Athletic GORE-TEX safety footwear (S3) is particularly suitable for use in the utilities industry. It offers durable protection against commonly occurring chemicals, plus it's totally waterproof – key attributes when working on wet ground, in rain, or at the bottom of a wet shaft. These breathable, lightweight safety shoes are equipped with a thin, 3-layer, non-insulated GORE-TEX Extended Comfort laminate. As a result, wearers hardly ever feel hot and sweaty, not even while performing physically taxing tasks.
This has been confirmed by our summer wearer trial: between June and September 2016, 21 workers at SWM tested the ELTEN Senex Pro GTX ESD S3 low-cut safety shoe and the mid-cut version Sander Pro GTX ESD S3. They wore the shoes in normal everyday use for 12 weeks. While carrying out repairs and working in wet shafts. Over half of all the participants wore the ELTEN shoes four or five days a week for between six and nine hours a day, both indoors and outdoors. For 37 percent of the participants it was the first time that they had worn safety footwear equipped with a membrane.
At the end of the 12 week wearer trial, a questionnaire and a personal debriefing session were used to collect feedback on the S3 safety shoes from the participants.
I often work in shafts with standing water. After working in mildly wet conditions, they were dry over night. High quality footwear, good wearer comfort.
I often work in shafts with standing water.
After working in mildly wet conditions, they were dry over night.
High quality footwear, good wearer comfort.
WATERPROOFNESS
Nearly all of the participants (95%) confirmed that the safety shoes were totally waterproof.
PERCEPTION OF TEMPERATURE
The test shoes also scored high when the participants were asked about the temperature inside the shoes and the climate comfort factor. 81 percent of the participants said that the temperature was “pleasant” (when the shoes were worn outdoors at temperatures between 10°C and 25°C, also indoors and sitting in vehicles).
38 percent of the SWM workers said that they actually found the test shoes “cooler” than their old safety shoes (without a membrane).
SWEATING
67 percent of the participants said they perceived “no sweating” or only “mild” sweating in the test shoes.
LIGHT WEIGHT
81 percent of the wearers also praised the test shoes for their light weight.
WEAR AND TEAR
The large majority (90%) of the participants expressed their satisfaction with the wear resistance of the shoes.
