The Keen Utility Atlanta II Cooler steel-toe work shoes provide comfort and breathability with a safety toe cap

When my pair of Keen Utility Atlanta II Cooler steel-toed work shoes arrived, I have to admit, I wasn’t too excited. I prefer brown shoes to black shoes and while I like the low cut, the huge gaps in the upper didn’t give them much visual appeal in my opinion.


Advantages

  • Incredibly breathable
  • ridiculously comfortable
  • Lightweight
  • Stable, non-slip outsole
  • Specific left / right steel safety tips
  • EH rated

The inconvenients

  • Only available in black
  • Upper allows more foot movement than most work shoes and boots
  • Not the most visually elegant design

Editor’s Note: Check out our best work boot review article for our favorite products for all applications.

For the sake of objectivity, I decided to give them a fair shot. I took off the shoes I was wearing, put them on and started walking on the concrete floor of our store. And you know what? They are really ridiculously comfortable.

I made a commitment to wear the Atlanta II Cooler as my everyday work shoe and as the days turned into weeks I became a fan of them.

If you care about your appearance (or the people around you), the first thing you need to do is wear black socks. Unless you take a close look, all of this eliminates the odd look of those big gaps.

Once you’ve learned how to adopt the right look, these spaces are great for letting tons of air flow around your feet and letting sweat escape much faster than any other boot I’ve worn. . They’ll also let water in faster than other boots if you get caught in the rain or on a wet job site.

With steel end caps and EH rated outsoles, they are suitable for certain jobsites. The only thing I would be careful of is that the material allows your foot to slide left or right more than boots with full coverage around the upper. The outsole is good and stable, however.

The bottom line

I like the Keen Utility Atlanta II Cooler work shoes as a lightweight option in dry environments that don’t have a lot of uneven or choppy terrain. They are comfortable, lightweight, easy to wear as everyday shoes and have a true-to-size fit. They are even easy to put on and take off.


So this might not be my favorite color and they might not have the trendiest look, but I’m not about to give them up.

If you’re willing to give them a chance, you can pick them up on Amazon for $ 125.

Features of the Keen Utility Atlanta II Cooler work shoes

  • Asymmetrical left / right steel end caps
  • Lightweight, compression-resistant KEEN.ReGEN midsole provides 50% more energy return than standard EVA foam
  • Non-mutilating shank uses eyelets that won’t mar or damage the surfaces they rub against
  • EH rated at 18Kv
  • Sipe outsole quickly disperses fluid and increases traction on wet surfaces
  • External stability rod supports the midfoot

Characteristics

  • Sizes available: 7 – 15 (full sizes only 12 and up)
  • Available colors: black
  • Safety ratings:
    • MARK II Anti-Slip Test Standards ASTM F1677-96
    • Standards EH ASTM F2412-17 and F2413-17 MI / 75 C / 75
    • ASTM F2913-17 SATRA Anti-Slip Test Standards
  • Safety toe cap: steel
  • Materials:
    • Mesh / synthetic upper
    • Non-slip, oil-resistant rubber outsole
    • KEEN.ReGEN midsole
    • Textile lining that wicks away moisture
    • Removable metatomic PU footbed
  • Weight: 20.4 ounces each (tested size 13: 25.8 ounces)
  • Price: $ 125

Visit the Keen Utility website for more information!