When I’ve started to do research for this article I thought I could come up with a specific boot and model that last the longest. But, I’ve discovered (and I kinda knew already) that saying ONE particular boot last the longest is just silly and not accurate.
That’s because each trade, each profession, has different environments, different hazards that require different work boots with different features. Not to mention that each one of us treat our work boots differently, some take care of them, some can’t be bothered.
After having conversations with a lot of professionals out there, I figured the best way to present you this information is by listing as many occupations as possible together with what boots have been used to do a particular job, and how long they’ve lasted.
This is quite a long post as you can imagine trying to squeeze in so many professions. To make it easier for you I’ve created a table of contents. Just click below on the What’s Inside [show] link and go straight to the section related to your occupation or the closest thing possible.
What makes a work boot last a lifetime?
- Material used
A boot made of fabric won’t last as long as a work made of leather. You can condition the leather and protect it from the elements and that will make it last longer. Whereas there’s not much you can do with the fabric other than just waterproofing it and hoping for the best.
- The quality of the materials
I’m sure you already know but not all leather is the same and also not all leather is actually REAL leather (even when it says it’s genuine).
There are different qualities or grades of leather with the best one being what’s known as full-grain leather and the cheapest one is an abomination really.
It’s called bonded leather. This is kinda like the “chicken nuggets” of the leather industry. This “leather” is made of leather leftovers that are shredded into small tiny pieces and then glued together. Be aware of this, especially if you buy cheap work boots.
Using the best quality leather possible for our work boots is paramount to the longevity of the boots.
- Taking care of the boots
I gave a pair of DeWalt work boots to my colleague who’s a site manager on a project we’re working on together. The boots lasted only 9 months. Bear in mind he was making north of 15000 steps per day, and that’s a lot.
He never took care of his boots though. He never cleaned the work boots and he never applied mink oil or any leather conditioner to them either.
And this is the result…
We both agreed that if he would’ve conditioned the leather just once every 2 months the boots would’ve lasted for another 4-5 months.
- Have more than one pair
I know not everybody will have the budget to go and buy two pairs of work boots. These things are not cheap. Especially if you want top-quality as we’ve mentioned above.
One thing I know many of my colleagues do is keep an eye on the special offers that run a few times per year at their local or online work boots stores and THEN buy 2 pairs. Think of Black Friday offers.
Having more than one pair will allow you to alternate between your work boots, clean, dry, and condition one whilst you’re wearing the other.
This also will help avoid your work boots stinking like cat pee and even developing fungus and bacteria especially if your boots stay wet all the time.
How long do work boots last? (on average)
As I said at the beginning of the article, it’s a silly question that deserves a silly answer.
But I can tell you based on my own experience wearing work boots in many different industries I’ve worked on over the years that no boot made it past the 2 years mark.
Again, my experience! As you’ll see below, some boots, in some industries lasted much more than that.
Here’s how long work boots lasts: by ocupation
This is not a definitive list and it will continue to grow over the next years. But I’m sure it will be helpful to give you at least a rough idea of what to expect from the boots you’re buying in your line of work.
The boots are not listed in any particular order, nor the occupations. They’re just random. By the way, if you want to add yours to the list, shoot me an email at adrian@bestformyfeet.com and tell me:
- The brand
- The exact model
- How long it lasted
- What’s your job
With that said, here’s what work boot lasted the longest for each profession.
Electricians
Here’s a round-up with some of the best work boots for electricians
Red Wing Dynaforce
- Commercial Electricians
- Electrical Apprentices
The Boots Lasts ~ 2 to 2.5 Years
Georgia G6152
- Ladder monkey sparky
The Boots Lasts
~ 1 Year
Red Wing King Toe
- Industrial electrical
- 16.000-20.000 steps per day
The Boots Lasts
~ 1.5 Years
Ariat WorkHog
- Commercial electrician
The Boots Lasts
~ 1.5 Years
Carpenters
Thorogood Moc Toe
- Comercial carpenter
The Boots Lasts ~ 1 Year
Blundstone #179
- Residenctial carentry
The Boots Lasts ~ 2.5 -3 Years
Blundstone #140
- General carpentry
The Boots Lasts ~ 2 – 2.5 Years
KEEN Targhee
- General carpenter in residential remodelling
The Boots Lasts ~ 1 Year
Demolition
1. KEEN San Jose
- Used to do demolition in summer time
The Boots Lasts
~ 1 Year
Ironworkers (Rebar & Structural work)
Thorogood MaxWear
- Comercial rebar
The Boots Lasts
~ 1 Year
Welders
Here’s a round-up of some of the most popular work boots for welders
Thorogood Plain Toe
- Ironworker
The Boots Lasts
~ 1 Year
Twisted X
- Welder
The Boots Lasts
~ 1.5 Years
Equipment operators & drivers
KEEN Braddocks
- Telescopic forkilft operator
The Boots Lasts
~ 16 months
Carhartt
- Concrete truck driver
The Boots Lasts
~ 12 months
General contractors & builders
Here’s a round-up with some great work boots for construction workers
Daytons
- Used for demo and renovation of apartament complexes
The Boots Lasts
~ 4 Years +
Danner Rainforest
- Home builders
The Boots Lasts
~ 1 – 1.5 Years
DeWalt Halogen
- Hardwood flloring instalation
The Boots Lasts
~ 1 – 1.5 Years
KEEN Pittsburgh
- Home remodeling and maintenance
- KEEN’s Most Popular Work Boots
The Boots Lasts
~ 12 – 14 months
KEEN Portland
- Handyman doing all sorts of tasks for a GC company building new residential properties
The Boots Lasts
~ 6 -12 months
Carolina Loggers
- General contractor doing mostly concrete work
The Boots Lasts
~ 12 – 18 months
Thorogood Moc Toe
- Commercial construction (retails spaces)
The Boots Lasts
~ 2 Years
Thorogood 10″
- Used for construction, landscaping, welding and more
The Boots Lasts
~ 3 Years
Ariat Work Hog
- Mostly used for various site duties and yard work
The Boots Lasts
~ 11-12 months
Thorogood 814-4200
- Excellent for indoor work
The Boots Lasts
~ 30 months
General Laborer
Thorogood 804-4210
- Civil construction laborer
The Boots Lasts
~ 6-10 months
Ariat WorkHog
- Doing asphalt work
The Boots Lasts
~ 9 – 12 months
Management & Superintendent
DeWalt Newark
- Site manager doing 16.000+ steps per day (interior and exterior)
- DeWalt Boot Cut In Half
The Boots Lasts ~ 9 – 12 months
KEEN Milwaukee
- Commercial Superintendant
The Boots Lasts
~ 3 Years
Red Wing
Iron Ranger
- Construction Project Manager
The Boots Lasts
~ 3 Years
Red Wing Supersole
- Construction manager
The Boots Lasts ~ 2 Years
Thorogood Wellington
- Piling Superintendent
The Boots Lasts ~ 1 – 1.5 Years
Road works and maintenance
Irish Setter Ashby
- Municipal road work doing asphalt, tree trimming, drainage and more
The Boots Lasts
~ 1 – 1.5 Years
Groundworks
Rocky Worksmart
- Used for paving and flagstone
- Wide fit
The Boots Lasts
~ 9 – 12 months
Ariat WorkHog
- Paving
- Underground utilities
The Boots Lasts
~ 9 – 12 months
Thorogoods 814-4203
- Pipefitter
The Boots Lasts ~ 1.5 Years
Forming & Framing
Thorogoods 814-4203
- Wood and steel framing
The Boots Lasts ~ 1.5 Years
Blundstone BL990
- Used for drywall and mostly interior framing
The Boots Lasts ~ 2 Years
KEEN Cincinnati
- Residential and comercial framer
The Boots Lasts ~ 14 months
KEEN Targhee
- Residential remodel framing
The Boots Lasts ~ 1 Year
Plumbing
Blundstone Bl990
- Pipefitter
The Boots Lasts ~ 3 Years
Working at sea
Red Wing Supersole
- Marine Construction
The Boots Lasts ~ 2 Years
Chippewa Loggers
- Marine Engineer
The Boots Lasts ~ 2 Years
Landscaping
Timberland Boondocks
- Landscape Construction
The Boots Lasts ~ 3 Years
Danner Ridge Boot
- Landscape and digging
The Boots Lasts ~ 15 months
Mechanics
Here’s a round up of great work boots for mechanics (auto, diesel, aviation, etc)
Danner Vicious
- Elevator mechanic
The Boots Lasts ~ 18 months
Site Engineers
Red Back
- Site engineer is using these boots on site and in the office as well
The Boots Lasts ~ 2 Years
Manufacturing
Twisted X
- Factory worker building peterbilts
The Boots Lasts
~1 – 1.5 Years
Red Wing #606
- Tinner
The Boots Lasts
~11 months
Red Wing Iron Rangers
- Metal sheet workers
The Boots Lasts
~ 2 -2.5 Years
Red Wing #2244
- Metal sheet workers
The Boots Lasts
~ 1 .8 – 2 Years
Painters
Helly Hansen
- General paintor
The Boots Lasts
~ 1 – 1.5 Years
Team Members Working On This Page
Victor Adrian – Editor And Construction Pro
Construction Professional, driver, crane operator, cleaner, head chef … these are just some of the jobs I did in the past. Working in all these different environments taught me that having good footwear to protect your feet from different dangers at work IS PARAMOUNT for any worker! On this website, I aim to share all my knowledge and personal experience in dealing with different footwear and foot care issues, and hopefully, you can get something out of it. Enjoy!
source https://bestformyfeet.com/what-work-boots-last-the-longest/
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