General - It's been 1 year since I received these boots (they were a gift), and I feel I can leave a good review for them now. They are sturdy, essentially waterproof (I wouldn't stand in a pond in them, but you can walk through pouring rain and wet grass and such), and they look fantastic. They are so good looking, in fact, that they can be worn under slacks for semi-formal dress events. They've gotten a lot of compliments and the heel is great for a shorter man, like myself, to get a tad more height for dancing. Having never had pointed-toe boots previously, it took some adjustment on my part to get used to how the narrowing front affected my toes. I am a little disappointed that some of its stitching has started coming undone on one of the sides, but the faux leather upper is holding up great and I have no doubt if I simply resew that particular seam it will continue on for at least two more years. The thread gave (bad knot?) not the faux leather.Faux leather (uppers only I think) - The faux leather feels like real leather to me and I honestly didn't know it was fake until I read the label. It's just as tough and hasn't scuffed or ripped anywhere, which to me is shocking because I am rather rough on my boots. All of my past boots have been all leather with some gortex here and there, so I was a bit sceptical of the 'pleather' and its performance. I continue to be impressed with how the fake leather is holding up and I now trust them with my skin just as much as real leather. It handles mud and sand great and the height keeps your shins protected from whatever you may find yourself mucking around in. A+ job for Laredo on choosing/making the faux leather. Tough stuff.The metal - As soon as I saw the metal accents I just knew I would manage to rip one of them off, but so far I have only managed to bend them! This was another surprise. My friend (250+ lb man) stepped on my heel and it bent the heel's metal accent back a tad bit. All I had to do was take out my leatherman's pliers and bend it back to the original position. They are much sturdier than I expected, and the little engravings on them are a nice touch.Overall summary - I really like these and their durability has impressed me (as well as their fake leather). The stitching coming undone on one section is not a big deal to me and should be an easy fix. Even considering this I would definitely buy them again.