If you wear Danskos.... How often do you replace shoes?

[dannygirl04]

I've never had a pair of Danskos, but bought something that the shoe salesman said was very similar called an Ariat. They were extremely comfortable for the first 6 months that I had them. I could work 12 hours and my feet and back felt great. Now I come home after work and my back is still good, but my feet are killing me. I feel like I need to go to bed with ice packs on the bottom of my feet.

I stopped in a shoe store today to look at the Dansko shoes again (it was a toss up between the Dansko or the Ariat when I bought the first pair). It seems insanely fast to me for those shoes to have broken down already.

How often do you have to replace your Dansko shoes? Do you replace them right away when your feet start to hurt?

[Nurse SMS, MSN, RN]

I used to wear Danskos and swore by them. Then they switched manufacturers and they stopped fitting the same. I stopped wearing them. I did Alegria for a while and they are good, but now I have a pair of Keen's and will stay with them if or until they too manage to mess up their own design.

[spacecheetah]

I'm not a nurse or even student yet but this info might be helpful. I worked in retail for a long time and I have plantars fasciitis, AND I'm a runner. So my feet need TLC. If you're unhappy with the quality of Danskos since the manufacturer changed, you're not alone. I got the below information from The Clog Outlet online.

(For what it's worth, I actually ended up buying a pair of Skechers GoWalks. I was on my feet 9 or 10 hours a day and moving non-stop, and they were amazing for me. I don't know if they'd be appropriate for nursing or not, though.)

Anyway here's the info on Dansko/Sanita:

Since the early 1990s until August 2007, all Dansko Professional clogs and all Dansko Stapled Clogs had been manufactured by Sanita in Europe. The distribution agreement between Dansko and Sanita ended in August 2007. Shortly after that time, Sanita began distributing the same products directly in the US under their own name.

If you have a pair of Dansko stapled clogs purchased before 2008, look at the bottom of the sole and you will see patent 0060240 engraved into the sole. This indicates that your clogs were made by Sanita according to their patented construction. If you have a pair of really old Dansko clogs, you may even see Sanitastamped on the bottom as well as the patent number mentioned above. If the logo or number is missing, then you have a new Dansko product that was introduced in 2008. The new Dansko clogs are made by various manufacturers around the world based on a re-design of the Sanita clog. According to Dansko's printed catalog information, they have introduced structural innovations to enhance the performance of these clogs; improved lateral stability, better shock absorption, more secure heel strike and improved aesthetics. Visually, the clogs look very similar, however the new Dansko is wider across the heel and has a curved up sole in the back of the heel. On the other hand, Sanita has been delivering the Original product made by the same materials, by the same artisans, in the same Sanita >owned factory.

So in summary, if you are looking at buying the identical Dansko stapled clog that was sold in the US pre-2008, you would want the Sanita brand.

Shopping for clogs can get confusing as both companies are using the same style names, such as: Professional, Sonja, Karl, Ingrid, etc.

[jeckrn, BSN, RN]

If you have been wearing them for 12 hour shifts for 6 months it is time to replace them. Work shoes are like running shoes, they only have so many miles on them before they are worn out. They may still look good but the insides are worn out. I never have a pair of shoes for work greater then 12 months no matter how they look. I will replace them early if my feet start to hurt. You get what you pay for, if I buy cheap shoes it will be less than a month before my feet or back start to hurt.

[84reyna84]

I have had my Dansko's for a year and they are still working for me. I am an L&D nurse and run around constantly. My back usually hurts, but I don't think that is due to the shoes lacking in help, just job related stress. My feet usually never hurt after a shift.

[Wrench Party]

Love em! I had the classic whites for nursing school, bought a second pair in black patent for work on the floor, and now I'm on my third pair with a pair of brown suede Mary Janes. I wear the new ones at work when I don't need to be on my feet much, and I get tons of compliments on them.

Oh, I still have those other pairs of clogs- no signs of ever dying.

[klone, MSN, RN]

jeckrn said:

If you have been wearing them for 12 hour shifts for 6 months it is time to replace them. Work shoes are like running shoes, they only have so many miles on them before they are worn out. They may still look good but the insides are worn out.

If they still feel comfortable, and not causing pain or problems, I don't see why I should need to get rid of them.

[Glycerine82, LPN]

Danskos hurt my feet, but I'm weird.

I've never had a pair of shoes that lasted more than 6 months, though.

[seconddegreebsn]

I'm a heavy pronator so the heels of mine are badly eroded on the outer portion of the heel but the leather is fine. I somehow managed to break down even the shoes meant to correct pronation, stupid overachieving feet. They were about five years old, so I can't be mad. They still look fine, I just worry about rolling my ankle since the rear part of the heel is worn away.

I have a new pair of Sanita clogs I'm breaking in, and it's been a bit rough so far. The toe box feels smaller/rubs. Hopefully that'll correct over time.

When I want really comfortable shoes, I skip the clogs and either wear my Merrells or my sketchers along with a Dr Scholl's insole.

[jojo489]

I've had two pairs of danskos. My first pair had the covered...almost like cloth I guess. But I wore them out in the snow and somehow the moisture got under the coating and dis colored the cloth underneath. My second pair were white leather and for some reason wreaked havoc on my pinky toe. My feet and back felt great wearing them, but they rubbed so bad on my little toe that it was red for like a month after I stopped wearing them. Never a blister though.

Anyone else have that problem? I really loved the shoes, but for my little toe, I just had to stop.

I wear nike and underarmour sneakers. They both work pretty well for me but for some reason in a couple of months I tend to wear out the top of the toe in Nike shoes with a little tiny hole.

[seconddegreebsn]

If you want something with a more forgiving, springy footbed but a similar clog shape I've had good luck with Klogs. The footbed is very soft (but not memory foam squishy like some of the sketchers shoes) and they're leather so they're water resistant. I believe the footbed of the XP Danskos has some padding as well, but you can't put an insole into the shoes since there's usually not enough room. The hard footbed is my main gripe about wearing clogs.

I love modern, light sneakers the most but the mesh covering just eeks me out - fluids can get thru so easily, you're one incontinent patient away from buying a new pair of shoes and taking a very hot, long shower.

[RnRockin]

I have 2 pair of Danskos. I can't seem to "break them in" enough. I work 12+ hours several times a week and my feet hurt after every shift.

I finally went and bought NB yesterday with crazy expensive insert. We will see if they help.

[jojo489]

I decided to try out the dansko xp's today. I was told they're a little wider than the normal ones and the footbed is more padded than the others. I'm gonna try them out tonight, we'll see how they treat my pinky toe. Haha.