Comfortable (trainer like) work shoes?

PardonTheWait · 20 Oct 2018 at 00:06

I find Dr Marten boots very comfortable and they are smart enough for work. I suppose some people might consider them a bit quirky but until your trousers ride up you can't even tell they're boots.

My time's split between sitting at a desk and walking around the workshop and I find them really comfortable.

LOAM · 20 Oct 2018 at 04:50

bazzabear said:
Merrell's are fantastically comfortable, and usually have 1 or 2 in their range that are suitable for workwear.

I wear merrell black jungle mocs in the office, they are just what OP wants

Skorpion · 20 Oct 2018 at 06:37

Another vote for Merrell....wide range too.

AndyCr15 · 20 Oct 2018 at 06:39

LOAM said:
I wear merrell black jungle mocs in the office, they are just what OP wants

The sole rides up quite high to the side and round the toe and there's a big coloured strip up the back. They look comfortable, but I don't think you'd mistake them for smart shoes?

AKAK · 20 Oct 2018 at 08:16

Always wear Vivo barefoot shoes. Not spongey but that's the point and very comfortable.

loltim · 20 Oct 2018 at 08:37

Are you overweight?

bazzabear · 20 Oct 2018 at 10:05

LOAM said:
I wear merrell black jungle mocs in the office, they are just what OP wants

I've had a few different pairs, but by far the best were Mountain Kicks. Looked perfectly professsional, and they were the comfiest shoes I've ever worn.

But because of that I wore them pretty much constantly for 3 years, and the soles are as thin as paper now - and they've stopped making them.

They don't seem to have any obvious equivalent any more either. I have bought some of these:

https://www.merrell.com/UK/en_GB/ge...color=J92007#cgid=merrell-casual-mens&start=1

Which are also very comfortable, but a fair bit more casual in appearance.

My usual Merrell purchases have been Moabs - their hiking shoe. I've owned three pairs of those, but I swear every time I've bought a new pair of them, they're slightly less comfortable and slightly less well made.

AndyCr15 · 20 Oct 2018 at 10:23

loltim said:
Are you overweight?

If you believe BMI charts, yes. I'm 21 stone. I think this is a big factor (and I probably should have mentioned it earlier). I don't think a lot of shoes are designed to cope with that sort of weight.

Feek · 20 Oct 2018 at 10:34

I was heavier than that when I bought the brogues I mentioned above.

/edit - They're discontinued but some places do still stock them.

Zefan · 20 Oct 2018 at 10:42

Feek said:
I have a pair of Clarks brogues that I have walked for literally thousands of miles in. They're very comfortable and still smart. They get cleaned and polished regularly and have been resoled and reheeled a number of times.

This is a genuine use of the word literally. I have walked for thousands of miles in them.

Smart does not automatically mean uncomfortable. You get what you pay for.

Yep, Clarks are awesome.

Also people, it is actually spelled Skechers.

insane200 · 20 Oct 2018 at 10:50

I have a pair of Clarks on now, roughly a year and a half old, and they are really hard to wear, they started out lovely but the quality compared to my last pair of Clarks is not the same, I probably wont be buying another pair next time and look for something like the smart Skechers.

Orionaut · 20 Oct 2018 at 11:45

Cant remember what the "Model name " is but Clarkes do (or at least did) some smart shoes (Not quite City class, more moccasin) with proper leather uppers and a full-on trainer style sole.

Very comfortable indeed!

AndyCr15 · 20 Oct 2018 at 13:57

Zefan said:
Also people, it is actually spelled Skechers.

Not if you're buying the cheap Chinese knock offs...

dowie · 20 Oct 2018 at 14:28

LOAM said:
I wear merrell black jungle mocs in the office, they are just what OP wants

I had some of those, nice casual shotes/trainers, though wore them with jeans. They'd look a bit silly with a suit in a semi-formal setting, you might as well be wearing actual trainers.

Kenai · 20 Oct 2018 at 14:37

I'm yet to see a 'trainer style' smart shoe that doesn't stick out like a sore thumb as being very obviously not a smart shoe.

Personally I find the airflex range at M&S to be very comfortable for a smart shoe

AndyCr15 · 20 Oct 2018 at 17:21

That's what I'm thinking. Whilst I appreciate a lot of the fantastic suggestions, a lot of them I wouldn't feel comfortable wearing at work, in my suit in a customer facing position.

I've literally just got these Skechers and have them on now. I'm not sure they're that different to the Clarks I have. The problem is, I wont really know until I wear them for a shift and then I doubt I can return them if they aren't any better

I don't get it. Is there a reason they can't just put a trainer sole on a nice pair of shoes?

Nick1881 · 20 Oct 2018 at 21:39

They are a lot of money but RM Williams are very comfortable, especially with the rubber sole.

FoxEye · 21 Oct 2018 at 01:51

Clarks shoes tend to be really, really heavy, from what I remember. Haven't owned a pair from them for years, tho (because they were always really, really heavy when I used to wear them

)

Moved on to the super-lightweight variants of Hush Puppies or others. Nothing worse than gert heavy shoes when you're just moping around in the orifice all day.

jpaul · 21 Oct 2018 at 07:34

clarks active air nature 3 used to be a goto for the office ~1KG a pair, not too heavy, comfortbale for lunch time walk -
used for 10 years. , in sales could be had for £60

But the quality of their soles has deteriorated in newer models so had to return two consecutive pairs, and now looking for alternatives to Clarks,
they just produce too many models with large advertising/web budget, but shoes now mediocre.

Pyr0m@nI@]{ · 21 Oct 2018 at 10:45

Not quite trainers, but I've been wearing Timberland boots with the SensorFlex soles which I've found to be very comfortable and lightweight too.