Hey Guys,
Thought I’d share about the best work boots I’ve found so far. I got a pair of Magnum Stealth Force boots. They’re the black boots cops wear because they give you incredibly great support if you’re on your feet all day and they are light enough to chase down criminals and catch them. Also excellent on roofs and slippery surfaces.
What are you guys and gals wearing?
Hey Mike…
Just a flat sole work boot…I never wear tennis shoes because round ladder rung can really hurt the arches. I’ve worked with guys who have worn open toe sandals with no socks. This would be a poor way of working as a cleaner. We get into some pretty hairy situations and having on secure shoes is a must…
Dangerous
Although I wear skate shoes pretty much 24/7/365, I’m an advocate for the el cheapo NSS skate shoes they sell at KMart.
I look at it this way, roof grit is like skateboard grip tape… so inherently skate shoes are made to grip roofs… right?
Hey Chris…
From what I heard their soles work really well on roves…I heard a roofer saying that ! Still not much support for the arches, so if your working rove or flat rung ladders… But I really use my sectionals about 90% of the time and they have round rungs plus I’m flat footed so I need the support there !
Open toe sandals…Their goes your nail and walking through bushes and other debris, well thing can get kinda messy and bloody !
Dave
Sandals would NOT work for me at work! I spend most of my day tripping over rocks, pavers, etc. My feet would be whiddled away to nothing in a week lol. WAY too much of a clutz to even attempt it
Ladder work I use some none aggressive soled work boots from cabella’s Ethan a steel shank in the arch for support. But since I don’t use ladders all the time anymore Marells are all I pretty much wear now. If they can grip wet rocks hiking they can grip shingles on a roof.
Chris… all the best man. As a former skater and one time skateshop part owner they probably work great. I miss my old vans now ; ( … .
For Shoe-ware, I carry:
1 fancy, good pair of tennis shoes to greet the customer with.
1 cheapo, $20 pair of hiking/athletic shoes to step in dog turds with.
1 set of rubber boots for muddy/rainy/pressure washing days, which do work great for composite roofs too.
1 pair of interchangeable [U]Korkers[/U].
If you’re on roofs and you don’t use [U][B]Korkers[/B][/U], you really need to check them out. Especially for wood/shake roofs and metal roofs, moisture can be deadly on those roofs. They have models that just strap on your shoes and have soles that can switch out for different roof types.
I wear a pair of Merrell tennis shoes. They are waterproof so I can wfp lower windows and not get a bad case of slosh foot. Plus the have great support and grip on roofs.
Here’s a link to the magnum site so you can see them.
Professional Boots | Magnum Boots
These boots have great support on my sectional ladder and super on a roof. The only thing better on a roof would be a pair of skate shoes.
I use to be a big Merrill fan. Wore them for years. I switched because the manager at a vitamin store recommended the Magnums. He had to stand on a stone tile floor all day at work and they were the only shoes he found that would keep his feet pain free. I almost forgot to mention that they are waterproof.
Salomon trail running shoes, (trail runners have a toe cap), with their contagrip sole, stickiest sole I have found so far for metal roofs (we don’t have many shingles) and still comfortable enough to wear on days off. Also most of the models are goretex so no soggy foot issues even during mud season.
I have probably worn out about 20 pairs of magnum boots. Back in day when I worked as an armed guard and for Brinks-- Hi-tec boots were all I wore. They are the most comfortable boots and really do not require any break-in period. They are/were extremely lightweight. However, this all comes with a price, and that is they do tend wear out faster than other heavier work boots. But it was allways worth it to me for the comfort and speed of these boots.
We have a Hi-Tec warehouse here in town, so I always went in and bought directly from them. I guess they split now and are their own brand.
Thinking maybe I should consider buying a new pair. I haven’t worn a pair in about ten years-- I’m sure they are even better now.
Oh and the ones with the side zipper are the best. You lace them up once and that’s it. You use the zipper after that and allways get a snug fit.
i wear Mercury , here they are the cheapest shoe on sale ,£10 a pair, but grips truly great on roofs ,icy rungs or wet rungs and good feel on ladder rungs . downside is the rubber sole is soft and wears quickly . i have looked around to compare and have only found Mercury to use the soft marshmallow rubber sole . i bought 11 pairs of this particular Mercury ,the shop searched all its branches to get em for me . the shop manager tells me that every 6 months or so a new Mercury design is brought in from China and once its sold out ,thats it, no more. But they still mould the soles from the same rubber mix ,albeit in different colours and different style colours for the uppers but the uppers are not important
jordan hightops…
I’m preferential to Timberland boots, but I haven’t really tried most of these other brands.
On the subject of Korkers, has anyone tried out Tiger Paws as well and can compare these two?
Merrell’s is my first choice too. I do want some korkers, tho…
English Jonny…Howdy my good friend !
Say those shoes look well worked, it looks like you stepped on a land mine (Dogie Pooh)LOL. Jonny how’s that new guy working out ?
Jonny…Be safe Friend !
Dange
Hey Josh and Tony,
Like I said before I’ve been wearing Merrell boots and shoes for years. I love them but when I put them on for the weekend or evening I can feel a drop in support compared to my Magnum boots.
hiya Dave, those shoes have taken a beating,they are but 8 weeks old and will be split by 12 . you can see the aluminium powder on the side from the ladders .
my new worker is doing good. he is 6ft2 so he only needs a beer crate to stand on for the low work. he had been unemployed for 4 solid years ,laying in bed, until his mum spotted my ad for a helper. So its truly been a “baptism of fire” for him to handle a mop and squeegee and he had a few massages after work by a local mobile masseur but now seems okay . We discussed only today that we both think? we can handle 8 hours a day on the squeegee,5 days a week ,when its high summer
i hope you are okay mate and enjoying your days !
English Jon,
12 week only…well that only means your doing tons of work…
Good to hear your worker has chimed in, great.
I’m doing good Jonny , it’s a bummer to hear about Bubba breaking
his ankles but that’s far better then having your family needing to
buy a 6’ deep requiem for a window cleaner ! He’ll get through it !
We both know about close calls eh…Be safe !
Dange
I have stiff soled work boots with a steel shank so I can avoid “perch foot” when I am on the ladder. I’ve always called it “perch foot” - that’s when your feet start to cramp up from extended ladder work.
<a href=“Photobucket | The safer way to store your photos” target=“_blank”><img src=“http://i1137.photobucket.com/albums/n514/greenj26/feet_before.jpg” border=“0” alt=“Photobucket”></a>
