Dakota WorkPro Series Men's Steel Toe Steel Plate Shoes

I have a few pairs of significantly more expensive work boots, and a few pairs of steel toe work shoes. These have been by far, the most comfortable - even against the much more expensive, brand name item. On the feet, they fit well, no hot spots. I tend to wear a wide shoe if they offer, and these are very comfortable. Even when you lace 'em up nice and tight, it doesn't feel like you've got any really bad spots. They're light, relatively speaking and I specifically bought these because the soles are "smoother", not like a traditional boot tread. I work on rougher gravel terrain, and I hate that my usual boots like to bring rocks along for the ride, sometimes embedding in the tread. This near completely eliminates that hassle. The real test of course was how the rubber they advertise is grippier in the wet. I was slightly skeptical, but bought these to try anyways. I'm impressed, they worked great - noticeably better than every other work boot and hiking shoe I put them up against, even on some icier surface. I was up on the roof of one of my sheds doing some work, and these left me feeling far more assured that the grip wouldn't let out. If you're on some crumbly asphalt shingles, that rubble's just going to create a slick surface, so these might be less effective like most would be. The rubber compound reminds me of winter/performance tires, even when dry, there's that little bit of extra tackiness. Funny, on the tag there's a warning that says the material degrades faster when wet. I thought one of the reasons someone looked at the Dakota lineup that uses their special rubber was so the boots would be grippier than the competition. Certainly makes sense in Nova Scotia where we get a bit more precipitation. I suspect West Coasters working in the wet would also appreciate these over some other brands. There are no negatives to these if you're buying these for this style. Sure, they don't offer the same protection as a larger 6" or 9" high boot, but that really shouldn't be a consideration since you're probably buying these for a different purpose and wouldn't be expecting that protection. Definitely would recommend a Dakota pair of runner style work boots that protect the toes, especially if you're working in the wet and don't need a higher boot.