Many of us like Nike shoes due to their lightweight, athletic comfort. Unfortunately, the majority of steel toe shoes tend to be heavy and uncomfortable, leading to foot pain. Does Nike make steel toe shoes? No, Nike does not currently make steel toe shoes. However, I recently tried 10 different types of steel toe shoes so I could find options that were actually comfortable. In this article, I will discuss the best options.
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These are my favorite alternatives to Nike Steel Toe Shoes:
- Reebok Work Men’s Zprint Steel Toe Shoe (click here to view)
- Caterpillar Men’s Woodward Steel Toe Athletic Shoe (click here to view)
- Reebok Work All Terrain Athletic Steel Toe Shoe (click here to view)
- Reebok Men’s Astroride Safety Toe Athletic Work Shoe (click here to view)
- Fila Memory Reckoning Work Steel Toe Running Shoe (click here to view)
- Reebok Work Men’s Soyay Skate-Style Steel Toe Shoes (click here to view)
- Reebok Men’s Sublite Steel Safety Toe Athletic Work Shoe (click here to view)
- Caterpillar Men’s Brode Steel Toe Work Sneaker (click here to view)
- *Women’s* Caterpillar Woodward Steel Toe Athletic Work Shoe (click here to view)
- *Women’s* Reebok Astroride Steel Toe Athletic Work Shoe (click here to view)
- *Women’s* Reebok Work Sublite Steel Toe Athletic Shoe (click here to view)
- *Women’s* Fila Memory Reckoning Slip Resistant Steel Toe Shoe (click here to view)
- *Women’s* Reebok Work Soyay Athletic Steel Toe Shoe (click here to view)
As you can see in the list above, Reebok makes a lot of work shoes, including steel toe shoes. I have tried many of their work shoes and consider them to be some of the most comfortable steel toe shoes that I’ve worn. Here I am wearing my Reebok Zprint steel toe work shoes:
What jumps out about these shoes is the breathability. These are the most breathable steel toe shoes that I tried.
If you are working in a hot climate and need something that won’t trap heat, I think these are your best option. In the picture below, I tried to capture just how breathable these shoes are. When I hold them up to the light, you can see through these shoes:
And not only are these very lightweight and breathable, they are very comfortable. They use memory foam insoles (Reebok calls this insole “MemoryTech Massage”) that have groove pods which help relieve stress off the bottom of my foot. In the video below, I tried to capture just how soft these Reebok MemoryTech Massage insoles are in my shoes:
If you are looking for a lightweight, ultra-breathable shoe that has great under-foot comfort, these are a great option. But there are a lot of good options on the list above to act as alternatives to Nike steel toe shoes.
In this article not only do I want to discuss some of my favorite alternatives to Nike steel toe shoes, I also want to discuss in further detail what type of work shoes Nike does make. If you want to read about more low-top steel toe shoes, visit our article about lightweight steel toe work shoes.
Nike Steel Toe Shoes Information
Does Nike Make Steel Toe Shoes?
As we discussed at the top of the article, unfortunately Nike does not currently make steel toe work shoes (or composite toe). But if you are interested in Nike work shoes, there are some options, but they are not steel safety toe shoes.
Nike did briefly make a special edition steel toe Air Force One shoe – to read more visit our article that discusses steel toe Air Force One shoes.
What Type of Work Shoes Does Nike Make?
Nike does make tactical-style work boots that are used often by first responders or people in the armed services. These types of tactical field boots provide premium ankle support for uneven terrain and have a lightweight, responsive design that allows you to respond quickly in an active environment. Again, these tactical boots that Nike makes are not steel toe shoes.
This is what one of the most popular versions of Nike’s tactical field work boots looks like (affiliate link takes you to Amazon.com). Many people like these types of boots due to the ankle support and because the overall design is an athletic style that is still quite durable.
Best Alternatives for Nike Steel Toe Shoes
So Nike steel toe shoes don’t currently exist. What are your options? These are some of my favorite options and what you need to know about them.
Reebok Work Men’s Zprint Steel Toe Shoe
It’s probably fair to guess that if you are specifically looking for Nike steel toe shoes that you aren’t a huge fan of Reebok. Well, I was maybe a little skeptical myself at first, but after trying several types of Reebok work shoes, I was absolutely shocked at how much I liked them.
These Reebok Zprint shoes have a very lightweight build. They weigh 1.15 pounds per shoe for a men’s size 12 regular. As I mentioned earlier in the article, what also jumps out about these shoes is the breathability. If you are working in a hot climate and need something that won’t trap heat, I think these are your best option.
And not only are these very lightweight and breathable, I also really like the memory foam insoles (Reebok calls this insole “MemoryTech Massage”) that have groove pods which help relieve stress off the bottom of my foot. If you are looking for a lightweight, ultra-breathable shoe that has great under-foot comfort, these are great alternative to Nike steel toe work shoes.
Click here to buy these Reebok Zprint lightweight steel toe shoes available at Amazon (affiliate link takes you to Amazon.com). In my experience, these Reebok shoes fit true to size, but do have a narrow fit common of athletic shoes. If you have wide feet, I’d recommend ordering wide sizing.
Caterpillar Men’s Woodward Steel Toe Athletic Shoe
I recently tried 10 different steel toe work shoes, and these Caterpillar Woodward shoes weighed the least. My size 12 men’s shoe weighed just 1.09 pounds per shoe. To put this into perspective, I also recently tried 14 different composite toe shoes, and the average weight for those 14 composite toe shoes was 1.25 pounds per shoe, so these Caterpillar Woodward shoes come in significantly lighter than the average composite toe shoe despite being steel toe shoes.
In fact, if I were to rank the weight of this Caterpillar Woodward steel-toe shoe with the weights of those 14 lightweight composite toe shoes I tried, this shoe would have ranked 6th most lightweight of the entire group. I’m saying all of this to say that these Caterpillar Woodward shoes would even be considered reasonably lightweight if they were compared to composite toe shoes.
To find a steel toe shoe that is this lightweight is really uncommon, and if you prioritize lightweight comfort, these will be your a nice substitute for Nike steel toe shoes. These Caterpillar Woodward shoes feel like lightweight athletic shoes when I wear them.
Click here to buy these Caterpillar Woodward lightweight steel toe work shoes available at Amazon (affiliate link takes you to Amazon.com). In my experience, these Caterpillar Woodward shoes fit true to size. Like most low-top athletic work shoes, these Caterpillar Woodward shoes are built for light-duty work.
Reebok Work All Terrain Athletic Steel Toe Shoe
I really like these Reebok All Terrain steel toe shoes. I think these are one of the most versatile athletic-style work shoes on the market today. They have a lightweight, comfortable design that makes them great for indoor jobs, but they also have a more advanced outsole that allows them to take on certain outdoor terrains as well.
These shoes use Reebok’s “MemoryTech” memory foam insoles that provide a soft cushioning under all parts of my foot. The overall weight of these shoes is still reasonably lightweight. My size 12 men’s shoes weigh 1.29 pounds per shoe.
These have an ultra-flexible design and truly feel like an athletic shoe when you wear them. They have a light-duty toe overlay for some extra abrasion resistance. Overall, if you are looking for an alternative to Nike steel toe shoes that you can use both indoors and outdoors comfortably, I’d recommend these shoes.
Click here to buy these Reebok All Terrain steel toe work shoes available at Amazon (affiliate link takes you to Amazon.com). In my experience, these Reebok All Terrain shoes fit true to size. To read more, visit my article about the Reebok All Terrain Steel Toe Shoes.
Reebok Men’s Astroride Safety Toe Athletic Work Shoe
This is another nice steel toe option made by Reebok. These Reebok Astroride shoes have an very lightweight desgin that is very flexible and feels almost like a running shoe on my foot (best steel toe running shoes).
Like most athletic-style steel toe work shoes, these shoes are best used for indoor work (like on a factory floor) or for outdoor work on smooth, predictable terrain. These shoes use lightweight textile uppers that are very comfortable to wear and don’t feel like a brick on my feet when I wear them.
Click here to buy these Reebok Astroride steel toe work shoes available at Amazon (affiliate link takes you to Amazon.com). In my experience, these Reebok Astroride shoes fit true to size.
Fila Memory Reckoning Work Steel Toe Running Shoe
Fila as a substitute for Nike steel toe shoes? I know, these might not be a perfect replacement for what you were hoping to get, but I am actually a bit shocked how much I like these Fila steel toe work shoes. If I’m honest, I’d say I had very low expectations for these shoes before I tried them in part due to the lower price point that I bought these at, and also because Fila is not a major workwear brand.
These shoes use memory foam insoles that I feel like put this shoe into the top half regarding under-foot comfort out of all the steel toe work shoes that I tried. This shoe weighs 1.21 pounds per shoe for a size 12 men’s, making it the 3rd lightest out of the 10 shoes steel toe shoes I tried.
It is very flexible, and feels like an athletic shoe on my feet. These shoes do have toe and heel overlays to provide some additional abrasion resistance, but I still recommend using these mainly as indoor shoes, or for light-duty outdoor work on a smooth surface. Factory floor, yes I’d use these shoes. Landscaping on rough terrain, for me, no I would not use these shoes.
Click here to buy these Fila Memory Reckoning steel toe work shoes available at Amazon (affiliate link takes you to Amazon.com). In my experience, these Fila work shoes fit true to size. For more steel toe lightweight options, visit our article do they make steel toe Crocs?
Where to Buy Nike Work Shoes
Nike steel toe shoes might not exist, but as we discussed earlier in the article, Nike does make other types of work shoes. Click here to view Nike’s selection of boots currently available at Nike.com. To read about the safety toe options of other brands, visit our articles linked here:
Nike field tactical boots are popular for first responders and people in the armed services, but they also might make sense for you if you work on rugged terrain and are looking for something that is comfortable and responsive. If you are looking for more of a casual style, visit our article about the best casual steel toe shoes.