Romain Lapitchet, carpenter and roofer at Charpentes Galmiche: "I immediately felt good in CLAW PROOF shoes!"
Being on the roofs all year long requires comfort and security. Located in the east of France, Charpentes Galmiche company carries out its activities of carpentry, roofing, zinc work and works on raw wood until the realization of its customers' projects. A quality craft work which requires a powerful equipment on the building sites. This is why the company is collaborating with Coverguard for the testing of our new safety shoes: the CLAW range which gathers all the know-how of the expert brand. Meet Romain Lapitchet who works at Charpentes Galmiche for a full-scale feedback!
What is your job?
Romain Lapitchet: I am a carpenter and roofer and I have been working for 18 years in the company of Charpentes Galmiche. I am in a way part of the furniture! We are about fifteen employees in the company. My job is to build the framework of a building, that is to say the whole structure that will maintain the roof. And also the installation of the battens and the adapted roofing. It's quite a demanding job, because it requires being outside all year round, in all weathers.
You've been testing our high model "Claw Proof" for a few weeks now. What do you think about it?
Romain Lapitchet: First of all, you have to know that in winter, it is essential to work with high shoes to stay warm and to maintain the ankle. Especially since we work on roofs with 45° slopes. For example, last December, it was -4°C on the roof, so I wore lined boots, because no safety shoe can keep my feet warm enough.
COVERGUARD CLAW shoes are very comfortable and very flexible. Some brands offer models that you have to work on for a long time before you feel comfortable. Here, you feel good right away. Waterproofing is not a problem for the moment, even if we haven't had any heavy rain since I started using them. I am for the moment very satisfied.
In the past you had to test several brands. What are the recurrent defects of safety shoes?
Romain Lapitchet: Some brands offer good shoes, but they don't last. I once bought a good pair of shoes from a competitor; they were comfortable, but with the heat of the tiles, at 40°C, they did not last. They lasted one job, that's all. You have to know that we roofers put our safety shoes to the test. There are the weather conditions, but also the fact that we are constantly in impossible positions. We are constantly bent over, we put a lot of strain on the shoes.
« With CLAW Proof, my feet are dry for a reasonable price»
How important is to have waterproof shoes for you?
Romain Lapitchet: Very important! Before these, I had a pair of another brand that was waterproof, but they were expensive shoes! And they were too big to go on the roofs. With CLAW Proof, if you can keep your feet dry for a more reasonable price, that's great!
Is the aesthetic aspect important for you?
Romain Lapitchet: I hadn't even thought about tit. For me, it is not at all the priority, I just want to be comfortable, but I understand that it can count for others. So yes, I think they're pretty, and we don't hesitate to go out to eat at restaurants at lunchtime with these shoes, for example. It's a good sign!
Have you talked about it around you?
Romain Lapitchet: A colleague tested the low shoes, he is very happy with them. We told another colleague about it, and he will buy some soon. Word of mouth works a lot between colleagues!
