I recently retired and am now spending more time in the shop (concrete floor). Lately I have begun to notice knee issues and I am wondering if anyone has any recommendations for good shoes/sneakers for the shop? I am not interested in steel toe just comfort. I have been wearing your run of the mill cross training sneaker but that does not seem to be working well. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Bill
I have been wearing Merrell lace up "sneakers" for a long time. Long-wearing sole, good arch support, and wider toe box. They've worked well for my needs.
Bill
Get yourself some rubber floor mats. I have 6 orr 7 big ones, they really work. Mine are from Grizzly. If you are in an area with a big farm and ranch supply, you can get a big horse Mat and cut it to the sizes you need.
Get a anti fatigue floor mat. I do have one and move it around. When I will have some $$ to spend, I will get a second one. It makes such a difference. Shoes won't make a big difference. However if you can, make a wood floor, or cover your floor with mats.
You will certainly get as many different recommendations as there are people on this forum. This is the beauty of diversity.
Thanks for the help. I do have some floor mats and they do help.
Charles, you mentioned Redwing boots. I stopped in at a local store and the young salesperson was not very helpful. Is there a specific model you find works for you?
Thanks,
Bill
@Bill-My shop has a concrete floor too. I don't currently have anti-fatigue mats (maybe Santa will drop off a few in the shop). I just wear some Wolverine safety toe boots for comfort and I get the extra benefit of steel toe and ankle support. Like Charles above, I like Red Wing boots too-no specific model to recommend. BTW, good luck with your retirement. Enjoy owning your own time!
I wear Rockport ProWalker all the time. The podiatrist told me they were the best and keep wearing them. I wear the Chranz style shoe. They give good support the sole of my foot. They also have a soft collar around the top that gives a little ankle support. I use anti fatigue mats on the floor. I also bought some of the colored puzzle looking mats from Sam's wholesale when they were cheap. I think they have gone up in cost like other things. I saw them on "This Old House" . They work pretty well. They are actually made for day care businesses.
I've worked in machine shops and warehouses and wood shops. I always wear safety toes. It saved my toes at least once in a warehouse when I was breaking down a cardboard box, so you just never know, do you. I also wear hearing and eye protection religiously. I'd buy some stout safety boots and some mats. In fact, I did. I feel that even in my tiny shop, and probably because it is small, the boots will one day prove to be a good choice.
I suggested Crocs once and some woodworker went crazy on me. Questioned my manhood and all. They are comfortable but sawdust gets through the vent holes.
I second the Crocs. I wore my Crocs all last weekend and my feet didn't hurt at all. Earlier in the week while working in the shop, I was wearing my Redwings and by the end of the day was really feeling it. I don't know if it's because of the extra weight or what.
I have incredibly flat feet and Plantar Facitis in my right foot. I have inserts that I wear with my shoes/boots but forgot to put them in the Crocs. I'm not saying that's the reason because I've forgotten to put them in my boots in the past and may as well have had someone beat me on the bottoms of my feet with a ball peen hammer. The Crocs are just plain comfortable.
Whatever you get stay away from Lugz. I had a pair that lasted 2 months before they started falling apart. I'm still getting the runaround from customer service - biggest mistake I ever made and 80 bucks down the drain.
I recently read about a study done at some big university research center about the best way to avoid knee problems. Will try to find it again and link it. The study found that going barefoot was the easiest on the knees. And there are some shoes designed to emulate the same action that can be purchased. Otherwise, they recommended any shoe with very flexible soles.
For myself, I hate sandals, flip flops, or anything that does not support my feet. I wore cowboy boots for most of my life. Had to be really good, 100% leather, hand made boots. I finally gave in to the style police, SWMBO, and now wear Merrell slip on loafers.
I almost always wear cowboy boots that were custom made by ML Leddy in Fort Worth, Texas. I do wear a beefy pair of Merrell hiking boots when the weather turns cold, and on a light day I'll wear Sperry Topsiders.
In the summer I wear Merrel slip on 'Jungle Mocs' but in the winter I have become very attached to my Puma Sareks (totally waterproof, Thinsulate lined, $85 on sale currently, and best of all: shipping weight of ONE POUND!!!) I love em!
I have a pair of Merrell Mocs from Cabellas … they are terrific.
I also have a bunch of rubber mats (the inter-locking kind from Harbor Freight) in front of key workstations (bench, table saw, lathe, etc.). They save on the knees.
I walk a lot and several years ago my right hip and knee started bothering me. I went to the shoe store that my wife worked at and they suggested New Balance 990. I've been wearing them for years and the pain went away. Keep in mind that not everyone needs the same shoe, I tend to wear the outside of my heal and these correct that. You might try a shoe store that specializes in quality shoes and trains their sales people.
Mike
I wear a pair of Keen cross trainer/lowtop hikers. They have plenty of room in the toe box, and great cushioning. Prior to these I wore a pair of old hiking boots from REI that had about 1,000 trail miles on them and were as broken in as they could possibly be.
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
LumberJocks Woodworking Forum
2.5M posts
96K members
Since 2006
A forum community dedicated to professional woodworkers and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about shop safety, wood, carpentry, lumber, finishing, tools, machinery, woodworking related topics, styles, scales, reviews, accessories, classifieds, and more!