Get what you want, not what you think you should get

I exclusively wore these when i wasn't working. Unfortunately i had a lot of car troubles and had to save up to replace it so i only left the house when i had too, so i never got as many miles as i would have hoped on these. Mostly grocery shopping, family gatherings, and short walks in the neighborhood

Break-in was minimal but i always say that. I might be immune to the effects of the break-in process. The leather was stiffer than i expected based on others experience with CXL but still not too stiff. The black coating held up, only a few minor blemishes are visible. I only ever brushed these once a month. Still smell great

Ive gotten this last and size in lace up before and they always fit fine, in a pull-on however they fit loose. The instep feels loose and so does the heel. The length and toe box feel good though. I ended up getting a delta arch to raise my foot to reduce heel slip. That helped. I'm not sure if not having laces to cinch down is the issue or if the boot was just lasted loosely. I don't think ill buy another engineer until i can try them on in different sizes and widths first. Later on i tried a super thick sock and that also helped with the fit

Design is great, i love the narrower shaft. Considering they're American made and a great price point the finishing is fantastic

V-bar is thick and hard so it'll last a long time

The heel had a minor gap. I had to get glue and clamp it down to close the gap. Otherwise it locked great

I dont like black boots, i thought i would but this boot made me realize i dont want to have 2 wardrobes one for black and one for brown. So ill gift these to a friend and just buy shades of brown from now on. Its a great boot though