With over 100 blog postings under our belt (okay, our shoes) we are moving our blog to a brand new home. In future, you will find our new blog as part of our Mellow Walk website. So, what are you waiting for head on over to our new blog now to see all those great blog postings about safety footwear.
As the president of Mellow Walk Footwear, I get to wear test a lot of shoes before they make it into production (and on to the retailers’ shelves). The questions I try to answer, do I like the way the shoe fits? Does the pattern need adjusting? Is this the right sockliner for this shoe? How does the outsole wear in different environments and flooring surfaces?
The problem always becomes too many pairs of wear test shoes piling up behind my desk. And, I rarely have the opportunity to wear out any one pair as I tend to have too many test pairs on the go. (Now, I appreciate this problem is not bound to elicit any sympathy, however I’m getting to the point I want to make so bear with me 🙂 )
And the point is, when is the right time to replace a pair of Mellow Walk safety shoes? While there is no hard and fast rule on this you may want to take into consideration the following in making your decision.
1) If an object has fallen on the steel-toe causing it to dent. (Recommend immediate replacement).
2) If there is extreme wear and tear on the shoe and the leather has broken down exposing the steel toe.
3) If the sole is cracked or shows signs of heavy wear
4) If the shoes are more than a year old and you rely on the Electric Shock Resistant (ESR Omega) rating for your work. ESR features may wear out over time and degrade with contact with water.
5) If you rely on the Static Dissipative (SD) features of the sole as this may wear out over time.
6) If your employer offers you a yearly subsidy to purchase new safety shoes. New shoes will provide you with better support and structure (and let’s face it wearing a pair of shoes 8-10 hours a day, five days a week is hard wear and equivalent to almost 2600 hours over the course of a year).
Other than that I say please continue to enjoy your made in Canada Mellow Walk safety shoes.
I’m often asked, especially at trade shows, what all of those CSA tags mean that are attached to our safety shoes. While most people today shopping for safety shoes recognizes the Green Triangle (a safety shoe with a steel toe and puncture resistant sole) many of the other symbols remain a tad foggy. I’ve added a section that I hope demystifies the CSA symbols for consumers.
So, what are some of the common questions that I get asked?
What do the different symbols mean?
The most common CSA tags found on Mellow Walk safety shoes are explained on our Certified Quality page. The tags usually indicate in words or symbols what standards the shoe has been certified to. Often the safety symbols relate to toe protection, sole protection i.e. protection against sole penetrations, or whether the sole is capable of dissipating static or protects against accidental contact with electricity.
Why aren’t the CSA tags on both shoes?
CSA only requires that the tags be attached to the right shoe.
Can I cut off the CSA tag?
Well, we can’t advise you there except to say that the tags do serve a purpose. The tags not only let you know what standards that shoe meets, but will make sure that you are compliant with any workplace regulations around the use of safety footwear.
Does a safety shoe offer the same protection as a boot?
Whether it is a shoe or boot, if it has the CSA markings it means that it has been tested to the same standard and passed.
What exactly is CSA?
Canadian Standards Association works with industry groups in various sectors, including footwear, that require a common set of standards that all groups must follow. The good news for consumers is that when a product is certified to CSA standards that is only the beginning of the story. Factories must continue with ongoing compliance testing and CSA audits on a quarterly basis to ensure that certified products continue to meet the standard.
This Friday, we are giving away two limited edition pairs of Mellow Walk safety shoes. To be automatically entered Like us on Facebook. Good luck (I’m rooting for you!)
As part of our commitment to supporting causes that are meaningful to our staff, each month Mellow Walk makes a donation to a charity recommended by a member of our staff. So when our plant manager Diana asked us to support the Walk for Memories to raise awareness and money for Alzheimer research we of course said “heck, yes” (or something to that effect). Alzheimer research and care is important to Diana and her family as her mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s 10 years ago. Congrats Diana for completing the 2013 Walk for Memories.
This Friday morning we will send a message to one lucky facebook friend’s inbox. The winner will walk (I guess that is an appropriate choice of words) away with a limited edition pair of our new David safety brogues. Our designer Nelson has jazzed these up with a really cool faux crocodile style brushed leather. Winning these will make you the talk of your workplace (in a good way, of course). Visit our facebook page to Like and be automatically included in the draw.
At Mellow Walk we are always tickled to receive fan mail. Thanks for the kind words….
I just wanted to let you know that I got the shoes and I absolutely love them! They are very light and super comfortable. I am glad I chose the 10.5’s as they fit really well. Since I wear skirts everyday, I needed to find something that would compliment them and these shoes are a perfect match! No one can even tell that they are steel toed shoes! Thanks so much for all of your help.
Really, when you can count over 40 different operations to make one pair of Mellow Walk safety shoes I think it’s fair game to say our shoes are born at our factory in Toronto (not made) :). Now, we couldn’t capture all 40+ steps but this video produced by our friends at Ontario’s Ministry of Economic Development and Innovation really does a super job at explaining not only how we make our shoes at Mellow Walk, but why made in Canada is so important to everyone who works here.
We had a great response when we invited people to win a limited edition pair of our brand new Daisy safety shoe. So, while we wrap up one contest (need to hit Like on our facebook page before December 31) we said hey that was fun let’s do it again in January.
So, in honour of our new David safety shoes our designer came up with a limited edition two tone pair. It’s a modern interpretation of the Brogue and I think it just might be the world’s greatest safety Brogue (yes, lot’s to live up to). As you can see from the photos, this limited edition pair uses a faux, brushed leather that has the appearance of alligator (but it’s not).
Made at our factory in Toronto, David will be available for purchase in the new year with ESR sole, composite protective plate and steel-toe.
Enter to win your pair on facebook.
To enter follow this link or click on the poster.
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