Frye Harness 12R Boots for Men with Oiled-Leather Upper, Goodyear Welt Construction, Stacked Leather Heel, and Antique Brass Hardware – 12” Shaft Height, Gaucho - 7.5M

Received these boots about a week ago. First thing I did upon unpacking was remove the cardboard inserts. There are several, and apparently some people have never bought shoes before and missed the pieces inside the shoe. Reach down in there and take them out.Next thing I did was trimmed and installed a pair of insoles. That's right, these boots don't come with insoles. Unlike your Nike's, most boots do not come with insoles. I personally like the Dr. Scholl's "Work Boot" gel inserts at the low-end (they're about $10) and SuperFeet Green (about $40) at the high end. Select an insole that best matches your foot and biomechanics. Don't know? Go to a qualified shoe store (a specialized running store is best) and have them watch you walk and run.Finally, I selected a quality boot sock. Point 6, Fox River or Smartwool are good choices.After a week of fairly steady wear, including three straight days, the boots are properly broken in and fit great. I do wish the shaft was about 1/2" smaller, but the wider mouth does make the boot easier to put on and take off.The sole is excellent. Sturdy but pliable with a good pattern. They will slip on ice but that's true for anything. On most surfaces they provide solid grip and balance.Regarding long-term care, avoid the Frye leathercare product. There are some expensive French products on the market that work great, but the best bang for buck is this beeswax-based butter: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PHV9HXS/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=1CL07PD0KL43J&coliid=I1X5GD4MGX8D5K. A little goes a long way and it shouldn't change the color of your leather. Always do a test spot in a less visable area first.

These boots are perfect! I'm a ladies 11 B and the width and length is perfect. These would likely NOT fit the average men's 9 D as they are narrow. They were tight and pulled on hard the first few times. Use the pull loops. I used a boot jack to pull them off. But I wore them in the house the night I got them and did take them off a couple times. Now they fit like they should. A little drop in the heel and room to wiggle my toes, but snug through the instep. I have several good cowboy boots and these easily compare to how a well made western boot fits in the footbed. I wish I'd had these when I was riding horses, and when I broke my ankle in a motorcycle accident. The leather is very nice quality, the charcoal color is rich, the toes and heels are almost black. Stitching is good and the insole and lining are minimal. Will buy again and highly recommend.

I just purchased my second pair in this same style and color. I still have the first pair and they are three years old now. They have held up very well with no rips, tears, busted seams, etc. And they still look great. The only reason for getting a new pair is that the original pair was too small from the beginning. I thought they would stretch and they did not. I wore them anyway as long as I could stand, but finally broke down and picked up a new pair in the correct size.First the bad about this boot: The foam rubber insole (what Frye calls "memory foam") is not very comfortable. It also does not wick moisture so any foot sweat just sits on top of the insole. This may contribute to the fact that said insole does not last very long. In my first pair, I think it only took a couple of months or less to start to disintegrate. Since it was crumbling away, I just tore it all out and put in some gel insoles which drastically improved both the comfort and moisture situation. With this latest pair, I tore out the insole and put in the gel ones right off the bat. The only other negative is that there is no stacked leather heel, just plastic. I think leather would look much better, and the price of the boot warrants it.Now the good: Obviously for me the good outweighs the bad or I would not have ordered these boots a second time. The leather is gorgeous right out of the box, and only gets better looking as it's worn in. The look and feel of the leather is really nice. (I use mink oil which adds suppleness, and also darkens the leather, which I like.) I get compliments on these boots all the time. And with the gel insoles they are comfortable enough to wear all day, and I do a good bit of walking during the course of a day. The stitching and leather hold up really well.After wearing them for a few days consecutively though, my feet and ankles get a little sore, so I switch shoes for a couple of days.

I bought my regular size and this is my 3rd pair with this brand. This wasn't even my first pair of the exact boot i had the same boots 15 years ago.The quality is amazing and they look great.These boots have a very tight fit and do not form to your foot at all. Something changed or i received a wrong size. Ive worn them 3 times for several hours each time and every time they become unbearably uncomfortable after 30 minutes. They have yet to break in and im at my wits end.I cant even return these because of the timing of my order and my first chance to wear them. Im stuck with these now and Amazon wont help me.

I am a huge fan of Frye shoes and boots. I have had several pairs over the years and these are the same high quality, American made, great looking boots I wore right through the soles last time (and it took a lot of miles in a lot of tough places to do that).Frye does offer refurbishing and my old boots are on their way for new soles and general reconditioning. I look forward to more years with them, but these new ones are just as I expected. Soft but tough leather. Incredibly well made. Well fitting. Smart looking. It's plainly obvious that they were made by people, not machines. It's also obvious that those people care very much about the product they are putting out there.I ride motorcycles, and this is my riding boot. I also shoot trap and skeet, and I wear them in the field. They went with me to the Middle East and North Africa. They went with me to Asia and Europe. I am never afraid that they won't hold up to the task. This is my newest pair of Frye's but I hope they won't be my last. My strongest recommendation!!