Wolverine Jetstream Work Shoes – First Weekend Review

Wolverine recently came out with “the lightest work shoe ever,” the Jetstream, featuring their CarbonMax lightweight safety toe technology.

The Jetstream work shoe has an “athletically influenced upper in breathable mesh, paired with a slip-resistant outsole for unparalleled performance.” Translation: it’s a work shoe that looks like sneakers.

Wolverine says that the Jetstream provides the “ultimate combination of lightweight comfort and protection.”

Weighing in at 10.7 oz for the men’s style shoes, and 10.5 oz for the women’s, these are indeed light work shoes.

Features & Specs

• Meets ASTM F2413-11, M I/75 C/75 EH safety standards
• Breathable mesh and TPU upper
• Moisture wicking mesh lining for cool and dry feet
• Removable memory foam footbed
• High Performance RMAT Rubber EVA blend midsole
• Slip-resistant rubber lug outsole
• Flexible cement construction
• Nylon Shank
• CarbonMAX safety toe with nanotechnology for lighter weight and better fit

I was  intrigued. I typically wear Merrell Jungle Mocs (via Amazon), Merrell Moab Rover boots (via Amazon), or whatever work boots I’m testing out. There are times when I’m in the workshop, or on-site somewhere, or at a media event, and I want more support without full-fledged safety toe work boots.

I asked Wolverine for a review sample, and they sent over the above pair in blue. I wore them over the weekend, and here’s what I found:

– Quick break-in

The Jetstream shoes felt a little tight in the toe area (I asked for 10-1/2, as I usually wear 10-1/2 except for winter boots which are size 11), but the insole quickly relaxed and conformed to my foot.

– Very comfortable

I really enjoyed wearing the shoes. They were very light, and so comfortable I forgot I was wearing them.

– Light construction

Towards the end of Saturday, a very long day of lifting and moving things, crouching, and moving into all kinds of award positions, I started feeling some discomfort on the big toe of my right foot, right where it had been in contact with the edge of the safety toe cap.

On Sunday I felt residual soreness, but no additional discomfort.

Boots would have tired my foot in a different way, as there’s more material to resist bending at the toes when crouching, but there’s also typically more material and padding pretty much everywhere.

More Thoughts

I’m ready to test the Jetstream shoes some more, which should tell you that I like them and think they’re worth wearing into a bit more. Maybe there’s some more breaking in to do.

I think they’re definitely more comfortable than safety toe work boots would have been. Some thicker socks and breaking-in might help with the big toe discomfort, which did take nearly a whole day to happen.

The grip on the floor felt nice.

These work shoes are aimed at light industrial settings and other such environments, such as warehouses. I think that they’d do well in such settings.

Quick Summary

I like that the Wolverine Jetstream work shoes are so light and nimble. Realistically, you do lose some support and inner cushioning of heavier and heavier duty work boots or shoes.

I’d wear these the next time I travel to a tool media event that involves hands-on demos. Because sometimes wood and heavy tools do fall to the ground.

And I’d wear them when working on projects around the workshop or in the driveway.

But I probably won’t wear them again when spending a whole day clearing out and cleaning up the workshop. To be fair, my hands are still sore, and I also still feel the day’s workout in some of my muscles. There’s a chance that nothing I could have worn on my feet were perfect.

It took hours of awkward movements until I felt soreness at the side of my big toe. And again, that’s something that might go away with some break-in or thicker socks.

I was happy to wear them a few times, too, such as when lifting up a hardwood workbench top that must weigh 65 to 75 lbs. I always feel more comfortable wearing shoes with safety toe caps when moving benchtops and raising workbenches after assembly.

List Price: $89
Street Price: $79-95

Buy Now(via Amazon)
More Info(via Wolverine)

Should You Buy These Work Shoes?

Do you work in what could be described as a light industrial or warehouse type setting? These are definitely more of an indoors environment-focused work shoe.

Despite my complaints about some big toe soreness, this was actually one of my BEST work shoe testing experiences ever. I’ve become used to long and sometimes uncomfortable break-in periods. The Wolverine Jetstream work shoes were so comfortable that I completely forgot about them for a few hours. That’s something that rarely happens with work boots.

I almost feel silly complaining about my big toe and its minor sore spot. Working as hard as I did, things are going to get sore and achy. But every little detail counts.

I am confident that I could recommend these work shoes to anyone who works in the type of environment they’re designed for – if that makes sense.

More Info

This is how the Wolverine Jetstream work shoes initially grabbed my attention. I love that they look like rugged sneakers.

Here’s an “action photo” showing a worker moving some heavy equipment around on a hoist.

And this one shows a worker wearing a women’s style shoe pulling some chains.

And in this one a worker is climbing up a vertical ladder.

These types of environments are often well suited for work shoes.

The men’s style Jetstream shoe comes in 4 color options.

The women’s style comes in 3 colors.

Here’s a 15 second promo video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAmfOSvzpPw

Closing Thoughts

I think this has been my first Wolverine CarbonMax lightweight safety toe experience. I was in talks to them about a test sample after writing about the Thunderhead work boot that came out last spring, but the talks were hung up on something on my end. Given my experience with the Jetstream work shoe, I’d definitely be interested in more Wolverine testing opportunities – if they’re up to it.

When I inquired about a test sample, I asked for blue as my first choice, black and red as a second choice. The black style is definitely more discrete.

I’m going to wear the shoes quite a bit more, unless a comfort issue arises. That big toe complaint? It’s not enough of an issue for me to pick any other footwear the next time I head into the workshop.

I can’t help but feel that I’m apologizing for feeling some discomfort at the end of a long day of wearing the shoes. New work boots would have given me a lot more to complain about. Overall, I have a very positive first impression with the Jetstream shoes, and I’m going to wear them some more.

The timing’s perfect, too. With warmer weather on the way, a light and breathable work shoe is definitely appreciated.

I’ll mark my calendar to give you an updated review in 6 months.

Thank you Wolverine for providing a review sample unconditionally.