I lost a toe nail a couple of months ago and I'm about to lose another one on my broken toe - neither were from boots, though. Check out REI for sure - I have gotten great stuff there and my current favorite boots were on one of their big clearance sales. They are Asolo, usually $275, I got them for [tah-dah!!] $39 after multiple mark-downs.
One thing I've noticed about MOST women's boots is that they have a somewhat pointed toe. Unfortunately, my feet are not pointed so I often end up wearing men's shoes/boots - my problem with them is that the heel is not narrow enough but I'd rather add a padding to keep the heel from slipping than have my toes cramped into a pointed shoe - or trying to wear things 2 sizes bigger to fit my toes into them!
Good luck with your purchase - keep us posted and let us know what you end up getting!
Lynda in Orange County, So Calif
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God Grant me Serenity to Accept the things I cannot change, Courage to Change the things I can and Wisdom to Know the difference!
Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out. -- John Wooden
"Winners are not those who never fail, but those who never quit."