text: UPDATE:  Everything below still goes, but I ended up sending back the 9 and getting an 8.5.  They're perfect now.  The 9s were just too big.  I'm looking to find the best conditioner/waterproof because the color on these is fantastic. Wearing them today to break them in and they're comfortable out of the box. Beautiful shoes and absolutely no faults I can find.  I'm wearing two pairs of socks as well just in case, but so far, so good.  High quality and looking forward to years of wearing these.  There is some wear already and creasing in the leather after a little bit or wearing.  My guess is that the leather is a little dried out, but I plan on conditioning them anyway, some stuff on the way.  The other reviews I've seen show that these shoes (and any leather shoes) MUST BE CONDITIONED and WATERPROOFED.  That's how the boots really last.  The stitching and construction is great, but any leather no matter how expensive, will weather.  My sizing advice:  If you normally have some room in your shoes at the end (about a pinky length if the shoes are too skinny) then go down a whole size from your most common shoe size.  As stated below, my shoe size is all over the place, but 9.5 fits the best in most and the 8.5 here is perfect.  As everyone has said, these run large.  Almost too large. I wear a 10.5 in Adidas, 10 in Nike, 9.5 in Puma, 9 in boots and dress shoes so I went with a 9.  I maybe could even get away with an 8.5, but it would be a problem in width wise I think.  The boots look huge compared to my foot, but an extra pair of socks and they fit nicely.  The leather and cordovan/burgundy color is gorgeous. The finish is nice and as some others have pointed out, there are some concerns with the stitching, although it doesn't appear that anything is actually &#34;wrong.&#34;  Boots feel sturdy and are heavy.  I have not worn them yet as it's supposed to be 90 degrees this week, but looking forward to fall. I have 4 other pairs of boots, and none of them were thisexpensive.  Comparing them, these seems to be much more substantial and have a cleaner finish and look.  (I have Timberlands, Aldo, Clarks, and Bullboxer).  They look great with jeans and cords and the burgundy color is the new neutral so I'll get lots of good wear out of these. I'll need to add protectant as I bought these in hopes of not having to replace them for a few years like I did with my Docs - those lasted 6 years!