I’ve got a lot of friends who work for a living. I know what you’re thinking—and of course I work for a living—but these guys work. They show up at 3 PM for a late shift, driving forklifts in a warehouse. They haul pallets in and out of trucks. They drive commercial trucks for hours on end. Some even compete for jobs and space with their robot overlords at the local Amazon distribution center here in town. In any case, when you work on your feet all day, you need a comfortable shoe that can help you, not hinder you. When you want both comfort and a composite toe welt construction, Wolverine Overman CarbonMax waterproof work boots may be what you’re looking for.
We reviewed the Wolverine Raider Steel Toe Boots last year, but we wanted to get a pair of lighter weight composite toe boots into the hands (or on the feet) of one of our hard-working buddies, Shawn, who operates a forklift for a local freight company. He wanted to try out a pair of protective boots for himself, but wanted to avoid the weight of a steel toe design. If you want to field test a pair of boots for comfort and durability, you give them to Shawn—I’ll explain more later. After about a month or so of use, we followed up with him and took down some notes.
Editor’s Note: Check out our best work boots review article for our favorite products for all applications.
Wolverine Overman CarbonMax Work Boots Features
Before we get into the use and experience of the boots, it might be good to hit some background on what makes the Wolverine Overman boots different. The Wolverine Overman waterproof work boots have a full-grain leather upper with reinforced, abrasion-resistant heel and toe. The goal is to deliver high build quality–but with flexibility so your feet aren’t so stiff as to be uncomfortable.
A sturdy boot is no good if your feet hurt at the end of the day. Protection is provided by both the safety composite toe and the removable, full-foot Wolverine Mutishox footbed cushioning. The Wolverine Overman boots are waterproof to keep your feet dry regardless of what’s going on outside. There’s also a lightweight, durable polyurethane midsole to ease impacts when you walk.
These Wolverine Overman boots have a slip, oil, and abrasion-resistant rubber lug outsole, and a 90 degree heel provides excellent traction on ladders and steps. Wolverine seemed to think this boot could really stand up to any beating…so we gave it to our resident boot-abuser. When you want to see how well a pair of boots holds up under stress, Shawn is your man. He doesn’t baby his boots—they’re a tool, and they simply need to stay together, perform as expected, and feel comfortable. We couldn’t agree more.
Wolverine CarbonMax Technology
A good protective toe should be lightweight and strong. Instead of a steel toe, Wolverine uses CarbonMax—a material that they say produces a strong, lighter, and more comfortable safety toe. It’s also thinner, and less material on the toe cap wall means you get more toe room. The CarbonMax composite toe also meets ASTM standards, so you are protected (as much as possible in a composite toe) from falling objects.
Wolverine Overman Work Boots Specs
- Full-grain leather upper with reinforced, abrasion-resistant heel and toe
- Wolverine CarbonMax safety toe
- Removable Wolverine MultiShox heel and toe compression pads
- Wolverine Contour Welt rubber outsole construction
- Slip, oil and abrasion-resistant rubber lug outsole
- Sweat-fighting mesh lining
- Lightweight, durable polyurethane midsole and nylon shank
- ASTM F2413-11 M I/75 C/75 EH
- Sizes: 7-14 (M/EW)
- Warranty: 45 days
Wolverine Overman Work Boots Testing
Our friend Shawn works for R+L Carriers here in Lakeland. He’s a forklift operator and sometimes walks the yard doing maintenance and other tasks. After more than a month of use, the Wolverine Overman work boots are still holding up—and that’s with 5 days a week working 10-hour shifts. According to Shawn, after 3 months most of his boots typically start ripping around the outer toe cap—of course, he typically kicks heavy commercial steel doors open with his right foot (it’s easier to activate the heavy-duty latches this way as the doors are industrial grade and require some force to move). Due to the latch mechanism, and the fact that he’s often carrying items in his hands from one part of the facility to another, there’s a lot of use on the toe caps.
After three months of that type of abuse, most boots really get torn apart. If you buy your boots at Walmart, for example, don’t expect to get more than a month of hard use out of them—Shawn found this out early on in his career.
Lightweight Composite Toes
Composite toe boots are popular since they’re lighter. The Wolverine Overman waterproof EH boots are very lightweight for the protection offered in this 6-inch boot. While some job sites are shunning steel toes, composite is a solid option if you want to protect your toes from drop damage. The boots did seem to deliver decent flexibility—something that’s all too seldom found in work boots (durability will be accompanied by a rigid sole). Additionally, Shawn found that whatever Wolverine built into the MultiShox compression pads did a good job of keeping the boots comfortable—even after weeks of use.
Shawn’s feedback let us know that the boots are very easy to put on, very comfortable to wear, and they absorb a lot on the jobsite, letting you climb ladders and metal or concrete stairs with confidence (even in the rain).
These boots are also EH (electrical hazard) certified, so there isn’t any metallic hardware that can conduct electricity should you happen to step into a live wire situation—not too common at his work, but nice nonetheless.
Final Thoughts & Pricing
Shawn wore the boots in the rain, and where he parks (a good distance from the warehouse) there’s often a lot of standing water. When you run back and forth to the car several times a day you tend to eventually resolve yourself to just stepping in whatever is there. With the Wolverine boots Shawn found that he never had to watch where he put his feet. Being able to walk and work without caring about what’s going on with your boots is a good thing. Shawn’s still wearing these boots, and when they eventually wear out he’ll likely spend the money to get another similar pair from Wolverine.
The Wolverine Overman CarbonMax work boots are available in sizes 7-14 (M and EW widths), and they retail for $180. You can also find them on Amazon.com for around $161-$186.
