I've always preferred Keens over other brands mainly due due to how wide the toe box is and how comfy, flexible, and grippy they are. I hike alot for work (mostly off trail) and love that I can actually feel the ground beneath me in Keens versus brands like Lowas or Solomans (helps out alot with navigating really steep off areas or while bouldering in drainages with slick rocks and makes me feel alot more certain of my foot placement in precarious terrain, although I'm sure this feature probably wouldn't be appreciated by everyone espescially if you like a thicker, stiffer sole).

The thing I don't love is how fast they wear down. It might be the fact that I'm in Southern AZ where the ground tends to be pretty hard and abrasive and the majority of the plants are spiky, but I end up needing a new pair every 6-8 months and that's even with me trying to repair them and wearing them way beyond when i probably should. Specific to this boot, wherein I havent had this issue with other styles, I also didn't like how low the laces sit against the tounge and it made it so that within a few steps the tounge would be sticking really far out. It sucked because not only was my ankle not secure but by the end of the day I'm having to pour out a bunch of sticks, dirt, and leaves that have collected in between the tounge and my foot and wiggled their way down to the inner part. It's uncomfortable to have all these things poking at me during the day unless I stop midhike to unlace my boots and empty everything out. I tried so many different lacing techniques to fix the issue but that didnt work so I ended up having to sew another lace-holding loop higher up on the sides of the tounge so the boot would actually stay closed and secured during the day.

The boots in the photo show the wear after 7 months. Biggest issues are worn down and torn/broken off pieces of tread/rubber, broken stitches on the outer edges of the boot, and broken stitching on the top part of the toe box.

Good brand

Love these boots for as long as the last. Very comfortable and water proof. But they wear out quickly. Same place on both pair.

No breakin needed, flexable but firm.

First pair 3 yrs. Still use. Bought new pair same style. 1 month in, still breaking in. Comfortable and so far has been waterproof.

These truly were comfortable right out of the box. They have great traction on wet and dry surfaces. I really like the way they look too.
I used them on a dusty trail and they cleaned up like new with a damp rag.
I do have to tie double knots or the laces will come undone.

These are really, really poorly made shoes. Mine are falling apart after 8 weeks. Disgraceful.

wonderful so far very comfortable

I have never had boots so comfortable. It feels like my feet are surrounded by soft cushions, yet when hiking, the boots feel very rugged. A perfect combination!

We all wear KEEN boots on are crew, They are undoubtedly the best footwear out there. Especially when on sale, that's a no brainer. My existing KEENS were a bit worn on the soul. Put the new ones on, I was able to work on a steep snowy slope w/o spikes. I called them Billy goat boots, they are truly Great! Thanks for asking! Jim