Ariat Men's Catalyst VX Work Boot - Wide Square Toe, Waterproof, Composite Safety Toe - Durable Work Boots for Construction, Farming & Outdoor Labor

I was iffy on buying them based off of the reviews but my company gives us a $200 boot allowance so I figured I’d try them. I always oil my boots but I didn’t have a chance to before I had to wear them. My first job in them was a 17.5 hr shift I work on conveyors in quarries And the top of the boot was chafing my shins and the back of my leg they kept pulling down my socks as I walked. I ended up stuffing rags around the top and I was fine after that. 17.5 hrs in mud and water my feet got wet through the boots. Not soaking wet just a little damp just enough I could feel it but that’s also 17.5 hrs constantly standing in mud which is very good considering I wasn’t able to oil them (piling them helps waterproof). But at the end of shift when I got home my feet had a little bit of an ache nothing crazy still better then my Double H boots I had before. So I ended up finally being able to Oil my boots the next day before I left for another job. Once I did that and got my over the calf socks it was game over 100% best boots I’ve owned My second job with them was at a lime stone mine and it was on concrete and again 16 hr shift and if you work on concrete you know it’ll kill your feet. I got home pulled my boots off and again just a little ache and my lower back wasn’t tight at all. But anyhow the point of this review is I work in crazy environments every day and they’ve been great boots I’ve been in mud, on concrete, on cat walks, climbing up and down conveyor structures, and at the end of the day now that they’re finally broken in I have zero pain in my feet I could wear these all day no issues. I ordered a half size down. People were complaining about them being hard to pull your feet out. I like that you don’t want to step in a mud hole and your boot come off or to be walking up a hill or something and slide around in your boot. You should always oil your boots before you wear them it helps relax the leather and water proof them I feel like that was the issue a lot of people were having them being too tight. And I’m sure oil would solved some of them complaints.Also just as a note it’s been in the 30s-40s here and my feet have stayed warm I haven’t had issues with my feet getting cold and that’s the first thing that gets cold on me besides my hands.