TimberlandPRO Work Boots and Shoes He said, she said and sensible shoes: Work boots hit the street.

By Mark Clement & Theresa Coleman In a switch from our usual tool reviews, two of our residential construction aces take a look at a couple of the new TimberlandPRO work boots and work shoes—men's and women's versions. Mark Clement puts the men's Titan Hiker through its paces. Theresa Coleman takes the women's low-cut Mudsill out for a run. Mark In my 15 or so years in residential construction and remodeling, almost the last thing that I wanted to wear on my feet all day were big, heavy, steel-toed work boots like some of the guys on certain crews I worked on. Say what you want about safety or smarts there, but my needs for moving around on-site were comfort and grip. When I was coming up, I worked on a framing crew and the boots I had access to didn't make me feel as safe as wearing high-top basketball shoes when I was walking a roof deck, installing shingles, or climbing through framing. For the remodeling work I did later on, the newer "street hikers" were my go-to. A little beefier than running shoes, they were still light and breathable enough to be comfortable running up and down stairs in finished houses and traversing my customer's living space. There's too much walking around to get materials, make cuts and fetch tools to have each foot weigh a pound more than it ought to. The first thing I noticed when the TimberlandPRO's Titans showed up was that they were light-looking street hikers with muscle. And, after wearing them for a few months building, digging, climbing on roofs, and running to the truck, I can say that they live up to their looks. The Titans are comfortable and lace easily, though the top eye-hook is snug on the laces. (More on the top hook below.) They feel rugged and the "steel" toe (it's really super-tough plastic) is comfortable doing all kinds of things from lugging lumber to climbing ladders to digging holes. I can feel the extra space in the toe-box as compared with regular shoes and other boots, but this doesn't bother me. Actually, it helps: I use the rigid toe-box for more than not crushing my toes by accident.For example, I can prop up a piece of 3/4 OSB on my toe to get a better grip on it. The soles stick to the things they should stick to: slick floors, ladder rungs, and roof shingles (I particularly enjoy footwear that sticks to roof shingles). The soles also grip in rough terrain like mud, but because the treads are widely spaced, they don't hold mud as tenaciously as other boot treads do, which makes knocking them clean easier. Did I mention that they're light? I love that. And I've had no problems with overheating—even on seriously hot days—or even that trench-foot feeling you can get with cheap, non-breathable boots. Nice. They even look good. They have cool designs and don't look clunky, which makes me feel like less of a galoot when I show up to do an estimate. I wish the top eye-hook was a softer, plastic loop, though. When working on my knees with my feet tucked under me, the eye-hook makes contact with the floor. With all my weight on them, they can leave a mark in soft-wood pine floors and may damage finishes on hardwoods. This is a small drawback, but I did notice it. Theresa I wore TimberlandPRO's low-cut women's Mudsill work shoe in various environments from navigating rough terrain on jobsites to storm clean-up. I also wore them working on a renovation project and in my everyday life running errands (the jobsite kind and the everyday kind) and doing office work. The first thing I noticed about the Mudsill is that it is a sturdy shoe that isn't too sturdy. While managing rough terrain (climbing over rocks and downed trees in a storm clean-up) I found they supported my feet well. They also provided excellent traction, which made me feel sure-footed when the footing wasn't so sure. By the end of the day, whether I was clambering over fallen trees or running up and down attic stairs, I could tell that the shoes provided the support I need when I'm on my feet all day. The only comfort issue I had was that there was more room in the toe box (because of the plastic safety toe) than I expected. I've worn steel toe shoes before and the Mudsills felt a little roomier. It's not a big deal, but it's something I had to get used to. Finally—and I admit it, I'm a girl—style matters. I'm much more comfortable in high heels than I am in work shoes, but the TimberlandPROs take a good run at being stylish. They come in lots of different colors, including pink. Typically there's not a lot of "girly" in the work-boot family. If I was wearing them and had to go out to do errands, I'd change shoes. Not so with the PROs, though. They're stylish enough to wear all day. Mark Clement is a remodeler and author of The Carpenter’s Notebook and The Kid’s Carpenter’s Workbook, Fun Family Projects! Find out more at www.TheCarpentersNotebook.com. Theresa Coleman is a designer, author and home improvement expert. Her latest book, DIY: Know-How with Show-How, will be published in fall 2006 by DK Publishing, with The Ultimate Guide to Built-Ins, published by Creative Press International, to follow.