Trusting in Totectors safety footwear is a step in the right direction. Professional Builder’s Lee Jones talks to the company’s Rhys Elavia about the product range and heritage behind the brand.
The building industry is nothing if not a family affair with the founders of countless firms upholding a proud tradition of passing trade skills onto their offspring. That’s a reality that is reflected in one of the most iconic names in safety footwear, where three generations have followed in each other’s footsteps. Having first stepped up to the challenge of protecting tradespeople in 1944 the original Totectors brand is now marking its 80th year and the Elavia family have witnessed much of that long history.
“My father joined Totectors in 1984 and would ultimately become Group Director,” explains current UK Sales Manager, Rhys Elavia. “It’s there where he met my Mum, who was working in the customer service department, and before that my grandad clocked up 15 years of service in the business.” Another constant in that time has been the pace of innovation in the safety footwear sector, with the solutions now available unrecognisable from the heavy and uncomfortable boots of years gone by and Totectors continues to make a considerable contribution.
Now part of International Brands Group, Totectors was given a reboot in 2022 but has a rather more colourful history. It was during the height of WWII that Bill Denton of Northamptonshire based shoemaking pioneers, Wilkins & Denton identified an urgent need for sturdier safety footwear, particularly in heavy industry. It was a realisation that would take him on a perilous maritime mission to the US at the height of the Battle of the Atlantic and it is there that he met Arthur Williams, who owned the patent for steel toe cap design.
Although the American initially refused to strike a deal, a mammoth 48-hour poker game would see the British manufacturer secure the rights to steel toe cap technology on these shores and Totectors was born. It’s a story which is now celebrated in the current product range, with the Williams safety boot the most recent addition to a portfolio that already includes the Denton.
What the market currently supplies is often guilty of championing practicality at the expense of style, but Totectors successfully marries both, as Rhys explains: “Our message is ‘keep your look’ because we don’t want our customers to have to compromise on their style. We’re reaching out to the younger consumer by emulating what they’re already wearing on the weekend whilst at the same time enjoying safe, functional and comfortable footwear at work.”
A case in point is the newly launched Williams boot, which delivers on detail in design together with some unique features. Where this footwear really departs from its peers, for instance, is in the unique Clarino upper lining. Completely replacing the leather content, this hard-wearing material is often used in premium outdoor clothing. Clarino is, however, 30 per cent stronger than leather, more resistant to abrasion, and lighter. If that’s not enough then it’s also less affected by UV light, which prolongs the boot’s colour, and has been tested against chemicals to the latest acid protection standards.
Everywhere you look the construction reveals a meticulous focus on safety. An arch support guards against twisted ankles, for example. A heel cradle protects the Achilles and there’s the instant comfort of a 3mm open cell PU foam footbed. Moreover, a Kevlar built midsole protects against penetration, the highest SR rated oil and slip resistance rating is achieved, and there’s anti-static properties.
Cap that
Part of the secret of the slicker profile at the front of both the Williams and Denton is an aluminium toe cap. It’s a material that can be used in a much thinner construction but with all the 200-joule resisting compressive strength of its steel counterpart. As well as that, by embedding the toe cap deep into the rubber and EVA foam unit the result is a shallower silhouette that belies the shoe’s sturdiness. At the same time the rubber outsole affords over 200ºC of heat resistance, there’s a padded collar and durable leather upper.
“Our designer Mike Boston has done a phenomenal job in elevating the brand,” enthuses Rhys, “and the Williams epitomises all those style attributes but in a 100 per cent waterproof and robust package. One of the things that builders will notice straight away is how light these boots are.”
Slipping remains the biggest cause of accidents on construction sites, and for the self-employed an injury that incapacitates will inevitably lead to a loss of earnings. In response, the Williams meets the new SR slip rating, where the tests are undertaken on angled and lubricated slate surface. From the toe to heel unit the outsole is engineered to confidently tread across a whole range of terrains, be it concrete, rubble or mud. Not only that, when flexing, the boot is designed to release any debris, and it equally benefits from an LG-rated ladder grip system.
A carbon-based rubber defies wear at the front of the boot and the tech foam is a rigidity- and strength-maintaining high rebound EVA. If work has a habit of bringing you to your knees you’ll be all too aware that the toe end can quickly be left in tatters, but not so with Totectors. The company’s SC test consists of subjecting that area to 2,000 cycles with hard sandpaper and – in order to pass the material can’t be reduced by any more than 1mm.
An equally premium product, the Denton is available as either a boot or safety trainer in black and wheat, with a summer special white due to be launched in May of this year. This is an S1P rated shoe more suited to indoor environments but, whatever the colour or design, there’s all the same safety technologies complementing the smart exterior.
“Denton is ideal for tradespeople who are working in their client’s homes and want to project the right image,” continues Ryhs, “but whatever your trade there’s a boot or safety trainer for you.”
For further information on Totectors visit totectors.co.uk.
