Nice looking shoes and seem well made for the price point. Comfortable to wear. Some reviewers said they run small and to size up. I normally wear a size 10 athletic shoe so ordered a size 10 1/2. They fit fine. Plan to use these to work in the yard and walk the dog.

Shoes have good support & excellent traction, & sole is stiff enough for good lateral stability. Materials seem stout & shoe is relatively cool in warm weather. My only criticism is that the "toe bumper" on one shoe had a gap near the top where it was glued, which appeared to separate further the first few wearings. it was nothing I couldn't fix with some good urethane glue & "creative wiring" (to hold in place), but I shouldn't have had to do that on new shoes.

Have had HI-TECs before -- usually wear Merrell's. These HI-TECs seem well constructed, and have been solid the first 5 weeks. A bit on the heavy side and not as cushioned as others, but well worth the price.

Note: The toe box runs small"”order a half size larger.

I was looking for a sturdy pair of shoes for things like yard work, fixing up the house, or yes, even hiking. I really didn't need anything too high performance. I have had some nice pairs from Oboz, Timberland, Merrel, and Rockport, but this time I wanted something I didn't have to care about. At all.

Many years ago I had a cheap pair of Hi-Tec boots. I recall loving those old boots. They were ankle-high grey colored boots and I put a million miles on them. They weren't waterproof so my feet would get soaked if it rained while I was backpacking. But something about them was so likable. They were just easy to wear and were always on my feet.

I find that waterproof boots are usually bulkier. I wear a size 13, so I have plenty of bulk already and I just don't care for the Frankenstein look. Another thing about waterproof boots is that most of the time you don't need waterproofing (unless you do), and of course your feet breathe less. I don't care what Gore Tex fabric claims. Most of the time my feet are overheating, so for me to have waterproof boots, it'd be like having a 4x4 SUV in Los Angeles. That's not at all my style. In fact, in my teen years I used to off-road my 1977 Ford Granada. Never got it stuck so bad I couldn't dig it out either. That's kinda like these boots. They're the Ford Granada of footwear.

So"¦

As far as water reSIStance, yes...yes they are that. Not waterPROOF. Unless you submerge your entire foot, or hike for hours in tall grass in the pouring rain, your feet will be golden. The Leathery, nylonish uppers are thick enough to absorb enough moisture to keep your feet dry in most situations.

The soles are just the thick, rugged type I was looking for too. Because sometimes when doing construction projects, you need to kick something heavy to budge it into place, or you step on a screwdriver or a nail or something. These boots will give you peace of mind in this type of situation...especially when compared to your old Asics running shoes. The toe protection is perfect for what I want.

When digging outside, you can stomp on that shovel pretty hard without the soles exposing the arch of your foot. They offer plenty of the protection a work or hiking boot offers, and they are light, comfortable, and only fifty bucks. You can't really go wrong.

One thing I'll mention here is that when I bought them, the comfort level was not that good. The insole was hard and flat. This bothered me. So I bought a pair of $20 insoles (see pic). At first I just slid them in on top of the regular ones but it was way too snug. So I tore out the originals which was a bummer at first, but they were only glued in a couple spots so it wasn't too bad and boy howdy am I glad I did that. The comfort level is now very good.

Liked shoes, but laces are not very heavy duty as you would want if hiking