Why do Iron Workers Wear Wedge Sole Boots?
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- Опубліковано 13 бер 2023
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What are wedge sole boots good for? If you've ever wondered why iron workers wear wedge sole boots, I've packed everything you need to know into 60 seconds.
#ironwork #boots #moctoe - Навчання та стиль
We wear them so if we hang out heel over the edge of a beam we don’t fall that half inch that a normal sole has. It’s called a half inch heart attack.
I was going on the comments to say the same exact thing.
Thank you
Yep
That's right! Local 377
Boot spy has soft hands 😂
Rodbusters wear them so our heel doesn’t catch while walking on rebar.
Facts🤙🏼
Word. Idk where that slip resistance hes going on about is tho. Soon as that slabs wet im fucked 👀
@@malicesutton8592 on oily concrete they work amazing. Even epoxy sealed concrete with oil or coolant all over it is usually not an issue. I use those soles in a machine shop and they still have decent grip after 10 years
I normally wear a heel for going up and down ladders or on a vertical job. If I'm assigned a slab I use the wedge soles for walking on the bars.
I’ve been on roof decks setting sleeves while wearing boots with heels. It was a challenge trying to walk the rebar without it catching my heel.
Lol as an ironworker myself, we will all tell you it's nothing to do with comfort, though it does help with lower back pain, it's because it's the safer choice on steel. Heels are a tripping hazard bud
Makes sense to me. I tend towards old combat boots because I have them, they're comfortable for walking long distances, and you ain't big enough and there ain't enough of you to convince me to be up on high iron.
Retired iron worker here, that exactly right. Heels get caught on bolts, or on real old stuff, rivets, a,d cause tripping.
Plus the crepe sole is less slippery, especially when climbing or sliding a column.
Tell that to the railroad. They require a heel.
@@DJPhantomRage a lot of companies do, for ladder safety according to them, so your foot doesn’t slide thru the rungs.
I wonder what never worked a day I his life clown made that call…
straight facts when you’re 250’ in the air and the heel of your boot slips off the flange and your foot drops a half inch it feels like a mile and you may shit a little
They wear them so the boot heel doesn’t trip them on rebar or on a beam 100 story’s up.
This.
Yup
in a decent country that aint even a issue anymore. just in 3th world countries where safety aint prio 1. Like the US .
@@MSPstance
FlipFlops have no heel either, so problem solved.
in canada they are forced to wear them in the iron industry because heels are a tripping hazard.
Took the words out my mouth
I don't know if I would want to work with people that don't know how to walk,,,I don't know that just seems like a basic function of life,,only one dude I knew would wear wedged shape mock toe and we would always stick him welding overhead
In canada you need this no heels.i know in fort mcmurray steel guys end up town buys this type boots or out job yup.union in fact.i saw people argue with boss and fired on spot,some guys are ban job site due arrogance and bold yup.😊
Learn how to speak dude what are you trying to say@@lucmarchand617
Flat bottoms are banned in alot of Canadian sites.
I’ve always found them to be slick as heck on icy or snowy conditions.
I’m a nurse but I wear thorogoods, I’ve tried for years probably 6 different shoes I’ve seen other nurses wear but every one of them caused lower back or foot pain. My thorogoods really help because I feel like all parts of my foot are in constant contact with the floor, with the running shoes my feet are constantly rolling laterally
If i catch a nurse wearing thorogoods, im definitely complimenting them lol
I used Mephisto gum shoes (expensive) and later Flexi sole shoes (Mexican brand) much cheaper, but just as comfortable.
I wore Wolverines for years then I could not find any in stock .. I ordered Thorogoods online and I like they better they are more comfortable .
I’ve been wearing Thorogoods for over a year now as a teacher and they are great for walking, crouching, standing, on concrete all day.
MURIKA
I was i rigger and i asked an iron worker about them he said its because when you walk on i beams you dint want to catch a heel on anything and trip. Made perect sense to me.
I was born into a concrete construction company and work doing a lil brick and stone. I gotta say that I prefer that flat wedge sole. I grew up as a skater kid and always wear flat sole skate shoes. If I were a logger, maybe I would choose a heeled boot. I spend at least 8 hours working with little breaks. Good boots are an investment in your posture!
Liquid Nails subfloor adhesive used to work great for reinforcing areas of wear on those soles. It blended in with the color and wore like iron.
Frequently not permitted once the place is built for other workers (operators, etc.) as heels are preferred for vertical caged ladder climbing in a finished facility.
Yeah I wore them so my heel wouldn’t get caught on a bar joist or raises beam I was walking across. Also I always wore Red Wing Pecos with a wedge sole because the Moc toe would catch any red hot steel that I was cutting or welding and it would burn out the stitching in the moc toe… I have a video on my channel of me walking iron and climbing a column with the Red Wing Pecos I have mentioned here. Still have em :)
I love the Pecos boots, super underrated.
they stopped making the 866 :(
@@jadenchavez8917 yeah they haven’t made them since last year because they were back ordered and they eventually just discontinued them.
Ay your drums are sick. What area do you live?
I feel like someone needs to educate people on what ironworker walk on. If you can guess it we walk on the iron at least 75% of our time in our boots, not concrete.
Worn red wing loggers everyday since i got out of army in 93 ,Redwings are by far the best boots ever in my opinion. Just my opinion.
I prefer wedge boots because as a truck driver in construction, I don’t want my boots holding and carrying mud and dirt into the truck I drive. Construction sites tend to me mostly dirt and when it rains you get mud that will cake on your boots in a heartbeat and wedge soles are the easiest to keep from carrying the mud into the truck.
It’s so you don’t catch your heel on rebar, My father was a Rodbuster for 23 years, Learned a lot from him.
You forgot the most important reason for an Iron Worker. If you are walking a beam you do not want a heel that could induce what my father called the “heart attack slip”.
I’ve had my moc red wings for 4 years had them re-souled this year been the most comfortable shoe I’ve ever had I wear them everyday everywhere
You forgot the number one reason not having a heal on the boot stops it from catching the top flange and throwing you in the hole..union Ironworker 25yrs
love them versatile anywhere. from dirt to rebar patch, to power troweled floors. Only time they suck is on wet slimy wood and mud, no heel so you just slide everywhere😆
I have a pair of Keen wedge sole boots that I wear everyday on the job as a machinist and they’re fantastic! Best design for what I do day in and day out!
I agree. The toe box is second to none.
I have the Keen Wellington style cowboy boot with a wedge sole. They're amazing as a ditch digger/roofer! Wont wear anything else now. Keen's San Jose is a slimmed down wedge with either a soft toe or lightweight aluminum toe and those are awesome too.
I love mine. They dont track mud as bad as my lug sole boots.
Pronounced heel for life. Had wedge soles slide across steps and land me on my tail bone too many times.
No heel means you can't hook on to the edge something like a ladder rung, not safe in my opinion.
Sorry but that's wrong according to OSHA lol. I'm an industrial electrician and bought the thorogood wedge sole. And or safety man told me they aren't allowed on the job. Which would explain why I was the only one with them out of 200+ guys. Heeled soles are safer on ladders because the heel against the rung. Also wedge soles suck in the dirt, they slide all over on mud.
@@electricalife How am I wrong if you agree with what I said?
Very comfortable boot, possibly the most comfortable.
The moc-toe makes a nice shelf for weld spatter and lack of a heel is not kosher in the shipyard. That said people do still wear them
Welp, I'm off to get a pair of wedge sole boots now 🤠
You forgot the part about no separate heel... the wedge actually will reduce tripping that is associated with heeled shoes.
I’m glad I switched to Nike Manoa. 2 pairs a year, cheaper, lighter, arguably comfier than a thorogood. I am a landscapers so it’s just majority walking on random terrains. I used to use caterpillars, red wings, timberlands, Ariats, wolverines, thorogood, and Irish setters. It wasn’t until one day randomly scrolling though the Nike app, I found those Manoas. On sale for $70 at the time I bought 2 pairs incase I liked them. Ended up being the best choice in a long time. Wider toe box so my toes can spread better (more natural feeling), sole has a cleat like design making them perfect for grass, rocky, mulchy terrains. The only set back is no steel toe, and they are slippery on wet lacquered concrete.
I wear the 1957 Thorogood with the heel because the sole is a little tougher and if I’m asked to climb a wood pole at work I can. Out of my four sets of work boots they are easily my favorites and Im about to grab another set for the rotation!
Interesting that that they show him walking near railroad tracks when railroad workers are required to have a minimum of a 1/4" heel on their boots to keep from slipping off railcar sill steps.
My dad always talked about wearing wedge sole boots for working, there was period they became hard to get where i live, i started working wearing cowboy boots and other lace up, switched to wedges and will never go back. The hawks were great for awhile but the sole was to soft got alot of chips and shaving stuck in them, currently wearing ever boots and there sole is the best
Some jobsites require notched heel boots. I prefer wedge soles but I have a pair that are hard toe notched heel because it is a requirement at refineries. Thorogood boots are all I wear.
We also wear them to not catch that stupid heel on the edges of steel. And when you're walking a beam, if you had a heel, it could fall off the edge of the beam and lose your balance
I wear them bc my foreman told me to
😂😂
That’s why I always wear my Georgia boots but them bitches hurt my feet
Ain’t ever worn round toes
I am a CNC machinist and metal fabricator and just bought a pair of Redwing wedge souls. I love them.
How bad do they tend to pick up chips out of curiosity?
@100GTAGUY they don't pick up many chips as the treads are not that deep.
Them redwings my favorite boots of all time
Just bought a pair of Brunt Marins last week. I have to say they are very good for standing on concrete all day!
Those are amazing boots I wore a pair back in the late nineties and fell in love. Too expensive for me now though lol!
This was confusing as in Australia an Iron worker works in a foundry and wears high temperature nitrile sole boots. Structure steel here is done by steel fixers.
In North America (Canada and the USA) Ironworkers put up the steel/iron/rebar along with other parts or the trade and Steel workers are the ones making the steel and other metals.
I have very low arches and the thorogoods are a godsend.
Pipefitters wear them for comfort. Thorogoods are by far the best I've ever worn.
i love my thorogoods. wasn't an ironworker but they sure helped with early morning FedEx truck loading
Dad wore them in his 46 years as a Union Mason. BAC Local 35 and 5 in NJ.
Unmentioned and more notable reason, when installing steel roof before insulation and actual roof, there is a net the covers the whole roof that lays on the steel joists. Standard boots with heel or deep grooves catch that net and you find yourself getting stuck and falling into the net looking 60+ feet above the ground with only the net stopping you from falling.
Also walking across the rebar if you had Heel boot right in front of it is where the rebar wood or a ladder rung would be with that wedge got a lot more cushion there
My dad wore those paving because they were easier to clean asplaht/pavement off with the flat bottom
First person to give me a reasonable argument to switch to moc toe… and now I’m considering🤣
Thorogoods are legit working boots
Most comfortable and toughest boot I've found. I recommend them to everyone I know.
@@weirdmood8102 I like those for made in America and Irish setter wingshooters as far as imports go.
And they last less than a year because they prioritize quick break on over durabliltu. Mine are shredded. I’m looking elsewhere for my next pair
@@eclark9965what exactly is worn on your boots? My soles wear quickly, and my most recent pair has a few stitches that came out, but aside from that I’ve had several pairs that I’ve worn for well over a year without issue
@@eclark9965any luck?
Sir this short video here convinced me to switch my footwear to a pair of these diplomats from Thursday Boots, I've been having problems with me and lower back pain and I think it's because of my poor footwear. I just ordered a pair of brown standard captains, and this week I will also be ordering a pair of diplomats 👌🏼 thank you!
The refineries have banned the wedge soles claiming all the opposite you just stated. They need to see this video.
Send them to me. I’ll fix them
They want a heeled boot due to climbing ladders . The iron workers were always allowed to wear the wedge sole due to the nature of their jobs which is a given. Nobody want to trip over a stupid heel when you're up that high.
I also like the soft cushion the wedge soles tend to give
More surface area does not mean better slip resistance. Friction force is agnostic to surface area. Slip resistance is reliant on material properties. If you take 1 square inch of rubber and apply 20lbs to it it's breakout force is identical to 4 square inches with 20lbs applied.
Really thankful for this video!
Being a delivery driver for one of the big soda companies, the grip was a huge deal on a lift gate in the rain.
Also if u are a plumber, and doing underground work, it can help fine tune the leveling of a ditch.
Also can't be worn on any industrial site. When ironworkers still climbed steel, they all had boots with heels because they rode columns like firepoles, you hook your heels onto the back flange of the beam to climb or slide. Flat soles are a safety issue on ladders because they allow your foot to slip through. They just became a fad relatively recently with cork sniffing ironheads and boileys.In the 80's nobody wore flat soles.
Typically moc toe boots have a bigger toe box which makes them more comfortable.
Not thorogood, the toe box is wonky. I have a wider foot, their wide was a clown boot, their normal was pretty snug
As someone who normally wears heeled logger boots for hiking on railroad ballast and has had the displeasure of wearing those boots on a few concrete pours, you wear flat soles in those environments so your heel doesn't catch on anything and trip you.
Idk if its because i favor walking on my toes or what, but i dont tend to trip too much with regular heels.
Heck i even comfortably run some mountain trails and free climb in em.
I have really high arches too so that may play a factor with not preferring flat soles.
@@100GTAGUY
Yeah and similarly on normal surfaces I'm not really tripping on much, but in my experience it's fairly difficult to walk on tied rebar with heels.
I own both prefer thorogoods for work theyre the best work boot
I went in to buy boots at a small shop.
My 8” moc toe thorogoods are wedge, the man who owned the shop told me to get them simply because everyone liked them better than the heeled one, and he had regulars come by before and switch to wedge and never go back.
I got some Irish setters mock toe wedge recently and I’m a big fan
Plus the lack of a heel stack on the sole means it won’t catch on the edge of steel when walking beams
They are for flat feet not for people with high arch, that’s why I went with loggers
That’s why you remove the factory insert. Replace with whatever you need. I have regular arches. I went with the orange Superfeet insert for my Thorogood boots.
They break in so much better they’re lighter and more comfortable. I loved my thoroughgoods
I’ve been a UPS driver for awhile now. The only boot I use is the Thorogood Moc. I put on anywhere between 20k-30k steps a day in these and only have had to resole once. Leather is conditioned about 2-3 times a year, depending on the salt buildup in the winter. If these can stand up, outdoors, all day everyday in the winters and summers of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, they can probably last through anything!
Worked one day busting rods in Danners and felt like my feet were gonna shatter. Worked one day in Red Wing classic mocs and could’ve gone on a hike after work haha
Seem pretty nice. All my co workers in the elevator union used to make fun of me for wearing the cheapest boots from walmart. Sole was super hard so they'd last a awhile walking on concrete.
I always look for a strong shank to protect my arch and knees. I never considered the wedge. I will now.
Big facts right here I switched to wedge soul boots three years ago, and the comfort is undeniable. What I also like is the soul itself is a little bit wider than the boot helping with balance and not rolling your ankles especially if you’re rolling itch out walking on 3in of purlin. vinyl will catch u tho lolllll
Maintenance worker in a factory and I love my Irish setter wedge soles
I’ve been working on job sites and production environments most of my adult career. Never owned a pair of wedge soles, never knew there were benefits. But I don’t hang iron or do cement work. I’ve been wearing Doc Martin air walkers for like 8 years. I suppose I can give this style a try.
Love my web sole mock toe thoroughgoods. Made in the USA by Union seamstresses.
I started wearing wedge soles about a year ago. They felt strange at first but are actually very nice on hard flat surfaces. I'd like some Redwings but they're too expensive. I'm currently wearing Wolverine Hellcats.
I’m a welder and prefer wedge soul boots, I’ve been really pleased with Thorogoods strong, durable, comfortable and made in the USA 🇺🇸
Keen got the fort wayne wich is like this except there is rubber over the toe. Keen is ahead of the game. Im a believer.
Honestly I’ve had better luck with a logger heel on concrete. At least my back feels but you do notice more of an impact so there is trade offs
You wear them to not catch on the beams, but sadly the vast majority of refineries and construction companies have banned them due to people blaming ladder falls on the lack of heel. Yet I've never seen someone lock the heel into a ladder. Most people climb ladders on the balls of their feet not the arch
And while they don’t do as much today it allows them to CLIMB the I-beams….. it’s fuq’ing wild to see em do it and they still teach in school
I wear flat bottom work shoes so I can hold down the brake locks on the brake pedals on my drag line cranes..
My iron worker buddies said the heels and boots with lugs will get hung up on things and make you trip.
Great advice!
I like that suede and black trim version you held up in the start of the video. Can you let me know the exact model so i can find them please? Thanks!
These wedge souls have really helped my plantar fasciitis
Keen makes a Wellington style cowboy boot with a wedge sole. By far my favorite as a concrete guy/excavator/pipelayer/roofer and they've held up really well. Cant wait to buy another pair!
I went in to buy boots at a small shop.
My 8” moc toe thorogoods are wedge, the man who owned the shop told me to get them simply because everyone liked them better than the heeled one, and he had regulars come by before and switch to wedge and never go back.
M
As a lifelong ironworker you are only partially correct but have been properly schooled 👍
Wedge-sole boats are the predominant style in virtually all commercial construction trades.
🫵🏼Forgot to mention Danner Bull Run wedge sole moc or plain toe resoleable, top that with made in USA!!👍🏼
Flaggers and riggers and signalers wear them too. Local 737.
Been wearing throrogoods for years but going to try out some jks this year still got a pair of throrogoods as dress boots tho
I have those boots. They are a deathwish in the snow and ice, but they are way more comfortable.
I remember wearing Polo boots all throughout the early 2000's. Such a classic.
Diesel mechanic, love my redwings. Tanks of boots and they are almost as comfortable as a pair of tennis shoes
I always wanted to try a wedge sole but I work on a oil rig and need a heeled boot for use on ladders
I love Carolina boots amd have owned several different pairs. I bought the loggers as my last boot because I needed a boot to use with gaffs. I like the loggers as they truly are waterproof but the loggers hurt my feet during a 10-hour work day. Getting used to the ‘high heel shoe’ feeling took several months but the lingering foot numbness persists. I think I will try the wedge style next. Thanks for this quick vid.
I have been using a pair of loggers I got from Thorogood's outlet store for around a year as an assembler in a factory. I just bought a pair of Thorogood's American Heritage moc toes with a wedge sole. HOW DID HE KNOW
I just wear normal CAT composite toe workboots. Im a shop guy, but climbing on trucks to load, or climbing up and walking along on a frame im welding even, completely unsecured, I appreciate the no slip soft runber soles, oil proof, and the extra dexterity compared to a completely leather boot. I do have a pair of wedgesoles though, but I dont really wear them anymore.
Thoroughgood 8inch combat toe.
An Apocalypse grade boot
as a concrete finisher we preferer this boot for the same reasons plus the bottom is a wavy pattern so allows us to walk on simi wet concrete and trial it off easy er
Timberland grid works wearer here! Best boot I’ve ever worn.