Men Mephisto Curt Mt SNEAKER vs Man Hiking shoes Tecnica Forge 2.0 GTX: which is safer?
Men Mephisto Curt Mt SNEAKER is our pick: better on PFAS and on the overall hazard picture.
Our pick
Mephisto
Men Mephisto Curt Mt SNEAKER
PFAS grade
Good 65/100
Overall grade
Good 59/100
Verdict
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Hazard flags
⚑ 1
Material
leather, textile, rubber sole
Confidence
55%
PossibleVolatile organic compounds (VOC) off-gassing from adhesives
Tecnica
Man Hiking shoes Tecnica Forge 2.0 GTX
PFAS grade
Bad 20/100
Overall grade
Bad 2/100
Verdict
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Hazard flags
⚑ 3
Material
Fabric with Gore-Tex GTX membrane, waterproof treatment unspecified
Confidence
45%
PossibleFormaldehyde resins in textile coatings and adhesives
PossibleMicroplastic shedding from synthetic uppers
ReportedCoating degradation and delamination over time
Where these two actually differ
- We flag Volatile organic compounds (VOC) off-gassing from adhesives on the Mephisto and not on the Tecnica.
- We flag Formaldehyde resins in textile coatings and adhesives, Microplastic shedding from synthetic uppers and Coating degradation and delamination over time on the Tecnica and not on the Mephisto.
- The Mephisto is leather, textile, rubber sole where the Tecnica is Fabric with Gore-Tex GTX membrane, waterproof treatment unspecified, which is most of the difference in these two grades.
- The gap is 45 points, wide enough that this is not a close call, and the Mephisto is the one to buy.
Both products run through the same public rubric: materials, coatings, brand disclosure, lab findings, and recalls, plus a beyond-PFAS hazard analysis. Grades are model-based estimates, not lab tests. How grades work →
More waterproof boots: see the full ranking