Good value, but required some effort.

I live, work, and commute in urban areas. I do almost everything in boots except for hike/exercise. Mainly just casual use. Some days in excess of 20K steps.

I had them customized, and they fit very well

Not quite excellent, but definitely very good. Clean stitching on the uppers. Solid, but not perfect stitchdown needlework. Presents very well overall.

Dr Soles are not very shock absorbing. And the grip is average, in my opinion. That being said they are definitely hard wearing, and they look spectacular.

Would I buy these again? No. But only because I am trying to prevent duplication in my collection. Would I buy from Blkbrd again? Yes. My experience has been solid overall, and they are always willing to answer questions and will do/make almost any modifications or changes within reason. Considering that Maryam made boots are now in the $500+ range anywhere else, (Blkbrd is currently $395 shipped) they are still the best value for something of this quality. I do find their clicking can be off, and their lasts do tend to run slim. But if you have vision, and knowledge of what you want and the ability to communicate that, then you can end up with an out of this world boot. Final note: their overall communication is good. I have asked a ton of questions on IG, and they are always replied to. Where they struggle in communication is when there are delays. I had to inquire about the turn time, and it's only then that they communicated that they were out of stock with the Dr Soles. It would have been appreciated if they just let me know what was going on in the first place. All in all a positive experience. I know they can be polarizing, but my experience was good and my boots are great. I wouldn't hesitate to order from them again.