Soukaido VO-80F Steel-Toe

Soukaido VO-80F Steel-Toe

Inspected both the stitching and rubber soles, found no issues, not even a stray thread. Shoes arrived in good condition. Usage in maritime conditions has proved satisfactory, the canvas and adjustable straps are convenient for foot swelling as well as a secure fit. The toe box is vastly more comfortable than traditional western shoes and provides a feeling of grounded support. Combined with less of a heel drop, I find these shoes to be great for working 10 hour days on deck and feeling minimum foot fatigue. Due to the shoes construction they are also considerably more lightweight as well; I would like to see however, is a composite toe cap. Steel toe is nice but the slight weight difference, while negligible is still somewhat noticeable. A composite toe cap would be really nice. I recommend these shoes to anyone with flat feet provided you can acclimate your feet to a more zero-drop sole. Do not forget to buy split toe socks when purchasing these shoes. Regular sock will not work.

Great jika tabi but no waterproofing available

My second pair of these, which do a good job of improving stability and ground grip, but they were not available with waterproofing. In addition to keeping feet dry, waterproofing would help prevent fading and staining, which happened with the earlier pair. So I had to spray them with a German product that's great but requires periodic repeating.