Favorite garage shoes?

I found this old thread, but thought I would post a new one to see what everyone thinks now:

Old GRM shoe thread

For the longest while Vans have been my all around go to sneakers, including garage work, but I'm starting to think my body can't handle them anymore. Knee and especially hip pain are telling me I need something different.

I wear Red Wings at work, and they are ok. But I'm not going to spend that much money on a pair of kicks for working in the garage.

What do you all recommend?

I wear slip on Walmart vans knock offs that I put a doc scholls insole in. I'm not sure if they help your knees or not but they are cheap and do the trick.

i wear new balance, even at work these days. since we quit requiring steel toes my feet appreciate it. i find just about any quality cross trainer is great. i used to wear airwalks but my foot/ankle issues have led me to buying something that actually has a good arch and padding.

As I cycle through new running shoes, typically Sauconoys, the old pair gets delegated to garage work duty. This keeps me in fairly comfortable shoes with good cushioning that change every 6-9 months, and usually by the time they have gone through a cycle of running shoes then garage shoes, they are used up. They are not good work welding though, as slag will melt right through the breathable mesh and then melt holes in my sock too, to get to my foot.

Wait, this is a thing?

Boots. Cause welding in flip flops is stupid. When you drop something nice and heavy on them slippers, you'll say, "Appleseed was right." You'll see.

Last years old beat up Sperry Top-Siders.

Crocks. They are HORRIBLE for welding, SUCK for grinding, offer ZERO impact protection and have all the slip resistance of greased ball bearings. I have also stepped on things and had them poke me in the foot, and that HURTS. They are literally the worst thing you can wear in the garage. I really need to wear something else.

Sonic wrote: As I cycle through new running shoes, typically Sauconoys, the old pair gets delegated to garage work duty. This keeps me in fairly comfortable shoes with good cushioning that change every 6-9 months, and usually by the time they have gone through a cycle of running shoes then garage shoes, they are used up. They are not good work welding though, as slag will melt right through the breathable mesh and then melt holes in my sock too, to get to my foot.

Asics are very similar in that respect. Make great mud shoes though, they dry out quickly.

New Balance 626 slip resistant and a leather upper for welding.

SyntheticBlinkerFluid wrote: Wait, this is a thing?

Only if you want it to be!

I tried bringing work boots home when work buys me a new pair. But by that time they are pretty well spent, so that doesn't work anymore.

And maybe my question was misleading- I wear them other places than in the garage...

Oh, I used to wear whatever tennis shoe was around. Till I caught the bastards on fire grinding. You don't know terror until the fire you try to move away from follows you.

Depends on what I'm doing in the shop. Normal maintenance and knocking around is whatever cross trainer or tennis shoe I've quit wearing out in public. Welding or heavy work gets leather boots and steel toes.

Now, for day to day wear...I keep a pair of Timberland Oxfords at the office and usually wear cycling shoes or tennis shoes in/out. Off work is typically Teva sandals or Sperry Ultralights in the summer and hiking boots in the winter.

Appleseed wrote: Boots. Cause welding in flip flops is stupid. When you drop something nice and heavy on them slippers, you'll say, "Appleseed was right." You'll see.

I dropped a Bridgeport axis handle on my foot while crawling around cleaning the machine shop while wearing Converse. Boss took me to task - why weren't you wearing your work boots (implied Fred Sanford "Ya big dummy!" by tone of voice)

Answer: I didn't want to get the equipment dirty crawling around all over everything.

I stopped limping a week later, so there's that.

And then there was the time I broke a toe while using a 4 way lug wrench... while wearing untied Converse... I am seeing a trend.

I get about six months out of a pair of $50 K-mart boots. They wear out and the leather cracks and splits and the soles fall off all about the same time. Last year around Thanksgiving I bought a pair of Caterpillar boots without looking at the price. $130. I was pissed off. But that was almost six months ago and they still look and feel like they are a month old. I say that because they did have a long and painful break-in period, and apparently Cat sizing is a little narrower than everyone else and I've never had to wear a wide size before but I should have made an exception.

So, steel toed boots. Comfortable ones.

I have a pair of Timberland Pro slip-ons with steel toes that I wear exclusively in the garage. I'm in and out of the house a lot and therefore have them on and off a lot, hence the slip-ons. Tracking oil and grease into the house is dangerous to my testicles.

The slip-ons have the same sole construction as their work boots, so they are quite comfortable. I don't know how anyone lasts an hour standing on concrete with soft athletic shoes, but maybe that's because of the crazy way my feet are built.

I have a pair of lace-up Timberland Pro workboots, too, for when I go to the racetrack or work outside.

Like Sonic, I relegate old runners to garage duty. I wear old 5 hole leather Doc Martiens to weld. Mostly because they are the shoes I wear every day.

Put me in the boot camp. Any kind of boot is better than no boot. I have holes burned into all of my good shoes so now I stick to boots.

Boots.

Current steel toe work boots or if dirty work involved an old retired pair. Summer work gets soft soled shoes w/ steel toes, retired from work. Once hit some rusty autobody w/ the MIG and had hot nuggets in my lightweight running shoes, what a bear to shake off, no more of that.

pinchvalve wrote: Crocks. They are HORRIBLE for welding, SUCK for grinding, offer ZERO impact protection and have all the slip resistance of greased ball bearings. I have also stepped on things and had them poke me in the foot, and that HURTS. They are literally the worst thing you can wear in the garage. I really need to wear something else.

This is me. I think there is a correlation between how far you need to go to get to the garage and how "dressed up" you get for it. I unloaded the racecar and the go cart and put everything from the rallycross weekeded away in PJ pants, crocs, and a T-shirt this morning. I'm literally the little old man who putters around his yard in his pajamas with a cup of coffee in his hand. I put real clothes on if I'm going to get dirty. I put real shoes on if I'm operating power tools. Usually.

I'm not welding so last year's running shoes. They're also this year's painting shoes. For dropping or raising anything, an old pair of hiking boots.

$10-15 WallyWorld trail shoes with inserts for run of the mill garage work and boots for welding/grinding.

Appleseed wrote: Oh, I used to wear whatever tennis shoe was around. Till I caught the bastards on fire grinding. You don't know terror until the fire you try to move away from follows you.

I did this with a pair of army surplus pants. They were baggy and caught a piece of hot something right above my boot. (Insert Benny Hill music with that visual).

I really like the slip on idea with protective toes. I too am in and out of the house often.

Thank you all for the input!

Redwings or chuck's, depending on the situation. Chucks make me feel like an awesome old school hotrodder.

Nike 6.0, tattered to hell. Funny how I inherited these, a friend kept a car at my old shop and left his old nasty shoes there so he wouldnt mess up new ones. When i was moving out i saw them, after recently retiring my last pair of 6.0s i carpe diemed them bitches, threw them in the washer and wore the E36 M3 out of them, mainly in mechanicing shop and also machine shop (thick souls so swarf doesnt stab the bottom of my feet). Yeah im a bum, my other shoes are equally ratty van lowtop style adios, was $20 new. I hate new E36 M3 and fear buying new shoes not cause the price i just dont like news E36 M3. Its funny cause im the only person i know who doesnt wear boots in the machine shop. Maybe i should petition nike to make a steel toed 6.0, then petition them to give me their test shoes.

Damn i sound like a hobo. Maybe i am?

Edit: life pro top, never wear tennis shoes in a shop, was watching my friends torch some steel in some, i was zoned out wondering why he was wearing tennis shoes and i watched some embers/glowing bbs drop through the breathable material on top and onto his foot. I laughed, he didnt.