Red Wing Men's Iron Ranger 6" Boot - Premium Leather Work Boots for Men, Durable & Comfortable - Perfect for Construction, Hiking & Outdoor Adventures

I'm not a boot expert. I did work at Timberland for 7 years and had to wear their boots for my shifts. I'm going to say that I "understand" how boots fit and how they should feel. But again, I'm not a boot expert.I was in the market for a new set of boots, mostly for looks. I REALLY like the way these boots look!I've read almost every review I could find and looked at countless pictures. I settled on the Copper Rough & Tough color. I am not disappointed.Sizing/FitI've been wearing them for one week so far.The numerous reviews I've read had me torn in the sizing of the boots. I'm too lazy to go out and try them on in a store, so I bit the bullet and bought a 7.5; I wear an 8 in running shoes (Adidas, Reebok, Saucony, Asics), 7.5 in Vans, 7 in Converse All Stars. It seemed that the reviews were split 50/50 between a half size down to a full size down. I chose a half size down. They fit just as Timberland classic 6" boots fit. I am not disappointed and I don't have to exchange the size. Size 7.5 fits just right for my size 8 foot!There is room in the toe-box. I expect as they get better worn the space will lessen; not enough to where my toes will hit the front. The leather is a bit tough but definitely not the toughest/hardest leather I've experienced in boots. The tongue leather is the softest/thinnest portion. The left boot is "breaking" differently directly after the toe-cap; it pinches my toes when I squat on the balls of my feet. I expect that will completely disappear as they get better worn; I'm not concerned with the pinching.There is NO arch support. Don't expect it. Going a half size down still leaves room for me to have an insole but I'm not going to. I'm interested in seeing how the footbed wears in and conforms to my foot. I got used to wearing flat shoes since I started Crossfit and read all sorts of information on how Vans, Converse, and any other flat shoe is actually better for your foot muscles, so I'm used to the flatness of these boots. I do not have flat feet. These boots feel fine to me and I would not describe them as uncomfortable. The are surprisingly comfortable for boots; not what I remember from my Timberland days (a decade ago and I haven't worn boots since).The sole is lug-less; kind of smooth. It's advertised as oil-resistant, but not necessarily slip resistant. I stepped on a wet spot in the parking lot and I felt some slippage. I would not consider these work boots. I consider them more fashion forward. However, I was surprised at how much heritage there is with Red Wing; I had no idea.I've already gotten a few compliments on them. They look great. I'm looking forward to seeing them after much wear. I'm very sure they'll look better with age.I'm very, very pleased with these boots. They were very expensive (for me at least) but less expensive on Amazon than anyplace else ($60 less!). I expect to have them for a very long time.They're great.11-06-15 Update:I've been wearing these boots about 3 days per week. They were stiff and my left was pinching where the toe cap creases. I was hoping for more give/molding to the footbed but it didn't go as planned. I ended up just taking an insole out of an existing pair of shoes and using that. The insole wasn't very thick but it added some cushion underneath the ball of my feet and some arch support. I didn't necessarily want the arch support but I did want some cushion to ease the hot spots under my foot (ball of feet and under my heel). The addition of the insert messed with the heel cup and my foot sat slightly higher in the boot. This caused some uncomfortable rubbing. I took the insole out and the boot had stretched nicely!Note: I was using the generic insole with thicker socks and spraying the outside of the boot with rubbing alcohol. I did this for a week and the boots stretched very nicely.They fit great now. The only concern is the footbed is hard and the ball of my feet feel it; not painful, just noticeable.I took a vacation to New York (first time) and walked about 10+ miles a day. I wore these for one of those days and had no problems with the fitment or comfort. My feet hurt but that was due to the amount of walking and had nothing to do with the boots (they hurt equaling on the other days, wearing other footwear).I just bought a pair of SuperFeet Green insoles (on Amazon of course). I put them in and they take up all the extra space in the boots. The boots fit snug with the SuperFeet in. Undoubtedly they will stretch more. The cushioning is nice and the arch support is nice. I'm not sure I like the insoles yet. The SuperFeet insoles raise my heel up more than the generic insole I was using before, however I don't feel the same heel-rub. It doesn't feel like it'll be an issue with these insoles. My heel feels nice and snug against the boot.Note: I noticed that my foot sits much nicer in the boot if I make sure my foot is all the way in the heel and the boots are laced all the way up, or at a minimum, to the second highest speed lace.