Professional-Grade Construction Boots?

[Quirk]

A colleague's son needs boots for his upcoming summer construction job -- anyone know where to get professional-grade safety boots in the NYC area? Are most Timberlands professional-grade, or are they just fashion workboots?

 

[Conrad]

When buying boots for work you're looking for two things, an ANSI approved steel toe and a chemical resistant sole. Also avoid boots with alot of nylon, stick to leather uppers.

Deal with that is leather doesn't burn if he's going to be around welders or torch work. You get a chunk of slag on a pair of nylon boots and they melt all over your skin and melt your skin with it. Not pretty.

If you stick to that you can't really go wrong. When I need a new pair I drop between $120 and $150 and have an affinity for Wolverine boots, their soles just seem to hold up and not go slick as compared to other brands I've owned.

 

[hi-val]

I have heard bad things about Timbs and good things about Red Wing.

 

[Quirk]

Thanks a lot for the feedback so far. Are Red Wings generally a pretty common and easy to find brand?

 

[whacked]

^ IIRC there are Red Wing dealers in most states. Find the nearest store here.

Great customer service, as they'll repair in-store purchase anytime, free of charge. When you're there, check out the belts too; supposedly they are great values.

 

[onion]

I've been using some Wal-Mart boots for about 6 years now. While I no longer work in the field, I was using them daily when I was for about 2 or 3 years. They cost around $30. Chemical resistant sole and steel toed.

Unless he's planning on staying in the construction field there is no point to buying Red Wings for a summer job, imho.

 

[bomber]

About half my family are in construction/welding/etc. They almost all swear by red wing (like the others have been saying).

 

[morse9443]

Originally Posted by bomber

About half my family are in construction/welding/etc. They almost all swear by red wing (like the others have been saying).

Construction/welding activities aside, I love those redwings for the looks alone. Just saw a couple of pairs at Concepts Cambridge and they look fantastic. Although, I got a pair of the Timbo earthkeepers last year, and they're the best boots I've owned as far as comfort and quality is concerned...

 

[Quirk]

Thanks for the info. Much appreciated.

 

[Conrad]

About the comment on the $30 walmart boots, some people swear by them but I can't stand them. They just kill my feet and in my experiance the toe starts to float in about a year, even less if you're doing alot of crouching work like concrete finishing or flooring.

I'd rather have a pair of soft toed boots than a pair of steel toed with a floating toe.

 

[mrbojangles928]

I do roofing and siding over the summers and winters and i find that my 20$ boots from Modell's work just fine. They are oil resistant but not steel toed, which for me is not really a concern given the type of work. In the summer when its real hot i often just wear some sort of higher topped tennis sneaker that is comfortable. It all depends on what type of construction you are doing. With no oil and little heavy metal to be worked with, my feet don't need that much protection and any shoe that wont fall apart in a few days and is comfortable fits the bill just fine.

 

[Quirk]

Originally Posted by mrbojangles928

I do roofing and siding over the summers and winters and i find that my 20$ boots from Modell's work just fine. They are oil resistant but not steel toed, which for me is not really a concern given the type of work. In the summer when its real hot i often just wear some sort of higher topped tennis sneaker that is comfortable. It all depends on what type of construction you are doing. With no oil and little heavy metal to be worked with, my feet don't need that much protection and any shoe that wont fall apart in a few days and is comfortable fits the bill just fine.
Thanks. This kid's going to be working on commercial construction sites in NYC -- I don't know any more detail than that -- but I'm pretty sure he's going to need the real deal. Re sizing: should he size them to be worn with just one pair of heavy socks, or two?

 

[onion]

Originally Posted by Quirk

Re sizing: should he size them to be worn with just one pair of heavy socks, or two?
I don't think anyone would want to wear boots with 2 pairs of socks during the summer. I know I wouldn't. It's also just unnecessary. I've never worn 2 pairs of socks (or extra thick socks) in my life, and as I mentioned above, I used to work on commercial job sites, and have never had a problem.

Originally Posted by Conrad

About the comment on the $30 walmart boots, some people swear by them but I can't stand them. They just kill my feet and in my experiance the toe starts to float in about a year, even less if you're doing alot of crouching work like concrete finishing or flooring. I'd rather have a pair of soft toed boots than a pair of steel toed with a floating toe.
That's odd, though it could depend on the brand (mine are Wrangler). I found them to be normal in comfort, but insanely durable. My shoes have held up to some seriousssssss punishment over multiple years of construction work, and nothing about the shoes has been damaged. ...and even if they did fall apart after a year (which I REALLLY doubt), the guy said he's only doing a summer job. Personally, for a 3 month boot that I'm probably going to make dirty as hell and unusable in normal attire, I'd go with the $30 pair over a $200+ pair every time. I also have to disagree with the soft toe part as well. I had a dolly with 1000lbs+ roll over my foot once. If I hadn't had steel toed boots I would have most likely had multiple broken toes. I also used to put stuff on the toe, like drywall when leaning it against the wall so you could pull your hand out from under it, or picking up heavy stuff and putting it on my toe so you can get a better grip, etc.

 

[Englandmj7]

Growing up, I spent most of my summers working on a ranch and most of the workboots came from Walmart. They're actually pretty damn tough for the crap I'd put them through.

I have a nice pair of Red Wings, and whilst they are durable, I have this particular pair more so for looks as opposed to work.

In any case, if it's only a temporary job, I wouldn't blow your wad. Alot of people invest in Red Wings because, as mentioned they have amazing in-store service and will clean your boots and fix them at any point for virtually nothing. This isn't too important if you're not going to be wearing them after the summer is over though. That being said, you can find the basic crepe-soled workboots by Red Wing on e-bay and often on-sale in store for $150 or less. Well worth it.

The two people in my family who work in construction/engineering, etc have been wearing them for over 20 years and they swear by them.

Originally Posted by onion

It's also just unnecessary. I've never worn 2 pairs of socks (or extra thick socks) in my life, and as I mentioned above, I used to work on commercial job sites, and have never had a problem.

Yeah. Don't think he's going to be wearing two pairs of socks in NYC during summer. If it's cold you wear thick wool socks. If it's unbelievably cold, you buy some thermal snow boots. He should buy his regular size. Leather work boots will give and stretch a fair amount with the strain and sweat that goes into them, so they are compatible with thick and thin socks.

 

[Quirk]

Thanks. Turns out, for a college student with no experience, they're promising him some pretty nice coin; plus, if it works out, he may well do this the next few summers too, so in light of that, $150 for Red Wings seems pretty reasonable. But I will let them know there may be cheaper options. Thanks to all.