First of all I want to point out that the boots I got did not have Vibram soles as advertised. The soles are marked "Thorogood" brand. I returned mine, but mainly because of a manufacturing defect: the footbed on the right side boot was uneven - high on the outside of the middle of the foot, which was immediately painful. Imagine having the arch support on the wrong side of the footbed. That's what it felt like. I assume that is a factory mistake. Aside from the defect and the lack of true Vibram sole the boots seem to be of good materials and construction. As to sizing, I wear size 13 to 14 depending on brand, and these seemed a bit snug for a 13. That is, they did not seem to be sized very large like a lot of reviewers have said.

They look well made, the leather is nice looking and has a nice feel. The eye-hooks seem a little lightweight and could be a weak link. The included removable footbed is nice quality, and that's a plus. The heel and  toe areas are reinforced and stiff. I found that the heels slipped even though the toes were snug, but that might fix with a break-in period, or maybe with a size up. Probably the 8" boots would be less prone to heel slip. Even with the problems I mentioned I might try these again because they seem to be good boots for the price. But someone please fix the false advertising about the Vibram soles. As of February 2012 they are not Vibram.