The 1st pair were be best boots I'v ever owned! They lasted almost 3 years and i wear these almost daily! The Velcro stitching on the second pair came apart on one of my boots after a year. I bugged me, but I put up with it. Then the zipper on one of the boots started giving me some trouble. After the soles began to show some wear, I decided to try another pair. I didn't see anything else I liked as much. It wasn't a big enough problem to prevent me from ordering my third pair, but I'm always looking for tactical boots with a side zipper, good arch support, lightweight and preferably waterproof. I noticed a slight reduction in overall quality over the years.