Ultra-wide Protective Footwear

[Rod]

A) I want some protective footwear - to stop toes getting hurt by angle grinders, nails-in-bits-of-wood and dropped bricks.

B) My feet are very unusually shaped and I need HH+ width and have a very high instep.

I get my shoes from Cosyfeet - who do not do protective shoes.

Not looking for any special style - maybe a trainer-style would be most comfortable? But I don't seem to be able to find any.

Any suggestions for suppliers?

(Note: Intentionally applying angle grinder to feet to reduce width is

*NOT* an option. :-) )

[Mary Fisher]

I have the same problem. Buying commercially made shoes is impossible.

Same with Simpleway.

I have used steel-capped wellingtons, a couple of sizes too big. They can be cut down.

Or of course you could always get some hand made to your spec. I tried that once for ordinary shoes, they were VERY expensive. Spouse makes most of mine but they don't offer any protection, being made from soft vegetable tanned leather.

I have looked at the little toe side of my feet and wondered if I could do without it ... I also considered branch loppers for my hammer toes but eventually had them strightened (not 100% successfully) by the NHS.

Nobody realises what a problem it is. Size EEEE is useless!

Mary

[dom]

Okaaaay - possibly not quite the style you were looking for, but ebay.com (the US site) has a few hits for very wide boots - though mostly cowboy boots(!):

add +1 to your UK shoe size to get the equivalent US size (widths are the same I believe).

You might email 1 or 2 of the suppliers to see if they do safety shoes/ boots - I'd be surprised if there isn't a supplier somewhere in the "the big country".

Another option might be military boots suppliers (e.g

London).

[Rod]

I have pes cavus (high arch), extreme width (across the toes/forefoot), relatively narrow heel, and toes that are almost prehensile! Tendency to slightly drop feet and to both stand and walk with feet at approx. 90 degrees to each other. Recent research suggests to me that there could be a minor (probbaly congenital) neurological problem - not quite Charcot-Marie-Tooth but close. In truth, I could possibly get shoes to accommodate one fo these problems - but nothing I have found manages all of them.

I too have had shoes made - but unsuccessfully. Somehow they just did not feel right. So I usually stick with Cosyfeet and various inserts.

[Rod]

in London).

Unfortunately, the steel protected ones there are only EE. I did do quite a search of US suppliers - and, though i didn't find suitable, I felt sure that they would be available somewhere. But by the time I take into account the difficulty/expense of returns, I decided to avoid. I really need either a shop to visit or an easy return policy.

On the miltary front, I think I might have been one of those rejected with the opposite of flat feet!

Thanks.

[dom]

Check out the work boot here with clog sole:

Derby boots here:

for made to measure though!

[Rod]

Funnily enough, I did try some clogs (Swedish style) many years ago. They seemed to have some promise but, in reality, I couldn't take the pressure at the top of my arch (on the top of my foot).

And my feet might be valuable, but £264 is more than I can justify for relatively occaisonal wear.

(Sure you're not Bill Tidy posting under a pseudonym?)

[Malcolm]

I have a higher than normal arch and am currently waering Sterling brand Safety Trainers (Screwfix 37220). My shoe size is 6.5 to 7 and the size

7 of these seems to have plenty of room inside. They are also available from TLC. You might be able to go into one of these places and try them on.

Malcolm

[Mary Fisher]

That's your instep.

The last time I wore clogs was during the war and fell down the stone cellar steps going with a bucket to get coal. Still have the scar.

Mary

[The Natural Philosopher]

make some MDF clogs/galoshes.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Hows the cellar? Not permanently marked I hope?

[Rod]

My foot is somewhere towards this:

But my toes are little affected - just very good at pushing down onto the ground and curling up!

The clawing of the foot makes it effectively short (i.e. shorter than it would be if streteched out like a 'normal' foot) and this emphasises the width. But I could walk around all day on my toes. :-)

[m1ss_wh1te]

Me too. It stops the chaffing of the inner thigh.

[The Medway Handyman]

Are you sure you aren't a duck?

:-)

[The Natural Philosopher]

Gosh. And there was me thinking it was just the elbows..

[Rod]

Definitely not - I am crap at swimming as well. :-)

[Owain]

Eee, thee were lucky. Bucket *and* coal during wartime. :-)

Owain

[Owain]

Arco are probably one of the largest H&S suppliers, and have a good branch network.

Owain

[Rod]

I have had a good look round their site (today and previously) but cannot see anything in a sufficiently wide fitting. But I have emailed them in case I have missed them.

Thanks - we shall see.

[Mary Fisher]

You're a shorty too!

Mary