Maelstrom Men's Tactical Work Boots with Side Zipper – Lightweight Leather Military Style, Comfortable, Durable and Breathable for Outdoors

I am a paramedic and use this boot for work. I was skeptical at first due to the low price. Boots usually last me around 6-8 months, I am very hard on them. I will update this as I use them more but I will list my first impressions below. Pros: Very lightweight boot, I don't feel weighed down but it still seems to have plenty of traction. I have used it so far in muddy conditions, as well as climbing up hills and going through puddles. My feet are staying dry and the boot seems to clean up pretty easily. The zipper works nice and does not seem to get jammed up. The value is outstanding, it fits the same as my bates boots and feels like a 511 in terms of comfort. It is blood borne resistant. Cons: The leather feels thinner than other boots I have owned, not sure how this will play out in the long run. Overall: it is a nice boot for the money 49.99 on amazon. It arrived very quickly took 3 days free shipping. I am satisfied with my purchase. I will update this review in about a month. 2 month update: I wear these at work I on average work 72-96 hours a week, these boots have been in rain, mud, oil spills, gas leaks, and house fires. They have held up very well, the only evidence of any damage is one scuff mark on the top of the boot. In wet conditions my feet have stayed dry and warm. They seem to grip the surface well. The best feature I have found so far is they are very lightweight, and after a day on my feet I don't feel like I am dragging them. I highly recommend this. 1 year 5 month update: I figured my boots were getting a little too scratched up, so I would order another pair. I cannot believe these boots have lasted over a year and 5 months. I still wear them everyday. The zipper and Velcro both are working fine. I have polished them a total of 5 times, they have been in rain, sleet, snow, mud, salt, oil, fuel spills, and any other disaster you can name. My feet stay dry in them, I have no complaints. These are a great boot, they are starting to show their age but just from being worn out, never thought I could say that about a boot. I will try to attach some pictures. I am buying new ones today, but will continue to use these around the farm. I will post another update when they finally break. I am also going to try to add some photos of the boots. The pictures of the boots are ones that are over a year and a half old (2nd pair purchased) I am still happy with them, they have lasted. I am not easy on my boots. I have not been compensated in any way shape or form.

Well, this was a win! I am 60 years old and having some trouble with my feet and flexibility. Additionally, I lost my right hand when I was younger. Getting in and out of a pair of hiking boots can be a bit of a chore. It can also be a bit embarrassing to need other people to help me with something that is so simple for most. I like going for walks but have not found foot wear that fit my needs. I had a trip to Germany coming up and wanted a comfortable pair of "hiking" shoes or boots. I looked around Amazon and found these. I was a little suspect of how well the zipper would work. After reading the reviews, I bought them. They fit perfectly both size and width! Hard to believe you can do that on-line! The arch support is good. The loop on the top back of each shoe make them easy to pull on. The zipper is very sturdy and extremely easy to use! Even with thick socks it zipped up comfortably! There is a leather flap that covers the top of the zipper and is Velcroed down. I tightened up the laces, double knotted them and never worried about them again! Taking them off is also very easy. The zipper is on the inside panel of each boot making it easy to reach for me. Even someone with serious flexibility issues can use these comfortably. They are light! Surprisingly so. I read about that before I bought them, but I was still surprised. It made packing them for a long trip all the better. Light does not mean flimsy! They are very sturdy and I did not have trouble walking over heavy gravel, rocks or the many cobble stone streets of Europe! My feet are ultra sensitive with nerve problems as I age. Again, these were very comfortable. The heavy canvas side panels allow the shoes to breath well. I had no problem with hot feet. As I flew back I wore them on the flight. They are so easy to take off and put back on, it helped as I went through security. Otherwise, that can be a very awkward and embarrassing spot for me. I was able to remove then on the long flight over the ocean and but them back on easily from my tightly packed seat! For those of you with flexibility problems... you know what I mean! Yes, this was a win! Now, next time I go to Tokyo... where you have to take off your shoes and put them back on over and over throughout the day... I'm going to be ready! Thank you for developing this fine product! (I was surprised to learn after I received them that my son who was in the military has a zip up pair just like them!) Wayne

Just what I have been looking for! Very soft, rubber sole. Prevents shock, tension in feet, legs, back and neck. Wearing the correct shoes, boots helps to relax the muscles and align the spine. I like the other 5 star reviews; If paramedics, cops, military... like them, they must be good. Soft rubber soles, and the end of the heel is lower; this makes my heels drop down, feet relax, then the muscles in the back of my legs relax, drop down, then the back of the hip area, hips and lower back drop down, relax. Excess curve in the lower back is corrected. Tension in the muscles in the back of the upper legs, back of the hip area, hips, lower back causes a ‘too much‘ curve in the lower back, creates more tension and leads to backache. This relaxation, dropping down of the muscles in the back of the legs, lower back, back of the hip area, hips resonates into dropping down and relaxing of the muscles in the shoulders. Muscles in the neck and head relax. The relaxation travels into the ears, eye muscles, eyes. Vision improves. Headache is prevented. The spine aligns. Tension on nerves is released. Circulation improves. Inflammation is gone. I check new boots to see if they have a steel bar in the arch; if yes; I take it out. Then use a flexible walk-fit type arch support; on low. This drops the heels down a bit more and supports the arch. This boot has a plastic type inner bar. I took it out. Other people might prefer to keep it in. I find that its best for the arch to have a curve. This type of boot has kept me walking comfortably for years, even though I have back, neck injuries. When I wear boots with hard soles, heel that pushes my heels up; my back, shoulders, neck gets tight and goes out of alignment. In the past I bought; Interceptor and other black boots. Sole was too hard. Like plastic. Very soar muscles occurred. UPDATE: just got back from long walk; first time in months, maybe years I wore new shoes and they have perfect balance, comfort. Almost like I don't even have to break them in. Thank you to the people that placed honest 5 star reviews. It made me decide to buy these. Saved me money and time. Will stock up on them! I also use natural body movements, massage, physical therapy, correct posture and Epsom salt baths and Epsom water on the skin often. 4 star because I eventually stopped wearing these. I bought another brand; the old type I used for years; It is softer, better; Herman Survivor Men's 8 inch Waterproof Leather Hunting Boot (8 (XW) US / 26 MEX) Variety of styles. Pick the type as described in this review. If your heels drop down in the boot, soft rubber; that is the best boot for feet, back.

I just got these boots today. I used to wear basic work boots bought at K-Mart or Sears back in the day. They allowed me to stay on my feet all day long. Nowadays I do not have to do that, but I am beginning to hike some and I prefer more support on my feet than a good pair of tennis shoes. I didn' t want to go the route of an expensive pair of hiking shoes, that cost between $100 and $200. I remembered how well a cheap pair of K-Mart boots had felt when I was younger so I decided to follow the recommendations of so many people who bought these boots when other more expensive ones are available. I guestimated the size that would fit the best would be 12. I have a Narrow foot and since these come only in medium width I was concerned that if they were too long I would get a lot of movement in the heel and that is the worst case scenario for a pair of hiking boots. It turns out I was fairly right. Size 12 is right for me. I do fill them to the toes, but not uncomfortably. I did notice the removable cushion sole inside the boot was ok in terms of cushyness in the heel but in the area of the ball of the foot it was pretty flat and hard. I removed those and put in a pair of Dr. Scholls insoles that is more cushy in the ball and toe area and these have made the difference. Since the depth of the Dr. Scholls insoles is thicker than the ones that came with the shoe, the fit is all around a bit tighter. It is not uncomfortable tho and I think I will like them fine. I prefer a close fitting shoe that I can feel the support of all around my foot. I am pretty sure I will do well with these boots on the trail. If they loosen up a bit with wear I will just add another pair of socks. The heels are gripping my heels well and there is no slipping with them. The price is just great and for the use I will give them a very good deal. I also like the zipper sides. I adjusted the tightness of the laces when I had them off so that I got just the right amount of tension on the middle laces which pull the boots up close to your heels. Then, when I take them off I just unzip and slide them off. Going back on is also easy, nice and tight. I recommend these boots.

This boot feels sturdy and suitable for daily work. The upper part provides good support and stability while walking. The zipper and laces help secure a comfortable fit. The sole offers solid traction on different surfaces. The material seems durable after repeated use. Overall, it performs well for long and demanding tasks.

I'll be up front, this is not a thorough or even completely fair review of these boots. I just received my pair in the mail a day or two ago and haven't even fully put them on to see if they fit, etc... yet. The reason I'm leaving this one star review is because while I was attempting to do this, one of the included laces broke while I was tightening them to tie the boot. All but snapped in two. To be honest I'm not surprised, because I thought that the laces felt kind of cheap/flimsy before the one that snapped even had a chance to break. The overwhelming majority of other reviews give the impression that these are very "tough" (but comfortable) boots, which is exactly what I want and they may yet be that, but it's hugely disappointing that the manufacturer would skimp on quality laces and allow people to have such a bad first impression of these boots over so small a piece of the overall product which, I reiterate, many other reviewers have expressed high levels of satisfaction with. I plan on getting a pair of boot laces from the neighborhood grocery store so I can give these boots a second try within the next day or two, and will update my review after doing so. UPDATE 4/17/2017 :::: Got some replacement laces only to find out that the boot is slightly too small for comfort, as some other reviewers have noted. Exchanged for correct size and wore these boots to work only to find out that the "slip & oil-resistant outsole" is not so slip OR oil resistant and DO NOT provide "great traction on all terrains and surfaces." I work in the kitchen of a fairly busy diner and there is usually a good chunk of grease on the floor from about a hundred different potential sources, making a good pair of truly slip resistant shoes an indispensable asset on the job. Sadly, these boots don't even provide good traction on a plain old wet floor, and I was slipping and sliding even while mopping the floor, moving my feet by exerting force on the mop as much as I was moving the mop by exerting force using my feet. All this left my right foot spazzing out after the night was finally over because of the fact that it was constantly trying in vain to adjust for the fact that my feet were sliding off in god only knows what direction. My last pair of shoes, a Dr. Scholl's leather work shoe that I only replaced because the sole was starting to fall off, could handle this task just fine, so I was confident that a boot highly rated by a multitude of police/EMT/firemen, etc... would definitely be up to par. The worst part of finding this out was realizing that, because I had now worn them outside of a "testing safe" area that would definitely put them in "worn" condition, I probably won't be able to return them and/or get my money back for these boots that don't live up to the promises of their manufacturer.

Inside boot tears up pretty quick.. but for the price it aint bad but I think the big 5 brand is better. Not breathable at all.

My husband loves these boots - This is actually his 2nd pair. They were so comfortable that he had me buy him the black pair too. His size is 12 and they fit perfectly. he the loves the zipper so he does not have to lace them up and they are easy to slip into.

Se ven bien pero si traen detalles, pensé que las puntas venían cosidas y no es así, cuando me las probé me di cuenta que el corte del empeine del pie derecho venía chueco, no se veia simetrico y al momento de amarrarlas quedaban de lado por ese motivo fue que las regrese, aparte vienen un poco reducidas yo pedí 27 y me quedaban justas. La verdad esperaba más