Slip on work shoes

Hello everyone,
I am in the market for a good great pair of "work"/all around shoes. My last pair were Red Wings model 8700 and were given to me by someone that tried them and did not like them, they lasted about 5 years of everyday use (seriously the only shoes I wore beside my work boots for actual physical work around the house). The sole finally cracked on them and my feet started getting wet, after a week of going through denial I finally went shoe shopping. I went to the Red Wing store in our town and it did not look like they had them, and we walked in and the clerk did not acknowledge us the whole time we were looking, so we left. This put me on a quest to find a shoe that will last me the rest of my life (or at least 10 years, then I will only have to buy a couple of more pairs the rest of my life). I am a construction project manager, so I am on construction sites quite often and also very active so I ask a lot of my shoes. I may go with the Red Wings, not sure, but thought I would do some research before I purchased anything. I came across Kuru and they look good, does anyone have any suggestions?
Here is a link to the Red Wings http://www.redwingshoes.com/footwear/filter-Slip-On
Here is a link to the Kuru http://www.kurufootwear.com/mens-shoes/kivi-mens.html?color=Black-Leather
Please let me know your thoughts.
Thanks

I've heard some people swear by these Blundstone Slip On Work Boots .  For my job I'm not allowed to have slip on boots, or I would go for these.

Thanks, I have not seen these in my search yet. Looks like they have a life time guarantee upgrade. They are in the running (pun intended)

It used to be you could send them back to the factory to have them resoled, if the tops are still descent.  My husband had his Irish setters resoled.  From their website:

Shoe Repair
Red Wing shoes are built to last, and our repair team makes sure they live on

Customer Service:

http://www.redwingshoes.com/customer-service

Slip on are not allowed in most work places here (legislated). That extends to slip on boots too. I recent (6 months ago) moved to a pair of Oliver zip sided boots. For me, they're the best work shoes/boots I've owned. If I want something light weight I throw on some old runners. Otherwise the olivers rock....speaking of which I dropped a large stone on my foot when doing some retaining work (say 30kgs) didn't feel a thing.

They're easy to get on and off with the zip. Well worth it IMO.

Edit: they also dont smell as bad as my old Redback Boots (typical leather slip on boot)

This is a useless post because LL Bean used to have an excellent pair of clogs for men and woman. They wore like iron, slipped on and off, were waterproof and comfortable. I check on my sheep in the winter and I could out with several inches of snow and not worry...quick on...quick off. I have had a pair for six years, a pair before that and they were almost as good as...well name anything good, that is how much I loved them.

Then they changed their style and by all accounts, they are useless compared to what they were.

Mine are so worn now they are about to be burned. It saddens me LL Bean had a good thing and now has nothing to replace it with.

I love my Dr Martin Rosa Boots....steel toecap and fake shearling lined...I wear them for some pretty rugged outdoor work and also with everything I wear. I got them online from a workwear site for half the price listed on the fashion sites. They're good.

Sometimes a seller on ebay will be going through a closet and sometimes you luck out..here is one link, might try varying the wording in searches..but it is a start..  
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_odkw=Red+Wings+8700&_osacat=11450&_from=R40&_trksid=p2045573.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.H0.XRed+Wing+8700.TRS0&_nkw=Red+Wing+8700&_sacat=11450

A few years back I did the full research cycle on steel toed slip on boots and while I don't remember my reasoning, I wound up getting the Georgia Giant High Romeo and I don't think I could be much happier.

I forget what I paid for 'em at Coastal Farm & Ranch.. they have a model GR274 listed for like $70 which look the same.

Slip on work boots are aaaaawesome! Good on ya!

Ari

PS. I'm thinking I was looking for the best sourcing I could -- materials and crafting -- and probably gave up as they're mostly mass produced now-a-days. Hmm.

ari gold wrote:A few years back I did the full research cycle on steel toed slip on boots and while I don't remember my reasoning, I wound up getting the Georgia Giant High Romeo and I don't think I could be much happier.

I forget what I paid for 'em at Coastal Farm & Ranch.. they have a model GR274 listed for like $70 which look the same.

Slip on work boots are aaaaawesome! Good on ya!

Ari

PS. I'm thinking I was looking for the best sourcing I could -- materials and crafting -- and probably gave up as they're mostly mass produced now-a-days. Hmm.

I recently got the Georgia Athens Steel Toe Waterproof Wellington after a lot of research into boots for homesteading. I really enjoy them. Good solid company.

Here's another possible option, if you find some boots you like except that they're lace-up.  I bought a set of these Hickies recently and they are certainly convenient.  Converted my Merrells into slip-ons.

Now, they're not perfect, at least for my shoes, I haven't been able to get them quite as tight as I would have preferred.  But that might be a user-induced problem, and they definitely keep the shoes on.  In fact I did several miles of light hiking through snow, and they did just fine.  There is also a newer version than I have, which is supposedly better.  Also depending on the shoe, there are different ways to use them to tighten/loosen (seemingly not on mine, at least I haven't figured it out yet).

I do get a small kickback if you buy through my link below - but I really do recommend them.  If you don't like that idea, just find hickies.com.  (Not sure if that goes on permies or not?  If not I'd be glad to take my link down.)



Hickies shoelace replacements

Also last I checked, there were several active coupon codes out there, just do a web search and/or sign up for their emails.

I'm obsessive about slip on shoes. To put them on and walk away without bending down. My solution is elastic shoelaces. For work i use keen shoes with a steel toe. The combination hast lasted a couple of years. The heel is starting to wear out but a handy person can fix this.

wayne fajkus wrote:I'm obsessive about slip on shoes. To put them on and walk away without bending down. My solution is elastic shoelaces. For work i use keen shoes with a steel toe. The combination hast lasted a couple of years. The heel is starting to wear out but a handy person can fix this.

My wife does something similar. While technically they are lace-up shoes, Katie wears Keds a lot since she can leave them laced up, but just slip them on.

We are a shoeless home, but sometimes if she is in the house and on her feet all day, her back will bother her, so wearing shoes helps. Keds help with that because it is a supportive sneaker, but almost a slipper-type shoes as well.

Maybe the original poster could find lace-up shoes that once laced and tied, could be slipped on.

Speaking of Ked's, I wonder what would happen if a person contacted the company where their former favorite style of slip-on shoe was made. I once heard that a man's wife could no longer find the style of shoe she used to like since Ked's changed their style. So her husband contacted the company and sent the man a case of shoes they had kicking around in a warehouse. In that case though, the man was George Bush, Sr and the woman was Barbara Bush which is probably the reason Ked's did it. I am not sure if they would do it for an everyday citizen though.

For those that do not know what ked's are, this is katie wearing a pair. They are lace-up's, but she just slips them on and off.

I don't think there is a lifetime shoe or boot.  I had a pair of Heavy (leather) Vasque hiking boots that I loved.  The soles were shot so I took them in for a replacement.  The cobbler told me to buy another pair because the cost of the repair was similar to the price of a new pair.  For working in the garden I like Crocs but the soles do wear out.  

I have a pair of Danner logging boots that are about as good as you can get.  The problem with the Danners is getting them broken in and they are super expensive.

They have several roper style boots that might fit the bill.

Danner Boots

Danner Slip ons

I don't see the point in expensive boots/work shoes anymore, how many one year pairs can you buy for the price of a 5 year one? I did have one pair of $200 hiking boots they managed about 3 years. now for work I buy these things, cheap and cheerful, leather uppers, faux fur lining ,steel toecaps and steel plate underneath, dew proof but not standing in pond waterproof. I find they last a year and then the soles crack. $25 a pair and they are slip on!