I've had these shoes for a few days now, so they're not really broken in yet.  I'm happy with them so far, but they don't feel like my New Balance athletic shoes.  That's not altogether a bad thing, but these are heavy shoes that wear like boots.  Not to say the sole is hard--it's soft like athletic shoes, but the weight and the stiffness of these shoes makes them feel like...well, low topped boots.  They even have a "rock stop" marked in the middle of your foot like a nice pair of boots.

Keep in mind this is coming from a guy who likes boots.  My wife says they look nice, so to me they are the best of both worlds.  Assuming they loosen up a little.