Best Keen Steel Toe Boots And Shoes

Unlike some older footwear companies, Keen is relatively new. It started in 2003 and set about producing well-fitting shoes that enhance your enjoyment of the outdoors for work or pleasure. It has US production facilities in Oregon where it manufactures a couple of their Keen steel toe boots and shoes – the Braddock and the Coburg.

Keen commits to reducing waste, and when refurbishing its new headquarters, it reused materials and generated less than one dumpster of waste. To put this into context, most of these wholesale refurbishments on this scale create a minimum of twenty dumpsters of waste material. 

Keen embraces eco-friendly material, minimizing waste and contributing substantially to making the world a little better for disadvantaged groups. Primarily you buy Keen work boots because you need them for work and they are excellent quality, but knowing you also contribute to helping others is a nice bonus. 

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How These Reviews Are Organized

If you are searching for Keen steel toe boots for work, your primary goal is to match the safety standards set by your employer. Accordingly, the first section of each review lists the applicable standards for each shoe so you can quickly locate Keen work boots that fit your requirements. After that, there are other features like waterproofing, cushioning, and support that will be listed and described. 

After the review, I supply a detailed Buyer's Guide describing the specific qualities of Keen safety shoes and universal safety standards.

Keen steel toe boots and shoes meet high standards and have similar features in construction quality. The differences between individual models are slight. 

Other Options

Keen offers a wide range of steel toe footwear. However, if you have not found for which you are looking, try the following articles:

• 11 Best Skechers Steel Toe Boots And Shoes (Review). All of the steel toe footwear has electrical hazard protection. They come in work boot in addition to sneaker style and many are water proof.
• 14 Best Reebok Steel Toe Shoes: Comfy And Safe (Review) These provide a selection of steel toe sneakers with electrical hazard protection from electrocution or static dissipative protection to avoid damage to sensitive electrical equipment.

Best Keen Steel Toe Boots For Men

All of these Keen safety shoes benefit from waterproofing and underfoot anatomical support. 

Popular All-Rounder

Best For Stability

Best For Heavy Duty

Built In The USA

Highest Boot

Additional Toe Protection

Best Keen Steel Toe Shoes For Men And Women

Keen safety shoes are not unisex in practice because gender-specific lasts provide shoes that fit the unique shape of women's feet and men's feet. These three come in men's sizes and shapes and also in women's. 

Lighter And Less Bulky

Medium Duty Safety Sneakers

Best For Electrostatic Dispersal

Buyer's Guide To The Best Keen Steel Toe Boots And Shoes

Technology Matters

Keen is a leading supplier of workwear because its boots and shoes contain plenty of proprietary technology to give your feet a safe and comfortable experience while working. You don't get a fashion statement, but you get plenty of durability and safety with waterproof leather uppers.

Waterproof Membrane

Keen safety shoes benefit from KEEN.DRY a proprietary waterproof membrane that lets moist air pass from your feet to the outside and stops water from penetrating. The lining integrates with waterproof leather uppers (sometimes leather and mesh) and a textile lining. 

The standard test for waterproof boots is to stimulate walking in water for 15,000 flexes. If the inside stays dry (a sensor measures this), then the boot classes as waterproof. Keen safety shoes go the extra mile as the test ensures they stay water-tight through 50,000 flexes. You can be confident your Keen work boots will keep your feet dry on the muddiest worksite. 

There is a difference between having waterproof boots and having wet-working boots. The membrane of waterproof boots is excellent, but neither Keen.Dry or Gore-Tex is up to coping with walking around all day in standing water that comes above the uppers. You need a different pair of shoes for that.

Cleansport NXT™

Sweat doesn't smell, but the bacteria that live on your skin and your socks eat the sweat and cause the smell. Bonding living microbes into the upper lining fabric mean there are hungry mouths ready to eat the product of bacteria eating your sweat. No partially digested bacteria meals mean no smell. The microbes remain dormant until activated by perspiration. 

Cleansport NXT is a natural, clean process that keeps your boots odor-free and is non-toxic to you and the environment through the intelligent use of probiotics. 

Asymmetric Anatomically Correct Steel Toes

Feet are not identical - you have a left foot and a right foot. Specially shaped work boots that account for the differences are logical and comfortable. Keen steel toe boots use shaped steel inserts that curve in line with your toes. All the Keen safety shoes reviewed here use asymmetric steel toes. 

Metatomical Footbed

The footbed in Keen steel toe boots conforms to the foot's shape providing superior arch support for all four arches of your foot. Plus, it is removable, giving you the option to put in a custom footbed for targeted support if you have specific issues. 

Safety Matters

Keen safety shoes match or exceed all relevant safety standards.  

Toe Protection

ASTM F2413 covers the requirements for safety toes (F2413-17 refers to the 2017 version of the safety standard when last updated). There are categories of performance and testing:

• I/75: Toe resists 75 ft-lbs force. Tested by dropping 50lbs from 18 inches onto the toe. This test shows the steel toe protects against impact.
• C/75: The compression test involves standing up to weights rolling onto the shoe. This represents 2,500 pounds of force.
• M: designated testing for male footwear.
• F: designated testing for female footwear.
• Mt/75: refers to metatarsal protection as an additional feature.
• EH: protection against secondary electrical hazards such as stepping on a live wire.
• SD100: disperses static electricity up to 100 megohms.

To qualify under F2413, the safety toe must be an integral part of the footwear and not removable.

Slip Resistance

There is no official standard for slip resistance as ASTM F1677 Mark II is withdrawn but meeting the testing standard indicates that the outsole will provide good traction in wet and oily conditions.  A further test, ASTM F2913, involves testing the whole shoe for its slip-resistant properties. SATRA refers to the testing equipment that allows Keen steel toe shoes to declare slip resistance. 

Slip resistance is the interaction on the outsole with the floor material. Slipping is the leading cause of falls and is involved in 62% of foot-related accidents. ASTM F2913 requires testing:

Three types of foot contact:

• Heel
• Toe
• Flat foot.

And uses various surfaces with oil and water contamination, changing the potential for slipping.

The combination of safety toe and slip resistance defines most safety shoes, and Keen safety shoes exceed most applicable standards. 

Last Word

Keen steel toe boots and shoes are superb safety shoes that supply comfort, support and protection from various workplace hazards.