Question:
I bought some $40 Payless Steel -Toe's , and the inside liner fell
apart and now I get holes and rust stains on my socks from rubbing
against the exposed steel (iron? hehe). Anyone know of a really good
pair of steel toe boots that are comfortable too?
Answer:
I do that very thing. Because of long-ago toe surgery and other foot problems,
I need a shoe with lots of flexibility and stretch. Expensive shoes make my
toes hurt. I buy moccasin-style loafers from K-mart or Payless for $10-$12 a
pair. Beige for summer and black for winter. The leather is soft and conforms
quickly to my misshapen toes. Some years I have trouble finding them, so when
I do come across them in my size, I buy 5 or 6 pairs at once. I wear them daily
for work, so they tend to wear out after about 4 months. Some people wear
disposable contact lenses; I wear disposable shoes
I used to go thru cheap workboots in about 4
months; my third pear of Everwears were the first on which I collected
on their one year warranty. They cost a lot more than Payless, but this
is one of those areas where capital-intensive makes sense.
BTW, in a welding shop, or other hot-metal application, the _really_
cheap workboots with synthetic uppers aren't merely a bad bargain, they
are hazardous. I knew someone who dropped a spark which would have
barely scarred leather on one and wound up with a 3rd degree burn.
I switched from workboots to sneakers when I got promoted from the shop
to the office. Then one day I had to help load a truck because 2 of the
guys were off due to injuries. A year later, when I could start wearing
boots again (the broken toe healed, but when I grew a new toenail it was
ingrown) I went back to boots and stayed with them ever since.
I wear steel-toe Timberland work boots and find them very comfortable and
sturdy. In fact, I've worn them every day for over a year and am just
now starting to get visible wear.
Found 'em on the clearance rack at Famous Footwear, marked down to $65
from $130, but that was just luck -- women's size 10 workboots aren't a
common species at that store, and I didn't even realize Timberland made
workboots, so they weren't even what I was looking for...
