Comfort and quality of ESD Shoes

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As the company I work for is getting very serious about ESD (which they should have been before this). They've dictated that engineers will require heel grounding straps along with wrist straps (talk about overkill).

Now I dislike the idea of sticking a "wick" down my sock (can't see how putting it inside the shoe without making skin contact does much) or inside the shoe under my sock (which is really annoying as I can feel it inside my shoe under my foot :-() So I'm contemplating buying something like this: https://www.esdshoe.com/eye-tie-world-tour-casual-moc-toe-esd-oxford-mens-1/. I'd just leave this in my office for when I go into the lab.

Well my question is, has anyone here used shoes like this (while wearing socks) and tested this with an ESD tester? I'm assuming with all the certifications it works, but I want a first hand opinion before forking over $137. Also I'd like to know if they are reasonably comfortable, like having good arch support. If not good is there an insert and if you swap the insert out for say Superfeet inserts https://www.superfeet.com/ would that completely nullify the ESD protection rating?

I'm sort of crossing my virtual fingers that someone has used shoes like this. I'd be overly optimistic to hope that someone has bought these exact shoes :lol:.

 

[D.A.(Tony)Stewart]

I found that my feet sweat easily and leather insoles were pretty close to 1MOhm. So I took some old leather shoes and they passed most of the time. ( 0.5M to 5M as I recall)

I implemented ESD in our factory in the late 80's and they subsidized the shoes, (which were supplied over priced ($250), but the leather oxford's I picked were extremely comfy that I still have them in good shape.

If you have a bit of salty water added to comfy old leather shoes with leather insoles and bottom soles, that might pass if they are connected.

Like most shoes you might need to try them . they look pretty wide, so it should not be tight.

Some black soles tend to mark floors, ask if they are no-mark type.

 

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Well I wear shoes that are almost exactly like the ones I posted that cost even more (which I don't consider overpriced as they are very comfortable), but the ones I wear have a synthetic sole so I know they likely generate more ESD than a leather soled shoe. Then again maybe the soles of my shoes has carbon impregnated in the soles (the soles are black), but I highly doubt that.

I'd still like to know if those ESD shoes are comfortable, that's my main concern, I might have to thoroughly check out their return policy. Try them out at home for a few hours of standing, walking and sitting and return them if they aren't comfortable enough.