Timberland PRO Gridworks 8” Waterproof Soft Toe. I’ve been wearing work boots for 25 years and reviewing them for the last five or so. What works best for me is a flat or wedge style sole. Here in the Pacific Northwest, we get a lot of rain, and with that, mud, so a waterproof boot is a necessity.
When I was doing some research for a boot with a waterproof flat sole, Timberland's Gridworks came up, so I contacted the company for a sample to review.
Features. I’ve been wearing these for three months and they are showing no signs of wear. They took about a day to break in and were basically comfortable right out of the box. The Gridworks has a waterproof membrane and “waterproof leather”; working in the rain and standing in puddles to see if they leak, I found that they are doing their job.
So far, this wedge sole has more traction than the Thorogood or Golden Fox wedge soles we wore last spring. Timberland claims that the cushion in this boot leads to less fatigue and I do find my feet aren’t tired at the end of the day, even framing off concrete slabs. I have had other boots where my feet and knees would hurt doing the same work, but whether this is the boot or the wedge sole, I don’t know.
This boot provides electrical hazard protection as well. One feature that is working well is the “antimicrobial treatment to prevent and control odors.” I notice in the winter my feet sweat more, but no funk is coming from these boots.
These boots retail for $185 and come with a 30-day Comfort Guarantee, so you can try them on and return them if they aren’t comfortable. They might look like hockey skates, but wearing them, I don’t find them clunky at all.
