Do anti-fatigue mats really work?

[89Vette]

I spent many hours last Saturday using my Legacy mill, standing on cement, and by the time I came in the house about 9:00 p.m. my back was killing me. None of the operations were long enough to sit down, just tons of short ones. I have seen anti-fatigue mats before, but was never sure if they really worked or not. Do they?

What about a piece of carpet, or maybe a floormat? There has to be something better than standing on cement.

 

[Freejack]

There has to be something better than standing on cement.

Right there is the important part, anything is better than standing on concrete, even a good par of boots will help.

While not the most durable, something I've found that helps is those interlocking foam squares for children's play areas. Cheap and soft.

Jake

 

[mhoffm911]

I agree that the interlocking foam squares can help. They are cheap at Sam's Club. Restaurant supply houses may have something as well.

 

[SteveU]

Yes, they do. I worked almost 9 yrs in a factory standing in one place for the most part running a machine on a concrete floor & there is a big difference between having them & not. This was wearing the same pair of boots both ways so the mats were the only variable. Is that a Legacy ornamental Mill? They are nice, have to find some time to use mine.

 

[Jononon]

Yes, the difference they make is surprising. IMHO they're cheap enough that you might as well use the real thing, rather than carpet etc.

This site carries Ergo-Flex, as do numerous others. I have it in 3/8", and, while I don't stand at the bench all day, it seems durable so far (18 mths or so.)

 

[kbs2244]

A cheap why to prove it to your self is a layer or two of old carpeting.
Cut a 4 x 6 peice for where you stand.
I think you will be suprised.

 

[Kevin54]

Spend the money on a good thick smooth mat. Not one with the holes in it. Those are dirt catchers. I have spent the last 30 years behind a mill and lathe as a Toolmaker and I can attest to the fact they do help. For years we never had mats. Now with safety a huge issue in all factories they finally decided to get mats. Not only do they help the back, but leg cramps, fallen arches, bad ankles, knee pain, etc. Not that I have ALL of those. LOL!!! And nothing can be any worse than the 1:00am "Charlie Horse" to shoot your **** straight out of bed

 

[gotmud13613]

I got one at Big Lots for $10 it is a super heavy duty mat, 4x6 mat. It makes a world of difference especially during the colder months. Plus it's easy to clean if a spill happens, the dogs also like to lay on it, i always got to get them off of it when i am doing work at the bench.

 

[Danglerb]

I think Red Wing used to make a sole for work on concrete floors. From the side it looked like a deep sawtooth.

As you get older working directly on concrete ***** more and more, and the pain is the next few days not while you doing it type pain.

 

[Steve in Mi]

I think the problems of foot, leg and back aches have at least two aspects to them - hard surface and cold surface. For me, once I got on a warm floor the aches went away. A test for you could be as simple as standing on a sheet of rigid foam at the mill. I know the foam isn't very durable in a shop environment (it needs to be covered to last and for fire safety) but if it works for you as it did for me you will find a cold floor is much more uncomfortable than a hard floor. It's a night and day difference between standing at the mill or lathe in my attached garage that only gets heated when I'm in there and the floor never gets warm and doing the same operation in my detached shop where the floor is insulated and within a couple of degrees of shop air temperature 24/7.

 

[Uncle Buck]

I have cheap anti fatigue mats in front of all my machines and benches; I will say that mine were all on the cheap side as I really cannot afford to spend much for this shop luxury. I like them though.

 

[Benw455]

I have the interlocking mats from sams club. They about 18.00 for a set of 10 2'x2' squares. I have them in front of my glass bead blaster.

 

[michael Mccoy]

next time you go to the barber check out whats under his feet, no one stands up longer or stands behind a chair more than him. Check out what he is wearing on his feet besides what he is standing on.

 

[Charles (in GA)]

Get a good, real thick mat, a solid one that cleans up easily, from Grainger or MSC or Enco or similar. It will be well worth the money spent. I have to walk thru our tool room at work occasionally and they have one of these anti-fatigue mats behind the tool room window, and it feels like a million bucks after being on a hard concrete floor for several hours.

Charles

 

[JohnZ]

When I was an assembly plant manager, I spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on "ergo mats", and they DO make a big difference; I bought mine for my garage from Griot's Garage - 1/2" thick, edge-interlocking, very comfy.

 

[Charles (in GA)]

This is like the ones we have in the tool room at work that are so comfy.

http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/items/5FX61

Charles

 

[Darren M.]

Well, the evidence seems overwhelming to the positive of the question. However, I will give my 2¢ as well.
I'm a Shipping System Software Developer. That means I spend/spent QUITE a bit of time on the warehouse floor going live/debugging/making modifications etc. (13 years) The first 2 years I didn't give a rat's *** about comfort and "just did my job", I was 22. At about 25 my feet and knees began to hurt after 8, 9, 10 hour days. Couldn't figure out why, it never happened before!?!?! Then I was placed on an install in an "ergo friendly" envronment, circa 1996/97. I stood for 10 hours straight on a 1/2" mat while working through some go live issues. When I got home I was tired and had some minor pain. The next day, 6.** hours and the same results. The 3rd day we sat and watched as thousands of packages left the building. In the end I BEGGED the warehouse manager to let me cut one of their mats in half. He gave me a full mat for my efforts. I promptly took it home and cut out a 2x3' section and carried it in the back of my car for years. It came in VERY handy and I wasted no time taking advantage of the comfort. Since then the internet has become ubiquitous and onsite go lives/debug/etc have become QUITE rare. However, I still have a mat (not the same one) in the back of my car. I use it as often as I need to and even take it on plane trips w/ me if necessary.

While anecdotal evidence, I can attest to the fact that YES they work. (Mats DO sit infront of my work bench, drill press, and other stationary tools.)

 

[Kevin54]

I will say that mine were all on the cheap side as I really cannot afford to spend much for this shop luxury.

The money spent on a quality mat is way cheaper than a trip or two to the doctors office though. A cheap rug or a thin rubber mat is no substitute for a thick mat. I just wish our shop had them years ago. And nowadays it is really not a luxury but it is a necessity.

 

[89Vette]

WOW! Excellent reponses from all. Looks like I will be buying one (or more) for sure.

My shop is heated to 60 all the time and I turn it up to 68 when I am in there, but I have never felt the floor temp, I may have to do that just because I am curious now.

This is a Legacy woodworking mill, not a metal mill (although one day .....) so there won't be any sparks to ignite something.

Thanks to everyone.

 

[kxmotox247]

I am the safety coordinator at a large machine shop. We've been in business for a long time and I can't imagine not having these mats.
It's like early x-mas when I bust out new mats for the guys.

Like mentioned above, the ones with holes in them are dirt collectors. I wouldn't buy one even for home.

Now... the guys that have been working here are crazy about these:
http://www.mattechinc.com/anti-fatigue-mat-hog-heaven.php

Make sure you get the 7/8" mat. I bought a few of these as samples for around the shop and I had guys begging me for them in their area.

 

[IanF]

I agree that the interlocking foam squares can help. They are cheap at Sam's Club.

I have many of these... three packs worth... when working on a car, I'll spread them all over. I use them as my creeper as well. Unfortunately, my Sam's Club doesn't always carry them.

 

[89Vette]

After I posted yesterday I looked through my catalogs and found 2 that had them.

Griot's garage had a 2.5' x 6.5' for $70.
Summit had a 4'x6' for $18.

I am sure that the one's from Summit are lower quality, but for the price I thought it was worth a shot so I ordered one to try out.

Those Hog Heaven 7/8 mats look great and very tough. If the Summit mat is junk, I think I will spring for one of those, despite the $100 cost.

Thanks.

 

[Stuart in MN]

Here's an online source for mats, along with all kinds of other cool stuff. http://www.globalindustrial.com/gcs/index.web Don't forget that most office supply stores like Office Depot sell mats as well.

Now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure I've seen mats with built in heating elements - that would be pretty nice for use in a cold garage.

 

[kxmotox247]

I have no doubt you'd be happy with a Hog Heaven mat. If the Summit one doesn't work, then give the Hog Heaven one a shot. We have guys who will stand at a buffer all day and I bought a bunch of the 2' x 3' ones for them. That's a miserable job made a little more tolerable. Over an 8 hour shift, the difference in productivity is apparent...especially at the 6 and 7th hour. That's when mats make the difference.

 

[PanelDeland]

I worked in a machine shop.They have since gone to mats in a lot of their areas but for years used a platform.They were made of 1X2's and just screwed together.Each was made to fit a specific area.They gave some resilience to the floor and insulated the guys boots from the floor.I mention this because the chips were much easier top clean from the wooden mats than the rubber ones.Just a thought depending on what type of environment you are in.I agree the mats work but I work for a Uniform company and usually have a couple of anti-fatigue mats around my shop.

 

[Bigger Hammer]

There are always the horse stable mats they sell at TSC. They are about $40 for a 4'x6' mat. I am positive they are much heavier and a bit harder than the mats that are made specifically for that. But they do work excellent for a home gym floor and it would be better than concrete.

 

[Steve in Mi]

There are always the horse stable mats they sell at TSC. They are about $40 for a 4'x6' mat.

They are actually on sale now at $32.**

 

[TNToy]

I use the $7 anti-fatigue mat from Harbor Freight... as long as the floor isn't wet (then it's a skating rink) it's great. Feet don't hurt at the end of the day any more.

 

[strizzy]

I use the $7 anti-fatigue mat from Harbor Freight... as long as the floor isn't wet (then it's a skating rink) it's great. Feet don't hurt at the end of the day any more.

Yeah a word of caution, those mats from Sam's will slide out very easily and make you fall on your *** if water gets under them... And yes this has happened to me...more than once...

 

[89Vette]

The Summit mats arrived yesterday and I put them down. I noticed a difference right away, but I would not use them if I was standing on them 8 hours every day, they don't have enough cushion. They are a little under 1/2" thick with a harder surface above the foam. The foam seems pretty tough, but we'll see long term. I like the way they connect together, it allowed me to do a custom layout that went around most of the machinery and were all connected in one big mat so they won't move around.

That being said, I think they are great for the hobbyist garage, especially for the price. I got 3 sets and am going to order one more.

 

[kartracer55]

This is a decent HF item. HF has a pack of 4 2x2 foam squares for this. Im standing on them right now actually. YES, it makes a difference. Boots make a bigger difference. My WORX by redwing work shoes were only like 75$ and they are awesome. Ive gone almost 12 full hours working on concrete and they are great. Shoes make a big difference.

 

[partsman]

i will stick up for hf on this one they do work.
i have them behind the counter at my shop and me and my wife vend trade shows on weekends and we have a set for that as well.
they made a huge difference, some of these bike shows you are standing for 10-12 hours and it was all we could do to walk in the house after a long trip before we got the mats...

 

[crewchief888]

I worked in a machine shop.They have since gone to mats in a lot of their areas but for years used a platform.They were made of 1X2's and just screwed together.Each was made to fit a specific area.They gave some resilience to the floor and insulated the guys boots from the floor.I mention this because the chips were much easier top clean from the wooden mats than the rubber ones.Just a thought depending on what type of environment you are in.I agree the mats work but I work for a Uniform company and usually have a couple of anti-fatigue mats around my shop.

The machine shops I worked in had wooden mats as well. I'm thinking they were 1X3 or 1X4.

I do have a mat in my reloading room in front of my press. More to keep my feet off the concrete floor than anything else.

 

[Bogie1632]

An year ago I started felling fatigue due to nature of my job and on recommendation of a friend I started using an anti fatigue mat for standing desk and it resulted in a great relief. As per my experience anti fatigue mats really work.

x1000.

Even on a short pile, padded carpet the difference a mat makes is incredible. Got a mat right after I got a standing desk. Back, legs, feet, even my core felt better at the end of the day. Had one at work, have on in my garage and have gifted a few to friends and family.

Side note: Stretching, amongst other things, also helps.
E ven just a bit during the day while on breaks. Too many folks learn the hard way stiffening joints and muscles tightening/stiffness in major muscle groups...that many of us often stand on all day...do not improve with age or rest on their own. Takes a bit of care to keep a body healthy in the long run.

V/R
Bogie

 

[ClappedOutBport]

Even just a 1/4" treadmill belt makes a huge difference. Absolutely worth it.

 

[larry_g]

Me being the cheap SOB in the group, I went to the carpet store and dumpster dived some industrial carpet and 20lb padding. Cut the carpet into runners and glued the pad to the back. It works for me and when it becomes unsightly it is free to replace.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[Seppala]

I use scrap cardboard in my shop.

 

[tarmy]

Yes they work...I have them in front of every workbench and any area I stand for more than 10 minutes....

 

[nadogail]

Old man that I am, I have fond memories of the wooden mats in shops where I worked years ago. Now I am often found on either a stool or chair with casters.

 

[ripperd]

Don't discount your shoes either!

Back in early college I cooked at a restaurant. They had the anti-fatigue mats (yes they definitely work, as people have said) but I really noticed the shoes I wore made a big difference too. I found that basketball style tennis shoes seemed to do the best. And if my feet, ankles, legs, or back started getting sore after full days I'd throw away the shoes and get a new pair. Seemed to take about 6-8 months of probably 20 hours a week before they were shot. New pairs would immediately be more comfortable, was like night and day compared to old shoes.