Safety was the first criteria, slip resistant and safety toe. Working with hand pallet jacks in and out of trucks moving groceries, it's happened...jack rolls over the foot, without safety shoes, it would have been ugly. These shoes have been comfortable with no break in from day one. And 11 hour days in and out of truck, loading dock at grocery stores, pandemic shopping has not stopped so average over 5 miles a day. The laces at the top are flatter, so they don't get caught and there seems to be less friction on the laces themselves, aren't fraying. These boots are warm, but not hot, comfortable, and feet aren't aching at the end of long days. Have tried many different brands but this one seems to be the one. More expensive, of course, but so far they have performed perfectly. Remains to be seen how they hold up after a couple months of this use.