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have any of you guys/gals had any issues with tennis shoe/athletic shoe with 'STEEL TOES' i am leaning towards them real soon to buy.i have had no lasting luck with any previous traditional work shoe, most recently my red wing 'worx'.... 1 year and they are coming apart at the seams and everywhere else i usually go through a pair in less than 2 years.but this time i want to try the ankle high gym shoe style steel toe....... my concern is that when you're crouched down on you toes if the back of the steel plate is going to dig in to my foot. if the shoe material is strong enough to not let that happen.thanks :biggrin:

LandN said:

have any of you guys/gals had any issues with tennis shoe/athletic shoe with 'STEEL TOES' i am leaning towards them real soon to buy.i have had no lasting luck with any previous traditional work shoe, most recently my red wing 'worx'.... 1 year and they are coming apart at the seams and everywhere else i usually go through a pair in less than 2 years.but this time i want to try the ankle high gym shoe style steel toe....... my concern is that when you're crouched down on you toes if the back of the steel plate is going to dig in to my foot. if the shoe material is strong enough to not let that happen.thanks :biggrin:

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I have no direct experience with this shoe but I do with steel toes in general.
I think your assesment is qualified and your right on the money. If your not happy with steel toe boots your going to be even less happy with the athletic shoe. Although they cost less, the service life will no doubt be shorter. I suspect that the steel edge will be even more likly to contact the foot.
I could barely get steel toes to last a year even at 100$ or more a pair. I found that if I kept 2 or more pairs properly maintained then I would get a longer service life out of each one. If one pair got wet or exposed to concrete or mud I would clean and oil allowing them 2 sit for a few days. Yes, the up front investment is significant but it pays off in the long run.
I would also like to add that the quality of the boots has declined greatly over the last 10-15 years. The last pair I purchased simply self destructed. Do not buy Georgia Boots they are junk. I have a pair of boots that are made by a company in Wisconsin called "Chippewa". These are made well but not as comfortable as I would like. I'm considering trying another pair of those. They are supposed to be made here in the USA. I'm sure that they probably import some of their footware to be competitive.
You can save money buy purchasing on line from places like Amazon and Sportsmans guide. Protect the leather with some kind of oil or wax is key to max wear. Red wing would keep a bucket off oil by the door and customers could come in and oil thier boots for free anytime. I think it was some kind of neatsfoot oil or a mixture of oils. The right oil is key.
Wouldn't it be convienent if we could go barefoot:banana:

My brother accidentally dropped a battery on his steel toe boot they had to cut it off his foot.. that is after it cut off a couple of his toes.. That stuff crushes alot easier than you would think..

I have a pair of Briema boots w/steel toes which are 2yrs old. I just bought a pair of hiking boots that look like a tennishoe on steriods.while the toe is'nt steel it's reniforced.I haven't wore them yet so the verdict is'nt in yet,Best pair of boots I ever wore was a pair of Jungle boots I bought home from Nam.They had a steel plate on the bottom and you could walk on anything w/o worry.I must of wore those things for 10yrs before they gave up the ghost...russ

I never wear steel toe'd anything and i never will,and i still have all my toes(one is a little crooked after the first time i forgot to pay attention, but everyone is allowed one mistake).:tongue:

You're not supposed to drop something on your foot,if you do/did, you are/wasn't paying attention but get/got it in a hurry didn't you,cause it friggin HURTS,...don't it :wink:

Just in case you think i have an office job,....I don't and never will :thumbdown:
I been in construction,welding,HD mechanicing ,farming and a host of other "dangerous" jobs.So plenty opportunity to get something on the feet or toes.

Come to think of it,.... How come one can get steel toed boots/shoes but no..... "steel fingered gloves".... :laughing:

Bison said:

I never wear steel toe'd anything and i never will,and i still have all my toes(one is a little crooked after the first time i forgot to pay attention, but everyone is allowed one mistake).:tongue:

You're not supposed to drop something on your foot,if you do/did, you are/wasn't paying attention but get/got it in a hurry didn't you,cause it friggin HURTS,...don't it :wink:

Just in case you think i have an office job,....I don't and never will :thumbdown:
I been in construction,welding,HD mechanicing ,farming and a host of other "dangerous" jobs.So plenty opportunity to get something on the feet or toes.

Come to think of it,.... How come one can get steel toed boots/shoes but no..... "steel fingered gloves".... :laughing:

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Thats a good question....:laughing:... Just dont know how you would bend your fingers...:laughing:..

Bison said:

I never wear steel toe'd anything and i never will,and i still have all my toes(one is a little crooked after the first time i forgot to pay attention, but everyone is allowed one mistake).:tongue:

You're not supposed to drop something on your foot,if you do/did, you are/wasn't paying attention but get/got it in a hurry didn't you,cause it friggin HURTS,...don't it :wink:

Just in case you think i have an office job,....I don't and never will :thumbdown:
I been in construction,welding,HD mechanicing ,farming and a host of other "dangerous" jobs.So plenty opportunity to get something on the feet or toes.

Come to think of it,.... How come one can get steel toed boots/shoes but no..... "steel fingered gloves".... :laughing:

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Statistics show that steel toe boots save a lot more toes than they crush. Most employers that have workmans comp are required to have thier employees wear steel toe boots along with all the other safety equipment. The logic being that if what accidently dropped is heavy enough to crush the steel toe, your feet and in deep sh t anyway..... I know that they have saved me from pain and injury on many occasions. The biggest issue I found was that they conduct the cold right on your foot so in cold weather your feet get cold and stay that way.
I was a pipe fitter for over 20 years.

Mower manic said:

Statistics show that steel toe boots save a lot more toes than they crush. Most employers that have workmans comp are required to have thier employees wear steel toe boots along with all the other safety equipment. The logic being that if what accidently dropped is heavy enough to crush the steel toe, your feet and in deep sh t anyway..... I know that they have saved me from pain and injury on many occasions. The biggest issue I found was that they conduct the cold right on your foot so in cold weather your feet get cold and stay that way.
I was a pipe fitter for over 20 years.

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Agree with you they save more toes than they crush. I wore steel toe boots all the time when I was working and handling heavy items, drove a fork lift, it was mandatory anybody driving the lifts or working around truck lift gates wear safety shoes. One time back in '88 I was delivering furniture to a Kalamazoo location, had warned the staff helping offload to stay well clear of the truck power liftgate, well somebody got careless and got their toe crushed under the gate as it went down and from then on it was mandatory EVERYBODY handling ANYTHING wear steel toe shoes EVERYPLACE, and most of the guys hated wearing them.

About 5 years ago I purchased a pair of Brahma brand athletic shoe style steel toe shoes at Wally World, they are more comfortable than you would expect from a $28 shoe, but I don't wear them very often. One of the issues with wearing low cut steel toe shoes is that they don't give much ankle support.

Bison said:

...
Come to think of it,.... How come one can get steel toed boots/shoes but no..... "steel fingered gloves".... :laughing:

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Actually, that does exist. Stainless steel chain-mail gloves are used by some chefs. They wear one on their left hand if they are right handed. A good chef's knife is kept razor sharp. You barely have to touch yourself with the blade to make a cut.

Nobody has mentioned Doc Marten's brand steel toe shoes and boots. They come from Britain but may not be made there any more. They are a bit pricey but last a long time and are very comfortable.

If you're old enough to remember the mid-1980s, Doc Martens were highly fashionable (for men and women ) back then.

Two-Stroke said:

Actually, that does exist. Stainless steel chain-mail gloves are used by some chefs. They wear one on their left hand if they are right handed. A good chef's knife is kept razor sharp. You barely have to touch yourself with the blade to make a cut.

Nobody has mentioned Doc Marten's brand steel toe shoes and boots. They come from Britain but may not be made there any more. They are a bit pricey but last a long time and are very comfortable.

If you're old enough to remember the mid-1980s, Doc Martens were highly fashionable (for men and women ) back then.

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I never heard of Doc Martens and i was allready ancient in the eighties:confused2::laughing:

Well i finally got my low rise athletic style work shoe but with aluminum toe instead of steel to save weight. I went with the red wing brand and am real happy with the comfort and support.they even have a computerized foot sizing system where you put your foot inside this contraption and it sizes up your feet to the perfect size.what was disappointing was the sales clerk had very little shoe product knowledge,and red wing is a shoe only store:confused2: i hope these last more than a year.

Good luck with that
Please keep us informed as to how they hold up.
I'm sure you paid a good sum for them seeing as how they are Redwing.

my last set of red wing(worx division) only got me a year of use. this pair of red wing is true red wing. 120.00 and company pays 75.00,so it works out nice that way.

That should not happen.:thumbdown:
The purpose of steel toes is to keep your toes from being crushed or cut off. If a battery did that, I believe he should be compensated by the shoe manufacturer.

wjjones said:

My brother accidentally dropped a battery on his steel toe boot they had to cut it off his foot.. that is after it cut off a couple of his toes.. That stuff crushes alot easier than you would think..

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Mower manic said:

Good luck with that
Please keep us informed as to how they hold up.
I'm sure you paid a good sum for them seeing as how they are Redwing.

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WHO CARES ABOUT YOUR OPINION????

JDgreen said:

WHO CARES ABOUT YOUR OPINION????

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Oh boy!!:laughing:

BKBrown said:

That should not happen.:thumbdown:
The purpose of steel toes is to keep your toes from being crushed or cut off. If a battery did that, I believe he should be compensated by the shoe manufacturer.

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That's the problem these day's,..Always blame some one else eh
Who was the dummi that dropped the friggin batt on his foot?
Why blame the shoemaker :confused2:
May as well blame the batt factory for failing to put a sticker on the batt "don't drop this batt on your feet, it may result in a crushed foot "

Bison said:

That's the problem these day's,..Always blame some one else eh
Who was the dummi that dropped the friggin batt on his foot?
Why blame the shoemaker :confused2:
May as well blame the batt factory for failing to put a sticker on the batt "don't drop this batt on your feet, it may result in a crushed foot "

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You're kidding about suing the battery company but things have gotten almost that bad. The way it works in the USA is for the lawyers to look for some entity with a lot of money and then concoct a legal strategy to draw that company into the suit.

It's not quite so bad in Canada -- at least you have "loser pays" which discourages some frivolous lawsuits.

JDgreen said:

WHO CARES ABOUT YOUR OPINION????

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Is that a rhetorical question?

I agree, that is a big problem these days, but a battery is not that heavy and a good steel toe should have protected those toes. Yes, people need to be careful and this guy dropped the battery, but he also purchased the shoes/boots with the expectation of some protection. It sounds like he would have been better off with regular shoes or boots - broken toes maybe, but the steel toe is probably what cut the toes off.
I don't believe in blaming the manufacturer for your own stupidity, but accidents do happen and that is why steel toes should actually provide some protection instead of making the problem worse.

Bison said:

That's the problem these day's,..Always blame some one else eh
Who was the dummi that dropped the friggin batt on his foot?
Why blame the shoemaker :confused2:
May as well blame the batt factory for failing to put a sticker on the batt "don't drop this batt on your feet, it may result in a crushed foot "

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BKBrown said:

I agree, that is a big problem these days, but a battery is not that heavy and a good steel toe should have protected those toes. Yes, people need to be careful and this guy dropped the battery, but he also purchased the shoes/boots with the expectation of some protection. It sounds like he would have been better off with regular shoes or boots - broken toes maybe, but the steel toe is probably what cut the toes off.
I don't believe in blaming the manufacturer for your own stupidity, but accidents do happen and that is why steel toes should actually provide some protection instead of making the problem worse.

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Nothing is guaranteed to prevent injury. We have NO IDEA what size battery was involved in the incident. If it was something like an 8D, (120+lbs.) there isn't much out there that can help.

The ANSI rating of 75 is separated into two distinct safety measurements. The rating of I/75 means the steel toe is tested to withstand an impact rating of 75 lb. If the steel toe withstands the force of a 75-pound weight dropped from 3 feet in height, it will achieve this classification. The rating of C/75 means the steel toe is tested to withstand a compression rating of 75, which is equal to 2,500 lb. of pressure.

Read more: Define ANSI 75 Steel Toe | eHow.comDefine ANSI 75 Steel Toe | eHow.com

The same article states that the steel toes should re-direct the force and not amputate the toes.
It is possible that in some strange cases the corner or point of a heavy object might cause that - it should not be expected if the toes meet ANSI standards.

I'm sure each case is different and it is possible that in this case the boot was not at fault or defective, but it should be investigated.

I am far from the first to blame someone or something else - it is usually careless or stupid mistakes, but safety equipment should help protect not cause further damage.

You shouldn't have a hard time finding a pair that is comfortable and won't dig into your foot. I wore steel toed for a long time.. I'm trying to remember the brand but I'm drawing blanks.

My brother in-law was wearing steel toed shoes and got his foot ran over by a work truck. Can you guess what happened? Yep, steel when slicing into his foot and he had to have a major operation. It wasn't pretty.

So while steel toed boots protect you, be careful! :smile:

The Glove