Hi folks, I'm in the market for comfy black shoes to wear at events. If you have found your perfect judging shoes, please share and let us know the brand and where you bought them, thanks!

(I reckon this is as “judging technology” as it gets :)

My comfy black dress shoes are: Skechers for Work Men's Ivy Slip-On


From: Stefan Ladstätter
Sent: Thursday, October 31, 2013 2:29 PM
To: Heckt, Andy
Subject: Comfy shoes (Judging Technology)


Hi folks, I'm in the market for comfy black shoes to wear at events. If you have found your perfect judging shoes, please share and let us know the brand and where you bought them, thanks!

(I reckon this is as “judging technology” as it gets :)

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Owns Dr. Scholls gel inserts should be on the L3 checklist.

I love my Doc Marten's black work shoes, with non-slip soles and steel toes. They're awesome and as an added bonus, your toes don't get crushed when someone drops a case of product on them!

I've found military surplus stores can be a good source of judging
shoes. If you can get them, officer's parade dress footwear is
usually formal looking, rugged, and designed to be comfortable for
many hours of standing on concrete. May require real shoe polish,
but it looks better that way anyway.

Originally posted by Adam Zakreski:

Dr. Scholls gel inserts should be on the L3 checklist.

Quick note regarding gel inserts…. they typically need to be in checked luggage if you're flying.

If you have $200 to drop, Clarks Unstructured shoes are great. They're comfortable and have airflow in the shoe, so you don't have a biohazardous foot after day 2 of a GP.

Edit: http://www.clarksusa.com/eng/product/un_regal/26066028

Edited Andrew Mantha (Oct. 31, 2013 11:22:06 PM)

Ascent brand from Athletes Foot. Lightly strained/tore a muscle in my foot the day before worlds wearing a new pair of Nike's around Tokyo, wore these for the 4 days of Judging and my foot felt like new by Monday. Since then I have brought many pairs and always been happy. The Nike's I left in the hotel lobby.

Any sort of non-slip work shoe is great. They're made to grip concrete and
they come in styles ranging from casual to formal. Judging on feedback I've
heard from many judges, the brand doesn't matter much as long as they're
certified for food service.
Beyond that, for multi-day events I usually bring a second pair of shoes to
wear in the evenings, or occasionally day 2. Letting your shoes air out
properly not only keeps them comfortable, it also makes them last longer.

Merrell's Jungle Mocs, Midnight Suede. Usually with gel insoles and heel protection.

I don't just wear them for judging; they're the shoes I wear 99% of the time.

I found Sear's Die Hard work shoe to be quite comfortable. A bit heavy but very comfortable for folks that are on their feet all day.

Originally posted by Charlotte Sable:

Beyond that, for multi-day events I usually bring a second pair of shoes to
wear in the evenings, or occasionally day 2.

+1. When luggage space permits I bring a pair of “day 2 shoes.”

I'm going to go totally off the rails here (or so some may think) - my
favorite judging shoes are my Vibram FiveFingers. You may have to dig a bit
to find all black or black/grey combos that suit the uniform needs, but I
really prefer them over most other shoes I've worn. YMMV. Here's why I
prefer them:
- I have mildly narrow feet, so many work shoes are just enough too wide
that I have trouble finding a good fit. After 10 years in food service,
I've tried all the brands under $70 and several over.
- I prefer to go barefoot when possible (basically any time I'm at home my
shoes are off), so I have fairly well developed musculature because I'm
“used” to walking with *all* my foot muscles.
- I have road tested them at events of increasing length: FNM, a local
prerelease, a PTQ, and finally GP:KC 2011, including the Friday judge
conference. At the last event, my heels did start to hurt Sunday afternoon,
but that was still better than having my whole feet, calves, and knees
hurting, which would have hit by about 5 PM Saturday, based on previous
experience. That was in a pair of KSOs. I've since moved to the TrekSports,
which have a slightly thicker and stronger plating (I can comfortably walk
on large gravel, and would anticipate somewhat better performance through
long days on concrete).

Cons: Not much protection from having things dropped on your feet, or being
stepped on. This is something I'm willing to sacrifice for greater
flexibility, which helps my arthritis not flare up so much. Protip: watch
where you and others are - you can generally avoid problems.

Regina Cross

Sanita clogs are my choice of on your feet all day footwear. Great for trade show booth duty, all day training sessions, and judging. They are easy to slip on and off for when you want to give your feet a chance to stretch. And as an added bonus you get to be taller!

Originally posted by Regina Cross:

I'm going to go totally off the rails here (or so some may think) - my
favorite judging shoes are my Vibram FiveFingers

Huh, I never considered wearing mine because I thought they were too unprofessional looking. I might need to ask my next HJ if they're okay (and I need to probably get a new pair anyways :P)

I use some normal black work shoes with Dr. Scholls inserts, but I have one pair of leather Crocs that I think are the most comfortable. They have holes in the sides of the shoes originally to help water escape, but they work wonders at ventilating the shoe, and they are by far the most comfortable to stand in for long periods of time.

The cons: they're very narrow. I have a wide foot, and my pinky toe ends up blistering if I wear those shoes without applying some sort of protection to the pinky toes, so I don't wear them often. I would highly recommend you try them on in a store before buying them, but if they fit your feet, then you're in luck.