and comfy. I used them when I was working on a Chemical Works (as they are anti static) and walked miles in them day to day and never had any problems.

They are the Brown Explorer boots on this page:

http://www.uksafetyfootwear.com/acatalog/Makita_Safety_Footwear.html

ooooh antistatic sounds good. the last thign you need at the top of a set of ladders is a jump

bit too brown for me. my work mates would pint and laugh 🙁

My DeWalt Logic are comfy and look a bit trekking shoe but are a bit heavy.

You can get the same boots as mine in Timberland style beige nubuck if that will prevent you from being ripped by your mates.

i take it they will be twice the price. in fact beige is probably even worse 🙂

Got some Erbauer boots from Screwfix for 24.99. Lightweight black and grey with steel toecap. Comfy as you like. Well happy with them.

DMs

end of.

I got these from ARCO, though the price has gone up 20% since then. Light weight, comfy and don’t chew your socks like the Timberland ones did.

I have some awesome boots, Dewalt Extreme.

They have a kevlar toecap and midsole so lightweight, and goretex lined upper so waterproof.

They retail for around £100 but they can be got for around £60 on Ebay.

I got mine from Makro for £45!

Really nice soft leather too.

[img]https://www.londontools.co.uk/images/P/dewextrebr9.jpg[/img]

I’ve got 2 pairs – A pair of Dewalt black leather standard boot style thingies that are like wearing diving boots and cripplingly hard work to wear for any lenght of time.

The second ones are made by Karrimor of all people. I think they came from Screwfix. They’re walking trainery style, and feel just like normal shoes. Reccomended. These in fact.

I actually find SPDs are pretty good for truss running – less bulky than the steelies. You just have to be a little bit careful not to twist your foot too hard in one place if the numpties have run all the cable along the bottom chord.

I’m another Karrimor boot user, lightweight comfortable and cheap, £17.99 from SportsDirect IIRC.

Even though I work in IT, I spend a lot of time on my feet & have to wear safety footware.
Obviously, everyone’s feet are different, But I wholeheartedly agree with a couple of the comments above….
1. Doc Martens rule.
2. The Dewalts although initially comfortable can be “cripplingly hard work to wear for any lenght of time”.

In the last few years, I’ve tried lots & invariably end up coming back to D.M’s as I find them far more comfortable for wearing & walking around for long periods.

I’ve also noticed that the majority of the maintenance bods at ours have also joined the D.M camp.

Chris

Oh, whilst we’re on the subject. I’ve found that thick boot type socks are a good idea as your feet don’t seem to sweat as much as wearing normal / formal socks ( odd as it may sound)
Size your boots accordingly to accomodate.

Chris

dr martins

The best safety footware I’ve used is ‘Terra’, recommended to me by a very experienced guy who’s been all over the world and gone through plenty of boots.

The ones I had are these boots. They are heavy, but I have worn them 10 hrs a day for nearly 2 years (two pairs, not the same ones) and have no complaints.

I also use them as walking/hiking books as they are so comfy. Not cheap though.

I’ve got some Caterpillar safety trainers. I don’t think the style I have is available anymore as I picked them up in TK MAXX a while back so were prob end of line. However they are light, my ones are very breathable and from day one they’ve been wear-all-day comfortable. After 6 months as the shoes I wear most often they are wearing well too.

When I’m working on boat installations, I wear a pair of Sterling Steel boots. Steel midsole, steel toe cap, chemical, heat and oil proof. Possibly a bit over the top for your requirements, but they’re cheap and very tough.

-j

I’ve got a pair of Indian Chief shoes/trainers which I wear all day. I must have worn them every day for 4 years at work and they are only just showing signs of wear. I bought them after one of my colleagues had 2 stage weights slide off a flight case and onto his toe during a load out. His big toe has no bone as such now, it just disintegrated. He was told at the time if fragments of bone started to come through the skin then he might have the toe amputated. The doctors were worried that it could lead to repeat infections and gangrene. It’s surprising how few technicians wear them and exhibit stand builders are even worse, flip flops being a popular choice with quite a few that I work with.

HiTec Magnum’s – an ex-gf of mine (a copper) swore by them.

flip flops being a popular choice

ah yes, spanish toe ‘tectors

i’m always in awe of the stupidity of people loading/tipping trucks without steels, you wouldn’t get me anywhere near a tail lift without them on, and the back of a 40 footer with humpers hurling trunks around is no place to be without them or possibly a full suit of armour. having seen that a broken wine stem through the sole of a trainer does to ones foot i’m inclined to wear them all the time!

JonE – those karrimors look the ticket, although a bit special (perfect for you then)

i’m going to find a shop that sells a few different pairs and try them on. i’ve always found karrimor shoes very comfortable.

that’s three stw users that work in AV then.

Jon, spds and socapex just sounds like an opportunity not to be missed.

wore DMs for a long time, but switched to Magnums a few years ago. Excellent boots.

My current boots – Stealth force 8 with compsite toe and midsole protection.

Magnum