I bought these as a dress boot for work. I have had these for almost a year now and I wear them often on warm days. I didn't like them at first and almost returned them because they were too rigid on my feet. That was due to 2 issues, one being new the leather needed a little breaking in and two the laces. The laces are waxed so when you draw and tie them the shoe feels locked onto your feet.. The stiffness of the laces gives a firm looking bow at the sacrifice of comfort. This will also cause the laces to fray from friction and pulling and they will break later.My solution was to swap in black kiwi boot laces (cant remember what length), they made a big difference by allowing the boot to flex a little especially when walking. Now I feel like I am wearing dressed up sneakers.The soles are rubber and so far have stood up very well.So if you by these, and are going to wear them regularly dump the laces and enjoy.