Rigger Boots
What are rigger boots? Rigger boots are a type of safety boot commonly found in the United Kingdom. The term "Rigger Boot" (Wiki) is derived from the fact that they were commonly worn by workers on oil rigs. This is because they were standard issue for these workers.
From their humble beginnings in the offshore drilling market, they are since worn in many other sectors and are seen as general purpose safety boots. They all feature steel toe caps (Wiki) and are quite tall, covering most of the shin most of the time. They normally come in a few distinct colors including black and various shades of brown. As far as work boots are concerned, rigger boots always feature fur lining on the inside as well as pull on loops near the top of the item. There is an issue with these types of boots however. They are thought to have poor ankle support. For this reason, some companies have banned rigger boots UK for daily work. Because there are a lot of generic brands or even "brand-less" variants on the market, you want to ensure you purchase from a trustworthy and reputable brand.
This is because some brands may not conform to EN-345 standards. This standard describes boots or shoes that have steel toe caps that can take the impact of a twenty kilogram falling object that was dropped from ten meters high. While these boots were originally meant for rugged environments that required good and tough footwear for the rigors of such places, it has made some inroads into the fashion scenes involving the metal and punk music scene.
A great brand to shop from are Dewalt (Wiki) . Dewalt rigger boots are produced by this American company that is also renowned for their line up of related items such as power tools and woodworking equipment. They are owned by their parent company, Stanley Black & Decker. It is an old company that first started in the 1940's by the person that gave the world the first radial arm saw. That person was Raymond E. Dewalt. Sometime in the 1960's Black and Decker purchased it where they still own it today. The brand is not only synonymous with high quality footwear but with high-end power tools as well.
Today, they have nearly a thousand different accessories and power tools on the market making them one of the biggest manufacturers of such items in the world. Jallatte rigger boots are another popular brand in the UK. They are a French company that is owned by the Jallatte Group. Unlike Dewalt, Jallatte concentrates solely on various work boots and footwear. Their primary concerns are creating footwear that are comfortable, attractive with high safety standards. Their shoes are puncture resistant and are made from composite materials. As such, Jallatte footwear are usually quite light as well which reduces fatigue during the working day.
Another good company that produces a wide variety of safety footwear is Caterpillar. Caterpillar is an international Multi-billion dollar company that specializes in many sectors. While you may know them as producers of a variety of heavy machinery, they have also ventured into the agricultural, electronics and footwear. Caterpillar shoes are actually produced by Wolverine Worldwide for the market. Generally good quality safety shoes, most customers are quite happy with Caterpillar.
