I read the reviews before buying and followed the advice. Went to a Red Wing store and was sized. I wear a 10 in Nike running shoes. For these I was sized at a 9, so, that's what I bought and they fit perfect. My advice, get a size down from what you wear in a running/tennis shoe. These took me three weeks of 5 day a week wear to begin to break in. They still are not butter but they don't hurt anymore, all downhill from here. Plan on a break in period. I love these boots and look forward to them being the last pair I buy. I wanted a pair that I could re-sole and break in. These are those. One thing to keep in mind...the stitch that runs along the outside of the side of the boot. That same stitch runs along the inside and protrudes into the side of your foot. During the break in that is what created the most discomfort. Still feels odd having this strap of leather pushing into the side of my foot all day but I am getting use to it. These are definitely worth the hype and the monies. Beware of some of the sellers, though. I had to return a pair before these. They were listed as "new". When I received them they came in a generic plain box with no Red Wing tags and scuffs all over them. Thanks to Amazon's great return policy I sent them back immediately and had these on their way to me within days.