Today we review the Helly Hansen Barcode aluminum toe work shoes. Let’s get into the review below.
Boring legal stuff: Helly Hansen provided these shoes 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 with an orange accent and do not have any blue coloring in them.
Helly Hansen Barcode Work Shoes Review
Gone are the days when the only practical shoes for the jobsite were your typical generic work boot styles. True, most work shoes today consist of the classic work boots style. However there are lots of other options that fit the bill when it comes to safety and protection while offering different styles. Now there are work shoes/boots that look casual and some even look like sneakers and with looks inspired by fitness shoes. Helly Hansen’s Barcode work shoes follow this trend as they go stealth mode with a sneaker inspired look.
That’s thanks to their low top design and some might argue they give off running shoe vibes. At least they do in my opinion thanks to their generous use of breathable mesh. I like that they are work shoes but don’t look like work shoes. Yet they offer lots of safety and features you’d expect for work.
The Helly Hansen Barcode work shoe comes in a couple of options. They have soft toe and aluminum safety toe versions. They all come in black however the aluminum toe version has an added option with bright orange accent on the outsole of the shoe that can be seen from the sides. I have the aluminum safety toe model with the orange accents and that’s the one I’ll be reviewing here.
Safety
The Barcodes safety/work features include slip resistant outsoles. This is thanks to their Helly Grip rubber outsoles that offer plenty of grip on dry surfaces and also features oil slip resistance. I wasn’t able to test its oil slip resistance however I did test slip resistance on wet tile and it offers great slip resistance in water. Water slip resistance was just as good as their Oslo Hiker mid work boots I reviewed. And the dry slip resistance was about as good as the Oslo Hiker model, however I found the Oslo Hiker model to be a tad bit grippier in 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.
The Barcode model I have feature an aluminum safety toe. This feature is a must when lifting heavy objects as it protects your toes from getting crushed. Unlike steel toe, aluminum is lighter and thus keeps the shoes lighter while still offering excellent toe protection.
There’s also a bit of synthetic material over the toe cap to provide abrasion resistance for added wear resistance.
They also feature reflective design details. They can be found – two spots on the sides of the laces, and a Helly Hansen logo on the tongue and also on the outer side towards the rear of the shoe. I will say though that the reflective details are very minimal.
Comfort and Fit
What good are safety work shoes if they aren’t comfortable? The good news is that Helly Hansen made sure to keep you comfortable with these shoes. Helly Hansen incorporates HH Aero-stride technology in the midsole foam and also adds a breathable poured PU footbed with soft underfoot cushioning with moisture management. In my experience, these shoes provide a very comfortable step thanks to all the cushioning that’s provided.
I used these shoes on a flooring project and my feet were well cushioned all day. The cushioning in these is very good, especially for a work shoe and I like that they provide a soft step. At the end of the long work day, lower back and knees were complaining, but my feet were fine thanks to these shoes.
I used Helly Hansen’s sizing chart when selecting these shoes and I chose a size Mens 9.5 wide. I chose the same size for these and the Oslo Hiker boots. The fit was spot on and excellent with the Oslo boots. The sizing was good overall on these Barcode shoes. The length and and width was fine.
However the toe box wasn’t as roomy as I found on the Oslo Hiker boots. In fact the top of my big toe would regularly rub on the underside of the aluminum toe box when taking a step. Either the toe box needs to be taller or I might need to size up but it’s not severe. When I used these shoes to install flooring, it’s not something I was thinking about. But I do remember appreciating the comfortable step these shoes provide while I worked. But if I was to get these again, I’d definitely size up – maybe a half size would do. I will also add that the aluminum toe box doesn’t dig into your feet at all when you take a step and bend the shoe.
These shoes are also lightweight thanks to its fabric uppers. Sure, this also means that you give up the hardcore tank-like protection of heavier duty work boots. But that’s not what these work shoes are for. These are light and comfortable for all day wear with slip protection, electrical hazard protection, and aluminum safety toe protection. And the use of mesh fabric means they are very breathable to help keep your footsies cooler.
I have very sweaty feet. So to test the effectiveness of the breathability of these shoes, I wore the Barcode on one foot and the Oslo Hiker on the other. And the results are in – my feet still were sweaty in both however they were less sweaty on these Barcode. Also while neither foot overheated while wearing them, I could feel that my feet were cozier (warmer) on the Oslo boots – but nothing out of the ordinary.
Another thing I noticed with these Barcode shoes, was that there are straps on the inside of the shoe that hold the tongue on both sides. It’s not something you see on most shoes. I saw this on my Asics Resolution 9 tennis shoes. And this is an interesting feature because it helps keep the shoe’s tongue centered. Probably doesn’t seem like a big deal but it does get annoying and can get uncomfortable when the tongue shifts to the side. The straps on these shoes help prevent that.
Pricing:
These work boots are priced at $120 for the soft toe version. And $130 for the aluminum safety toe version shown in this review. Pricing is about middle of the ground and seem very fair for the quality and features provided in these shoes.
Conclusion:
My overall experience with these shoes has been overall very positive. I like that these work shoes provide critical safety features you need for the job such as great slip resistance, an aluminum safety toe (on this specific model), while also offering great comfort with each step. They also feature breathable mesh to keep your feet cooler and I like that the styling of the shoe is more incognito and doesn’t scream “work shoe’ looks. And the orange accent provides a bit of pizazz for added points. They also offer electrical hazard protection in case you need it. Overall a very positive experience with these. My only negative was that the toe box could be taller as my big toe would rub under the toe box. I think sizing up might help.
I think these are an excellent option if you need a solid, low-key work shoe built for comfort and to stay cool while still offering the safety and protection you need to get work done.
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