honestly all the years i have worked in an auto shop environment i have never needed the steel to boot. i guess i have never been in the position to have something heavy drop on my toes. the one time i did drop a high torque starter it landed on the top of my foot, so the steel toe aspect wouldn't have helped any way, fortunately it wasn't a 617 diesel starter

i guess i will go with the general recommendation and try for red wings. thanks