Core77

Sign In / Join Now

Topics
- Product Design
- Process
- Technology
- Lifestyle
- Business
- News
- Furniture
- Tools
- Transportation
- Education
- Impact
- Reference
- Video
Sign Up For Our Newsletter
Subscribe
Features
- Features
- Designing Women
- Getting Hired
- Design Files
- True I.D. Stories
- Sex-tacular
- In the Details
- Photo Galleries
- Bizarre Inventions
- Questionnaire
- Materials
- Footwear
- Hand Tool School
- Tools & Craft
Awards
- Awards
- Enter Now;
- 2018 Design Award Honorees;
Careers
- Careers
- Design Jobs;
- Talent Search;
- Design Salaries;
Firms
- Firms
- Search Firms;
- Firm Projects
Forums
- Forums
- General Discussion
- Students & Schools
- Design Employment
- Sketching
- Software & Technology
- All Forums
More...
- About Us
- Contact Us
- Advertise
- About
- Terms of Use
My Account
- My Account
- Sign In / Join Now
Follow Us
- )
- m
- Y
- '
- S
Search
e

Sneakers

The Design Flaw of Boot Jacks

…at least in this city boy's opinion

By Rain Noe - January 28

Shortly after moving to the country, I saw one of these in a neighbor's basement, and thought it was a workholding device for woodworking.

Enter a caption (optional)

"No, it's a boot jack," he said, doing an excellent job of hiding his surprise that I didn't know what it was. (City boy, here.)

Out in these rural parts, boots are more common than Nikes, so it makes sense that everyone has a boot jack. What doesn't make sense to me is their design. You use them like this:

Enter a caption (optional)

Getting the first boot off, no problem. The part that doesn't make sense to me is that you then step on the jack with your freshly-exposed sock. More often than not, when I take my boots off, they're muddy. I assume you'd get fresh mud on the jack when taking the first boot off, then transfer that mud to the bottom of your sock when bracing the jack to remove the other boot. I looked around and every boot jack I saw, despite minor differences in detail, appears to have this same flaw:

Enter a caption (optional)

I actually think this would make an interesting assignment for an ID student: How would you design a similarly minimal object that gets the boots off, but keeps your socks clean in the process?

Sneakers

Rain Noe

Rain Noe is a writer and industrial designer based in New York City.

16 Comments

James Cobb

3 months ago

Z

2Z

Reply

The "solution" to this design "problem" is a doormat. Do you routinely come inside with mud on your shoes?

Step 1: Wipe off your feet outside (or wash them off with a water hose if super muddy).
Step 2: Go inside
Step 3: Use boot jack

!Report as spam
- George Mokray
  
  James Cobb
  
  3 months ago
  
  Z
  
  Z
  
  Reply
  
  Wiping your boots off before you use the boot jack is the obvious solution. Those who don't immediately think of it were probably raised in a barn. /snark
  
  !Report as spam
Glen Downie

3 months ago

Z

1Z

Reply

I think this is resolved:
Doormat - Wet Removal
Boot Brush - Dry and Mud Removal
Boot Jack - Boot Removal

!Report as spam
Ken K

3 months ago

Z

1Z

Reply

Put a second one next to the first? If homemade, easy, cheap, compact.

!Report as spam
Joshua Cooper

3 months ago

Z

1Z

Reply

I would suggest putting the fulcrum/leg on the top as well as the bottom. That way you could remove one boot, flip the jack over and remove the other boot.

!Report as spam
- Tim Hines
  
  Joshua Cooper
  
  3 months ago
  
  Z
  
  Z
  
  Reply
  
  Neat and compact, although you do have to bend down to turn it.
  
  !Report as spam
Lindani Ntongazana

a month ago

Z

Z

Reply

i suggest extending the stepping surface with its fulcrum to fit two feet, one for the dirty boot and the other for a bare sock separated by a barrier for no cross-overs.

!Report as spam
Lindani Ntongazana

a month ago

Z

Z

Reply

Extending the stepping surface for two feet spaces, for the contaminated boot as well as the clean sock and then extended fulcrum makes sense to me....

!Report as spam
Martin Siegrist

3 months ago

Z

Z

Reply

Not thinking of a doormat is the problem. Cause when there’s mud on your shoes and you don’t wipe it off before taking off the boots, you’d probably step into mud no matter what.

Perfect example of a designer making incorrect assumptions

!Report as spam
- amunta nul
  
  Martin Siegrist
  
  3 months ago
  
  Z
  
  Z
  
  Reply
  
  I have yet to see a glimpse of evidence that Rain is actually a designer
  
  !Report as spam
Ross Oliver

3 months ago

Z

Z

Reply

The heel-to-toe stance makes balance much more difficult. I sometimes remove my shoes by standing the toe of one on the heel of the other, and I almost always need to lean on something for balance. I would mount the jack to a base 3x as wide, and stand feet side-by-side to use. Solves the sock soiling problem too.

!Report as spam
Taylor Smith

3 months ago

Z

Z

Reply

In my limited observations the people who use boot jacks aren't using them with their muddy boots. Like the example in the video, crocodile belly boots aren't typically the kind of boots you get dirty like that.

!Report as spam
Mike Cheung

3 months ago

Z

Z

Reply

Take boot 1 off halfway, then remove boot 2. Kick boot 1 off.

!Report as spam
Tim Hines

3 months ago

Z

Z

Reply

Just make the stand on part wider, but try to remember to take the same boot off first ... :)

!Report as spam
Fred Reade

3 months ago

Z

Z

Reply

I don’t know about minimal, but I’ve seen them with an arch over them and a swinging paddle that acts as a brace for the toe of the boot while you use your hands on an upper t-bar as purchase. Ends up being quite a large piece of hall furniture though!

!Report as spam
Jason Pokines

3 months ago

Z

Z

Reply

Where are you, again? I've lived in semi-rural Ohio most of my life and have never come across one of these. Also, the only people I've met with boots like that are "cowboys" who like to line dance and drive lifted trucks.

!Report as spam