Today we review the Helly Hansen Oslo Hiker aluminum toe mid work boots. Let’s get into the review below.
Boring legal stuff: Helly Hansen provided these boots at no cost to me for review. However as always, Tool Craze is never paid or swayed to give a positive review and as always are my unbiased thoughts and opinions. Tool Craze is an Amazon Associate. If you purchase through a link on this site, we may get a share of the sale.
Most pictures shown here are from the Tool Craze Studio and have a blue gel flash setup for dramatic purposes. The shoes shown are all black and do not have any blue coloring in them.
Helly Hansen Oslo Hiker Mid Aluminum Toe Work Boots Review
The Helly Hansen Oslo Hiker mid are work boots through and through designed for safety, comfort, and durability. They come in an aluminum safety toe version and soft toe version as well.
They come in two color options, black and brown leather. I have the aluminum safety toe model in all black and that’s the one I’ll be reviewing.
It has solid construction with leather and ripstop fabric uppers. The leather is very high quality and supple and looks very durable.
It uses traditional laces and features two upper metal hardware hooks. They are mid top shoes and wrap well over your ankle and above it. I wear quarter-crew socks and they are completely covered by the shoes.
At first I didn’t care for the upper metal hooks as it does require more effort to lace up the boots. However they make perfect sense when you take them off. The hooks mean taking them off is quick and easy and also allows the tongue to open fully to release your foot easily. I have some other work boots that aren’t as tall as these mid boots and are harder to put on and off because they use traditional lace loops.
I will admit these mid boots are my first taste of mid top boots/shoes and the experience is quite noticeable from the start. Most notably is that they restrict movement of the foot at the ankle. In all directions, especially when trying to lift the foot up. It does feel very stiff at first but gets easier as they break in. That and you get used to it. I suspect the restricted movement might help reduce injuries at the ankle, however other sources say this hasn’t been proven. They do offer plenty of protection to your foot thanks to the heavy duty construction and materials used. You also find added protection from wear in added layer of material at the toes and heel of the shoe.
The padding around and above the ankle and tongue gives added comfort in this area. You’ll also find finger loops in the back of the boots to help putting them on.
Quality construction throughout and these look very durable. The uppers say they feature Helly Tech and are waterproof. I tested this claim by running water over them for about 20-30 seconds. Water ran down the leather unaffected and water beaded off the ripstop fabric at first. After a moment, the ripstop fabric did start to get saturated and my foot started to feel a temperature change and a lot cooler. The good news is that water never got into the inside of the shoe and kept my feet dry. Helly Hansen says this is thanks to a waterproof membrane used inside the shoe which acts as a liner barrier of sorts to keep water out. Also the foot upper section where the laces sit is completely sealed unlike typical shoes. It’s not until the ankle area that the tongue separates, but that is far up the shoe above the ankle.
Now let’s move onto the soles of the shoes. Helly Hansen uses some very technical terms when they describe the construction of these shoes. Such as featuring HH AERO-STRIDE nitrogen-infused EVA midsole, which they claim is lighter weight and provides more cushioning and rebound than standard EVA. I may not understand what some of those terms mean however I will say these work boots have a nice cushioned step to them. They certainly don’t feel stiff nor hard when you take a step. They have a soft step to them making them very comfortable as you walk in my opinion. I can feel both the midsole and the rubber sole reduce impact with each step. They also don’t feel heavy either. Excellent job Helly Hansen!
The Hellygrip rubber outsoles feature very premium supple rubber compounds. They remind me of the suppleness of a high end road bike racing tire and these shoes have a ton of grip on dry surfaces. Above you can see the hiker inspired tread design that’s great for trails.
They are also slip resistant rated for water and oil. I didn’t test their slip resistance in oil but I did check for water slip resistance on wet tile floors. Their slip resistance in water is very good. I have some regular casual boots that also say they are slip resistant in water and these Helly Hansen boots have far better slip resistance in wet surfaces. I also have some Dewalt work boots and just to compare the two side by side, the Dewalt’s have slightly better slip resistance on wet floors. However the Helly Hansen beats my old pair of Dewalt work boots with better cushioning and comfort with each step and grippier rubber on dry surfaces.
These shoes also feature electrical hazard protection. However I have no way of testing this so I can’t comment on this feature.
They also say these feature a footbed and underfoot cushioning that is breathable and offers moisture management. They also mention a moisture wicking and breathable lining. As far as how effective it all works, let me tell you. I have sweaty feet and these boots didn’t make them sweat any less. Though I will say that they didn’t feel like they ever overheated or were sweatier than usual. But then again, I wasn’t running or doing sports in them. Maybe your experience may be different than mine, but I didn’t feel like they helped my feet breath better or sweat less than the average shoe I’ve worn.
Fit:
I have very wide feet which makes finding well fitting shoes a bit trickier. However I am pleased to know that Helly Hansen features wide options for this model of shoes. And their sizing chart was spot on with these shoes. They fit well and the toe box has ample room to wiggle my toes freely. Excellent fit and I didn’t need to size up or down. So in my experience, these are true to size according to their sizing chart. The footbed is also ergonomically shaped which also helps with walking comfort. The built in arch is not noticeable. Take that how you will as I know some prefer more arch support while others don’t so I suppose it’s a matter of individual taste and preference.
My specific models also feature aluminum safety toes. Again, the shape of the toe box offers plenty of room to wiggle your toes around. Also the aluminum toe doesn’t dig into your foot when you step and bend the shoe. Also aluminum is lighter than steel and thus makes the shoes lighter. All of this helps with fit and comfort and the good news is that you forget these are aluminum toe shoes. So you get all the safety and protection of a safety toe shoe without the discomfort.
And here’s how the shoes look like worn with a pair of pants. Front.
And here is the backside with pants.
As far as styling goes, they look serious and have that look that says ready to go on the trail or walk onto the jobsite. Definitely not a casual look or fashion boot.
Pricing:
These work boots are priced at $165 for the soft toe version and $175 for the aluminum safety toe versions shown in this review. Pricing is about middle of the ground and seem very fair for the quality and features provided in these boots.
Conclusion:
My overall experience with these boots has been very positive. They’re very well built with a rugged construction you’d expect to handle the abuse on the jobsite and combine that with excellent walking comfort and plenty of grip even on wet surfaces. The fit was spot on according to their own sizing chart and my toes had plenty of room thanks to a proper fit and roomy toe box.
The aluminum toe version provides the protection your toes need and yet doesn’t weight down the shoe and you forget its there adding to the comfort of these boots. The waterproof feature works as intended and is also electrical hazard rated (though I wasn’t able to test this feature). My only gripe was that my feet didn’t sweat any less than usual (I have sweaty feet) despite these shoes featuring moisture management in the form of being breathable and moisture wicking materials. Though I will say that my feet never felt like they overheated, so that’s good.
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DISCLOSURE:
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