The boots were darker than pictured on the website, however not a deal breaker for me. I also ordered a darker pair, from Kohls to see which color I liked best, they were the exact same color, so I returned them. After returning the boots to Kohls I brought these home and took them for a spin around the house for a few hours. Then I hopped on the treadmill to really break them in, 3mph for 40 minutes. Obviously after that there was some rubbing, so I couldn't wear them again for 5 days. Wore them to work 3 times, up and down stairs, back & forth, all the daily office work stuff, no pain no problems. Did after work shopping 2 of those days, still no problem. Size-I was really hesitant ordering shoes/boots on-line because sizes vary depending on the style. I am a size 10 in all my tennis shoes, sketchers & Asics. Flats, sandals & girly boots I'm a size 8 1/2. From reading the reviews some said these were comparable to Frye boots. A co-worker has two pair of Frye boots which she brought in for me to try on, they were 8 1/2. So that's the size I ordered, they are the perfect size. My sock of choice is, hanes, the white ones with pink & gray toe, so not to thin or thick. Width- These are a little wider than the Frye boots, which is perfect if you want to wear a thicker sock or have a wider foot. I've never had this style of boot before but have wanted them for a long time. I'm very happy with my purchase. I hope this review will be helpful, if you're looking at purchasing these boots. Update 11-21-19: I gave a rave review of the brown boots I bought last year, they are still a 5! I decided to order a black pair this year, thinking they'd be as awesome, they are not :( I ran into the same problem so many others had in the reviews. The shaft by the ankle (not a problem for me) & foot part (big problem for me) are definately more narrow as you can see in the side by side comparisons. Yes, leather does stretch but not that much! They are very nice boots, the shafts are a little softer & more pliable than the brown ones. It's always a crap shoot when you order on-line, unfortunately these will have to be returned, plus side I can do that at Kohl's. Quality is still a 5, Fit is more like a 2. I still want a black pair, I'll either have to try to find some place that carries them locally or take a chance on ordering another pair from Amazon. If they had the inspected number, like on Monk I'd be golden :)
