occidentalis Posted August 13, 2012 I wear Steel Blues which are pretty comfortable although I think lacking some support. Because I work outdoors in rough terrain I tend to do be hard on my boots, and the leather at the front of my Steel Blues has been stripped away. So I'm not that impressed with the quality, but they are comfortable. Regarding the 'toes chopping off' story, I was under the impression that this was a requirement of the Australian standard for safety boots. The logic being that it is easier to reattach a cleanly amputated toe than attempt to reconstruct a crushed one. But I have just done a quick google and can't find anything about that - except the Mythbusters story which seems like a pretty good test. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PositiveHAL Posted August 13, 2012 ^ here it is, just when you thought life couldn't get any better. straight to the pool room Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
planthelper Posted August 13, 2012 my vote aswell goes up for a shoe brand called scarpa, realy well made. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gtarman Posted August 13, 2012 I hear that the company that made the old British Doc Martens still makes them under the brand name Solovair. I looked into it, and to get them shipped over the total price comes to around $180 AUD. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Amazonian Posted August 13, 2012 ^ here it is, just when you thought life couldn't get any better. straight to the pool room I have never seen the shoe lace to zip converter!. I wonder if you can get a zip to shoe lace converter? "Straight to the pool room"...lol.. 'The castle' no doubt.. he he he Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dionysus Posted August 13, 2012 (edited) look for an aussie brand 'tuf'. i had a pair of tuf lace ups which i wore every day for 5-6 years, only a worn down heal moved me to replace them. i replaced them with a pair of brittish 'kickers' made by the 'grinders' boot company, so far ive had them less than a year and there are holes through the soles etc. those english working class musn't work very hard, their boots are lousy. edit: i can only find vague refferences to them online, perhaps tuf footwear has gone under, a shame, as i was about to start looking for a new pair. Edited August 13, 2012 by dionysus Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ThunderIdeal Posted August 15, 2012 (edited) ^ IME the sole is the achilles heel of work boots. also a pretty good indicator of how even-footed your walking and working style is, eg heavier wear on the heal of one particular foot. no real opinion, except that the most cushioning by far in any boot i've seen was in a particular pair by steel blue. red wings are american i think and almost fanatically popular among oil and gas workers. edit: there are work socks made from bamboo now. very very nice. Edited August 15, 2012 by ThunderIdeal Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
El Presidente Hillbillios Posted August 15, 2012 Bamboo work sockS! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PositiveHAL Posted August 15, 2012 ^ i got em, they the shit! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Yawning Man Posted August 20, 2012 These will set you back. I'd love a pair. http://www.tacticalshop.com.au/retail-catalogue/DN_B_26020_item.html?ref_cat_id=Military Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
space cadet swami Posted August 20, 2012 went from oliver, to T boots, now to redback...the olivers & T's only last me 12mths max. The redbacks are a steel cap lace up that are quite comfortable & seem to be wearing well...so far & bamboo socks are definitely the best, although a tad expensive. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites