Have you ever thought about what makes up the cost of a safety boot? From materials and labour to components and transportation, in this blog, we’re going to show you why a safety boot costs what it does, as well as ask the question - given the essential job they do in protecting wearers - are they really that expensive?  

MATERIAL 

By far the most common material for safety and non-safety footwear is cow leather. But did you know there are many different types of leather used for safety footwear?

TYPES OF LEATHER 

FULL GRAIN 

Full grain leather is the highest quality and most durable type of leather, because it’s the entire grain of the cow’s hide. No part of the leather is split or rubbed down, so it remains tight and robust, with strong and natural water resistance. Because full grain is the premium cut of leather, a boot made of this material will be more expensive. 

CORRECTED GRAIN 

Corrected or ‘split’ leather uppers are made by taking full grain leather and splitting it horizontally to make two layers, essentially so manufacturers have more material to work with. As corrected grain features less genuine leather, it is less expensive.   

NUBUCK

Nubuck is leather which is sanded and buffed on the outer surface to create a velvety feel and a stylish look. People often think that Nubuck and Suede are similar or interchangeable, but Nubuck offers far better water-resistance, while suede tends not to have strong water-repelling properties, so this puts Nubuck material at the mid-high price range.

Pictured: V12's best selling dealer boot V1231 Rawhide boasts the vintage Nubuck look. 

SYNTHETIC UPPERS  

Synthetic or ‘non-leather’ material provides an alternative to leather uppers – you may have also heard of them being referred to as faux leather or vegan leather, because no animal hide is used. Non-leather materials for uppers such as microfibre tend to cost manufacturers slightly more than leather. This is because the leather industry is much more common, meaning the supply chain is more established and so access to raw materials and factories is easier. As a result, vegan footwear tends to be slightly more expensive than leather.

For the full run-down of types of leather and their characteristics, head to this blog now.   

COMPONENTS AND COST 

As you can probably imagine, safety footwear costs more than regular footwear because they feature components that have to protect the wearer to the legal European standard under EN ISO 20345. A toecap and a degree of slip resistance are mandatory features, but a safety boot can, depending on the wearer’s job role and environment, require highly specialised safety components ranging from ankle protection and a waterproof membrane to thermal insulation and industry-specific grip - all of which create an additional cost to the manufacturer which is reflected in the price of the boot. Take a look at the video below for our Lynx range as an example of just how much technology and safety innovation lives under the upper of a safety work boot. 

COMPONENTS AND QUALITY 

Some wearers have noted that V12 boots can be a slightly higher price than competitors, but this is largely because we insist on using high-level components that we can guarantee will reliably perform in real-life safety environments. This means our wearers can have total confidence in the product on their feet. 

For example, we use premium-quality rubber and PU compounds which are above and beyond the industry testing requirements, so our outsoles are more durable.

Our insistence on top-level components also means that the toecap and midsole on every pair of V12 boots is guaranteed to not only pass but exceed the testing standards, and provide superior slip resistance.

PUTTING EXPENSE INTO CONTEXT

Ultimately, better performing components cost more money. And when you’re trying to save money – as many of us currently are, there are times when choosing a less expensive product might be necessary.

But when it comes to protecting your feet, in the end, a higher price is often a reassuring sign of quality. And perhaps more importantly, while it's good to assess how expensive a pair of work boots is, it's also very useful to consider what the price of 2 months off work is, what the price of weeks in pain is, or even what the price of losing a toe is. And when we start thinking in these terms, we start to ask ourselves 'are my safety boots really that expensive?' 

“Very safe - I hit my foot with an axe by mistake and the boot took the impact. My foot was completely fine thanks to these amazing boots.” 

Review left by a V1231 Rawhide wearer 

Imagine what kind of injury, pain, distress and loss of income this wearer could have faced had he been wearing an inferior safety product which had not been diligently tested or checked during production? And imagine how glad this wearer was that he spent a little bit more on his safety boots so he didn't have to spend a lot of time in pain and off work. 

FOOTWEAR FOCUS 

Let’s take a closer look at some of V12 products’ specialised components which keep our wearers protected and comfortable day in, day out.  

V2180 INVINCIBLE IGS 

When it comes to high-level componentry, it doesn’t get more cutting-edge than Invincible. Developed over two years of intensive research, V2180 Invincible is V12’s most advanced safety boot ever, using pioneering technology to offer its metatarsal protection. 

At the heart of Invincible is the ExoGuard^TM, (pictured) a patented protection system with an internal carbon strap, giving unrivalled met protection, along with a dual density PU pad which further safeguards the metatarsal area with shock-absorbing properties. 

So, when you consider the amount of innovation V12 have developed so the Invincible can provide highly specialised protection, it’s not surprising that it is a boot at the higher end of our price range. 

Learn more about Invincibles' ground-breaking metatarsal protection technology in the video below. 

V1250 TOMAHAWK 

V1250 Tomahawk is a rigger boot that comes with a waterproof lining, heel support, a padded ankle and a built-in Thinsulate temperature control lining which keeps feet warm even at -20°C. These features, coupled with the fact it’s made from premium full grain leather means that it’s at the higher end of our price range - but the comfort, safety and durability benefits are exceptional. 

V1255.01 ROCKY IGS