As a security officer who spends many hours a day on foot patrol, boots are integral to performance. My last boots were Bates 8&#34; steel toed, and after 3 years of constant wear, I managed to finally rip a zipper handle. I really like Bates and was very satisfied with them, but when I needed to order new boots, they were out of stock on my size/width. I reluctantly searched outside of Bates brand and found these Original S.W.A.T. boots. I read the reviews and debated myself on believing I could ever find boots that were as comfortable to wear as my Bates boots were. I have been wearing these 7 days a week for a minimum of 10 hours per day since I got them. They have been comfortable since the first time I put them on. No break-in period needed. I took them out of the box, put them on, adjusted the laces, tested the zipper action, and took off walking. From the first step it was like walking on air. I would recommend these to anyone wanting a comfortable, lightweight footwear, especially if you will be on your feet a lot.