These shoes are constructed of a leather upper with the balance man-made. The stitching of the seams is good and tight. The toes are squared off. The heal is approx. 1/2 inch. My son sometimes wears a 10.5 but these fit him fine in a size 10. The leather upper has a slight texture to it. The only thing I will mention as a con is that these have a very strong odor when you first pull them from the box, but after sitting out for a bit that seemed to lessen slightly.