These boots look good, are light weight yet have all the support you could want and they are comfortable right out of the box! I was expecting a break in period - there always is with new boots, right? I slipped these on to wear around the house and they felt great right off the bat. I did the half mile hike over uneven ground to go out for the mail and they did super. No pinches, scrunches, binds, stiffness - just pure comfort and a very stable walk.The next day I wore them to town. That's a marathon where we live and an all day adventure. I was dragging mentally by the time I got home, but my feet were just as happy as when I started out in the morning.Merrill boots are what I usually wear and am happy with, but at almost four times the price of these boots, I think they have met their match. It will be interesting to see how well these hold up to real life, but I'm expecting they will do very well. The workmanship and quality of materials seems to be top notch. The soles weren't slippery at all on our early morning frost and ice (springtime in Montana). The extra set of laces and the extra insoles make these boots a fantastic buy.