Caught the plastic ankle guard under a metal stair lip and tore half of it off the boot. The stitching was  fine thread and a single stitch. At this price that is a poor engineering call. Other then that, it's a great boot. Absolutely water tight in several inches of water. Very comfortable walking 5-7 miles a day on concrete and steel. Laces and lacing system works well. Composite toe doesn't get/stay cold like steel toes do. It also has a non-conducting sole and static dissipation. I've had several Timberland boots over the years and keep coming back due to the ability to get all the features I'm looking for in a quality boot for under $200.