A Safety Toe in Ariat Boots for Men: What Else Matters?

Steel toe boots are a staple for a lot of guys around the country, but they’re not the only option in a safety toe. In fact, that’s only one of the features in a flight of safety features that any given pair of work boots are prone to have, or should have, for that matter.

Ariat is one of our most popular brands here at Jackson’s English & Western Store, and we have one of the largest collections of Ariat boots for men you’re going to find. We also have Michigan’s largest collections of western boots, so if you’re in the area, we’re the place to visit.

What we don’t have, however, are Ariat boots with a steel safety toe, since all of our new models now have only composite safety toes.

Before you think any ill of it, there are actually a number of reasons that composite safety toes might actually have the edge over steel, and a number of different situations in which composite is the better choice.

Plus, you can still get steel safety toes on our site, in the rest of our collection of western and work boots for men and women, so don’t worry. Still, here’s a short justification for composite safety toes.

Why Composite and Not Steel?

-Steel can deform under high pressure - Steel toes have been the standard safety feature in boots for a long time, insomuch as it concerns crushing hazards. The thing is, steel safety toes can actually deform under extremely high pressure. It would take a huge, unspeakable amount of pressure to do so, but if that occurs it would be very dangerous for the person wearing it, needless to say. Composite toes, by contrast, will crack or shatter when a huge amount of force is applied, which actually may protect the toes under them better. Once they break, it’s over for the boot, but if they break under the impulse and not under regular stress, it could be a blessing in disguise.

-Steel is heavier - This is not so much a safety concern as it is something to be aware of over time. A lot of guys ditch their steel toe boots over time because they’re just so heavy and tiring to wear, instead opting for composite toes or just switching to soft toe boots. Composite is much lighter and affords the same protection, which is appealing to a lot of people who need safety toe boots.

-Steel is not security compliant - One other thing about steel toe boots, besides the fact that they are very heavy and can tire out the person wearing them over the course of a day, they may also be an aggravation for people that have to travel or go through security checkpoints at multiple times throughout the day. For example, someone working in construction on a closed site where there were a lot of security reinforcements might not appreciate the fact that steel would set off metal detectors and alarms, despite the protection afforded. This condition is highly and unusually specific, but the illustration serves a purpose. Just consider that steel is not fully security compliant.

-Still, if you want steel, you can have it! - All that being considered, you can still get steel toe safety boots here at Jackson’s English & Western Store if you really want them. We’re not against steel toe, we just figured that an explanation was in order for composite toe safety boots. While our collection of Ariat boots for men and women does not have steel toe models, all you need to do is look elsewhere in our store or in our online shop and you’ll come across plenty of steel toe boots.

So, What Else Matters?

Now that we’ve gotten that defense of composite toe boots out of the way, we can get into what else matters in safety in boots. The safety toe really just protects against crushing hazards, but there is much more that goes into the thoughtful design of a good pair of work boots or western boots insomuch as it relates to quality and safety. Here are some of the features that you’ll find in our Ariat boots for men, many of which are paired with models of Ariat boots with composite safety toes. As you’ll see these boots are girt to the hilt with features to enhance not only your safety but also your comfort.

●A quality welt - A quality welt is one of the best ways to enhance the longevity of the boots and the safety of the wearer because a quality welt goes hand in hand with a pair of boots that won’t fall apart prematurely and will stand up to hard use.

Without a doubt, the best type of welt that a pair of boots or shoes can have is a Genuine Goodyear welt, that will stand up better than any other way of securing a sole to an upper and will resistant wear, abrasion, and separation.

A Goodyear welt takes a layer of material as a buffer, places it between the upper and the sole, and then stitches through the upper into the sole and back up again. Some of them stitch through the bottom of the sole and then back up again through the upper. These welts protect not only the upper itself, making it possible to resole the boots when the soles wear down, but they make it practically impossible for the sole to separate from the upper without ripping straight through the welt.

Boots that have a welt like this can be made with much more comfortable soles, and they’ll last much longer. In fact, this is the type of design feature that will benefit any of the other design features that are included on this list. The better the entire boot performs, the safer it will be.

●Puncture resistant soles - Another feature to look for in boots with a safety toe is a good pair of soles with a high degree of puncture resistance. Not all boots have them, but those that do will be much safer to wear in scenarios where there could be puncture hazards on the ground. These vary, obviously, but broken glass and bottles, nails, and scrap metal are all hazards that present themselves not only in industrial settings and on construction sites but also occasionally in agricultural settings as well.

Many Ariat boots feature Duratread^TM soles that, while not expressly puncture-resistant, are thick, durable, and have excellent traction. Not only will they stand up impressively well to hard use, but they will also help to keep a sure grip on slippery surfaces while at the same time shedding muck and debris from their treads.

●Waterproofing - Crushing and puncture hazards are not the only problems that can rear their ugly heads throughout the course of the day. Your safety can be compromised and you can be injured by unseen, unexpected hazards in addition to these. For example, if your boots are not waterproof and you are subject to water or cold temperatures, you can suffer from immersion syndromes, frostbite, or hypothermia. Not all conditions require waterproofing, and some environments need the exact opposite protection, but if you work in the cold where you can get wet, waterproofing is a must.

Some of our Ariat boots for men and women are waterproof, as are many of the other boots on our website. Oftentimes, temperature and moisture are bigger threats than crushing hazards and sharp metal, and a good pair of boots will probably have the features of waterproofing to protect you from these.

●Breathability - However, as we stated, not all circumstances will profit waterproofing, and some scenarios will actually necessitate the use of boots that provide for the exact opposite safeguard. That is to say, some hot, dry environments would require the wearer to prepare with a good pair of breathable boots. When it is hot and dry (or humid, even) your feet will sweat, and without adequate ventilation, your comfort will suffer.

The best-case scenario is that comfort is all that will suffer, but more than likely your feet will blister or worse. However, picking up a good pair of boots that will dry adequately is the first step to preventing this.

●Insulation - Just like exposure to water can present a serious hazard, so can exposure to cold temperatures, particularly when those are prolonged periods of cold temperatures. Some Ariat boots, along with other boots on our website, are insulated to protect you from winter’s worst. Just like waterproofing, insulation can make a huge difference in the quality of a pair of boots, and can drastically enhance their safety as well.

●Support - Measuring support can introduce some difficulties, but you can be injured by a poor support structure in footwear just like you can be injured by a rusty nail, frostbite, or a heavy weight falling on your toe. Therefore, a pair of boots with adequate support really are worth their cost. Considering the fact that Ariat was the first company to introduce athletic support technology into their boots, they are well situated to deliver on this front.

●Rebounding technology - Rebound is the amount of energy that gets redirected and repurposed through the bottom of the boot when your foot strikes the ground. Some of that energy gets wasted or redirected up into your foot and leg (that’s not good and can injure you) but a well-designed pair of boots may have insoles that allow for some more energy to “spring” back up with your step so you waste less energy walking around. A pair of boots with high rebound will cause you to experience less fatigue and feel fresher throughout the day.

●A shank (some might prefer a nonmetallic shank) - Rebound technology is not the only thing that will help prevent you from becoming overly fatigued throughout the course of a day. A shank will also extend the life of the soles as well as the boots in general. Some shanks are made of tempered steel, but many boots have shanks that are made of composite materials, for the same reasons as composite toes are used, listed above. Composite shanks are lightweight and also security compliant.

●Electrical protection - Many people work on job sites where there are electrical hazards that they might face any given day. Electrical hazard ratings will vary significantly, but many of the Ariat boots on our website are created with an electrical hazard rating to enhance their suite of safety features.

●How about comfort? - Comfort is another thing that will vastly improve the performance of a pair of boots, even if it does not expressly boost their safety. Many Ariat boots are made with a number of comfort-enhancing features that will have you much more comfortable as you go about your day, which, in the end, will serve you better as you face any hazards that are common in your workspace.

Visit Us In-Store and Get Free Break-In with Your New Ariat Boots for Men!

While we would welcome you to shop through our collection of Ariat boots for men, women, and children, we would love for you to come and visit us in our store in Wayland, Michigan where we can serve you better.

We’re not just Michigan’s largest collection of western boots for men and women. Our customer service is second to none and we provide services with the purchase of boots that you just won’t find elsewhere.

For example, western boots and cowboy boots require careful fitting and stretching before they can be comfortably used, but they also require a break-in period. Now, break-in could take you several days or weeks, or you could just buy a pair of boots from us and have us provide you with our complimentary break in services before you leave our store. Then you can swagger right on out in a brand new pair of western boots, without any of the hard work of breaking them in!

If you want to learn more about the services we offer with the purchase of a pair of boots, give us a call and we’ll tell you what we can do for you. We love to hear from our customers and we’d love to hear from you, so whatever you want to learn more about, give us a call at 269-792-2550.