I have been a Mickey boot wearer for the last 8 years, and although they have served me well, my feet get cold on sub-20 degree days after a few hours. This might be because I am getting older, but I have tried numerous sock combinations and the fact that the Mickeys are quite heavy, I have started looking at new boots.
I have been Amazon spying on a pair of black Baffin Impact boots waiting for the price to drop for my size. I missed the good price back in early November, but was finally able to order them last Friday. They arrived yesterday, and here are my first impressions:
* Build quality: very good, triple stitching, removable liner and removable sole liners too
* Materials: very good; appear just as tough as my Mickeys
* Laces: none, uses buckles. I really like this since who wants to retie laces with gloves on or when its cold out.
* Outer sole: looks to be decent traction on regular ground, but no boot sole matters on smooth ice. always gonna put on Katoolah's micro spikes
* Size: They are big; like wearing Herman Munster shoes. But much lighter than Mickeys (but what boots aren't?)
* Fit: previous owners are spot on; get a size larger than your normal foot size. I wear an 11, and got a 12. Allows room for a thicker sock.
* Performance: did a quick test outside, and they are very very warm. probably won't need a wool sock, but just a liner sock. Unfortunately, I won't be able to get on the ice for another 3 weeks.
Overall: I am very very impressed. Previous owners on this forum were not exaggerating about the Baffin Impacts. Those Canadians make a damn good boot.
Mickeys will get retired to the closet for friends to use if needed.