What is the purpose of a wedge sole on work boots?
I work in a boot store, so I feel that I’m pretty well equipped to answer this queston… A wedge sole naturally distributes weight more evenly than a sole with a heel. While it is not ideal for jobs requiring you to climb ladders, traverse terrain, etc, they are incredibly comfortable and slip-resistant on hard, flat surfaces (i.e. cement). As a side note, the white crepe wedge sole seen on ironworker’s shoes did not originate in the ironworking industry. Farmer’s wives banded together in the early 1900s and convinced coblers to put white soles on boots so that when their husbands tried to walk in the door with muddy shoes, they could easily tell if they were muddy or not. Farmers, especially in the midwest, like the wedge soles because they don’t track much gunk around. Ironworkers adopted the wedge soled boot so that they wouldn’t catch their heels on something when walking high on steel. Many unions and ironworking companies in America require the wedge sole. So there it is….wedg
