Been a long time since I have seen a thread on boots so I thought I would start my own. I have a high arch and wide foot. My arch needs support or it gets painful. I would like something without heavy deep tread to pick up mud. I do a lot of office work also but I suppose I could just change shoes when I come in.
Checkout Haix. I started with their forestry (chainsaw) boots and they are the best things I ever put on my feet. They make all sorts of boots for people who are on their feet all day. They have some really nice boots for police and fire fighters that are light but solid support for my odd shaped feet. Really nice for regular day to day wear. Customer service is really helpful and they offer a generous return policy if you don,t like 'em though I always have. They have some great deals on close outs and seconds. Their seconds are like other people’s firsts.
Same feet I have with the same issue. Whites boots have been my savior for 40 years. I wear SmokeJumpers at work, and the Packers on weekends. Different soles are an option on all their boots.
While I have almost the exact opposite foot wise....narrow and fairly flat arches....I have had an injury to my right ankle and foot a few years ago so I tried a lot of boots until I found some that fit well. I cannot say enough good things about my Thorogood boots. I have the moc toe with the wedge style sole. Not very aggressive at all. Drawback there is if you do get into some muck they get slick. I wore one pair daily for 2-1/2 years and changed one set of inserts. I now have two new pairs because they were so hard to find. Might be helpful for you. Good luck!
I should have added I have smokejumper type boots. Way too big and heavy for the lighter work I do these days. But my cheap shoes are just not cutting it any more. I am getting softer as I get older I guess.
Not sure how they would fit your feet but I tried a set of Keens based on a friend's recommendation and love them. They are lighter, tougher, more comfortable and actually stay waterproof for more than 6 months compared to the last couple pairs of Danner Super Rainforests that I had.
I got sick and tired of tying/breaking boot laces. I switched to pull on western boots, not much for ankle support but that's a good thing for most awkward wrenching positions. https://www.canadawestboots.com/workwest
Regardless of what boots you wear, I recommend the Dr. Scholls, arch support insoles, that are custom made for how your feet are shaped. Most Wal-Marts have the machine, that tells you what # insert you require. Once you get that, there are those on the innernut, that sell the same #, for half the Dr. Scholls price. Makes just about any shoe, much more comfortable, IMHO
The Dr. Scholls are not custom made. They have a few different orthotics to choose from. The biggest issue we noticed is that not all machines will give the same recommendation. The other thing we saw was a guy wearing sandals without socks step on the machine. Kind of disgusting and the machines are a bit of a gimmick. You can get custom made orthotics but they are a few hundred bucks.
That is the only footwear I am willing to spend a lot of money on.my feet spend a lot of time in them
This is why I will spend 500 bucks on a semi custom work boot that lasts me 2.5 years and can be rebuilt like new for 1/2 the original price. Orthotic inserts do not work for me in boots.
Redbacks with their insoles have been my favorites for almost 10 years now. Steel toed for work, safety toe for day to day. They fit more like a shoe and even the steel toes are light enough to just be comfortable. Work provided a credit for Redwings, I picked up some 11" tall steel toed slip ons, and while comfortable they are heavy and clunky when not in the snow or muck. My Redwing Ropers on the other hand have become the boots I live in on the weekend now.
I have a pair of Keens I like them as well. They don't like twisting and turning on like expanded metal steps as the sole started shredding. I use them for operating and driving days. I also have a pair of Chippewa loggers that are deep lug vibram on day's where I am going to on and off the machine. One of our labor foremen got me started with the 2 pair idea. By picking the light weight boot for tasks it was designed for and the loggers for the days I need that pair... I may get 3 or 4 years out of 2 pair versus one year out one pair.
I recommend slip on boots to everyone, but idk about high arch..... I have never tried replacing insoles on slip ons as it seems a bad idea. I used to twist my ankles all the time in lace ups. After a year of slip on Georgia's, I never have ankle pain. Brand is a non issue as they have to fit properly to your foot. It makes swapping shoes easier too. As for arch support, my brother has a high arch, and proper(expensive) inserts are the way to go. No boot will replace quality inserts. You can't make a foot bed specifically for high arch people, and everyone else is boned. They make them flat, and your arch support is up to you. He wears timberland pros, but he works with pool chems all day, not construction.
I wear Redwing steel toe slip ons. My foot is wide (double E) with a high arch also.
Technically you're right. But they have a selection of products that fit a variety of feet. I've never had any problems, with them, or the cheaper clones. Now if you have 6 toes per foot, it might be a different story, for you. As for being grossed out by a hippie, in sandals, here's a simple solution you could try: Take 2 old plastic bread bags, and slip them over your socks, while standing on the machine!
Dr. Scholls are generic orthotics that may help some but aren't close to custom made orthotics which are done by a specialist. Kind of like buying reading glasses at the drugstore compared to getting them from an optometrist who tests your eyes to get the right strength.
after standing behind overweight women at the cash in Walmart, and seeing them flatten their feet in flip flops, I would think that would be the last thing to put on your feet. I went to the Dr with knee pain, he looked at my feet, and said I can send you to a specialist, and you can spend a bunch of money, or you can go home and throw those flip flops away. My father was raised poor, and had to quit school in grade 9 because they couldn't afford shoes for him. After years of wearing undersized shoes, his toes looked like the end of an electrical cable, with his toes on top of each other. He went like that right up into his 40s. He broke his heel and the dr thought he had some damage to his foot because of his toes. When my father showed him his other foot, he wanted him to see a specialist after his heel healed. They made him the most uncomfortable looking inserts for his boots. A half inch high bump behind the ball of his foot. It pressed in the right place to spread his toes out. He complained that it was a waste of money, but he lost the limp he had for years.