Construction - The material used to make the boots is very durable. The stitching is all double stitched and shows no sign of stitching breaking even after my treatment of them. I have worn the boots quite a bit and they have no signs of wear at all. A little discolouration in a few spots from orange dam mud but if I actually wanted to remove it I am sure if I could with some light scrubbing. But as I am trying to treat them mean (putting them through their paces) they don't actually get scrubbed. A quick hose off and left to dry (in direct North Qld sun) and they are good as gold.

The rubber strap stitched to protect the ankle on the outside is a good idea too if you were to hit the outside of the ankle against something or get it caught in amongst coral the ankle would be protected.
I had previously waded parts of the Russell River (very rocky bottom) in wet suit booties and was almost crippled due to the soft sole bending around rocks and pummelling my feet. The rigid sole of the OTB boots solved that problem. Offering support and traction on the wet, moss covered rocks.

Traction/Grip - these boots have great grip and traction even when soaking wet. The traction was very important whilst climbing wet rocks on the Russell River and in keeping your footing in the tenders in rough weather even after some fuel had been spilt on the deck.
Even onboard the ACV (Australian Customs Vessel) the decks can be slippery. The SAR boots performed flawlessly giving great traction.

Water dispersion - the drains in the bottom of the boots are great for dispersing water. The combat boots we are currently issued have small valves up the side of the boot which doesn't remove water below that level to drain meaning your feet remain sitting in water until the boot is removed and water tipped out. The OTB boots drains all the water out as the drain holes are in the sole meaning the feet don't end up sitting in water. The drain holes are small allowing water to drain without allowing anything into the boots, combined with the mesh which also stops ingress of sand, etc. Feet sitting in water for long periods of time is not good for the health of your feet so that problem is solved by this system.

Wearability - The boots are comfortable providing very good ankle support. The inner soles provide good cushioning and the drain holes means it doesn't feel like you are standing in buckets of water. The stay tied laces are great and being offset allowed my TUSA fins to be worn over the boots. I only did limited finning in them but they were comfortable when used. I wore the boots with work socks (Explorers) and while socks probably aren't required I found them better with them. Maybe I just have soft feet. The boots have mesh which allows the boot to breath, which is great for foot health.

Ankle support & water absorption - The ankles are given plently of support as the boots are a firm fit and with the laces and the velcro strap allows for plenty of adjustment. Given that I have a skinny foot, I quite often find our combat boots to be a bit big and wear 2 pair of socks but the OTB boots were firm and still had adjustment availble even after fitting it to my foot. The uppers of the boot don't hold (absorb) water making them light to wear even after being completely submerged in the water for hours. Given that I have waded across uneven reef flats to intercept illegal fishermenon on numerous occasions ankle support is imperative and plodding with soaking wet leather combat boots fatigue officers quickly. So OTB boots can make reef walking safer and less tiring and fatigue can lead to injury. So as far as lowering fatigue and giving support the OTB boots are excellent.

The hard reinforced toe and heel protection provides good strong protection for the foot's toes and heel. I found this more than sufficient for all the tasks I put the OTB boots through.

Donning - The boots are easy to put on. The loop on the rear of the boot also also for pulling wet boots back on. The laces on the side are loosened when I take the boots off ready to go and are slipped on easliy. As when I hear an alarm for a Man Overboard I change from my combat boots to the OTB boots quickly for boat operations.