Black full-grain leather and ripstop nylon. Gore-Tex liners. Duel density foot bed with Airthotic® heel clip for support. Danner Kinetic Outsole.

Length: Perfect

Width: Perfect

I started working as a paramedic 15-years-ago. On my first day at work I was given a voucher for $120 and told to go down to the local boot shop, give them the voucher, and look for a pair of black boots. So, I did, and when I walked down to the boot aisle my jaw just about dropped to the floor. The $120 voucher wouldn’t even cover half of what the cheapest pair of boots cost. At the time I was making $12 an hour, I had three kids, a wife, a house payment, car payments, and all the other bills associated with life - forking out over $100 out my wallet was going to hurt. As I tried on various boots these Danner boots, while not the cheapest nor most expensive boot, felt best on my foot. Over the last 15-years I have had many pairs of these boots, and I have watched them change from this first pair to what they are today - that change in my opinion hasn’t been for the better. Fit of the boot has always been good. Comfort of the boot is great. Right out of the box they feel like a comfortable pair of sneakers. Waterproof? When I first started getting these boots, keeping my feet dry was never an issue, but over 15-years, the quality of these boots seems to have dropped. The boots in the attached pictures are about 5-years-old - they have about 3-years worth of wear - and they leaked right out of the box. This isn’t the type of leak from standing in a puddle of water, but it's the type of leak where your feet are soaked if you walk across the grass from the morning dew. I would have returned them, but that brings up another problem with these boots that involves the zipper. I was going through a pair of these boots every 18 to 24 months, and when I first started buying them the zipper was a big YKK zipper that easily withstood anything thrown at it. Then, somewhere along the way Danner went to this little nylon zipper, that if you even looked at it wrong it was going to fail. I had two pairs of these boots fail at the zipper within just a few wears. Begrudgingly, the store owner took them back each time, and after the second failure I bought a set of Rocky boots, which I hated. About 12 months later the Rocky’s had given up, and I went back to the Danner. The Danner still had the same cheap zipper, and I went through three pairs of them in less than a month - the store owner wasn’t happy. The pair of Danners in these photos is the fourth pair from that little session of exchanges. The zipper has held through 3-years of hard work, but they do leak and I’m not very happy with them. The leather on every pair of Danners that I have had has always held up well. These things are exposed to the elements (rain, snow, salt, ice, heat…), they are also exposed to things most normal boots wouldn’t be, primarily body fluids. The leather has never been an issue, even with the minimal amount of care they receive. The soles of the boots seem to last forever. I’ve never had a separation between the uppers and soles. The insole of the boot is the place that wears out. These boots are very comfortable for about the first 6-months, and then all that soft cushyness inside the boot begins to change. They begin to be not as comfortable as they once were, and after a 10 to 12 hour shift your feet hurt. As this progresses any foot support that you had begins to go away. For me, this is the biggest downfall of the boot. I need a boot that supports my feet, something that I feel planted to the ground with, and when these boots start breaking down, that is gone. I’ve had a love-hate relationship with these boots for over 15-years now. I have been tempted to replace them one last time, but I just don’t know if I want to invest any of my own money into them. Over my years in EMS I don’t work the road like I did in the past, I spend most of the week in an office, and I’m hoping to retire within the next two years. It is disappointing to me to see the changes in these boots through the years - I’ve probably had about 14 pairs of them counting all the quick failing ones. Most EMS workers aren’t doing their job for the money, and most of them aren’t paid a lot - this was the boot I used to recommend to new hires, but not any more.

Color: Earth Leather: CF Stead - Waxy Commander

Length: Perfect

Width: Slightly Narrow

I like the way the boot looks, but no so happy with the way they fit. Length of the boot feels perfect. Width is a tad snug, but not so bad the boot can't be worn. There are three issues; however, I have with these boots and two are with the heel. The heel fits very loose, my foot slips, and after walking for a bit blisters begin to appear. The other issue I have with the heel is that it feels like the top of the heel counter is digging into my foot, this is much more noticeable with the right boot. When I run my fingers across the inside of the boot it feels perfectly smooth, so I don't understand why it is so irritating on my foot. The final issue I have with these boots is hot spots on my arches from them. I’m assuming this is being caused by the heel slippage – pulling the laces tighter doesn’t help. Primarily because of the heel issues, I find that I don’t wear these boots as often as I would like. They are good for quick trip to the store or a day of sitting in the office. Overall, mostly disappointed with the boot. I’ve been wearing them since January 2022 hoping the experience will get better, but so far, they just aren’t there.

Navy Chromexel

Length: Perfect

Width: Slightly Narrow

I normally wear a 10.5 EE, but after reading reviews on sizing of these boots, it seemed that an E would likely fit. When the boots came my feet slid into them easy enough and they felt okay, a bit snug, but definitely wearable. Having now had these boots for 8 months, I wish I had watched the Grant Stone website for a while and considered these in EEE - it wasn't an option when I purchased, and I'm not sure my foot wouldn't be swimming in EEE. Fit - snug. These are 4 to 5 hour boots for me. After that my feet begin to feel like they are in a vice. Similar to another pair of Grant Stone's that I have, I get a lot of heel slip which will cause blisters after walking in them for a while. They also don't seem to bend at the ball of the foot at quite the right place. Not a huge issue unless you are really lifting your heel up. Comfort - the most uncomfortable pair of boots I have ever worn. Beyond the above issues, the boot leather is so stiff, everywhere, they just hurt to wear. I have tried several different conditioners on these hopping it would ease the stiffness, but no help at all. Looks - Wow, they look nice on, tons of compliments on their appearance. The leather typically has a greenish hue to it with blue pull-up. When the light hits them right, the entire boot will take on a bluish look.

Leather: Seidel- Easy Break-In Work Height: 8" Outsole: Vibram® V-100 Lug Sole

Length: Perfect

Width: Perfect

I have been wearing these boots now for a year and I’ve been very happy with them. Fit - perfect. This was the first pair of boots that I purchased from Nicks. I paid the extra money for the try on boots to be sent first, and I’m glad I did. The boots that I thought would have fit my feet would have ended up being too small. When the try on pair arrived, I wore them around the house for about 20 minutes and called the number that was sent with the boots. A young lady from Nicks came on the line and asked me a few questions about how the boots fit, and then recommended a boot size for me. When these boots came they fit about as close to perfect as I think is possible. Break in - I had read that Nicks boots were hard to break in, but I didn’t experience that. These boots were made with their black work leather and it was pretty soft and pliable right out of the box. The insoles of the boots are all leather - that was new to me - it did take a bit of wear to get them to mold to my feet, but it was never anything overly uncomfortable. Within a week I was wearing them through a 10 - 16 hour work shift. Wear - I have just over a year worth of wear on these boots, and other than the leather soles being darker from putting boot grease on them, they still look about the same as they did when I took them out of the box for the first time. I can’t imagine that I will wear them out in my lifetime. This is great news for my pocketbook, as I was going through work boots every 18-24 months. Cleaning - Cleaning is pretty simple. Once in a while I brush them off and spray some Cobblers Choice leather cleaner on them. After they are are dry I rub them down with Obenauf’s LP Overall feel - Stable I think is the best word I could use. When I put my foot in these boots and lace them up I feel like they have become part of me. The boots themselves feel anchored to the ground, in a good way - your footing always feels secure. The boot itself is very comfortable; however, they are heavy. When I first started wearing these boots, the weight was the first thing I noticed. After a year with them, I no longer notice the weight - it just seems normal. Overall I’m very happy with these boots, and they have been well worth the investment I made in them.

Predator Orange

Length: Perfect

Width: Perfect

Fit: Perfect Break in: Easy Comfort: Amazing Support: Tons of it. Hands down my favorite pair of boots. These are amazingly comfortable, and you feel like you have a luxury piece of armor on your foot. The Predator Orange leather is beautiful. Warm browns with an orange pull up, makes for a very nice looking boot.

kyle

Any chance you could post photos of these? Would love to see the leather up close.

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long-forest-1294

These were lighter in color when I first got them. I use Obenauf's Heavy Duty LP on them when I condition them which darkens the leather. The pull-up in the leather has an orange color to it that gives the leather a unique appearance as the boot is worn. These are my favorite boots to wear - I have them on all day, 4 to 7 days a week. The leather has held up exceptionally well, the boots are very comfortable, and the wear on the soles has been minimal.

Terracotta

Length: Perfect

Width: Perfect

Fit and comfort: amazing Break in: none needed - good out of the box. Appearance: very nice looking boot - received many compliments on them. Care: The Terracotta leather is virtually care free - brush it off and wipe it down - good to go.