Need New Kitchen SHOES! Any Recommendations?

I've been using Birki (Birkenstock) shoes for years. Absolutely love them. Here is a site for you.

http://www.culinaryclassics.com/birkenstock-shoes.htm

 

When it comes to kitchen shoes comfort and traction are paramount to me. I could care less about making a fashion statement. I have been wearing Dr. Scholls with non slip soles for years and find them to be quite nice. The Manager style seem to look fine for kitchen service floor or office. They only cost about $30 and I go through about 2-3 pair a year working 12 hour days. Some might not like that they wear out so quickly. I see that as a positive aspect. Not only does it make it so I always have newish looking shoes, I find that when I replace my shoes regularly it helps in keeping athletes foot and that sort of thing at bay...

I recommend against Shoes For Crews, I've owned two pair and both had the soles torn off within four months. They were very slip resistant, more than Birkis or Danskos, but don't last even a quarter as long.

I'm partial to Mozo's

I've tried Dankos, Birkenstocks and Klogs - all of them worked for about 4 hours, but no longer.
Last year I picked up some Sanita clogs and they've been great for 10 to 12 hour shifts.
I also have a pair of Crocs Bistro for a more squishy comfort experience.
Look here for Sanita clogs: Most Comfortable Work Shoes

Jesus, we still have a thread on shoes?  Ridiculous...

    "Jesus, we still have a thread on shoes?  Ridiculous..."

 

what do you recommend?

I love my crocs.  You got to wear them a day or two to get the most out of them.  So if you have only tried them in the store they're worth a shot.

 

My Birks from Germany were only $30 Canadian .... they are six times the price up here in Canada!!!!!! Still last me three or more years of hard time......makes sence to invest for me. My feet mold right into them....which means I'm stuck with them for the duration of my cooking career....lol

Croc Bistros all the way, like walking on sunshine as one of my line cooks puts it. I wore my AllPros today(first time in 3 years) they are made by Birkenstock and my feet are killing me! Back to the crocs tomorrow. As a side note one of the soles came off the Crocs after about a year and a half, some shoe goo, and they are back to 100%, I am about two and a half years in on this pair and they were 37 bucks online.

bahahaha seeing this post pop up makes me laugh! 

 

I hope the old blokes see this one too!

 

I've got a nice pair of asics, although they're a little too narrow they kind of hurt.  But, the non slip aspect works great.

Red Wing oxford 8618. I've had these shoes for 9 months and they show very little wear. Red wing shoes are bullet-proof. At $160 they're not cheap, but I was going through a pair of shoes in 7-8 months. Do yourself a huge favor and get these if you do long hours on your feet.

I'm also looking for a new pair of non-slip/safety-step shoes.  I bought a pair at Wal-Mart because they were the most affordable ones I could find...well, you get what you pay for I suppose.  I've been wearing them for a little over two months now, and while they aren't wearing out yet, they are quite uncomfortable (ie. I do not recommend them).  I'm not a fan of just ordering shoes online though, so I'm planning a day to visit a few of the local shoe stores to see what they've got.  I'm going to see if they've got any of the shoes that have been recommended here, and hopefully I'll find a pair that feels comfortable and will last me a while.

I'm a huge fan of Blundstones.  Never had better balance of comfort and quality.  My current pair cost me a pretty penny but I'm going on year 4 of almost daily duty.  I use the steel toed boot model and they are shockingly light-weight for all of that.  For the record I have really large feet (and the pigeon toes, bad arches and instep that goes with it) so its really hard for me to get shoes at all, let alone comfortable ones.   These are the best I've ever had.

 

--Al

Mozo. Got my first pair 3 years ago, and they held up great. Work and school full time for 2.5 years and never had an issue. They are just now ripping around the edge on the front and I could probably easily go till summer with em. I bought new mozo's a week ago, but can't justify wearing them just yet. Comfortable, sturdy nonslip reliable shoes

I guess my problem is where to find some of these shoes?  I know online shopping as always there but Id rather not have to return them because they dont fit right. 

Dansko or Brasko ( swedish version)  I love both they suck until they are worn in after that unbeatable in my book. 

So I got a pair of Danskos...my brother wears the same shoes, and swears by them.  I went to see the same vendor my brother buys from, and I was very impressed with how comfortable the shoes are.  The gentleman at the store took a few moments to size my foot, and it turns out that a large part of the reason my feet hurt at the end of the day is I was wearing shoes that were two sizes to small (was wearing sz 9, should have been sz 10...thank you US military for sizing my feet wrong all these years, lol).  Anyway, I've been wearing these shoes every day for over a week now and I have to say I am finding them more comfortable every day.  It seems to me that they are well worth their $120 USD price-tag.

The danskos will get better and better the more you break them in.