3 Reasons To Get Wedge Sole Work Boots

You might have noticed both lug and wedge sole work boots. Both are classic work boot designs, made for practical purposes and plenty of people preferring one to the other for a host of reasons. 

In fact, wedge sole work boots launched a number of work boot brands such as Thorogood, with widespread adoption in certain industries or regions. 

Is there something to them? Why bother with a wedge sole? 

Boot soles are really just a tool for a particular task; they perform a function in a particular manner and if that happens to be suited to what it is you're doing...it makes doing whatever that is that much easier for you. 

Wedge sole work boots are a great choice for certain professions, but not for others. If you were wondering why they're even a thing, or if you should get a pair of wedge sole work boots - such as the Wedge Worker by Nick's Handmade Boots - here are 3 reasons you might.

Wedge Sole Work Boots Are More Flexible

One design aspect of wedge sole work boots is that the actual wedge sole itself is one solid piece. It runs the entire length of the outsole from front to back. 

Typical boot soles, such as lug soles, are two-piece designs, with a raised heel and then a second traction bed under the midfoot to the toes. 

The difference there is that the actual contact area - in car tires, it's called the "contact patch" - is the entire length of the foot rather than the heel and the front of the foot. The effect is that the sole has a bit more flex to it, a bit more give. 

Some people prefer their footwear to have a bit more flexibility, which can be observed in the "barefoot shoe" trend of the last few years. Some people found that they preferred footwear that flexed with the foot, leading to a more natural-feeling footfall. 

Some people find boots with lug soles make their feet feel a bit heavy, causing the heel to drag and otherwise feeling a little bit awkward. Unless your job requires a lug sole (such as wildland firefighting) a wedge sole can give you a more planted feeling on your feet that some people like. 

Some People Find Wedge Soles More Comfortable On Concrete

Where wedge sole work boots became a bit more prevalent was in factories, as this is what wedge sole work boots were invented for. People who worked on hard concrete floors all day found a single-piece sole cushioned the foot a bit better against shocks, and came to use them more. 

By having more surface area in contact with the ground, that distributes the force of the impact more than a typical boot sole. 

So the factory worker, mechanic or warehouse worker might find they prefer a wedge sole work boot to a lug sole work boot for this reason as many users find they tend to be a little softer on the feet. 

It isn't so much that wedge soles specifically are responsible for better shock absorption; work boots that fit the feet of the wearer as well as overall construction contribute as well. A bad pair of wedge sole work boots is no better than a bad pair of traditional work boots. 

If You Don't Need The Utmost In Traction, A Wedge Sole Is Awesome

Wedge sole work boots are a fantastic choice of work boot for almost anyone, except when the utmost of traction is called for. When you need grip that would make a mountain goat jealous, you need a lug sole as that's what they're made for. 

Some people do hard jobs in hard areas. Loggers. Wildland firefighters. Lineman. Heavy equipment mechanics who service people in those industries, and so on and so forth. 

Plenty of other people do hard work in terrain that's a lot less rugged and for that sort of person, a wedge sole is a perfectly viable choice in a work boot. As mentioned, there are plenty of people who do and have done for many years without issues. 

Whether you're in construction, an auto mechanic, a factory worker or something along those lines, you might actually find those wedge sole work boots are a fantastic choice in hard working footwear. 

If the sole is attached to a great pair of work boots, that is.