Better than expected, worse than hoped for.

These were my station boots for my time at my volunteer fire department. They got wet, dirty, and drug on the ground a bit. Not as much wear as I would have liked but they treated me ok.

The leather had some very quick responses to any conditioning or wear. They definitely had not been taken care of by the last owner. I was regularly conditioning them to try and make up for lost time. They are certainly better than when I got them but they aren't perfect yet.

The fit on these was all over the place. It is quite a test of will to get my heels in the shaft of the boot. It is way too tight and undoing the buckles doesn't make much of a difference. They are too wide. I was hoping the fit wouldn't be too off and that's on me. I was considering using them to learn how to last a boot and they may be in the future. Additionally these have a steel toe which is a bit uncomfortable.

These were probably pretty cool boots when they were made but they are certainly showing their age. The leather is cracking on the heel and the toe did not like touching the pavement. The stitching around has got some flaws but they were resolved at some point. They have a plastic heel block which you feel with every step. Overall, for a 30 yo boot, they have held up pretty well but they are nearing the end of the road.

For a vintage pair of work boots that are pretty neat. They need a total recraft and a lot of TLC if they ever want to be a daily boot. In the future I think I would steer clear of an older online buy. You just don't know the condition when you pick them up.