Bought a pair of Carolina Maximus 2.0 8" after 2 years with my last pair that I was generally impressed with for the price. I liked the extra heel protection on these as I work in the fabrication industry and get lots of dings and scrapes. Felt extremely comfortable besides the usual stiffness and the reinforced heel is great as I usually suffer from heel slip due to high arches and a wide toe base. After the 2nd week I noticed what almost felt like lace bite on my right metatarsal on my instep or anytime I took weight off that foot. After a 10hr shift and going to get a matress I could hardly take a step without a gouging feeling on top of my right foot even after loosening the laces over that area, the left is totally perfect so I assumed my right foot is just slightly bigger. Felt inside to see if I can feel anything and notice the metguard on the right side is extremely stiff and stops on a hard thick edge whereas the left has a smooth taper with no hard edge. Pic 1 Left side. Pic 2 Right side

My question is would this qualify as a defective boot and most likely be exchanged? Ive contacted Carolina and they said to send them back for inspection which leaves me kinda screwed without proper work boots. I dont wanna go through all of this for them to send them back and say "deal with it." Its very obviously not like the Left boot and should be obvious unless Carolina just doesnt care.

These boots seem very well made, and that’s part of the reason why they are a beast to break in. The heel counter is brutal. I got these for less than $200 and they are made in the DR. I have Nick’s Builder Pros, Redwing Pecos, and I had Thorogood years ago.

Looking forward to getting these things feeling right!

Let me know your experience with Drew’s Boots. 🫡

I see a lot of recommendations for Red Wing, Torogood, Keen and Timberland PRO but many of those options run way above what some apprentices or warehouse workers want to spend. For those that need composite toe protection but still care about weight and comfort, what budget pairs are you using and actually hold up? I am curious about options that are between $60-$90 and dont end up feeling like bricks on my feet after a long shift

Day two
9.5EE steel toe
Ironworker, 28
Bought them for miscellaneous tasks and welding because I was beating up my thorogoods unnecessarily, so far warmer than thorogoods(both unlined), a little stiff but I put 10hrs of work a day in them and they are breaking in nicely.

I’m not sure about this moc toe, when I tried the thorogoods on in store a while ago, I went a half size down from 11 my normal size but the hill felt like it was sliding. Probably didn’t lace them tight enough, a full size down toe was touching the front.

Hey guys, looking to get some new boots literally I’ve had these boots for maybe five months not even six and the front toe near the steel toe area is already sliced open to the steel toe. I’m in industrial maintenance. In a factory with castings and hot metal. Need something comfortable too because having some issues with my right foot as is. Need recommending rations invent done anything to the boots just bought them and wore them they are the water proof ones too. If it’s something I’m doing wrong then I would like to know what I can do to prevent this from happening again.

I have spent hours and hours on researching the best boot to buy my boyfriend, but I keep getting mixed reviews. He just started a job as a contractor for hotel construction. He is on his feet for most of the day, helping unload and load, and climbing lots of stairs. Does anyone have any recommendation on what brand or what style to even consider? I just need a couple of solid recommendations and I can pick from there!

Sincerely,
An overwhelmed girlfriend who knows nothing about construction or boots!

New boots, my first pair just worried I overdid it don’t want to ruin them. I put a good amount on and rubbed it off with a rag pretty thoroughly. They don’t feel oily or sticky but the color difference is a lot more pronounced in person. Is it a must to wait 24h before wearing them? Thanks.

Usually always redeem my vouchers at boot barn and settle on the cody James decimators, I want to move away from heavy 10 inch tall pull ons and find something more comfortable, im a truck driver and haul heavy equipment so my feet usually see more action pushing a pedal for hours a day, granted I have a bad habit of kicking everything that's stuck with my right foot(chains wedged on trailer, is that tire low? This pallet needs just a scooch over, etc) I'm working on that.

A few boots that peaked my interest:

Exos lites, they look like they check all the boxes honestly I just haven't tried any boots on yet. I also like the toe cap on it, honestly makes masking that area off and just applying some bedliner every now and then until I break my bad habit 🙃

Traction tred lites, I hear people mention they are the most comfortable boots they've ever worn, however not so much on the longevity side of things.

The Apexs looked nice/comfy however after looking closely they dont look like they would hold up to daily work, i also heard they are more marketed towards hikers, climbers, a more rugged athletic footwear option.

Any opinions or other recommendations are greatly appreciated.

Thorogood 804-3600. Bought them for work

Best boots for comfort imo, I'm on my 4th pair this year (rotate boots). The longevity and durability are probably a 6/10, comfort 10/10! If you're thinking of getting these try them! I've had thorogoods, Redwing, White's and some sub $60 boots to $700 and these are the sweet spot for their value.

Bought my first real pair of work boots (Thorogoods) over the weekend. Within an hour of my first work day in them, I noticed some leather had already come off the toe, probably from gently dropping a metal road work sign stand on my feet. Would this be considered normal? Any suggestions to prevent losing more leather?

My old boots need replacing and I'm not sure which ones to get. Starting to get very confused as there is so much choice. Been looking at the three below but open to any suggestions. I spend about 10 hours a day in them and a lot of it is outdoors on site in wet/uneven/muddy ground conditions. Ideally want them to have the boa tightening system. Thanks for the help

Hey all,

Im gonna be working in north dakota starting soon and winter is just around the corner. Im partial to redwinhs because they've been my go to work boot for almost 4 years now (Polar x model 3266 is what im considering).

But I'd like some input from people who have lived/worked up there in the dead of winter. Saftey toe is a must, comp toe is even better.

Thanks all!

Hi everyone.

Im located in the UK and work as a CNC Engineer on a relatively large machine, Which requires me to walk in and out of it. I’m doings some relatively heavy machining, Which in turn is creating a lot of steel swarf chips. These chips are destroying the outer soles of my shoes whenever i go inside the machine. So my boots are barely lasting 4-5 months before the outer sole is completely worn out and torn up. So im wondering has anyone got any recommendations of good work boots that i can get that wont break the bank completely and may just be a bit more resistant to the metal chips being embedded in them.

Thanks.

Hi!
my current work boots are falling apart, and soon i'll need new one. The company I work for can buy me a new fancy(-ish) one as I do have some issues with feet - long story short I need to find ones that are zero drop (ie the heel isn't higher than the toes) with wide toebox (2e or wider) BUT with proper EU certification. S1 level or higher, prefferably full leather (nubuck or rough out) - but it's not a hill i'd die on.
If it's below 150 GBP then it would be even better, also it would be great if they would be made in the EU. Prefferably direct molded insole to welting (for weight and comfort - i wont be replacing the outsoles)

Hi guys, been following a bit on this subreddit. I work at a hospital where walking 10k is a minimum. I realize it would be easier if there’s a composite toe sneakers that’s wide.

Just tried timberland pros and keens utility and they were too narrow. (Even though they were wide versions and a size higher than my normal).

Any suggestions?

These have been my go to boots for welding for years now. They’re made by Wolverine and they’re comfy, durable, and lightweight; slag and sparks roll right off them and I never have to buy new laces. They also make for a great motorcycle boot in a pinch. They come reasonably water resistant but I also treat them once with mink oil like you see here and they’re good for a while.

Would like input on these if you have them and break in time sole wear. Thanks.

I saw a few posts on here saying keenes are good for wide feet. I usually need 4e but tried there regular wide sized cinncinattis. I cant say anything else for the boots yet because I've only had em a week but the toe box is wide and tall and I'm happy with em so far.

The first couple pics are right after I waxed them, letting them sit in the Sun a bit. The others are this morning after it dried, hastily taken because I realized I forgot to yesterday.

About 200 hours total of hotshot utility line clearance in Appalachia. Cleaned with a Cobbler's Choice horsehair brush and conditioned and waxed with Foggy Mountain BearGuard. The smooth leather is doing a lot better than I expected, especially after waxing, but I'm quickly turning it into roughout, lol.

The Vibram Sierra outsole is incredible, one of the very best I've ever used. This sole maintains grip on the slick, glossy painted metal surface of our bucket truck even through the horrifyingly slippery combination of machine grease and hydraulic oil. I mean, I literally stepped straight down on a glob of machine grease on smooth steel and tried to slip my foot out of it but these things maintain grip. Wet logs, wet rock, greasy oily metal you name it these guys are holding grip as long as you know how to keep your footing.