I've gotten so many intrigued questions and effusive compliments.

I wore my Master Zuo boots heavily throughout the Dome. I wore them every other day with only a half-handful of exceptions, leaving time to dry and rest between wears. I walk for exercise and put an average of over 20,000 steps per wear on these boots. Over the course of six months, I estimate I walked over 1000 miles/1600 kilometers in them. That was no joke, and the soles and heels really show it. These boots accompanied me through the most tumultuous period of my adult life as my wife and I suddenly left behind our home and careers, returning to the United States after 10 years of living abroad due to a family crisis. Through all the turmoil and crazy emotional ups and downs that have come with that, having some truly awesome footwear on my feet and the structure and competition of the Thunderdome to motivate me to keep walking every day was a much-needed source of stability and positivity. Besides the two million plus steps mainly on pavement, these shoes have been hiking, gone horseback riding, faced rainstorms and mud and forded creeks, been doused in cooking oil spills, and held up lines at airport security due to the all-eyelet configuration. I've gotten more intrigued questions and effusive compliments on these boots than any other pair of footwear I've had, principally from women. I'm eager to send them off now for a repair at the close of the Dome, but after they get back they are assured a place in my rotation in perpetuity.

I couldn't find any info online about how Minerva leather in the Yellow color patinas, which was one of the main reasons I chose to Dome these boots it was for science! This leather is very thick and rigid. It took a lot to break in. In the beginning the color of the leather was a bright lemon that, over the course of the first couple months, darkened to a rich, mellow pumpkin. The pumpkin color is generally quite easy on the eyes and attractive. At first I suspected that the leather would continue to darken continuously through the course of the competition as Natural leather are often known to do, but the leather didn't seem to darken anymore after December and even appeared to lighten a bit in the last two months of the Dome. However, depth of color still increases marginally. I applied a minimal quantity of Saphir Renovateur on the toes, vamp crease, heels, and shaft sides when those areas were feeling dry in January with no appreciable change in appearance. It's possible that I could have darkened the leather more by using a greater quantity or a more aggressive conditioner.

Zuo had guaranteed a good fit or he'd make a replacement pair. It was a pretty tight fit at first, hard to get these boots on. The Minerva leather was very thick and stiff, too. I wouldn't call these boots comfortable by any means in the beginning. But they weren't uncomfortable either, and there was plenty of support. After about a month of wear the shape of the uppers had transformed significantly to fit my feet more easily -- all without any stretching or perceptible change in overall volume.

Zuo's construction is simply impeccable. While I have yet to acquire a pair of Iron Boots, these are more perfectly finished than anything else I own. The clicking is good and very consistent between left and right. The broguing on the toe caps is even and well executed. The beveled waist on the bottom of the boots in particular is exquisite and it is probably the detail I enjoy most about the pair, even though no one else sees it. I really get a premium feeling when I examine these boots. The Norwegian stitch turns a lot of heads. It's a fairly rare feature and I've gotten a number of comments on it from people outside of the high-end footwear universe. This is a pair of boots that screams refinement and sophistication without looking the slightest bit delicate or fragile. Being that Master Zuo is a maker that had never been featured on the Patina Project app before (or, indeed, on any English-language social media at all) it was my pleasure to bring him here.

I love the look of the sole. The color makes a statement and the retro-inspired tread and plugs has just the right level of visual complexity without adding any unnecessary profile. It's served its purpose well. Traction and comfort are both good. I am disappointed with its durability, though. The sole has worn down to half its original thickness at the toes and the tread across the balls of the feet has worn smooth.

The heel is comfortable and has reasonable traction. But I have been quite disappointed with its durability. Over the course of the Dome, I wore right through the yellow plugs and into the nails that were concealed beneath them. Wear was very even along the edge of the heels with the outer edge wearing down almost the whole way to the leather heel stack in a diagonal line. It didn't affect the boots' stability, but is noticeable and is an eyesore. Over the last month of the competition, the nails at the center-front of the heels started getting pushed laterally forward, with the nail heads ultimately pushing out through the forward edge of the heels. In the last week of the competition, the problem was exacerbated and small crumbs of rubber began falling off of the affected areas of the heels when I ran my finger over them. It seems beyond a doubt that these heels would have been unable to last another month without further failure.

What more can I say? This has been an incredible pair of boots and it's hard for me to think of anything else out there which looks the same or which can offer the same kind of premium, top-of-the-line value and reasonable lead time at a comparable price.