Breaking in new work shoes

[Steve McF]

Here's a very random off topic one for you 😁

I got a new pair of workwear steel toecapped shoes through work, and as they had changed supplier, I couldn't get the style I had been getting for years before (and been happy with).

It took a while of wearing them before they no longer hurt my feet!!! After less than 18 months or so, some of the inner lining had worn out and was rubbing through my socks!!!

So, I ordered a different style of replacement shoes as recommended by colleagues who had already got them. I have tried these on, and the leather is rigid, and they need drastic breaking in before I can start wearing them in ernest comfortably and without pain 😁

So my question is, is there a way I can soften up the leather effectively?

[sgould]

Back in the day, when hiking boots were unlined leather, we used to fill them inside with, I think, "duck oil".

But regular used of "dubbin" or Nicwax will work in time.

[carrera]

I think the issue here is that your work have a deal with the supplier, probably ARCO, for safety boots

So they provide cheap  boots at a cheap price, which are not comfortable.

There are a few alternatives.

• Raise it with your manager as a health & safety issue, you might find they will simply allow you access to more comfortable ones
• See if they have a scheme where you can select your own, have them confirmed for safety & you pay for the uplift in cost
• Buy your own, which will have no VAT, & then get them approved for site use.

As you can see, I have had to deal with this as a manager,, and user, as at one client my chemical boots did not meet the antistatic requirements for use in an environment processing high VOC liquids. They gave me a set of boots that met their standards

Don't get me into managing stocks of visitor PPE