Big Mikes Workboots

Archive for the ‘Boot Information’ Category

A shoe size is a numerical indication of the fitting size of a shoe for a person. Several different shoe-size systems are still used today worldwide. In some regions, it is even customary to use different shoe-size systems for different types of shoes (e.g., men’s, women’s, children’s, sport or safety shoes).

The length of the “last”, the foot-shaped template over which the shoe is manufactured.

This measure is the easiest one for the manufacturer to use, as it identifies only the tool used to produce the shoe. It makes no promise about manufacturing tolerances or for what size of foot the shoe is actually suitable. It leaves all responsibility and risk of choosing the correct size with the customer.

All these measures differ substantially from each other for the same shoe.

The following length units are commonly used today to define shoe-size systems:

Millimeter (mm)
Centimeter (cm) = 10 mm
Paris point = 2/3 cm = 6.67 mm
Barleycorn = 1/3 inch = 8.47 mm

There are Three characteristic lengths used in shoe-size systems:

The average length of foot for which a shoe is suitable.

This is the best measure for customers since it is directly related to their feet. Unfortunately this method is less popular with manufacturers as it requires them to test carefully for each new shoe model, for which range of foot sizes it is recommendable. It puts on the manufacturer the burden of ensuring that the shoe will fit a foot of a given length.

The length of the inner cavity of the shoe.

This unit of measurement has the advantage that it can be measured easily on the finished product. However this method will vary with manufacturing tolerances and provides the customer with only very crude information about the range of foot sizes for which the shoe is suitable.

The length of the “last”, the foot-shaped template over which the shoe is manufactured.

This measure is the easiest one for the manufacturer to use, as it identifies only the tool used to produce the shoe. It makes no promise about manufacturing tolerances or for what size of foot the shoe is actually suitable. It leaves all responsibility and risk of choosing the correct size with the customer.

Foot length is measured with the subject standing barefoot and the weight of the body equally distributed on both feet and is measured from the outside diameter from the heel to the tip of the large toe.

Since the size of the left and right foot is often times slightly different on the average person it is a good idea to measure both feet. You would then want to purchase a size boot that would fit the large foot comfortably.

Each shoe is suitable for a small interval of foot lengths. The length of the inner cavity of a shoe must typically be 15–20 mm longer than the length of the foot, but this relation varies between different types of shoes.

One of the perceived drawbacks to steel-toed boots is the idea that if something heavy strikes the tip of your work boot, the metal shield will be pushed downward and sever the toes. Although this is possible, it would take a much harder blow to deform the metal shield than it would take to crush the toes in a regular boot. In other words, if your foot gets hit hard enough to damage the metal, your toes were already doomed to injury. Your feet are much better protected with steel-toed boots than with regular boots.

It is a myth that the Foot (unit of length) (304.8 mm) is about the length of the average UK male foot. The average today is less than 270 mm and 90% of the population is within 20 mm of that. So very few men today have feet that are a foot long. Most are over 25 mm (1 in) shorter. In the past, the average length would have been less. If the unit of measurement were named the ‘shoe’ it might be more appropriate.

The myth that a man’s foot size is correlated to the size of his manhood has been discredited in anthropometric studies  (http://www.nbc5.com/News/1695824/detail.html).

Maintenance of your boots

If your boots are made from a soft, supple leather you should polish them regularly for protection, water resistance (to some extent), and to keep their appearance pleasant.

If may be necessary to replace the heels periodically as they do tend to wear out when used on a daily basis, however not all shoes are designed to have their heels replaced.

As with the heels you may need to replace the soles occasionally since they also tend to wear out over time.

Shoelace’s do tend to break and fray with time and use so they will probably ned replacement every once a while.

There will occasionally be other repairs needed such as reattaching or replacing inner liners, reattaching broken straps or buckles, etc.

All of these maintenance items will help lengthen the life of your boots and can be far less expensive than replacing your old comfortable work boots.

Most areas have shoe repair shops or cobblers as they are more commonly known in the trade. These businesses can do almost all of these repairs.

Shoe etiquette

In some cultures it is common for people to remove their shoes when entering a home of business. This practice is done to avoid tracking dirt and debris into a home of office. However, this practice can be displeasing to some because of the potential for foot odor. In some Arab cultures, showing the soles of your shoes to your host is considered highly insulting.

You should be considerate of others when traveling and only remove your shoes if you are comfortable in the knowledge that you do not have an odor problem. If you are traveling somewhere and you know it is expected of you to remove your shoes upon entering a building you should take steps to prevent or eliminate foot odor before leaving on your trip.

Foot Odor

Serious foot odor often results from wearing shoes and/or socks for many hours, as they provide warm, moist conditions for bacteria and/or fungi to thrive. It is also common to get foot odor from wearing poor quality shoes as they do not allow the foot to breathe as well as good quality shoes.

Most people find foot odor unpleasant, while those who have it may be embarrassed. For this reason, some people avoid removing their shoes around others, or they are asked to keep them on or put them back on. This is paradoxical, since being shoeless as much as possible is one of the best ways to prevent the feet from becoming smelly in the first place.

There are several good quality products such a shoe liners, foot powders and medicated products to help eliviate severe foot odor problems. If you are one of those people that suffer from serious foot odor you should look into these products.

The smell of foot odor is usually a warm, cheesy scent, but can sometimes be ammonia-like. Brevibacteria are considered a major cause of foot odor, as they ingest dead skin on the feet, especially on the soles and between the toes, converting in the process the amino acid methionine to methane thiol, which has a sulfuric aroma. Brevibacteria also give cheeses such as Limburger, Bel Paese, Port du Salut, and Muenster their characteristic pungency.[1] (http://www.wheatoncollege.edu/Quarterly/q2003fall/bacteria.html)

Among the earliest foot deodorants were aromatic herbs such as allspice, which nineteenth-century Russian soldiers would put in their boots. [2] (http://www.foodreference.com/html/fallspice.html) Some types of powders and activated charcoal insoles, such as Odor Eaters, have been developed to combat foot odor, but they are not as effective as thoroughly washing feet, choosing shoes with proper ventilation, changing socks regularly, and only wearing shoes when necessary.