zzrmark

Any recommendations out there for soft toe work boots that last a reasonable length of time?
I have always been heavy on boots but would expect a pair of fifty quid boots to last me a year in the UK, boots run a lot pricier here and seem to be dire quality.
I am coming up for three years at my current workplace, in that time I have broken:
A pair of Georgia boot Eagle lights (10" high) which had been used for working round the farm before I started to use them for work.
A pair of (expensive) Redwing King Toe that didn't last six months, comfy though.
A pair of Ariat Terrain (a hiking boot, but would have fallen apart much quicker if I'd gone walkabout in them!) these started to fall apart before a month was up and were pretty much done after two months.
​​​​​​A pair of Columbia hiking shoes that were getting a bit tatty so I killed them off at work.
​​​​​A couple of pairs of tired sneakers.
A pair of Timberland White Ledge, which I'm still using but the toe flapping loose on the right boot is a tad dicey!!!

The Georgia boots were the only ones that did not have the upper come loose from the sole (which was the bit that wore out on them).

Ideally I'm looking for a reasonably flexible pair, as I spend a lot of time up and down ladders, squatting on roofs and working chop saws in the grass. Six inch high is preferred, any higher and they tend to reduce flexibility, any lower and my ankles get no support.
An upper that is stitched to the sole is better as the glued uppers always peel apart quicker.
Got to be soft toe as lots of kneeling wrecks my toes in steelies and must be available in a wide fit as my feet are nearly square!!

I was thinking about a pair of Timberland Pro boots last year but recent reviewers seem unhappy with the build quality now that manufacture is all done in Asia.

Any thoughts or observations on modern boot quality, mutter, mutter??

Hotscot

I swear by Keen hiking boots.
Fantastic fit. Very comfortable with good grip.
Don't know if they'd suit.

zzrmark

I have been thinking about trying a pair of Keens, I'm sure there are some good boots to be had but finding the right model among the chaff is the tricky bit.

Nutmegger

scrubbedexpat091

I have had good luck with Justin brand boots, my last pair almost lasted 2 years, well they are still wearable and decent shape, just no longer water proof and leak, but otherwise still wearable when its not rainy. I think I paid $185, mine were composite toe type, but I believe they make regular boots as well with a normal toe.

zzrmark

If you do gardening anything like my family do it then your boots get a heck of a beating!!

scrubbedexpat099

I have also liked Keens, but my last pair did not last very well and have seen complaints that the QC has taken a dive.

My Snow Boots are getting good usage this winter.

Nutmegger

Giantaxe

I've seen similar recent reviews for Keen, but my current pair have held up well - I've hiked about 600 miles in them so far. I think this is my fourth or fifth pair, and they usually last up to 1k miles before I replace them.

Hiro11

These are supposed to be pretty go and less than $60:
https://www.amazon.com/Leather-Insulated-Construction-Rubber-Darkbrown/dp/B01AVBLZTM/?tag=gearsearcher-20
Great reviews all over the internet.

zzrmark

Went out boot hunting yesterday, not much luck!
I nearly bought a pair of Wolverine Raider's, they looked like a great build but the outlet didn't have the right size and even the next wide size up pinched a bit. The Justin's looked nice but they don't appear to do wide fittings and, again, pinched - it's always the area at the bottom of the tongue, across the width and history has taught me that leather boots will not give there so they either pinch for ever or split off the sole at that point.

So today I drove inland for over an hour and headed to a Western Boot store that usually has a good range, tempted by the 6" Georgia work boots that their website advertised - but didn't mention that they were only available at the other store even further inland.
I did however espy the last two pairs of very nice looking Redwings, one pair of which was my size and, against my better judgement, tried them on. Hopefully that wasn't a bad decision because, like my last pair but different model, this was like wearing a pair of slippers and I was unable to resist.
I am now the owner of a pair of Redwing Irish Setter Borderland's. My first moccasin style boot, watch this space.....

zzrmark

I was tempted by this boot yesterday but boy were they narrow! Like Justin's, no wide fittings. American footwear tends to run wider than UK sizes but when you have a size 8 (UK size) foot in a K width fitting even the wide fit boots tend to be tight...
( And the widest shoe in the UK was a Clark's H width!)

Pulaski

I know this doesn't exactly answer the question you asked, but I wonder if, wearing work boots in Florida, means that you are more or less rotting your boots, rather than wearing them out in the usual sense?

I knew someone in the UK who had particularly sweaty feet and his work boots more-or-less fell apart during the summer because they got so soggy wet, from the inside, day after day. The leather got soft and split, the seams got loose, the glue holding the sole released, they just collapsed.

Owen778

If that is the case, it might work better to buy two pairs of a good boot and alternate them to give them time to dry out more after each use.

Pulaski

..... My browser lost my first attempt at the post you quoted, and when I retyped it I forgot to include the recommendation, which is exactly what you posted.