Shoes That Work

[roadman65]

I recently had to wear composite toe shoes to work as steel toe shoes set off metal detectors where I work.  The issue is they're not comfortable to say the least. I'm on my feet constantly for over nine hours and my feet hurt from the shoe being it offers poor support.

I heard about a place called The Good Feet Store. So I checked them out. However, when I got there, the place was a giant empty room with no shoes but attendants eager to wait on you. I asked if they sell composite shoes. The lady sales rep said " No, but what we offer are insoles to your current footwear.  Let me sit you down and explain."  Needless to say, I sat down she had me sized out and took a carbon foot print.

Then she came with the arch supports out of the back and had me try them on in which I done. I figure all along that I would be paying between $100 and $200 or at most in the $300s. Was I ever wrong. After she got me settled in to liking what I felt, she said"  Let's get you checked out. You got $135 taken off your purchase due to a special. All together you're looking at $1200."

I immediately decided I didn't want to buy it for obvious reasons, but of course they make it sound that you can qualify for no interest payments up to one year with Care Credit, whom I have had issues with years ago at the Dentist Office. They like to accept your monthly payment each month and then weeks later deny that same payment to get you on a late charge, etc.

That now leaves me with the dilemma of how to I deal with the foot discomfort. I've heard that there are no comfortable composite toe shoes out there from other consumers. Was wondering are there other more reasonable over the counter footwear insoles that do the job of eliminating foot pain from bad shoe bottoms?

[JayhawkCO]

There are. You don't need "custom orthotics". You can get OTC insoles and have them modified by a good shoe store. Aetrex Lynco is a good brand.

I know of what I speak as I used to work at an upscale shoe store during summers in college doing resoling, orthotics, elevations for people who had one leg longer, etc.

[wanderer2575]

Good Feet doesn't sell shoes.  They sell arch supports.  For a ridiculous amount of money, as you found out.  They supposedly are molded to the optimal shape of your foot so as to not require any modification.  I've worn their supports for at least 10 years now and I will say:  They are not only comfortable (takes a bit of getting used to), but they helped my support and balance to an incredible degree.  I tend to lose my balance often (being overweight doesn't help) and these things have made a huge improvement to my standing stability.

I found out about these at an infomercial lecture on a cruise ship.  Sounded good and I bought a pair.  What I didn't know then was that they come in multiple designs for varying levels of support, and the ones sold on cruise ships are for the least impact (because those require no time to break in so they won't interfere with your shipboard activities).  I bought a full set and it wasn't any $1,200 but still at least several hundred.  The first "mild" set from the ship, I keep in my house slippers.  I use the "medium" and ""sharp" (for want of a better phrase) sets for yardwork and outdoor activities.  The "sharp" set is always in my boots when I go dayhiking.

[JayhawkCO]

Good Feet doesn't sell shoes.  They sell arch supports.  For a ridiculous amount of money, as you found out.  They supposedly are molded to the optimal shape of your foot so as to not require any modification.  I've worn their supports for at least 10 years now and I will say:  They are not only comfortable (takes a bit of getting used to), but they helped my support and balance to an incredible degree.  I tend to lose my balance often (being overweight doesn't help) and these things have made a huge improvement to my standing stability.

I don't doubt your experience for a moment, but one of the sales techniques at my store involved having people stand barefoot without any support, put their arms out, and then the salesperson would push their arms down and the people couldn't resist the force and "tipped over" before catching themselves. When they then stood on one of the various insoles we sold, they didn't budge an inch. This would apply to basically any arch support, not specifically that brand.

[roadman65]

Good Feet doesn't sell shoes.  They sell arch supports.  For a ridiculous amount of money, as you found out.  They supposedly are molded to the optimal shape of your foot so as to not require any modification.  I've worn their supports for at least 10 years now and I will say:  They are not only comfortable (takes a bit of getting used to), but they helped my support and balance to an incredible degree.  I tend to lose my balance often (being overweight doesn't help) and these things have made a huge improvement to my standing stability.

I don't doubt your experience for a moment, but one of the sales techniques at my store involved having people stand barefoot without any support, put their arms out, and then the salesperson would push their arms down and the people couldn't resist the force and "tipped over" before catching themselves. When they then stood on one of the various insoles we sold, they didn't budge an inch. This would apply to basically any arch support, not specifically that brand.

Exactly what they did to me. They make you feel it's those supports you have on to make you able to balance yourself from tipping.

[JayhawkCO]

Good Feet doesn't sell shoes.  They sell arch supports.  For a ridiculous amount of money, as you found out.  They supposedly are molded to the optimal shape of your foot so as to not require any modification.  I've worn their supports for at least 10 years now and I will say:  They are not only comfortable (takes a bit of getting used to), but they helped my support and balance to an incredible degree.  I tend to lose my balance often (being overweight doesn't help) and these things have made a huge improvement to my standing stability.

I don't doubt your experience for a moment, but one of the sales techniques at my store involved having people stand barefoot without any support, put their arms out, and then the salesperson would push their arms down and the people couldn't resist the force and "tipped over" before catching themselves. When they then stood on one of the various insoles we sold, they didn't budge an inch. This would apply to basically any arch support, not specifically that brand.

Exactly what they did to me. They make you feel it's those supports you have on to make you able to balance yourself from tipping.

Check out the brand I listed above. Looks like they go for about $70 or so, and then if you find them sold somewhere locally, they can add things, shave them in places, etc. to customize them more specifically to your foot.

[roadman65]

https://www.happyfeet.com/lynco-orthotics?gclid=Cj0KCQjwrMKmBhCJARIsAHuEAPQ_0MFNJ_1dODewYUTi8re3q6cP4N5HVoGG38ZG-wBey-vwAMCjfCcaAui5EALw_wcB
You mean these. I'll check them out.

You said any local shoe store will customize them to my feet?

[JayhawkCO]

https://www.happyfeet.com/lynco-orthotics?gclid=Cj0KCQjwrMKmBhCJARIsAHuEAPQ_0MFNJ_1dODewYUTi8re3q6cP4N5HVoGG38ZG-wBey-vwAMCjfCcaAui5EALw_wcB
You mean these. I'll check them out.

You said any local shoe store will customize them to my feet?

Not any store. Good stores, and likely only if you buy the insoles there. Basically they'll take a pedograph, which is a measure of where you're getting more or less pressure on your feet, and then they can put various pads and things on the bottom of the insole to help, for instance, support your metatarsal arch, or they could possibly shave some material off of places where you don't need as much.

Look for a store that sells things like Birkenstock, Ecco, Mephisto, Dansko, Finn Comfort, etc. and then also sells those. That would be the kind of store you're looking for.

[wanderer2575]

Good Feet doesn't sell shoes.  They sell arch supports.  For a ridiculous amount of money, as you found out.  They supposedly are molded to the optimal shape of your foot so as to not require any modification.  I've worn their supports for at least 10 years now and I will say:  They are not only comfortable (takes a bit of getting used to), but they helped my support and balance to an incredible degree.  I tend to lose my balance often (being overweight doesn't help) and these things have made a huge improvement to my standing stability.

I don't doubt your experience for a moment, but one of the sales techniques at my store involved having people stand barefoot without any support, put their arms out, and then the salesperson would push their arms down and the people couldn't resist the force and "tipped over" before catching themselves. When they then stood on one of the various insoles we sold, they didn't budge an inch. This would apply to basically any arch support, not specifically that brand.

Exactly what they did to me. They make you feel it's those supports you have on to make you able to balance yourself from tipping.

And the same for me.  Maybe I was suckered with the demo act and overpaying for the first thing I saw, but it was a long time ago and what I bought does work well for me so I won't kick myself too harshly.

[roadman65]

Hey if it works don't complain. Be grateful. I'm one to be suckered too. Sales people know how to get you. 

However the lack of money to buy saved me here. Plus knowing there are other options helps too.

[Dirt Roads]

Being a railroader, we encounter this issue a lot.  Most railroads and rail transit authorities require steel-toed shoes for obvious reasons; but some have outlawed steel-toed shoes because of the higher probability of encountering a foot crushing incident (of significantly more than 75 foot-pounds of force) whereby the steel toe causes additional damage.  I'm a rules follower (and enforcer), so I never developed a preference and owned safety dress shoes and safety boots in both steel and composite.  Nowadays, ASTM F2413 standards cover both steel-toe and composite-toe, making this decision a personal one.

I've had "flat fleet" for the past 15 years and was recently diagnosed by a podiatrist with a major-league cause.  I prefer safety shoes that have a removable insert and replace them with the inserts that are in my favorite style of athletic shoe.  There was a locally-owned running shoe store where the owner was a former NCAA assistant football coach who specialized in "footwork training".  His shop would evaluate your feet and recommend the best style athletic shoe based on the shape of the insole (ergo, insert).  [Just like the folks at Good Feet].  They also just happened to know the third-party manufacturers of some the inserts used in the shoes that they sold, and also would sell those inserts separately.  The owner recently retired and just went out of business.

If you have really bad foot pain issues, you ought to see a podiatrist.  But here's what I am planning to do myself.  Go to a decent athletic shoe store and ask to try on the most expensive inserts they have with good arch supports (those cost $55 these days, the ones I've been using only run about $39 but I can't get them locally).  See how well they work in your current work shoes.  (Make sure you clean up your work shoes really well inside-and-out, or they are not going to even consider this).  Additionally, I get "golf socks" from Thorlo that have a padded arch.  They allow me to walk around "bare-footed" in socks, and also improve the arch support when wearing shoes.

If you can afford it, I've always had good luck with Red Wing work shoes straight out of the box.  I've only owned two pairs.  I got my first when I worked on the railroad; the Red Wing truck came to my office and the railroad subsidized a big chunk of the cost.  Three days later, I got called out on a derailment and the soles got destroyed in a puddle of caustic soda.  Spin forward 35 years, and I finally sprung for a new pair of Red Wings last year because I couldn't find a local supplier for my favorite brand of "cheap" workboots.  (Everyone here still knows that I am cheap, right?)  BTW, the Red Wings did happen to be on a good sale price.

[kkt]

See if there's a podiatry clinic with a web page that lists good shoe stores in your area for people with unusual feet.  I went and saw a podiatrist and only afterwards found shoe store recommendations that would have saved me the trouble and expense of seeing the doctor.