The initial five star rating is based upon the out-of-the-box examination and impression, and the initial fit and comfort, which met (and exceeded, as the leather color is much nicer than I was expecting from the photo) my expectations (based upon previous boots purchases from Golden Fox & King Rocks ...some pairs direct through the Golden Fox website), and of course - since they just arrived - not based upon any long-term use or wear-in.As such, I will certainly update this review and rating as conditions warrant.WARNING: I usually don't give short reviews lol. If I like something, I'm pretty voluble about it. What I'm saying is if you're averse to novel length reviews, you might want to skip mine LOL.---------------Recommendation---------------First, let me get my recommendation out of the way: do yourself and your feet a huge favor and - even if you might think you don't care for Chuckka style boots - just buy a pair of these. You'll be glad you did. Oh, and order them a half size *smaller* (US sizing) than your usual size....the rest of the review is just about the "why" you'll be glad you bought them.NOTE: These are of Chinese mfr ...take that for what it's worth. I can remember when Made in Japan was universally disparaged too. That changed. So will this.---------------Previous and current experience with GF---------------I bought a pair of the Golden Fox plain toe work boots (from Everboots) in Nov 2014 and have been extremely satisfied with them since they arrived (I wear them several times a week, and they're my go-to work boots). Several months ago I purchased a pair of the King Rock 7" loggers (I needed hikers, and I prefer unlined loggers for hiking) from the Golden Fox USA website, and was equally impressed with the obvious quality of the King Rock workmanship and materials (I would have gladly worn them when I was a young buck working in the woods setting choker 45+ years ago).I also would like to give a shout-out to Golden Fox customer support, whom I had occasion to use to fix a personal screw up on an ordering mistake I made, and which they quickly and courteously responded to. So: good company.This is my second purchase from Everboots here on Amazon. Delivery on both occasions was very fast, and the boots well packaged. Kudos.---------------Fit---------------My usual shoe size is a *tad* longer than USA size 9D. Which that "tad" means that occasionally a size 9D is too short, and the same shoe in a 9½D will be too long. And oddly and very occasionally a size 8½D will fit surprisingly well (sometime in the last 20 years or so either my foot size or the size of the lasts being used - or both - changed, as I never had this problem in my younger years). So, my feet are a "tweener" size (which usually sucks for buying online lol).Both the Golden Fox and the King Rock 8½D boots I've bought (and with this purchase, I now own 5 pairs of GF and KR btw ...I bought another pair of King Rock loggers in black when I saw them at reduced price at their Outlet store: yeah, I'll probably never need another pair of hikers lol) - including these - have been *perfect* fits with medium-ish and heavy weight wool socks (heavy wool in the case of the loggers) for my foot. It's almost magical to find such a perfect fit again.Height wise, the Chukkas also fit perfect at right below the bottom ankle height, and don't "dig in" to that critical area (so noticeable in new Chukkas, with their still stiff-leather).---------------Workmanship---------------There's _nothing_ not to like. The sewing is superb. The leather panels are cut square. The leather has been cut from nice hides, that were superbly tanned and polished (no idea whether chrome or vegetable process, but they have the smooth rich appearance of a tan latigo process). The finish is precisely done with a high degree of workmanship evident both inside and out. There's not been a loose or hanging thread in any of the GF/KR boots I've purchased, including these.The pigskin liners (which extend to the front panel seams, so "halfway to the toe" at which point the lining becomes cloth) are equal to the exterior. There's also a thin-ish layer of some soft padding between the liner and the outer leather ...it's barely noticeable when you give it a pinch (it's at most 1/16 inch or so thickness).Unlike the plain toe work boot, the tongue is solid leather and of perfect length (i.e., about 1/2-to-3/4 inch above the final shoe lace tie line. It is lined (pig leather), but appears un-padded when pinched.(The KR logger has a good tongue too: long and thick enough, and unlined. However, the tongue is my _one_ criticism of the GF plan toe work boot ...it's this rough-out leather which is both padded - and I'm *not* fond of padded tongues - and too short by far. I'd buy another pair of GF plain toe workboots immediately if they'd change the tongue to this same spec'; it borders that much on truly annoying.)The full length insole is replaceable ($8 or so on the GF website), is of high quality "pieced together" (i.e., from separate parts) design, with a very nice arch design that is both soft & supportive (nice touch, that).The shoe string is the round style (in a glossy brown thread), and is a bit long. It wouldn't hurt to run them through a chunk of beeswax to make them last longerIf I have any criticism at all, it's that the edges of the leather aren't waxed (though they're the typical finely finished edge of much higher quality boots). Since no one does that anymore (at least, at the prices I can afford, i.e., under $250), it's hardly a valid criticism though.---------------Looks---------------I purchased a pair in the "Brun" color, which resembles what we used to call a light tan ...and like I mentioned, they are wonderfully finished (resembling a smooth latigo finish) in a light tan with rich hues in places giving the leather an "already worn" and "natural" appearance out of the box which I find pleasing. (I used to buy belts with this finish ...haven't seen it in years.)Absolutely perfect style and color when worn with new or faded denims. Pretty good to great complement with various colors of chinos (cuffed or not). Perfectly appropriate for non-formal evenings out. Nothing better for mens day wear and work wear.Note: On my monitor, at least, the ad photo color is too light and too uniform to display the richness of the out-of-the-box color and texture. What you get will be much nicer than the photo.(I have the "Redwood" color in the plain toe work boots, and that's pretty nice too. They have darkened a lot after treating with neatsfoot oil.)---------------Price---------------Best bargain in a boot I've found (ditto for the plain toe work boot and the King Rock loggers) ...they're worth the retail price, they're usually on sale for much less, and the sub-$50 "Prime Day" price was more like a gift lol.They're already the proverbial "good deal" and the quality is comparable to boots costing more than twice as much at the GF "suggested retail" (and much more than twice as much at their usual sales price).---------------Wear---------------No idea. Yet. They're brand spankin' new lol. I will revisit this review in about six and 12 months and let you know.If they're anything like the 2-yr-old GF work boots, I speculate they'll last for years with regular-but-casual use. I'll certainly let you know (unless they outlast me, which is a distinct possibility lol)....the workmanship and materials quality is so high, that when you do finally wear down the soles, they'll be worth having re-soled (if that isn't a lost art by then).---------------Suggestion to mfr---------------Hey Golden Fox: please change the tongue on the plain toe work boot per this review. That tongue isn't up to snuff.And. If you guys are looking for a new style to produce, how about loafers, especially in kilties, penny, and tassels. If they were this quality and design and lined, I'd buy a dozen plus pair of various. Seriously. Do this....I will update this post, and the rating as warrants at some point in the future.The quality on these shoes is great. The quality of the leather and construction is better than most generic boot/shoe brands, including Timberland, Carhartt, Doc Martens, etc., and these shoes are at a similar or lower price. The quality of the leather itself is great, and it has a natural look with some variation in coloring on the surface. This assures that the shoes are not "corrected grain" or that the leather has been mechanically evened out for a uniform appearance. The natural leather will make sure your shoes will last longer and the leather will not deteriorate or crack as processed leather will. It will also make sure that the leather will age pretty well and develop some unique character because of the natural grain.The edges of the leather are also well finished, there are no "unfinished edges", the stitching is all even and high quality, and it's obvious care has gone into the construction. It's obvious to me that the stitching, even the quality of the shoe laces, and the quality of the pigskin lining is much higher than a regular mass-marketed shoe. Heck, even the insole has a leather lining on it!The shoes are also "goodyear welted" which means the soles are attached in a complex replaceable manner and should be able to be replaced at pretty low cost. This process is pretty rare these days and most boots including Timberland, Carhartt, etc. use a simpler, more cost efficient way of attaching the sole to the top part of the boot.Normally a pair of boots like this could cost you about $200-$500. These are about $60-80 and are a bargain. The reason they are cheaper than more expensive boots is that it's obvious that there are some synthetic portions to the shoe, including the outer lining on the sole/welt. I do think that there is some inner synthetic lining layered in with the leather as well. However, this will make the shoes significantly lighter and cooler than shoes that are made of 100% thick unlined leather.You can compare these to a pair of Red Wing chukka boots which run about $260. The leather on the Red Wing shoes will be much thicker but also much more rigid and less breathable since they use a full leather hide. This means the Red Wing boots will last for some time longer but it also means that they will be less comfortable and heavier. I chose to go with the Golden Fox boot for price and comfort.http://www.amazon.com/Red-Wing-Heritage-Work-Chukka/dp/B0032UYMEUWhen I contacted Golden Fox about their shoes I received a quick reply, from a well-spoken native English speaker who was helpful, friendly, and probably not based out of a scripted call center in China or India and who was able to help me select a pair of shoes using their own opinions and actually listened to me. Huge bonus points.Overall, I support this company. The put out a higher-quality product at a good price and offer a great value. The shoes are made in China, I'm OK with that, we live in a globalized economy, but at least they have a well-organized U.S. based distributor which appears to care about its customers (and hopefully its workers as well).safe like a boot and comfortable like a sneakerwell made shoe, very satisfied!Initial Reaction: These are beautiful shoes, seemingly well made and nicely stitched. I think this is a quality product BUT the size is way off. I usually buy size 13; I tried 13 in this shoe and they were swimming on my feet. I replaced them with size 12 expecting them to be snug; they are not. They fit about right in the front and are a bit wide in the back - but I am hoping that in time they will conform to my feet. (For what it's worth, I have worn Reebok sneakers for years and found their last to conform nicely to my foot. If you are a Reebok user, do not expect so perfect a fit from the Golden Fox shoes.)These chukkas are far more more "constructed" than Clark's; the leather is thicker; they are nicely lined and there is an arch support - not perfectly sized or placed for me but close and, again, I am hoping for some adjustment with use. Provided you have the option of free returns (as Amazon frequently offers), these are certainly worth a look.Addition: I have owned these for about 4 months now and recently wore them while walking for about a mile in 3" deep slush and mud. My feet remained dry. I am impressed that the welting remained impervious to leaks during the experience.