text: The good: To say these boots are durable is to redefine the word &#34;durable&#34; to more correctly mean &#34;armored&#34;. I love the thick rubber toe guard that prevents me from shredding the toe leather completely off while performing my job on concrete and jagged metal grates. Anyone who has worn steel toes know that OSHA does not want to see that shiny steel under the thin leather found on ever work boot I have ever worn. I work as an industrial mechanic and am kneeling all day on very rough surfaces, which is no problem for these armored toe boots. As the leather disappears from the toe on normal boots I have had to buy new boots every 3rd or 4th month simply because the steel toe begins to show - not these! Make no mistake, these boots feel like a working man's boot should feel and each time your foot makes contact with a surface while walking - the walking surface shudders a bit. The short of it is these are heavy although this is actually a positive selling point for me as I prefer sturdy boots. The boot is more square toed than every other boot I have ever worn as either a Marine or as a Civilian, which is great as my toes have always been squeezed in every previous boot with pointed or rounded toe areas. In regards to the insulation: these boots are warm. I wear these with regular socks in temperatures well below zero and have never suffered form cold feet. They are a bit hot in the summer when temperatures stretch to 104 degrees but I got used to this because I need a rugged wide toe boot.<br /><br />I still polish my boots just as I did when I wore the uniform (this dates me as Marines no longer shine their boots) to maintain both the look and the water protection of the boots but that sadly does not keep the water out. While I absolutely love these boots for not making excuses on how manly they are in a world full of &#34;men's&#34; footwear that sings Kum-by-yah while apologizing for their boot-like appearance, I do have a major reason on why these awesome boots are being awarded just two stars.<br /><br />The truly bad: They are not waterproof in any stretch of the imagination. The first pair of waterproof boots leaked in under 90 days. The replacement (free of charge from another online shoe retailer) lasted little more than a year. If something is waterproof they should be able to keep my feet dry as long as they are not punctured or deeply cut, which would of course compromise the internal waterproof membrane. I do not make the insinuation that manufacturers should make boots that cannot be punctured, but as mine are leaking from a manufacturing defect, I cannot call them waterproof. In fact, BOTH pair of Wenatchee 8&#34; boots I have owned leaked at the exactly the same spot which means these suffer from a build quality issue. They both leaked where the rubber toe guard, the side leather, and the sole meet near the toe. Now a slight walk through damp grass soaks my socks so badly that I must change my socks or suffer form wet feet. I can withstand nearly any environment (and I have) but I never could get used to wet feet. I have sent a warranty claim into Keen as of this morning but since this 2nd pair leaked after just one year of use the warranty might not cover it as the waterproof warranty only covers 12 months of ownership according to an email I received from Keen last week. I have had this latest pair for about 18 months and this pair started leaking around the 14th month. I will update accordingly depending on the response I get from Keen.<br /><br />I work in raw sewage and of course cannot stress the need for true waterproofness, which these boots do not come close to providing. It pains me to give these such a low rating as I do LOVE these boots. If I was just looking for a non-waterproof boot these would easily command all 5 stars possible. I cannot wear full rubber boots because they never fit well and I will not climb scaffolding and the sides of buildings wearing rubber mud boots because mylife is literally on the line. Rubber boots no matter how waterproof they are (and they really are deserving of the term waterproof) can fit snuggly enough to give me the grip and surefootedness I need on the job site.