Customer Reviews Frye Engineer 12R

I love this boot. I normally wear a 7. I tried the 7 and the 7 1/2. Kept the 7. The leather is,of course, a little stiff at first. I conditioned the leather then wore the boots the first time and they broke in nicely. Love the style.

I LOVE these boots. They're a bit snug across the top of the foot for me, but they'll break in, I'm sure. I ordered my usual size and the fit was fine both in length and width. I also ordered the 8R boots, which I also love. The fit was a bit better with the 8R's, no tightness at the top of the foot, but every time I sat down, the top of the boot "popped" out because they were shorter. I haven't yet returned either pair, but I believe I'll end up with the 12R's because they are taller. Matter of face, I'll probably be keeping both pairs. I'm a boot nerd.

These are my third pair of Engineers. I have the 8R and the shearling 12R, both in black. I love the shearling ones and have been wanting a non sheepskin lined boot. What solidified my decision to purchase was that I needed brown boots for a Halloween costume. Sold! Finally an excuse to get the massively expensive boots I don't need. Size/Fit: What's shocking to me most about these is they are listed as an 8, but fit nothing like my Engineer 8R, also a size 8. My shorter boots fit tighter all around, even less room in the toe. These boots have room at the end of the toe, and even feel much wider than the shorter ones. I really have no qualms about this, it will allow me to wear thick wool socks in the winter, but it makes me wonder if these are men's sizes? Though this boot style and color isn't even offered for men on the Frye site. My only issue with this boot that cost a star in comfort was how the top of shoe area (by the wider buckle strap) hurts the top of my foot. I know for a fact this goes away as they get worn in. I had the same issue with the 8R and the 12R shearling. Also, the opening circumference feels smaller than the shearling boots, this may be due to the fact that they don't have to compensate for the sheepskin. Color/Aesthetics: These boots are stiff. They are not intended to be soft and supple leather, they are work boots. They're built to take a licking and keep on ticking, so to speak. Though I have never seen the Gaucho color, I imagine the Smoke is a cooler hue of brown in comparison. The distressing on them is also beautiful. Do a little research online and you will find this color only gets more unique with age. Construction: It's Frye. Come on. They're not going to fall apart. Though I just got them delivered today I can say with absolute certainty these will wear well if my other boots are any indication. If you're on the fence with these, find an excuse to get them. The smoke color is absolutely lovely, I'm glad I decided on it over the gaucho.

Wow. First I have to say something about the shipping experience. I ordered these boots at 6:30 PM on a Sunday night. I got notice that they had SHIPPED an hour after I ordered them. Yes, on a Sunday night. They were outside my front door the next day (Monday) by 2PM. That is INCREDIBLE. The boots? Winners. They went on just fine (although I can imagine that, possibly, if someone had thicker feet, it could be difficult). These boots are just gorgeous and very well-made. The Frye quality is definitely there. I found them instantly comfortable, as in "no breaking in" required. YMMV. AND ... the Made in USA tag means a lot to me. So, it's all good. Thanks again, Zappos, for the inhumanly FAST shipping. I have a theory -- can't prove it, but it's my theory -- that the Zapponians never sleep, ever. They must be sitting by the Zappos computers watching the orders come in. Then maybe they fight each other over who gets to fill each order and ship it out fastest.

These fit well right out of the box, and I suspect that with some breaking in they will be as comfortable as I've heard people rave about. I am usually an 8.5 but the 8 fits perfectly with boot socks. One thing I don't understand, though: why does the Engineer 12R have a shaft of 9 1/4 inches? When I got them they were shorter than I expected, and I double checked to make sure I hadn't been sent 8R by mistake. Nope...I checked Frye's website and Engineer 12R is actually a 9 inch shaft, but the Harness 12R is 11.5 inches! Does anyone know why Frye does this? Seems misleading...I have to decide whether or not to keep these, since I really would like something closer to the real 12, and 15 is too high. Annoying!

First off Zappos is awesome! While deciding on which boot I wanted I ordered 4 pair and decided on keeping these so 3 pair were sent back and as always excellent customer service! Really makes dealing with other online companies frustrating after such great Zappos experiences. As for these boots, arghh. I love the look and quality is great. I waited to write a review until I had worn these at least a month. I thought they would have become a little easier to get in and out of after wearing awhile but not so. I feel like I'm giving birth getting these boots off and getting into them still makes me break a sweat. Once on they feel okay, not super comfortable but definitely super cute. Lots of compliments every time I wear them. The instep is super tight and actually causes bruising on my right foot. That being said, this is my first pair of Fryes and out of the 4 pair I tried none felt comfortable and they all fit different even when the size (6.5) was the same. These are a 6.5 and I wonder if the instep would be better in a size 7. Just keeping my fingers crossed that with continued wear these will become comfy because I love the look. Classic and goes well with skinny jeans, shorts, and skirts! I would get another pair of Fryes but would only keep if they were comfortable right out of the box. Happy shopping and keep up the good work Zappos!

I have had these boots for seven years and counting now, so they are obviously quite durable. If I remember correctly, they took some wears in order to be broken-in; however, they are 100 percent comfortable now. I love mine. The only two things that I would warn anyone before buying them is that there is no soft lining inside, so if you wear them with just tights (and no socks) then they will definitely tatter and shred up your tights (leggings and jeans are fine, just thinner materials); and the traction is surprisingly poor. Despite their durability and stylishness in the fall and winter, beware of wearing them in the ice or snow, as they do not have good grip.

This boot is very well made -- the "sand" color is very nice -- pretty close to what is pictured -- however, one of my boots came with some words scratched into the leather (near top of boot by opening) and then scratched out in order to erase it. I wondered if this was some branding marks on the animal who gave its life! I decided to honor whatever this special unique marking is -- and will keep both boots! I love these boots very much but I thought I should warn folks that they are a bit narrow in the ball of the foot area & across the top of the foot (I have normal to narrow feet) but they may stretch to some degree. Also these are a heavy boot -- feel a little clunky, especially with a dress -- but I am a rustic-chic gal so don't mind a bit!

Exactly as expected except the boots are more gray than pictured. I marked them as a 3 for comfort just because of the nature of that kind of boot, they're going to be less comfortable that slippers. The soles have excellent padding.

One of the shoes fit fine, the other there was no way my foot would get in there and I usually don't have trouble with things like that. It almost looked like the shoe was made a little sideways when you viewed it from the top. Have to return them.

I coveted these boots for months they were expensive but I saw them online and fell in love. So I finally ordered them expecting a heavy duty boot I could keep for season after season. When I got them I was sooooo disappointed I was expecting a real pair of boots and what I got were flimsy fashion boots. I didn't know that frye was more of a fashion brand than a manufacturer of real boots for real rugged outdoor wear. The boots were very light and the leather was thin. If you're looking for a heavy pair of work type boots then Durango is a much better choice. I will never purchase another pair of Frye boots again. For the price I was very disappointed.