Mistakes to Avoid When Buying New Boots

Some of the ugg boots for men on this blog have spent years on my feet. Others, for one reason or another, but every week. But one thing that they are doing all has in common is that they’ve all been personally purchased and personally tested.

In other words, I’ve made no shortage of labor boot related decisions. Most have worked out very well. Quite a few, however, have resulted in both wasted money and worse, painful feet. The subject of this text is that the latter.

Most poor work boot decisions boil right down to one or more key mistakes. Here’s what to not do when buying new boots.

Size Guessing

First off, we’ve got obvious; buying the incorrect size. This can be tricky when purchasing online but like most of the people, the convenience, selection, and pricing wins me over ninefold out of ten.

The key to avoiding this mistake at least 90% of the time is to do your research. Amazon allows people to vote on how well a boot or shoe fits and label the result “Expected Fit”. Aim for boots that score at least 70%.

And secondly, check individual reviews.

Some reviews are useless but quite a few discuss sizing issues like how they compare to boots of an equivalent brand, how wide/tight they’re etc. If multiple reviews state an equivalent problem, concentrate and shop accordingly.

Boots can obviously be returned if you get the incorrect size but that doesn’t make it any less frustrating at the time.

Being overly Budget Conscious

Most people, myself included, shop with a minimum of one eye firmly on the worth. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with this.

At an equivalent time, however, like everything else, you get what you buy. And within the case of labor boots, what you get are some things that you’ll be wearing 40 hours plus per week.

Personally, I avoid Red Wing because I can’t justify the worth tag. But at an equivalent time, I will be able to pay extra for something like Keen because they keep my feet happy and most pairs last for an extended, long time.

In other words, be budget conscious but don’t be cheap.

A solid pair of trainers can and will be treated as, an extended term investment within the comfort of your feet. It’s also worth noting that cheap boots wear out faster, so you don’t really economize within the future anyway.

Right Boots, Wrong Job

This is an error that I’ve made twice now. It doesn’t matter how perfect a pair of trainers is if they’re not designed for somebody in your work in your specific environment.

In other words, if you’re employed on cement floors, you would like boots with serious shock absorption. If you’re employed primarily indoors, you would like boots that are a touch light on insulation. And if you spend all day on your feet, you would like something light, and again, seriously shock absorbent.

Right Boots, Wrong Feet

If you’ve got a history of painful feet, don’t necessarily blame your shoes. There’s any number of feet abnormalities that you simply could have and until you recognize what the matter is, finding a pair of trainers that help to unravel it’ll prove impossible.

There’s an enormous difference between a hard hat and a chiropodist so I’m not getting to enter detail here. But if you’ve tried multiple boots and your feet still hurt, get your feet checked before throwing good money after bad.

Most foot problems are easy to treat once the matter has been identified.

Forgetting About After Work

If you’ve got the discipline to vary your shoes after work, you’ll skip this part. If you’re employed on the railroad, you’ll skip this part too. Ankle protection and style are mutually exclusive.

But if you would like a pair of trainers that you simply can wear outside the workplace, don’t forget to think about style when making your choice.

These days, it’s surprisingly easy to seek out a pair of trainers that look even as good on the town as they are doing on the development site. Personally, I wear some sort of work boot day in, day out.

This can also go an extended way towards justifying hefty price tags. At least that’s what I tell my wife anyway.

Brand Shopping

Some brands you can’t really go wrong with. Keen is a good example. On the pricier end of the size, there’s also Red Wing. I’ve yet to regret one purchase from either manufacturer despite the sticker shock of the latter.

Other brands, however, are a touch more hit in a miss. Case in point, Timberland. Most of their boots are excellent. They’re easily one among the foremost popular manufacturers out there. Some of their boots, however, have major design defects.

My point is just to not base your purchase decisions on name alone. Research individual boots, not their manufacturer.