11 Best Steel Toe Sneakers Or Tennis Shoes For Men And Women
In the past, when you needed to purchase safety shoes for construction or industrial sites, the only option was boots. Today, you can now purchase sneaker-style or tennis-style safety shoes. Many offer steel toe caps as well as alloy options for lightness with similar protection. The best steel toe sneakers or steel toe tennis shoes meet all the stringent testing for safety standards as boots or any other safety footwear.
Steel toe sneakers have some advantages over traditional steel toe boots in flexibility and ease of movement. In addition, athletic footwear manufacturers like Reebok, New Balance, Fila and Skechers have entered the market. They produce steel toe sneakers where you get the advantage of running shoe technology for comfort and support.
You will not want to run a marathon in your safety shoes. Still, you will enjoy a less cumbersome day with a greater degree of flexible foot movement and might easily be able to transition to a casual night out.
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How are these Reviews Organized?
The nine steel toe sneakers for men and two for women reviewed below cover well known safety footwear manufacturers. Larnmern and Fila aren't big players in this market (yet), but that means their steel toe tennis shoes are more affordable than the competition.
In each review, I highlight the safety standards of each shoe first in order for you to know whether those shoes meet the hazards against which you need to protect yourself.
Under the reviews, I also provide a Buyer's Guide where I discuss what makes a good safety shoe.
Generally, there isn't a lot of difference between steel toe sneakers in the industrial footwear market, so most people make their final decision on price and brand. The exception is if you also need electrical hazard or static dissipative protection, or additional safeguards in the outsole against heat or puncture, or slip resistance to oil or chemicals.
If you wear your steel toe sneakers every day for work, you probably get through a couple per year so consistency is important. However, it is worth trying a different brand from time-to-time because every manufacturer has their own footwear technology and trade secrets in producing the best steel toe sneakers.
Other Options
In this article, I have selected a lot of very good steel toe sneakers. However, if you have not found exactly what you are looking for, I would recommend taking a look these articles:
- 11 Best Skechers Steel Toe Boots And Shoes - All of the steel toe footwear has electrical hazard protection. However, they come in work boot in addition to sneaker style and many are waterproof.
- 14 Best Reebok Steel Toe Shoes: Comfy And Safe - These provide a selection of steel toe sneakers with electrical hazard protection from electrocution or static dissipative protection. Each outsole also offers various protections against water, metal chips, oil or chemicals.
- 13 Toughest And Best Waterproof Work Boots - Here you will find a selection of waterproof work boots for men and women, some of which offer steel toe options.
- 11 Best Winter Work Boots For Men And Women - In this article, you will also find an excellent array of insulated work boots ready to keep you warm. This includes steel toe footwear.
Best Steel Toe Sneakers And Steel Toe Tennis ShoesFor Men
Here are nine of the best steel toe sneakers and tennis shoes for men. Overall, these safety shoes are lightweight, durable and offer protection to your toes from impact and compression from falling objects.
Skechers Canton Steel Toe Sneakers
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Why Choose Skechers Steel Toe Sneakers?
One of the primary reasons for choosing steel toe sneakers over safety boots is comfort and wearability. Skechers make comfortable and affordable steel toe sneakers that look like ordinary sneakers. They look good enough to wear after work but provide excellent protection against impact and compression, and against some electrical hazards.
Memory foam adjusts to your foot shape and resists compression, reducing fatigue if you spend your day standing and walking on concrete floors. If you need safety shoes for light industrial use and prefer steel toe sneakers, this pair is affordable and stylish.
New Balance 627v2 Steel Toe Sneakers
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Why Choose New Balance Steel Toe Sneakers?
New Balance shoes are known for comfort, quality, and durability. New Balance steel toe tennis shoes receive the same care and attention as the athletic sneakers, so you get a stylish sneaker with running shoe technology with the hidden extra of a safety toe.
Larnmern Steel Toe Sneakers
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Why Choose Larnmern Steel Toe sneakers?
Larnmern may not be the most well-known safety shoe maker in the market, but they produce affordable, high-quality safety footwear.
These steel toe sneakers have puncture resistance with a Kevlar midsole. That level of protection usually comes with a premium price tag, but these steel toe sneakers are under $60.
If you want premium quality steel toe sneakers at an affordable price, it's worth giving Larnmern a try as they won't break the bank, and they have an excellent range of features.
Reebok Sublite RB4016 Steel Toe Sneakers
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Why Pick Reebok Steel Toe Tennis shoes?
Reebok built their steel toe sneakers for athletic performance with integrated safety features. Memory foam cushioning contours to your foot, and the flexible sole gives you a pair of steel toe sneakers you can run, twist and pivot with ease.
Easy movement through your working day is less fatiguing than battling against a pair of stiff safety boots, which is why many workers opt for comfort and a sneaker style in workwear.
Keen Lansing Low Steel Toe Sneakers
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Why Pick These Keen Steel Toe Sneakers?
Keen is a relative newcomer to the footwear market (founded 2003), but they make practical, thoughtful footwear affordable. The details – left and right-shaped toe protection and a reflective strip give a little extra with these steel toe cap sneakers. Plus, you get all the safety standards for light industrial use in a comfortable shoe.
You get a removable footbed option for those that need specialized support for such as things as high or low arches, plantar fasciitis or just lots of extra cushion in certain spots on your foot. Keen makes their own insoles that fit in their boots without the need for trimming. For a description of those and other insert options, please take a look - 10 Most Effective And Best Insoles For Work Boots.
Fila Reckoning 7 Steel Toe Tennis Shoes
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Why Choose Fila Steel Toe Tennis Shoes?
Fila produces steel toe sneakers to the same safety standards as the major workwear manufacturers but are somewhat reticent about telling you about them. You must dig deep to find the safety information as Fila rather blandly talks about meeting industry standards with little detail. As a result, you can pick up a pair of Fila steel toe sneakers for about half the price of a better promoted product.
Caterpillar Woodward Steel Toe Tennis Shoes
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Why Choose Caterpillar Steel Toe Tennis shoes?
Caterpillar is a notable name in safety boots because they use an ERGO comfort system engineered to provide flexibility, stability, and durability in every pair of boots or steel toe sneakers they produce. These steel toe sneakers include a midfoot stabilizing shank, sculpted midsole, and shock-absorbing rubber outsole with an ergonomically designed tread pattern to mimic natural foot movement.
Caterpillar steel toe sneakers look good and are kind to your feet while providing footwear that meets the safety standards.
Merrell Fullbench Steel Toe Sneakers
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Why Pick Merrell Steel Toe Sneakers?
Merrell has abandoned the traditional steel toe protection in favor of lighter alloy in many shoes. Currently, you can still get hold of a genuine steel toe cap shoes - Fullbench 2 Static Dissipative Steel Toe Construction Shoe - but not for long. The trademarked rubber outsole provides excellent grip and traction on oily and slippery surfaces.
You expect comfort and shock-absorbing foam in the midsole, and you get anti-torsion support with a plastic shank helping to keep your foot from twisting in the wrong place. The Merrell shoe is comfortable, with excellent traction, and super light with safety features: everything you want from a steel toe sneaker.
Carhartt Steel Toe Tennis Shoes
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Why Choose Carhartt Steel Toe Tennis Shoes?
This Carhartt sneaker is not a "steel toe" sneaker because it uses an alloy for toe protection. If you want a steel toe with Carhartt, you need to wear one of the more traditional boot styles. If you want a sneaker, you settle for an alloy toe.
Many safety sneakers are opting for alloy over steel for toe protection because they meet the safety standards for most impact or compressions (but not all) with a lighter sneaker. These Carhartt safety sneakers are lightweight and comfortable to wear, and the targeted arch support makes a difference as to how fresh you feel at day's end.
Best Steel Toe Sneakers Or Steel Toe Tennis Shoes for Women
The major manufacturers offer women's sizing in their main industrial safety footwear products. Still, these two steel toe sneakers aim for the female market with steel toe tennis shoes and a brighter option.
Reebok Soyay Steel Toe Tennis Shoes
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Why Choose These Reebok Steel Toe Tennis Shoes?
For steel toe safety shoes, these look cute and close to ordinary shoes without sacrificing important footwear technology. The removable footbed is a plus because you can replace it with orthotics for a tailored need. These steel toe sneakers meet the safety requirements for light industrial use, and the toe protection is discrete and but effective against .
Caterpillar Connexion Steel Toe Sneakers
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Why Choose These Caterpillar Steel Toe Sneakers?
These steel toe sneakers are a bit industrial-looking, but they are bright and jazzy and suitable for outdoor and indoor work. The ergonomic design and targeted cushioning make a difference to your all-day comfort. You get the same quality safety features available in the men's styles and excellent durability.
Buyer's Guide To The Best Steel Toe Sneakers And Steel Toe Tennis Shoes
What Safety Features Do You Get?
ASTM 2413 is the official safety standard for US safety toe footwear, and it covers these basics:
Electrical Hazard (EH)
Most steel toe sneakers meet the Electrical Hazard (EH) or Static Dissipative (SD) standards. That does not mean they are safe to go walking into a live electrical current environment – that's a whole different type of shoe. This protection is for accidentally stepping on a live wire or encountering electrically charged equipment. EH or SD are pretty standard features of the best steel toe sneakers.
Static Dissipative Footwear (SD)
Ever felt an electrical spark when you touch something? That's a build-up of static electricity discharge. In some environments, a static charge is hazardous for the equipment around you or in your possession. Static dispersive footwear eliminates your static energy through the floor. Steel toe tennis shoes that disperse static electricity have non-metallic uppers, including lacing systems, as part of the construction.
Dual Resistor Static Dispersion
Two resistors in the midsole mean that if one fails, the other keeps working. These steel toe sneakers provide extra reassurance in electrically sensitive workplaces and are a relatively new innovation with patents pending.
Conductive Footwear (CD)
These are specialist safety shoes that immediately pass any static electricity from you to the ground because they have no electrical resistance. This footwear is essential for industries like refineries and military ordinances where a static spark has explosive consequences—none of the steel toe sneakers in these reviews class as conductive footwear.
Impact and Compression (I/75 and C/75)
You need impact protection and compression resistance to stop a heavy object falling on your foot from crushing your toes. When you drop a tool, box, or anything else and your foot is in the way, your toes are fragile and at risk. You expect steel toe safety shoes to have impact resistance up to 200J and compression protection to 15kN.
Puncture Protection
A puncture injury comes from a sharp object penetrating the sole of your steel toe sneaker and stabbing into your sole. Puncture injuries are painful and can result in permanent damage. Not every workplace has puncture hazards, and most steel toe sneakers don't incorporate puncture resistance as a normal part of their safety features. However, some do add them.
If you need puncture protection, look at the LARNMERN steel toe sneaker (highlighted above) that includes a Kevlar midsole for puncture and cut resistance.
Slipping and Sliding
There is no uniform standard for slip resistance, and slip resistance is not the same as no-slip. The type of rubber (soft rubbers are stickier) and tread design influence grip and traction on various surfaces and with oil and water hazards.
The best steel toe sneakers may start with excellent grip, but as the tread wears, it loses the design's slip resistance. Accordingly, you should pay close attention to the wear on tread to make sure it can continue to offer you the trip for which it was manufactured.
However, the ASTM F-2913 tests a whole steel toe sneaker for the degree of friction it exerts in relation to a surface when moved. It gives an indicator that the steel toe sneaker is pretty good for traction but is not precise.
Last Word
There are lots of very good manufacturers that supply excellent steel toe sneakers or tennis shoes. Some offer different features such as electrical hazard protection, static dissipative protection, or extra protections in the outsoles. However, regardless of your budget, you should be able to find a pair that meets your needs, style, and safety needs required by your employment.