Lol, the convo with @Krier55 - What are you, the boot police? If I was I’d haul your ass in for neglect. Never oiled mine even once. I wear the Wellington style. Slip on, slip off. They always took about six months plus to break in. After a while they are like wearing moccasins. Every time I’d go in for new ones the salesmen were always amazed at how old they were. They keep records so they know. Plus there’s a year date stamped in them. Granted I’d wear them until just about falling off, because they were so damn comfortable and I dreaded the break in period of new ones. Never had a problem with mortar or cement drying them out. Never wore gloves either and my hands were tough as nails so take that for what you may.The only man I ever shook hands with that had rougher and tougher was a guy that peeled bark off trees with a drawknife for a living. Lol, and we both cocked our heads in surprise and laughed about not ever having shook a rougher hand. Some fabrics I’m just not allowed to touch. I swear that first pair lasted 10 yrs! Pretty sure I’ve only bought six pair in forty plus years. Not having laces and the added seams, eyelets or hooks doesn’t give places for mortar to cling to has helped in longevity I suppose. Basically all you have is the side seam to eventually pull apart at the ankle. Inner heel cup leather always wore away, but that never bothered me. This last pair has been a disappointment with the sole wearing within 1/16” of being gone in less than two years. I’ve yet to fully get that glove like fit all the others had at this point. They definitely fuk’d something up and are charging a lot of way too much extra for fuk’n it up. I’ll be look’n further into the suggestions in this thread for sure.