Surprising quality for the price. Waxy shell cordovan shows a lot of character.

I wear it to the office during the weekdays. You can see the typical chair marks on the heel and some sidelines by resting my foot on the chair. I also wore it for some light hiking in wet conditions and snow.

The leather developed a lot of character. Overall it darkened a lot. A lot of highlights, dark spots, fuziness and burnishing in some places. This is a shell that takes the beating really well and gives you this rugged look as a reward.

I would say the width is generous in the forefoot, but the toebox is still narrow and pointy, pushing my toes together. The double insole system is really good to dial in your size. I did not use any of the insoles for breaking in and now I can add the thinner one. The boot is low volume, holding my skinny feet firmly.

This was the positive suprise for me. While all my other boots from mid makers (red wing, parkhurst, truman) all developed some sole separation, this boot is holding up rock solid. The stitching is really good, no loose threads at all. The only defect I got is a failed heel backstay. The stitching went too close to the side of the leather and it separated.

I’m pretty happy with the boot. I would buy a half size bigger in the Negon last which looks like a better build. Really good value from Meermin.