Saturday, September 29, 2007

In praise of plastic shoes

Crocs Endeavor ShoeI finally bought a pair of "Crocks" style, lightweight plastic shoes. These were originally made for boating and water-sports, they are slip-resistant with a non-marking sole.

Crocs Islander ShoeCommon designs, such as the Crocs Cayman, have holes for ventilation, but the "Crocs Endeavor" have no vents (holes) and the "Professional" only at the sides. The " Islander Crocs " are a lace up shoe with leather around the ankle, sealing the top, but still with ventilation at the front of the shoe. The "All Terrain Crocs" have a lace up leather top and no vents. The Crocs Mammoth has synthetic fur lining and ventilation holes on top (none at sides to prevent water entering).

Also there are Bistro Crocs, designed for the foodservice industry with an added tread, claimed to conforms to the slip-resistance standards. There have been safety concerns about nurses getting infections from wearing crocs, and discussion of the ones with no holes being too hot. Obviously they should not be worn were there is a risk of injury from dropping something on your foot.

But if you just want the ordinary style (with holes), there are much cheaper ones available than the "Crocks" brand. These shoes are not for heavy duty use, but better than walking around the house in your socks.

Some Types of Crocs Shoes
Vents:NoneSideTop and Side
One strapCrocs Endeavor ShoeCrocs ProfessionalCrocs CaymanCrocs Cayman
Lace-upAll Terrain Crocs
Islander Crocs

4 comments:

Tom Worthington said...

A surgeon asked about Crocs for use in the operating theater. The "Crocs Endeavor" with no holes may be better for this. Some concerns have been reported from hospitals about crocks worn by medical staff. This seems to be partly about the amount of protection provided for the wearer, partly about the health of the foot in a closed plastic and partly about how professional they look.

Tom Worthington said...

Crocs Mammoth seem to be very popular at present. These are a clog with synthetic fur lining. I assume the people buying these are in the Northern Hemisphere, were it is winter. They could not be much use in Australia at present as it is summer. ;-)

Tom Worthington said...

Crocs Georgie are calf-length 'Wellington' style boots made from the same lightweight material as Crocs Shoes. These might be good for surgeons who want to be able to stand comfortably, but need covered footwear. But they would not be suitable where there is a risk of dropping something sharp or heavy on your foot, as they are made of very soft plastic.

Tom Worthington said...

Libby Purves prases Crocks in "Crocodile Shoes" (Yachting Monthly, April 2008). There is also a podcast of this.