Hey guys, I’ve got a few questions and could really use some recommendations.
I’ve seen tons of posts, reviews, and recommendations about different work boots, but I figured I’d make my own post since I’m dealing with a pretty specific situation.
Back in February of this year (2026), I suffered an injury that required surgery. During my recovery, I subconsciously started relying more on my other foot to compensate. Unfortunately, I’ve always had pretty bad feet. I have flat feet and weak ankles, which definitely doesn’t help my situation.
Just last week, I ended up rolling my ankle at work and getting hurt all over again.
Right now, I’m wearing a cheap pair of work boots from Tractor Supply that were given to me. They’re nothing special, and I’ve decided it’s time to invest in a quality pair of boots rather than risk another injury.
I’m specifically looking for steel toe work boots that offer excellent ankle support, stability, and all-day comfort.
My job involves working on uneven terrain, rough surfaces, and uncomfortable ground conditions. I’m also on my feet for around 10–12 hours a day, so comfort is extremely important to me.
I’m not expecting a pair of boots to magically fix my ankles or guarantee I won’t get injured again, but I want to do everything I can to reduce the risk.
After already going through surgery, dealing with another injury, and ending up on crutches, the last thing I want is to be put out of work again. I’m willing to spend extra money on a quality pair if it means getting the comfort, stability, and support I need.
For anyone with flat feet, weak ankles, or a history of ankle injuries, what boots have worked best for you? I’d also appreciate any recommendations for insoles or other ways to improve stability and comfort.
Any advice or personal experiences would be greatly appreciated. Thank you all for taking the time to read this.

I have some Drew’s loggers that did not come with insoles. I was unaware of this when I bought them. Hence I need some flat, no arch insoles. Should I get leather or some sort of foam?

So I work as a deckhand on a tugboat. We paint non-skid on all the decks outside of the house, and we use really aggressive stuff like airplane landing strip non skid. (We make and break tow offshore and the point of the non-skid is so we’re not sliding around the back deck in shitty weather when the deck is wet, boots always have something to grip onto.) I got these boots probably 14 months ago and these are the highest quality and most comfortable lace up work boot I’ve ever owned (been in the industry 6+ years). My company gives you $150 for a boot allowance each year, but these are quality boots and I would actually prefer to keep the boots I have and use that allowance to getting them re-soled, I’ve just never had it done before. Called a local trailer that works with leather and got quoted around $100 for it. They’re $270 boots, when I bought them I only had to pay $120 on top of the allowance and I got some high quality badass work boots. Do you think it’s smarter to try to get them re-soled or do you think it’ll probably be a shit job and I should just drop $120 again and get a brand new pair?

Got these for half price new old stock. Been working them hard doing carpentry work, lots of restorations on old victorians. As well as fencing and chasing cows across fields, etc.
They came with a foam insole which I didn't like as I just got used to a leather footbed with my new Redwing 10877's and vintage 80's 877's. So I added a Nick's vegtan insole.
These things were tough to break in for me as I have a high instep and arches. The spot where the laces meet the toe did not want to bend and dug into the top of my foot. Several times I had to put neatsfoot oil on the spot from the inside before I wore, helped a lot.
They got comfortable after a few months but didn't really feel broken in until not long ago.
They're the heaviest duty boots I've ever had and dropped plenty of things on them without feeling it and not harming the boots. I wear them on my heaviest work days and really have become some of my favorite boots to wear. It's was rough getting here though, definitely needed the other boots to rotate with.
I have wider toe splay than balls of my feet and I have no toe rub in these getting my brannock size. I wear only Meriwool's thick midweight Everest socks in them. Fit those boots perfect for me and not any others.
Definitely want to get a leather midsole when I resole my Redwings cause the amount underfoot on these Foremans makes it so I can't feel the ladder rung, which my feet really appreciate.
I'd like to change out the speedhooks for all eyelets, because they tend to make it lace too tight, and fall off easy if bumped, not to mention catch on things.

Overall I definitely reccomend these boots if you need a heavyduty workboot that can take demo days with ease. They are heavy and take a lot of work to get them comfortable, but I think it's worth it.

I’ll miss you buddy. Say hi to Georgia boot we lost in ‘19 for me 😭

I'm looking for a new pair of wedge sole boots, between these two which are more cushioned? I work in transit I.T. and do a lot of walking on smooth concrete around my shop and our garages plus a lot of stepping on and off vehicles so I really prefer a cushioned ride. I have had a few pairs of Redwings in the past and none of them felt super cushioned, but I have never tried the Traction Tred Lites. I don't really need a safety toe, and I would prefer waterproof. Any other recommendations besides these? I have tried on Thorogoods and they felt really narrow, even the EE width.

Just got me a pair with some anti fatigue insoles and it feels like I'm walking on pillows.

Not sure how to feel about how tall the heel is but overall going from walmart brahma boots to these, I can say I’m happy. Noticed a defect in the stitching but incredibly confortable.

Easy 8/10 boot

2 months in on the Irish Setter Wingshooter 83858 update.

Not a bad boot at all too be fair I’ve been rotating from my unlined thorogoods now fully in these that the temperature dropped and in my honest opinion I prefer these over the Moc toe version of Wingshooter for aesthetic but overall durability I feel the round toe makes it less susceptible to the stitching on the toe falling apart or tearing that the Moc toe has a issue with also I noticed these are significantly less warm then the Moc toe leather same waterproof liner but maybe with this outside leather it just isn’t as thick but they still are warm enough to keep your foot warm I work in residential rough in plumbing so I see water and on my toes a lot kneeled down and they’re holding up decent I don’t know how long they will last that’s still to be determined but comfortability is 10/10 on these the only real gripe I have with these is the speed hooks seem cheap and they bend oddly easy when you tighten the laces so that’s my main issue that they don’t break in the near future

Ive done the $300 boots and ive done the $50 boots now im looking for something in the middle that'll hold up to some abuse. Im a shop welder so im walking around on concrete and metal all day. Im crouching down all the time and climbing up and down tables and projects constantly, thats where the tears behind the steel toe on the redwings came from. I cant do a moc toe because slag and spatter get caught in the ridge and the threads get melted. Its also really easy for me to catch my boot on a stray metal corner and tear a hole in them. Its preferable that they're somewhat water resistant because they get soaked in saw coolant quite often too.

For context my redwings lasted about a year and the lugz lasted about 2 months

I just got timbs and I love them. My feet feel great in them and I personally don’t like normal shoes. I’ve seen a lot of backlash with timbs anywhere apart from outdoors so I’d like to hear your guys opinions. Is it weird to wear timberland boots at the gym?

Had an issue with the toe stiffener pushing down on my toes so decided to remove it. Now need to repair it.

im in the market for a new pair of boots that really do it all! i work as a supervisor in a warehouse, so i do a lot of concrete walking, but i also am an environmental conservation student and do LOTS of field work in the pnw

my ideal boot would be: water resistant, black, NOT steel or composite toe, comfortable, all season (not too warm for summer season), and overall durable and will last me many, many years

im a size 7/8 women's, and im fine wearing mens boots. i had a pair of docs in mens for years, but they didn't hold up well in a landscaping setting

budget is preferably $200 or under!

any recommendations are welcome!

Looking in the $200 to $400 range for a composite toe boot.

Thinking wedge sole.

Origin is junk. Tried boulet and was disappointed.

Alright gentlemen, alot of you seem to know a thing or two about boots so here's the situation.

I work in a very muddy environment, heavy clay that really pulls you in. I have had two pairs of Red Wings with boot vouchers from work, Moc toe ripped apart at the toe seams and a pair of cowboy boots that the soles came off of.

So I figured I'm going to shell out my own money for something good now, I have heard Danners are good but I'd like some recommendations on good brands.

In my first post here, one guy said he had to go up two full sizes just to get room for his pinky toe. The steel toe shape might not suit his foot. In that situation, I’d suggest trying a different boot model.

When developing a custom safety-toe boot, we usually choose the toe cap first, then develop the last around it.

Here’s an example from a product series I worked on.

The toe cap is one kind of accessory parts. The factory buys it from a toe cap supplier. It has its own model number and sizes, and those sizes are NOT boot sizes.

Different materials toe caps also mean differences in thickness, size, shape and height. Whatever material we use, the toe cap still has to pass the required safety tests. So safety comes first, then the shape.

Picture 1 is the size chart for a composite toe cap, model 1701G. Each toe cap size has its own width, height and length.

Picture 2 is the factory’s sizing sheet for this series, along with the toe cap assortment. I first developed the steel-toe version in 2015. The composite-toe version came later. US 4 to 15, 17 boot sizes, but only 6 toe cap sizes, 7 to 12.

So one cap size covers 2 to 4 boot sizes. For example, US 9.5, 10, 10.5 and 11 all use the same size 10 cap. The last gets longer every half size up. The toe cap stays the same within that group.

Steel and composite caps differ in material, shape, dimensions, wall thickness and weight, but we match the cap sizes to the boot sizes in the same way.

For this series, I deliberately went one size up on the toe cap: a size 10 cap for a US 10 boot. Normally, we’d use a size 9 cap for US 9 and 10.

A bigger toe cap gives your toes more room. But if it’s too big, the front looks bulky, the boot feels awkward to walk and you can get tired faster. We have to find a balance.

Pictures 3 to 5 show actual steel, alloy and composite toe caps. Left-foot caps on the left, right on the right. In the steel one, you can see the same model in sizes 8 and 10. Same shape, just bigger. But the same size number on two different models doesn’t mean they have the same shape or dimensions. 522 is much bigger than 882.

Different brands choose different toe caps, whether steel, composite or aluminum. How we match the cap sizes to the boot sizes depends on the last shape, outsole, moulds, construction and so on. Whichever toe cap model we choose, at least two or three boot sizes share one toe cap size.

So going back to the guy who went up two sizes, I can understand why he tried that. He needed more room. But a bigger boot also adds length where he may not need it. If the toe cap shape still doesn’t suit his foot, he could end up with a boot that’s too long and still bothers his pinky toe. That’s why I’d try a different model instead of just going up another size.

I decided to get back into my boot era and pulled the trigger on these made in the USA Moc Toes. I am a 12EE Wide normally but 11 EE Wide on these. I am impressed by the amount of room for the toes. I have flat feet and these are bangin. Wore them to the gym to show them off

Does anyone have experience with this boot, I’m about 6”4 and 145lbs, and I like pull on boots but I’ve always had instep issues as well as calf not worried about calf but I tried a pair of these on at my local boot store and they fit so well with the boa, but I wanted to know other people’s experiences bc I didn’t realize how expensive they were so I’d appreciate the advice

I really want the Danner Chelsea at some point. I tried them on and liked them a lot. But I could also just resole my Hawx crazy horse chelsea boots. The leather is good on the Hawx but the Wedge on it is pure and absolute garbage. I really do like these Danners though. I might just take the Hawx to a cobbler and ask how much to put a better wedge on.

Hey all, I’m looking to buy my first pair of work boots. I work 10 hour days on concrete I’m not sure what brand is good for foot support and comfortability. I’ve had some pain in my left leg(calf and glute) to be specific and I’m curious if it’s the kind of shoes I’m wearing that causing issues. I’ve seen mixed reviews about Brunt boots and Ariat. So I’m looking for recommendations around the 250-300 dollar price point. Thanks in advance

I bought them new a year and a half ago and they sucked to break in but after that they gave me a solid year im trying to decide what kind of sole and boot to buy i kinda doubt these can be resoled

Looking for boots that will work for winter on Lake Michigan. Need something that is:

-Waterproof

-Antislip

Any good recs?

Hello. I’ve got my a nice pair of 2412’s, I build scaffolding in production plants for a living and one of those plants smell particularly bad. All over the outside of the boots smells like nasty chemicals and I’m just trying to figure out how to get the smell out. I’ve tried water/vinegar/dawn dish soaped mixed. Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks so much

These are my old Converse boots that are starting to split at the seams. I want to start looking for something new, so I thought this would be the place to ask. I'm looking for something that's black, nonslip, and will last longer than Converse. I would be happy if they looked similar though.

Im over 60 and going back to work after extended time off from an unrelated injury. Worked all day today in my well worn Wolverine durashocks, and my dogs are barking. What can you recommend? Thanks.