Japanese Tabi Safety Boots

There aren't many occasions where I have learned of a thing to desiring that thing and then owning that thing within 48 hours, but these boots were one of those things. The boots shipped in good time, arrived when expected and in good condition. Listed on other sites for about $120 (including shipping), these boots are a bargain. They are well made and exactly as advertised, made with rugged canvas with solid stitching, rubber soles, and steel toes. They do run a little large, but I put some work-grade insoles inside cut a size larger than the boot so they went from heel to toe cap and that made the fit nice and snug. There is still a little play in the heel area, but I don't foresee that being an issue. They lack arch support, but this is no issue for me as I am flat-footed and too much arch support hurts my feet. The first time I put them on I was wearing ankle socks. There were no stray fibers or stitching poking my skin and excessive friction was not an issue. The material of the boot settled around my leg like a pair of Chuck Taylors. If you're looking for a comfortable pair of steel-toed boots that don't scream steel-toed boot, these are for you. As comfortable as a pair of sneakers and at an excellent price, these boots can't be beat.

These are comfortable, easy to put on, take off, very light-weight, well-constructed excellent work boots. I was positively surprised by how well made these boots are; the photo on the Amazon page does not show the higher quality than in real life - the boots look better than in the photo. I need to wear work, safety-toe boots for portions of my work day; then change into another pair of shoes for other work tasks; these boots are perfect for this as they have sturdy Velcro straps (only two) that make quick off or on fast and easy. I also need the true rubber soles for work around electrical equipment - these boots, unlike many others, have real rubber soles. The sizing is accurate, fits about right. I have put arch supports into the boots as they are made flat-footed, but are still comfortable. The price is excellent. I will purchase a second pair as soon as possible.

I am a minimalist runner that has been searching for a work boot that doesn't have a giant heel and thick sole. These fit that bill almost perfect. The steel toe meets my requirements for work, but my particular job isn't as struck as most. The boots themselves feel great, and for 40 bucks I am not super concerned about longevity. I did have to return the first set as most reviews stated the boots were too big. I measured my feet and used the method I found on Google for fitting Japanese sizes. They were way too small. Went up a full size and they are just about perfect. For fellow minimalist foot wear seekers these are great, but the toe box is a bit narrow. Nothing terrible, just won't let your toes splay out like a proper set of altras. Reviewers that have issues with no arch support, that is what the arch of your foot is, the support. I would also mention that reviewers that find these shoes to be uncomfortable to walk around in are not used to minimalist style foot wear. It takes time for your feet and legs to get used to a proper gait after years of large heal toe drop and unnecessary padding.

Fantastic shoe; be aware that you'll have to pay tariffs after purchase

I like the style of boot, particularly the lightweight nature of it, being thin rubber, steel toe, and canvas to hold it all together. That being said, these do not hold up at my job (heavy diesel tech), despite the boots receiving very little abuse. I've gone through two different pairs in ten months. The first pair wore a hole in the sole due to the rubber bending back and forth regularly. The canvas began to come unstitched in multiple places as well over 6 months of daily use. The second pair has no holes in the sole yet, however the canvas is separating in many places again, and so the boots are no longer waterproof after 4 months of use. Overall okay boot, but unless you work plain warehousing or something and only need them for OSHA reasons, buy a higher quality version of the same style boot, or bite the bullet and buy a regular American style work boot. These will not last.

A note: the "lack" of arch support and cushioning is a feature, not a bug - just like other minimalist barefoot-style shoes. Update: DEFINITELY order a half size smaller than your usual shoe size. My first pair (the grey pair) I bought in my usual size (8.5M), and they were far too loose. The black pair I ordered in size 8 and they fit like an absolute dream. Lightweight, well-built, zero-drop, barefoot-style safety shoes are a rarity, to the point that after 30+ hours of research these and the split toed "tabi" variety are the only ones readily available apart from some more common brand shoes that require a little modification. So far they are very comfortable, with a decent sized toe box (narrower than your usual barefoot-style show but still with more than enough room for my wide front foot area). Ordering a half size down lets these fit like a dream, every bit as comfortable as my significantly more expensive Xero & Freet! brand minimalist shoes but with the added benefit of being safety toes that are required for my work. I don't work where sole puncture resistance is necessary, but I'd be a little cautious if that's something you'll need -there's plenty of grip from the tread pattern, but I'd imagine that nails or sharp metal would go through them without much effort.

I bought these boots looking for a zero drop, minimalist, barefoot, safety toe shoe. These boots got me zero drop and safety out of what I was looking for. I've been wearing barefoot trail shoes and barefoot boots for the past year and a half but am required to wear safety toes at work. I searched and searched for the perfect safety toe and I think these fit the bill well, but not perfectly. They are zero drop, but there is a very minimal bit of arch support, as compared to my barefoot shoes and boots. The toe box is hard to explain. It is not as wide as my other barefoots, but it is really flexible as compared to any other safety toe. I've worn steel, aluminum, and composite toe boots and shoes - slip on ESD shoes to chemical resistant wellingtons to military safety boots, regular and wide widths. The canvas of the toe box is much softer than vans and is actually a bit softer than chuck taylors. I've never worn a safety shoe with as much movement in the toe box as these - nice! The soles of these boots are also more flexible than any other safety toes I've worn. I would really like an actual minimist/zero drop steel toe shoe, but until then, these do the best so far. Keen Destin slip on shoes were previously the best safety toe shoes I'd worn, but they're out of production. These boots are more barefoot than the Keens but the toe box and fit are not as wide or anatomically shaped. I think these are worth a shot if you're looking for the same things I was. They look weird. They're not entirely awful, but they are weird. These will not pass for a meeting shoe, and my wife doesn't like when I wear them, so I don't wear them to my meetings or going out. They're not super expensive at ~$40 price and ~$30 shipping, compared to other safety shoes.

All the cloth pieces are canvas, and NOT water resistant, so you will need to add that yourself. As with other reviews, it has no arch support but is otherwise comfortable and has a good steel toe. The hook and loop straps seem strong but the sole is thin, you won't want to be wearing these for hikes or long walks across rocky terrain, you WILL feel it, and it won't feel nice. I mainly liked it because it looked semi futuristic and didn't cost an arm and a leg.

Excellent set of boots. Very happy with the purchase. Very light, very flexible, and most important very, very comfortable. Even though these have steel toes, they are a great set of everyday boots. Wish I had found these years ago. I will definitely be buying another set in the near future. Shipping from Japan was pretty quick. 10 days for me. Was well packaged and arrived safe and sound. I wear size 10 (28cm) and ordered them in that size. Like others have said, don't order a bigger size. At 10, they are slightly large, but I prefer them slightly large rather than having a set of boots that squeeze my foot/toes. At worst you could wear thicker socks, but I am comfortable wearing them with a standard set of socks. The boots are very flexible. As seen in the picture, I can compress them pretty easily. Which is also great for bringing them in a pack, as they take up so little room compared to a standard set of boots. The boots are also very well made, which is what you generally expect from Japan. The boots have tons of heavy duty stitching all over them. The velcro straps have double/triple stitching on them which makes it look like there is basically no way to rip them. The fabric is also very strong while being very flexible/comfortable. The only slight negative I have for the boots is that they don't have a removable insole. Which is probably due to the design. They are minimal style footwear, and those usually don't have them. But they can be easily and cheaply added if needed by buying a set of universal insoles. But depending on the insole, it might affect the flexibility of the boot. I recommend wearing the boots for a bit before buying a set. You probably don't need them. But it still would have been nice to have a set included in case I wanted to use them. Great, great boots. Very happy with the purchase.

A shoe you need to try before you buy. The size chart is not accurate at all

Las botas aun que todo viene en japonés y al parecer son diseñadas en Japón son hechas en china pero la calidad es muy buena son cómodas y frescas, no creo que sean buenas para gente que tiene problemas de rodilla o de tobillos ya que no poseen nada de amortiguamiento es como andar en sandalias la suela es muy delgada pero una vez que uno se acostumbra se vuelve cómodo

Great boots, I ordered a size down from usual after finding my normal size way too big. But these are fine and roomy, so go smaller is my advice. Really comfortable, rubber soles squeak a bit but are secure. One thing worth noting the grey ones are more blue than grey.

Tout a fait satisfait par ces chaussures, j'ai pris la plus grande taille faisant du 43/44. J'aime beaucoup ces chaussures, je l'ai porte depuis plus d'un mois, elles sembles bien solides.