How safe are your feet? Chainsaw boot test

[morten]

You need to test with your finger off the trigger, no one is going to keep cutting after they have hit their foot.

 

Exactly. Let go of the trigger BEFORE the chain meets with the boot. That is what the boots are supposed to protect against.

[harvey b davison]

Your feet must be a wreck, I,d only consider wellies if I was working on boggy ground, good foot wear is vital lets face it your going to be in your work boots more than any other footwear so it's worth the investment. Never think to yourself that wellies offer higher protection so there by your safer it's the wrong attitude and one that will lead to an accident. The amount of cutters I see with chainsaw scars on their toe caps and stitched together ballistics is shocking their belief that they are wearing a cocoon of protection leads to sloppy cutting.

 

Get yourself some meindls you will not regret it, also consider 500grams on your foot equates to something like 1.5kg on your lower back, your feet are your foundation bad footwear can cause so many other problems.

But hey I,m just a softie southerner others probably have tougher feet than me.

 

Not planning on cutting myself, and have not got that kind of attitude.

 

Just asking a question that relates to this thread and the type of footwear that i prefer to wear.

[Pat Ferrett]

You need to test with your finger off the trigger, no one is going to keep cutting after they have hit their foot.

 

If a climber slips while cutting in a tree its instict to clutch the saw and possibly throttle it up.

[morten]

If a climber slips while cutting in a tree its instict to clutch the saw and possibly throttle it up.

 

That may be so, but in that case the climber is as likely to cut his (unprotected) throat or left arm as his feet.

 

The chainsaw boot protection was spec'ed to protect against a chainsaw with the finger OFF the trigger. So that's what they will protect against. Noone has ever claimed anything different.

[Marc]

Not planning on cutting myself, and have not got that kind of attitude.

 

Just asking a question that relates to this thread and the type of footwear that i prefer to wear.

 

Sorry I was not implying you had that attitude, and yeah I,d be interested in how well the wellies fair as the protection in them seems as thick as normal ballistics.

[Craig Johnson]

I,d be interested in how well the wellies fair as the protection in them seems as thick as normal ballistics.

 

wellies fair very well, saws tend to skid off!

 

It would be good to see the same test on used boots.

 

not sure about that, but for trousers they have to be wash 6 times and still pass, you would have though there would be somthing similar.

[Bergen]

I honestly think you would be just as safe with decent leather workboots - at a fraction of the cost

 

Mick - not sure how long you've been in the industy but there's a very good reason why PPE is tested for compliance with the carefully considered standards.

I notice that your own HiFlex trousers, which you are wearing in the video, are no longer in any fit condition for use as PPE.

If you turned up to work for me in that state then I'd send you home - it's that sort of shoddy appearance which helps to give the industry a poor reputation.

Additionally, the boots you tested were well worn and didn't look to have had any treatment during their working life, they were designed to stop a decelerating chain travelling at 20m/s, not the 30+ m/s of a sustained full throttle strike from a chainsaw such as an MS260.

In their defence, the Alico boot resisted penetration for in excess of 2 seconds and most sentient humans would probably have cut the throttle once they noticed that there was a saw trying to remove a part of their anatomy.

 

I won't go on but I reckon the securing system used in your 'test' wasn't as stable as it could have been.

 

I hope nobody believes this opinion - PPE is the last line of defence and is no substitute for training and good working practice.

[Pedroski]

Mick - not sure how long you've been in the industy but there's a very good reason why PPE is tested for compliance with the carefully considered standards.

I notice that your own HiFlex trousers, which you are wearing in the video, are no longer in any fit condition for use as PPE.

 

I think Mick had just been testing the effectiveness of the knee protection. I'm sure he has some smart ones for work

[Rich2484]

I use some dungarees trousers and boots. Only problem I have is they tear when I'm doing hedges or brush.

 

I've had to sow an old pair of trouser legs over the top. The labels are still visible exept the legs are a camo colour and the rest are green.

 

My sowing is rubbish and they don't look that mice to be honest but the ballistic is still in one piece.

 

Been told they don't look professional as they look a bit rag tag, but I know they are safe to use and they protect me from a strike. I like them as they ar comfy.

[High Scale]

wellies fair very well, saws tend to skid off!

 

 

 

not sure about that, but for trousers they have to be wash 6 times and still pass, you would have though there would be somthing similar.

 

That seems sensible, I hope they give them a nice pressing with a crease down the middle.