Thats true Sage, in Canada they do not care what the material is though, only that it works to protect the feet with these requirements:

Quote::

Green triangle indicates sole puncture protection with a Grade 1 protective toe to withstand impacts up to 125 Joules. Comparable to a 22.7 kg (50 lb) weight dropped from 0.6 m Sole puncture protection is designed to withstand a force of not less than 1200 Newtons (270 lbs) and resist cracking after being subjected to 1.5 million flexes.

Dimitri

My coffee cup don't come close to that, lately all I,ve dropped is the remote. Thank god theres hockey and Nascar. Oh the Av's just beat Dallas! Been a long winter and the dogs are keeping their heads down!

Fair enough 'Mitri....although in all the years I have stomped in the scrub I have never experienced a rock doing anything more than cutting a chunk of tread off the sole. Would never have thought that a piece of shale would slice right through to the inner sole, but then again I have been wrong in the past.

Never had a need for steel capped boots, although my daughter wears them in the kitchen (she's a Chef), but I do know that the heavier the boot, the less comfortable they are and the quicker you will knock up when walking any sort of distance and especially when walking up hill. Surprisingly, they can be a bit of a problem when walking down a steep and uneven hill as well...the momentum caused by the weight of the boot can overbalance you easily, especially if you are tired.

Danner boots have a pretty good following over here, but they are as dear as poison...$300 + for the basic boot. I use Spider brand boots....military issue.....and I don't have any problems with them, although I don't go into what I call extreme conditions...snow etc.

Cheers, Vince

Vince,

Never had a cut go through the inner sole, cause the plate is generally between the outer and inner soles.

Mind you, I must admit I DO NOT look where I step (unless I'm stalking game), so 99% of everything I've ever stepped on that could or did cut the sole could have probably been avoided if I took the time to look down.

Dimitri

Thanks to all for all the information/contributions....I'm going to check out out Cabela's, Gander Mountain and some local shops to try on some of the suggestions and see what works best.