These boots were made for workin'

Varinn

I am in need of new workboots at my job... Again. The yearly ritual of spending $150+ on a pair of boots has begun to grow old and I'm considering the options for something a little more reliable. I'm an industrial mechanic and while I work exclusively indoors I am constantly surrounded by water, oil, and large temperature changes when going into the blast freezers.

I have a preference of boots with an 8" rise, but the weight of them grows tiresome after a full day of going up and down stairs and it has me considering hightops and 6" boots if i trust the support offered. I've used Dakota's and CAT boots but have never been incredibly pleased with either, I will not wear gumboots or other such monstrosities.

My main interests are:
Ankle support
Steel toe
Lightweight
Slip resistance on oils
Relatively waterproof/resistant

So far I've been leaning towards a brand called RedWings, quality but it comes at a price. My large fear is that the water will destroy all, regardless of how much I spend. I hope someone can prove me wrong withsome suggestions!

Ps: my company offers a $100 per year allowance, I don't mind breaking this but only to a reasonable extent

Donovan Puppyfucker

I'm a diesel technician by trade, and yes, water does destroy all. Either get some steel toe gumboots, or live with replacing boots often. My favourite brand is called Steel Blue, I dunno if they're available over there. I've tried Rossi, CAT, Oliver, Blundstone, Red Wings, Dunlop, Bata and Steel Blue, and the Steel Blue were the most comfortable and lasted the longest. Middle of the price range, too.

webguy20

Red wings and keep them well oiled. I used to work on a commercial printing press and my boss had a pair that lasted 3+ years and he oiled them constantly, like every week. We worked around water and oil and organic solvents day in and day out, as well as concentrated inks.

Usagi

Buy the Red Wings, all of us here in the shipyard have them and they last forever.

Al_wat

See if you can find boots with gore-tex.

I have a pair of "STC" boots which use gore-tex. Lightweight, steeltoe (although it contains no metal, some kind of polymer instead).
I'm thinking the gore-tex is more durable than the regular materials they use - hopefully should last longer than 1 year.

Check into it though I'm not fully convinced the gore-tex aspect isn't just a gimmick - but I have been satisfied with mine.

webguy20

Al_wat wrote:

See if you can find boots with gore-tex.

I have a pair of "STC" boots which use gore-tex. Lightweight, steeltoe (although it contains no metal, some kind of polymer instead).
I'm thinking the gore-tex is more durable than the regular materials they use - hopefully should last longer than 1 year.

Check into it though I'm not fully convinced the gore-tex aspect isn't just a gimmick - but I have been satisfied with mine.

The gore-tex will break down from the heat of the blast furnace. I've been advised to make sure gore-tex boots stay away from campfires even, as that will break down the coating. Though you can always re-apply a water repellant coating.

Edit: Blast freezers. Not sure if extreme cold with damage the coating.

Soggybiscuit

Varinn wrote:

I am in need of new workboots at my job... Again. The yearly ritual of spending $150+ on a pair of boots has begun to grow old and I'm considering the options for something a little more reliable. I'm an industrial mechanic and while I work exclusively indoors I am constantly surrounded by water, oil, and large temperature changes when going into the blast freezers.

I have a preference of boots with an 8" rise, but the weight of them grows tiresome after a full day of going up and down stairs and it has me considering hightops and 6" boots if i trust the support offered. I've used Dakota's and CAT boots but have never been incredibly pleased with either, I will not wear gumboots or other such monstrosities.

My main interests are:
Ankle support
Steel toe
Lightweight
Slip resistance on oils
Relatively waterproof/resistant

So far I've been leaning towards a brand called RedWings, quality but it comes at a price. My large fear is that the water will destroy all, regardless of how much I spend. I hope someone can prove me wrong withsome suggestions!

Ps: my company offers a $100 per year allowance, I don't mind breaking this but only to a reasonable extent

I work in the coal mining industry, and the two names that come up often are Red Wing & Matterhorn. Both are great brands. Unfortunately, you are not going to find lightweight steel toed boots (well ones that are worth a damn, anyways). It isn't just going to happen. A mining boot will meet all of your demands, except for the weight. I am partial to metatarsal boots myself. I am required to wear them though.

Mom2Kat

I really like Shoes for Crews and they have added saftey toe boots in the last few years. http://www.shoesforcrews.com/sfc3/index.cfm?changeWebsite=CA_en&route=c_store.viewDetailsOfProduct&partnumber=8280 is one of the saftey toe boots and nice.

Zombie Nirvana

You can't really go wrong with Red Wings. They are extremely comfortable too. Last time I checked they do offer a version Made in China for about 20-30 bucks less which you should not buy. I have the Pecos and I was able to melt away some of the sole on some very hot iron, but I doubt that'll happen to you. I was drunk.

Mike Danger

I can't claim to be in an industry where workboots are a necessity, but my father is, and he swears by Red Wings.

A Dabble Of Thelonius

Red Wings were what I wore for years when I was building houses. Keep em' oiled (I like mink oil or saddle soap) and they should hold up.

Ego

I don't work often where I need steel toed boots (just the odd time I help my mother with her company) so I can't speak as to durability over time, but red wings are great for me, too.

Apparently I should be oiling mine, though .

Fats

I'll nth the Red Wings recommendations. I like Danners, too, though they're a tad more expensive than Red Wings.

Grimm

Another vote here for redwings. I'm a union carpenter building scaffold in power plants. I walk through all kinds of water, oil, chemicals, etc and my boots hold up pretty good. They are not gortex but they have something called thinsulate. I wear them all year round. Keeps me dry and warm in the winters and protects me to a point when i'm walking around on metal beams that have been known to melt your boots right to them in the summer. A couple years ago, a pump blew up and the cooling towers overflowed. The whole place was flooded. I hadn't even realized how high the water had gotten till i looked down. The water level was half way up my boots and i didn't feel a thing. They kept me completely dry.

These are the boots i wear.
http://www.redwingshoes.com/red-wing-shoe/2211-red-wing-shoes/2211-red-wing-mens-8-inch-boot-brown
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thinsulate


EDIT: I forgot to mention. If you're union, they will give you a discount. Just show them your card the first time and they will put a note in the computer. Also, if you cant make it to the store, you can just call and have them ship you something. I always get the same boots every time. All i have to do is say i need a new pair and they have all my information in the computer. In and out in minutes.

Pel

I used something like this for quite a while:

http://www.wolverine.com/US/en-US/Product.mvc.aspx/7498M/0/Mens/Wolverine-DuraShocks-Electrical-Hazard-Steel-Toe-Waterproof-8-inch-Boot?dimensions=0

For just about everything really. They really are completely waterproof to and they endured some long Ohio winters slogging through the forest, which means a nasty mix of mud and snow and water, as well as some serious exposure to everything from fuel to asphalt to oil and epoxy for years. They were finally done in in a chainsaw accident when the saw grabbed a hidden cable and followed it back to my foot: my foot was unharmed, the boots were still very wearable, but the waterproofing was seriously compromised.

Varinn

I didnt realize this thread was still going, but RedWings seems to be an excellent choice, thanks for the suggestions everyone, I'll be heading to their store tomorrow morning