So Far So Awesome
My plan is to update this review as my time with these progress.This is my 3rd pair of Keens in 4 years. I am a fan of Keen for sure. My 2 previous pairs have been Keen Milwaukee's and I love that work boot, but I wanted to try something with composite toe and no metal construction. Lighter is good tooI install commercial AV and that's a lot of new construction, stadiums, churches... As well as upgrades to older buildings. I spend a lot of time standing, working on ladders, on my knees working on the floor, in crawl spaces and in attics. I need a versitile boot, that's comfortable and can stand up to everyday use and sometimes harsh conditions. I wear my boots every day that I'm at work.Ive chosen the Davenports as a change from my beloved Milwaukee's because they seem too have all the aspects I love about Milwaukee, (arch shank, 90 degree heel, Keen dry, waterproof, keens awesome toe box) but are lighter and appear to have a fit more like a hiking boot then a work boot. Im sticking with Keen because of their consistent high levels of comfort, quality and customer service. Keen boots have been the most comfortable things I've had on my feet.Sizing wise I'm a 12EE in my Milwaukee pair and the first pair I purchased from a work boot specialty store. I got lots of help in finding the perfect boots for my feet. These people really knew their stuff. In hopes that fit would be similar I stayed with the same size because it's been perfect for me so far.Unboxing and initial impressions:The first thing I noticed was the weight of the box as I picked it up. I haven't even opened them yet and I can already tell the Davenports are noticably lighter then my Milwaukees.Opening the box, this as a great looking boot. My wife even thinks they look good and less like clunky work boots. The high quality and craftsmanship are on par with what I've grown to expect with Keen. The laces are cool and add a bit of color to the boot, but they don't seem as substantial or sturdy as the laces on my Milwaukees. Also the lace hooks don't seem as sturdy on first inspection as the Milwaukee series but the davenport hooks are a different material so that could be why.Putting them on they fit close to what I remember my Milwaukees feeling like before break in. They are comfortable but stiff in the toe area where it bends as a walk and stiff on the top of my foot. Typical for a new all leather boot. One difference I did notice is these appear to have better ankle support and added support at the ball of my foot and big toe.The toe box is great as expected. My toes have pleanty of room and none of my toes are rubbing against the safety toe. Which, when trying on a new boots, if you stand up and you can feel the toe box of your safety toe touching your toes while they are sitting naturally then you need a bigger boot. Something I didn't know until a professional fitted me years ago.I wore them around the house for a few hours and they felt great for new boots. I'm a rip the band-aid off type of person when it comes to breaking in boots so I'll be wearing them all day tomorrowAll in all, my 1st impressions are the davenports are a great boot that fits and feels as I expect a great Keen boot to fit. The size is nearly a perfect match to my Milwaukees, and it appears it's going to be an excellent upgrade. My current Milwaukee boots have lasted 2 years of everyday use and I hope these can keep up. Keens 1 year warranty on defects let's me know they will at least last a year. Which is an additional reason to love Keen.I'll let you know how it works outUpdate----Day 1 full on working cold turkey:I wore these books for 10 hours straight today first day out of the box. Aside from some normal boot stiffness my feet felt mostly pain free at the end of the day. When I would think about it I would notice them, but most of the day I would forget they were unbroken in.With all fairness my first pair of Keen Milwaukee's I purchased we're a little rough at break in. I had blisters and all. My second pair of Milwaukees was very similar to the experience I am having with this pair of Davenports. So having said that if someone were to buy these as their first work boot or first Keen boot then their break in experience likely would be different.How did they perform on day one?Great! The shank and 90 degree heel is what I used most today, as I was up and down ladders for about 6 hours of my work day. I didn't notice the ladder rungs hurting my feet at all. My Milwaukee boots were great on ladders also, but even after 6 hours on ladders they would begin to hurt. I think this may be an improvement from Milwaukee.I did have some very mild discomfort near the end of the day, but I write that off to unbroken in insoles and uppers.I did a lot of walking today in them and they did great.I did at one point feel like maybe the toe box is a little less wide then the Milwaukee because I could feel the side of my big toe rub against the toe box but that could have been the position I was in and I didn't notice after that. However, I have never noticed that in my MilwaukeesIf these break in to be at least as comfortable as my Milwaukees then I'll be extremely happy with these boots.I check back in when they are broken in.