Lylah B.

I bought a pair of frye's about 9 years ago- for the first two years they were my every day knock around boots - they are the best boots I've ever owned and after getting them resoled about 4 years ago they still hold up great. I have another pair that I wear less frequently (but still quite a lot) that I got about a year after the first pair and they're still in great condition

BUT - just last month my boyfriend got a pair of Bowry Bals that he saved up for because I talked the company up so much, and they were the absolute perfect style. After wearing them three times the glue attaching the leather to the sole of the show started to degrade and the leather started to separate. He went in to try another pair on, and in the same size the fit was completely different and one of the eyelets had a sharp piece of metal sticking out that cut him.

I could not be more disappointed in how their quality has gone down from when I got mine. Looking at the other shoes, there were defects in so many styles and trying on certain pairs the sizing was all over the place. The leather seems thinner and less durable. A one time fluke is one thing, but for such expensive shoes, seeing this happen again and again is not acceptable. From what I've heard they've started outsourcing their production to Mexico and China, and in the past 6 years their company has changed quite a bit.

I hope they start having a higher quality standard, but until then, I can't trust/rely on them anymore. We returned the boots for a refund and will be looking elsewhere - on the plus side, their customer service was absolutely wonderful, their managers in store were fantastic and very generous and kind. If the product was better quality, I would stick to frye just for their customer service and great designs. But for $400, there are other options.