I wore these for work and the occasional outdoors camping trip. For work, that meant mostly on concrete or the sand/dirt of different test ranges. Since i am the engineer on the projects, my work is not as physical as it used to be. For context, I work on things that "go really fast and usually boom at the end". Although, I did try to suggest tying them to our test manikins' feet, and I would have claimed the "fastest pair of boots in the thunderdome"! Unfortunately, the higher-ups didn't go for it.
I would say there is no break-in with this leather, and it rolls with the punches. I purposely selected this leather so there would not be much upkeep. I would brush/wipe them off when really dirty. The waxy commander may be suede and not the typical super thick full grain work leather, but as long as not purposely abused, it is hard wearing enough for most jobs.
I am happy with the overall fit and comfort of the boots.
There is a reason that most folks have come to acknowledge that it is tough to beat the value and quality you get from Grant Stone. The pair of boots was exactly what I paid for with no quality control issues. I personally can't ask for anything more than that.
The sole has been extremely comfortable and for my type of work, more than durable enough. I still have plenty of life in my soles currently. I can tell these will need a replacement sooner than if I had a rubber lug, but the comfort is worth the necessity of a quicker resole.
I know there are folks that couldn't get away working in boots like this, but for my needs, they met every obstacle and came out still looking good. G Stone is tough to be on value, and I would recommend the field boot over the brass boots I have them as well.