Re: safer footwear: user views sought please.

[Gnube]

Magnums melt easily in hot weather. Especially the dark chocolate >ones.

Do they still make those, I don't get out and don't watch TV to know for sure, but I'm guessing this is the ice cream you're on about here!? ;O)

I wouldn't put too much faith in brand names.

They're very good for distinguishing one from another but beyond that I get skeptical!

Most are just trying to >cash in on a better known brand. I've seen plenty of "Cat-Track" and >"Timberwolf" boots.

And that's why! ;O)

BTW - I have a pair of the dodgy desert boots - they didn't last out >the summer !

How on earth did you manage to end up with them?

so many small toolshops just don't bother changing the VAT rate for the >couple of things they sell.

Right, silly devils, but I can appreciate their problem. Last thing I'd ever do is offer the chancellor an extra bite for free. Not after he's spent all those years teaching me how "being mean" works, it'd be impolite, and would suggest I hadn't been paying attention to anything he'd said or done! ;O)

Cheap. My workshop boots rarely cost me more than twenty quid. As >they always wear the leather off the toes in no time, I don't care if >they're ugly.

Me neither, and in view of the wear, I was wondering about the "steel on the outside" variety. Easier to get welded to something by mistake I suppose?

Cheapest of the lot are pull-on rigger boots. Especially if you drink >in The Tarmacer's Rest, and there's a guy comes round the tables >flogging cheap ones.

Yes, spotted that type; was a bit concerned that small hot items could drop in the tops under the right/wrong circumstances, and then I might feel a bit foolish for having chosen that style!

Farm shops are usually a decent price. Arco aren't too bad either.

Had some good stuff from farm shops in the past. All of it still exists too, of course! ;O)

No problem. Use insoles. Use orthotic insoles if you have to (try >somewhere that sells skiing gear). If you have a steel anti-spike >sole, then this can be an important fitting point, although steel >soles are uncomfortable anyway, because they don't flex.

Ah, had wondered if that might not be the case, thanks for confirming it.

So don't buy mail-order then !

No realistic choice, as I'm house bound. But the point is taken. It's why I try to find out as much as possible by other means, this group being part of that.

I've got wide feet, and they're two >different sizes. I only ever buy where I can try them on.

I tend to order two or more for size choices and return what's no good, but I tend to check with suppliers in advance that's they find it acceptable, it's amazing how many are happy to help like that. Takes a little more patience all round, but I generally get there in the end!

Insoles help a lot.

Yes, looks like the way to go. Thanks

Take Care, Gnube {too thick for linux}

[NJF]

DM grip-trax are good, 10 hours a day, 5 days/week, no blisters and good support with air-wair cushioning, I get about two working years out of them at that rate, and still useful for gardening when they are replaced..

Price isn't a guide, and some names are not worth it any price.

niel.

[Gnube]

Now you've gone and done it! I did some googling on this in the group before asking and was specifically trying not to mention that brand, lest it started something! ;O) ;O)

Take Care, Gnube {too thick for linux}

[Gnube]

Take Care, Gnube {too thick for linux}

[Gary Cavie]

I wear boots by 'Groundwork' - cost me =A320 for a pair of steel-toed ones.= =20 They're not the prettiest things around - sort of a yellowy suede finish,= =20 but they're extremely comfortable, and the instep part is quite high (I=20 also have problems with this). I've had them over a year now, and they=20 show no signs of giving up on me. Definitely have them again!

[Gnube]

[snip]

Sadly this message was a bit mangled here, but I'll try to keep a look out for them too, thanks.

Take Care, Gnube {too thick for linux}

[NJF]

No probs, I should add I'm 17 stones and I use a 9mm cork wedge in one boot to compensate for a leg length imbalance, even then the rate of wear is very good, I can get through a pair of lightweight walking boots just being a "tourist" not walking great distances in under a month....

Niel.

[Tim Mitchell]

In article , NJF writes

Veering off topic, I wear safety boots to work every day, and find that my big toes wear through my socks very quickly (new socks become holey socks within a day sometimes). Has anyone found a good solution to that? Other than very thick socks which aren't good in the summer. (yes I do cut my toenails short!)

[Gnube]

Blimey, that's going some!

Take Care, Gnube {too thick for linux}

[NJF]

Try lots of different styles and you may find one the right shape for your feet, if your employer won't pay for better quality (often they only want the cheapest bought) I'd suggest involving unions or the HSE as PPE must be fit for use and that includes how well it fits. My manager hated me buying my DMs on his budget (it looks bad apparently), except they last longer than most of the cheaper brands and over time actually cost very little more, the increased productivity that comfort assists is more difficult to prove.

Niel.

[Frank Erskine]

In article , Tim Mitchell writes

File the toenails rather than cut them, or file after cutting. You can then get smooth tips which shouldn't poke through the socks.

[Howard Neil]

Have you tried two pairs of thin socks? This works to stop blisters by reducing friction. It may just help slow down the wear on your socks as well.

Howard Neil

[Gnube]

Being happy can play a big part in being healthy, and health is in the HSE, and it's first in the queue! Worth a try if you got no other ammo I guess! ;O)

Take Care, Gnube {too thick for linux}

[Gnube]

Mouse sander with a 2000 grade W&Dry pad works well here - DAMHIKT! ;O)

Take Care, Gnube {too thick for linux}

[Gnube]

In that vein, when boots are new, putting plasters on where you expect blisters, before they happen, can be pretty effective as far as I know, since you don't get them, but I am pretty sure I would have! ;O)

Take Care, Gnube {too thick for linux}

[Bob Eager]

My favourite tip (and I NEVER got blisters despite long walks and marches) was from a Royal Marine sergeant. Thick wool socks, dusted with foot powder. But, underneath, a pair of old nylons (or cut down tights)

- yes, that's what they get up to in the Marines!

But seriously...for me, ZERO blisters and a lot of footslogging.

[Gnube]

Oh thanks, now I got my head full of the mental image of that old Monty Python sketch, from the film I think it was, the Pooftah Soldiers, or some such! Ooohh, get her, two, three, four, left, left, left righ..... etc.! ;O)

Take Care, Gnube {too thick for linux}

[Andy Hall]

I have it on reasonably reliable authority that police motorbike riders wear nylons in the winter for warmth. There was an occasion in, I believe Leicestershire, where one of these gentlemen had an accident and came off of his bike. The paramedics had some amusement when cutting through clothing to get to the site of the wounds.......

.andy

To email, substitute .nospam with .gl

[Tim Mitchell]

In article , NJF writes

I am my employer, so there's no problem there! The boots are actually very comfortable, and I can't feel my toes rubbing the inside or anything, somehow they just wear through...

[Andy Dingley]

_All_ bikers wear tights in the winter.

Helly Hansen's marketing genius wasn't in inventing the "Smelly Helly", favoured garment of hairy-arsed climbers everywhere. They realised that super-macho types would pay huge amounts for a pair of tights, if they came in "manly" packaging.