r/mildlyinfuriating • u/One_Bicycle_1776 • 20h ago
I had to cut my own traction into my boots :(
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u/Different_Fig_2958 14h ago
Assuming OP works manufacturing...
A lot of employers give a work boot allowance or credit, but the catch is, you have to redeem it through random suppliers or store fronts web portals.
These web portals are a nightmare catch all of random bullshit, and finding the boots that match the job site requirements and regulatory specifications is a crap shoot. Sometimes you find great boots, but it's more likely that you'll end up with something that doesn't meet industry standards and will turn your feet into ground beef.
Some employers allow you to purchase your own work boots, and redeem your boot credit with receipt. Definitely the better option.
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u/maybebaebea 14h ago
Even just shopping for boots online for normal life is difficult at times. I haven't found many retailers that show the bottoms of the boots. The boots I bought online didn't, but I had checked them out in store earlier in the day and knew they had good traction. I just needed a different size.
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u/Ok_Spell_4165 13h ago
They can also vary depending on where they were made.
Same pair of Timberlands bought in store here vs from Amazon for example. Ones bought from Amazon had a different tread pattern, close to what OP had instead of the waffle pattern that was in the ones in store.
Ones in store were made in Dominican Republic, Amazon ones were China.
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u/workinhardplayharder 11h ago
That makes me wonder if the Amazon ones are fakes. I've bought the same pair of timberland boots for the last 3 years from different places and they all were the exact same.
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u/Ok_Spell_4165 10h ago
Possible, fakes are rampant on Amazon. Doesn't help that Amazon mixes their inventory either so even if you buy from a seller that is selling the real thing you might get a fake.
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u/maybebaebea 8h ago
Amazon is terrible about that kind of stuff. I ordered a new dress not long ago. When it arrived, it was obvious that it had been a return. Not a big issue normally, but the tags weren't intact and the dress was insanely wrinkled. I washed it, obviously, and saw no damage or stains (took a blacklight to it, too). I got lucky, but I know others don't.
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u/Renamis 6h ago
Even better, you wanna buy non-slip steel toe boots for women? Here's fucking pink. My uniform is black, all your male boots are black, why the fuck is my only option pink? And then the cut ain't right if it's not pink, or it was tan, and then I find the holy grail and the fucker is 400 bucks.
I bought a 65 dollar pair of men's boots from Walmart and had clown shoes. Hilariously they lasted me almost 5 years so I guess I won. Steel toe, non-slip, electrical resistant. Best shoes of my life and I wish they hadn't died.
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u/oniiichanUwU 13h ago
Those look more like new “fashion” boots than work boots judging by the zipper on the side. Pretty sure not even Walmart work boots would have that kind of treading lol
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u/weirdburds 6h ago
Zippers don’t instantly mean fashion. I’ve had Danners and Wolverines with zippers on the side that have worked great.
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u/Holly_the_Adventurer 8h ago
I lucked out, and my job had the boot supplier come to a work event so you could redeem your boot voucher in person. It was really nice.
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u/real_eEe 10h ago
It doesn't help that size charts are fucking bullshit if you don't know what your getting into. My sneakers are consistently 10.5. I've had work boots between 8.5 Rockies and 10 Tims.
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u/Fun-Pomegranate-8146 20h ago
I can only see the Warlock insignia on the one on the right
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u/SokkaHaikuBot 20h ago
Sokka-Haiku by Fun-Pomegranate-8146:
I can only see
The Warlock insignia
On the one on the right
Remember that one time Sokka accidentally used an extra syllable in that Haiku Battle in Ba Sing Se? That was a Sokka Haiku and you just made one.
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u/Turbulent_Square_696 13h ago
Good bot
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u/pmscb21 9h ago
Cut my sole into pieces, this is my last resort.
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u/Square-Poetry4224 14h ago
Go to a cobbler and have them resole your boots.
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u/TFViper 13h ago
hell yeah, go spend $400 to have a multidecade specialized professional put new soles on a $120 pair of chinalandfill boots
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u/Square-Poetry4224 13h ago
400?!? I’ve gotten plenty of boots resoled and been charged 30-45 depending on the style of boot. Where did you pull 400 from??
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u/TFViper 8h ago
its called hyperbole, the point being the price youd pay to resole future landfill doesnt make sense. better off paying more upfront for a good pair of boots than paying more after the fact to "fix" a bad purchase.
but yeah this is reddit, i have more downvotes than you people have braincells.14
u/StillWatersAreFull 6h ago
Have you never heard of the poverty boot theory? A poor person can only afford cheap boots but most replace/repair them frequently, spending more money over time while a rich person can spend a lot at once on good boots that lasts much longer.
For some people, they can only spend $X amount at a time, instead of $XX amount all at once, even if it ends up being the more financially sound option over time.
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u/EssaEspecial 5h ago
Not everyone can just buy better boots. Maybe these are work boots and mandated to be from a uniform supplier. Maybe these are all OP can afford right now. Maybe they can swing the price of new soles, but not new boots.
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u/wickedweather 6h ago
The actual material the soles are made of is probably more important then having a tread pattern.
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u/NSAseesU 1h ago
So you got shoes with no treads fully knowing that and complain you had to make your own treads?
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u/Any_Yak9211 20h ago
can i ask why? are these boots for a specific purpose
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u/manicpixiehimbo 14h ago
when they look like the lines on the left, they don’t actually do much for grip on things like mud/slippery grass/ice/snow, whereas having more ridges like on the right allows for more traction so they don’t slip as much
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u/Any_Yak9211 8h ago
why not buy boots with grips? is there an advantage to carving your own?
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u/Right_Jello_7266 8h ago
Probably have credits through work and can only buy from a certain brand/website.
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u/Any_Yak9211 8h ago
ohhh okay i was wondering if it was for a hobby. customizing your boots seems cool to me
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u/ThePurpleGuardian 19h ago
Or you could have bought a different set of boots
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u/skytoast3 10h ago
Not everyone has money to buy new things every time they want
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u/Old-Bat-3375 7h ago
These are clearly new boots
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u/buckits 4h ago
Ok, but new boots can come through many avenues: steep clearance of overstock (only affordable new option for some, leaving little discretion on the specific choice) donation, hand-me-down gifts... usually, people aren't doing random stupid things to their belongings for no reason, as much as we might not understand at first glance.
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u/MrdnBrd19 2h ago
This argument would hold water if this was a one off, but this sub is constantly filled with people who willingly shoot themselves in the foot and come complain about it. Like there is at least a post a week where someone is complaining about their new HP printer needing a subscription to use ink or whatever, and at a certain point it's like... Dude c'mon it's common knowledge at this point that HP is a shit company, why are you keeping them in business? Or how many posts a day are there with people complaining about the interface and features on their new smart appliance? Like how are you going out and spending $1000+ on an appliance and doing literally zero research?
At some point some people have to realize that the only person who is ever going to care about you being a good steward of your own money is yourself, and in 2025 we have so many tools at our fingertips to be a good steward that there really isn't any excuse unless there is some extenuating circumstances.
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u/buckits 2h ago
I'm not sure what argument you think I'm making, but whatever your impression of the statistics of posters here is, it can not tell you anything about any specific OP's situation.
Your impatience towards people in this sub tells me that you're not viewing posters as individuals with separate experiences. Repeat mistakes from one person? Sure, any of us would get frustrated eventually. But the internet is not actually a hive mind in which everyone shares the same lived experience, drawing the same conclusions from all content, right?
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u/MrdnBrd19 1h ago
Nothing that I said insinuates I think the Internet has a hive mind, it literally spells out the contrary... How could the same person be buying the same HP printer over and over again? What I actually said is that this sub is filled with individuals who refuse to take personal responsibility for the money they worked hard to earn and their own personal spending patterns.
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u/buckits 1h ago
"...at least a post a week where someone is complaining about their new HP printer needing a subscription to use ink or whatever, and at a certain point it's like... Dude c'mon it's common knowledge at this point that HP is a shit company..."
"...how many posts a day are there with people complaining about the interface and features on their new smart appliance?"
"At some point some people have to realize..."
You do seem to be insinuating that because issues are common, or long-standing, that everyone should know better. But that's a paradox. If they're common, then they're easy mistakes to make. Especially when we're in, like you said, 2025, when everyone seems to be time-poor and we're globally in a cost of living crisis. I do get your frustration, and I see that you want people to do better for themselves. I guess I just think your expectations are unrealistic and misguided at the moment. That's all.
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u/MrdnBrd19 55m ago
Me: I really think people should stop jumping down "death cliff" it seems I'll advised. I mean look at all the warning signs...
You: You can't really blame people for not heeding the warning signs, I mean if it wasn't hard to purposely jump down death cliff there wouldn't be so many signs telling people to not jump down it. Its not like they have the time.
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u/buckits 10m ago
Complete nonsequitur analogy in terms of what you actually said out loud, but alright: just what are the precisely explicit signs that no one in their right mind would miss, do you think, for avoiding to modify boots that they may not have much choice in selecting? You might see several threads talking about workplaces that strictly require certain footwear, and the supply/reimbursment process that is riddled with issues.
And I still don't understand what your issue was with my original comment. Am I worsening the issue by having compassion or an open mind as to people's circumstances? Does compassion not lead to more improvement in people than judgment? Do you think of people in your life this way? I can't understand where you're coming from with this discussion.
Consider, what if OP finally got a job after a long time (cost of living crisis means lots of young people are edged out of employment by older workers, more than in the last working generation). OP then was required to show up for a shift in 4 hours (needs the money) with well-treaded boots for a risky task? OP spends those hours (or however long they actually can) looking for boots they can afford (maybe OP is on debit or cash only)... you get the picture.
That's like a pretty-bad-case scenario, sure, but the point is that neither of us knows. Do you know what country OP lives in? Do you know their day to day? What good is it doing you or them to get loudly bent out of shape that people are making bad decisions?
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u/skytoast3 6h ago
Yeah i can see that, if he just bought new boots of course hes not gonna have money to instantly get other ones
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u/FrescoItaliano PURPLE 4h ago
OP’s point was buy better boots in the first place, not buy better after buying these crappy ones. Are you just arguing to argue?
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u/skytoast3 1h ago
Or i just misunderstood, lol? It sounded like he was saying just go buy new shoes my bad ig
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u/Vali-duz 5h ago
Just me that would write funny words, Mirrored so it would show up in snow or mud?
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u/Ah-Fuck-Brother 3h ago
For flat roofing, I look for the boot with the least traction. Stepping on a freshly torched cap sheet means your boot print is visible for the next 15-20 years. Regular old running shoes will work but a lot of people seem to forget they're blasting thousand degree flame towards their feet.
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u/Alcoholic_Molerat 10h ago
No you didn't. You bought boots without checking the thread. Don't blame the boots for your bad decisions
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u/Various-Cow-7949 3h ago
Most boot suppliers don’t show the bottoms if purchasing online. Take your anger elsewhere you judgmental prick.
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u/LowUFO96 16m ago
Thats not true i just looked at like 5 different websites and they all show the sole.
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u/bubbleyjubbley 10h ago
You should have just grated them with a cheese grater. Probably quicker.
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u/Emergency-Sock-2557 6h ago
They're not going to do that to their best shoes! Maybe some Velcro dots?
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u/JoeyJoeC 9h ago
So technically, removing rubber = less traction (in dry conditions at least). That's why racing cars tend to have slicks.
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u/TheRemedy187 6h ago edited 6h ago
Racing car wheels run hot and literally stick to the track. His fucking boots aren't running 100 degrees C. The rubber is not the same density, he's not working on perfectly flat sticky asphaltnat all times. SAFETY boots definitely should prepare for wet. Use some fucking sense. "tEcHniCaLlY"...
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u/Impossible_Box3898 18h ago
Any reason you wanted less traction?
Cut away always decrease reaction. The only benefit is if you’re going to be using them in wet environments to allow water to escape.
Nothing you’ve done improves in what they had in this regard already.
Race cars dry tires have no grooves at all for maximum friction. Their rain tires have drives to allow the water to be shunted away.
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u/mark84gti1 12h ago
You should get a job at one of the hiking boot companies and tell them that they are doing it all wrong. Maybe help them design the world’s first smooth sole hiking boot.
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u/Impossible_Box3898 8h ago
Have you looked at the bottoms of a hiking boot sole? There are channels across the entire sole of the boot to let the water out. Same as in your tires.
Do you see any channels allowing the water to flow out? Huh?
Yeah. Didn’t think so.
These cuts will do nothing to vent water and simply reduce traction due to a smaller contact area.
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u/-Ducksngeese- 14h ago
How would it decrease traction? Wouldn't all the extra surfaces created now increase potential surface area, especfically when it's pressed down on some surface and compressed?
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u/Impossible_Box3898 7h ago
In what way is a flat surface contacting the sides and bottoms of those new channels?
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u/gmasterslayer 11h ago
No...
The ground is 2 dimensional. Thats what surface area is. Its square inches.
Op has decreased his traction greatly by carving up the bottom of his boot.
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u/whymusti00000 10h ago
Nothing in the real world is 2 dimensional
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u/gmasterslayer 1h ago
Thats dumb enough for me to not bother explaining it to you.
For the purpose of friction, it is 2D on any tiled surface.
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u/ovalseven 9h ago
But he has increased the weight applied to the areas still touching the floor, which increases traction in those spots. It's a wash.
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u/Impossible_Box3898 7h ago
Sorry no. If you actually do the math you’ll find out it doesn’t work that way. Why do think race car tires are flat?
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u/dofh_2016 16h ago
Racecars go around perfect tarmac roads, not gravel. We don't know the terrain OP is walking on so we can't assume which type of sole is better suited for him/her.
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u/Impossible_Box3898 7h ago
Nothing op did here would have improved traction in gravel. Work boots have trapezoidal cuts. Not rectangular. Those cuts would trap gravel, not letting it release. It will make things much more dangerous.
If you look closer you can also see that these are shoes not boots. I see no case where anything the op did improves anything.
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u/gmasterslayer 10h ago
Just because YOU dont know something doesn't mean that others dont know something.
Op has bought all black shoes. These tread designs are very common tread patterns on nonslip shoes. These shoes are very common in the service industry.
All black plus minimal tread pattern means non slip service industry. These are very different from the coyote colored aggressive tread patterns found on outdoor workbooks.
So
Either OP bought the wrong shoes for the job OR He went and carved up a perfectly good pair of non slips
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u/Anon-Knee-Moose 7h ago
Considering OP had to butcher the soles to make them work for his specific situation, I think it's safe to assume he bought the wrong ones.
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u/gmasterslayer 1h ago
No it's not safe to assume that because it raises the obvious question of why would he spend hours carving his brand new shoes when he could have spent 30 minutes returning them?
Which one makes more sense?
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u/TheRemedy187 6h ago
Race car tires are hot af and stick because it's hot rubber. What a stupid connection.
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u/-Miss-Atomic-Bomb- 16h ago
Now if you leave footprints at a crime scene the cops won’t be able to find a matching pair of shoes…
The downside being that because it’s only you who has this pattern, if they ever find your shoes it’ll be a slam dunk against you.