Good morning gents. Well, I have reached the end of the line with my current set of work boots. I have been wearing Chippewa pull on work boots for over ten years now. A western style made of really tough retan leather with a thick neoprene sole. To be honest, they are tougher than anything in production boots I have ever used. They cost from $140-165 per pair but since I get 3-4 years from them I have no complaints. 40-50 dollars per year for well made, comfy boots is no problem to me. The only issue is that as I have gotten older I notice I run my heels over faster than when young. I hate this. It is annoying and as the heels wear unevenly, it makes it uncomfortable. We have an excellent cobbler in town who fixes them right up but still, I wonder if some other style is in order?
A few provisos are in order here. First, the footwear must have neoprene or other non conductive soles. I do commercial/industrial electrical work and conductive soles are as you may surmise, not a good thing. Second, I like the heavy retan leathers. They require only minimal maintenance and seem to be tough. The Chippewas are fully leather lined and I can't begin to tell you how nice that is. So much more comfortable than the rough side of the outer alone. I also have wide feet. EE most of the time but depending on brand it could E or EEE(rarely the latter). I bought my wife a pair of Dr. Martens about twelve years ago and they look like they were bought last year. These are lace ups and kind of like a hiking boot. They have the "normal" Marten's sole. If that makes any sense. I don't know what they call the material it is made from but it is almost honey/transparent coloured. Anyroad, it has held up well. She certainly does not wear these every day but if you are married, then you know any woman who keeps a pair of shoes for twelve years is telling you something. So you can see my interest. Another thing I found helpful is that the pull on style let some air around your feet during the day. This would be difficult to nonexistent with lace ups. So, what say you Doc fans? Am I looking in the wrong place?
Regards Todd
A few provisos are in order here. First, the footwear must have neoprene or other non conductive soles. I do commercial/industrial electrical work and conductive soles are as you may surmise, not a good thing. Second, I like the heavy retan leathers. They require only minimal maintenance and seem to be tough. The Chippewas are fully leather lined and I can't begin to tell you how nice that is. So much more comfortable than the rough side of the outer alone. I also have wide feet. EE most of the time but depending on brand it could E or EEE(rarely the latter). I bought my wife a pair of Dr. Martens about twelve years ago and they look like they were bought last year. These are lace ups and kind of like a hiking boot. They have the "normal" Marten's sole. If that makes any sense. I don't know what they call the material it is made from but it is almost honey/transparent coloured. Anyroad, it has held up well. She certainly does not wear these every day but if you are married, then you know any woman who keeps a pair of shoes for twelve years is telling you something. So you can see my interest. Another thing I found helpful is that the pull on style let some air around your feet during the day. This would be difficult to nonexistent with lace ups. So, what say you Doc fans? Am I looking in the wrong place?
Regards Todd