I got these to replace a beloved pair of hiking boots that finally died an unceremonious death.First thoughts:The manufacturing/assembly looks great out of the box. The seams are clean and the stitching is perfect; they are clearly well-made. The outer sole is a nice, grippy rubber. Honestly, it reminds me a lot of the Vibram sole on my deceased pair of boots. Heck the Nortiv logo on the bottom of the boot even looks like a Vibram logo out of the corner of your eye.Fit/Comfort:They're very comfortable. The padding is very generous. The laces are robust and I don't notice my knot slipping with use. I have narrow feet and while the boots feel "spacious", I don't feel my feet sliding around. There's a little padded "cradle" (for lack of a better word) around the achilles, which includes the pull tab. This is a really nice, comfortable touch for me.Performance:I took these for a hike on the frozen shore of Lake Superior (in February). The lake was not frozen, so the waves were splashing, creating lots of ice and frozen stone up on shore. Grip was great. It's not that I didn't slip (the frozen stone shore was incredibly slick), but I felt much better grip than I would have with other footwear, such as my insulated mid-calf rubber boots. My feet stayed dry the entire time. Perfectly drive, even with 33º water splashing over them. This leads to my next observation...these boots were very warm, at least for me. If I didn't know better, I would believe them to be insulated. This is great for February in Michigan, but it does give me some concerns for the warmer months or if I were to take them to Vegas with me in June. I'll report back if there are heat/breathability issues after that trip.Bottom Line:Great boots at a very fair price. Quality workmanship and very comfortable.