Smith & Wesson Men's Breach 2 Military and Tactical Boot

I learned long ago not to expect the same quality in non-firearm products with a firearm manufacturer's name on it. I bought these for summer construction work to take the place of my 10" Carolina logger heels, which I love but are hard on my knees if I have to walk a lot.Out of the box, my first impression was good. Looks well constructed and has an overall good look to them. After that, it was down hill. I'm 6'3, 190lbs, 10.5 boot. Not exactly tree trunks for legs. I had to work to get my foot in the boot using the zippers. The gusset is there to aid in waterproofing, I'm sure, but it really limits the ability to slide them on. The ankle to mid lace is pretty "generous" to help you get in them, but once you're in, that area is too loose for me. Tying the laces tighter makes entry with the zipper impossible for me. I found a (not so) happy medium for now.I have pretty decent arches, but the soles of these, while padded, are as flat as a piece of plywood. I bought insoles and it helped not only with arch support but also with overall fit.The last thing I was less than impressed with the tread. While good in dirt, rocks, etc, I about ate it big time on wet smooth concrete. I'm sure any oily surface would be interesting.The good. They're pretty light. With the insoles, I feel good after a full day walking. They're cool. My feet dont get hot. The shank puts up with shovel work well. They're waterproof enough that morning dew in the grass hasn't gotten through yet. They do seem pretty well made with decent materials.With the exception of the waterproof aspect, i liked my last pair of cheap LA Police Gear side zips. They were half the price.Probably wont buy againUPDATE:After a year and a couple months of daily 8 hr+ wear, theyre holding up really well. One of the lugs tore off the bottom while climbing in a piece of equipment and theres a small tear on the right one where it creases when the toe flexes. Thats it. Im adding a star. Im gonna retire them from daily use when the snow flies, but will keep them around for around the farm use.

The zipper sides do not open freely but have a closed loop that folds in under the zipper which creates a hot spot of sorts. But I'm sure after break-in, it'll be fine.

These felt good for a week and then it feels like you are bare foot to the sole. These WILL go off on a metal detector(not airport friendly). The waterproofing is not excellent but it's okay. I will not purchase again. Good for some folks, not what I was looking for.

I purchased a pair of Bates Men's GX-8 8 Inch Ultra-Lites Zip Uniform Work Boot, Desert, 10.5 M US, and these fit me much better. The Bates was very large and wider than I needed. This will be my second pair of Smith and Wesson boots. My first pair was a different 8" by them, they blew out at around 9 months. I wear them all the time for work and play. The new ones did not take long to feel good on my feet.

I love the side zip feature for ease of taking on/off. The steel shank is a must for Harley riding as well...one never knows when you will need it. Another great feat is the waterproof. I have two pair...the grey pair that I bought 4 years ago and wear at least three times a week, still have hardly no signs of wear on the bottoms. Smith & Wesson did us right by these.

AmazIng boots! Didn’t have to break them in or anything, slipped them on and went to work. Extremely comfortable and they’re pretty badass

These boots are wider than usual. I have normal feet and have worn the same sized boot for 18 years now; these are the first where I feel like my feet are swimming in them.The tab for the zipper on the right boot recently broke off. I haven’t had these that long, and have only worn them to drill weekends-so maybe 20 times all together. Under no circumstances should that have happened at this point.Finally, the heel part on the right boot is coming apart, as shown in the picture. I’m disappointed by the lack of overall quality of this product, as I was really looking forward to these boots.

Very comfortable right of the box