steel toe

Steel toe boots are among the most commonly returned boots to companies, and sold second-hand before they're fully broken in. If there's a feature to any work boot that you need to think really hard about before committing to, it's steel toe inserts.

It's not that you can't get a pair of steel toe boots that are really comfortable. You can. It's not that you can't get a pair that won't last as long as typical leather boots. They do. 

It's that most people find they aren't as comfortable as they like. When it dawns on them that they don't absolutely need them for work, they return or sell them to fund a new pair that doesn't have them.