Thanks for the info, all. I tried on the Sidi Verts & Vortice boots, liked the fit better (I got clown feet) than A-Stars. I can live without whizbang venting and cable-adjusters I think. Just afraid it'd be something else for me to break.
That's a good buy, did they have more? The only thing about the A*s is the width. My feet are pretty narrow so I thought the Sidis may fit better.
The Sidi's fit narrow feet better. A* boots run a size or so big, I normally wear a 45 but w/ A* the 44 is slightly large on me. The A* gloves are the opposite, go figure. You should really try on whatever you get before you buy.
Well it looks like I settled on some used Sidi Vertice. Spent more than I wanted but decided there are quite a few bones in the feet and it's worth a little more to keep them all in their place. Plus the added adjustability will come in handy for my monkey toes.