I bought these for my brother at 8.5 he wears 8 or 9 depending on the brand I think they would be better at 9 but he does says 8.5 is ok (I can see they are a bit tight) you will see in the photos. As for the material, it seems durable as long as you don't buy too tight. My brothers use them for running and weekends and still haven't snapped.