Tech 3 vs Tech 5 early impressions / fit differences

So, just getting a dual-sport and anticipating using it about 50/50 pavement / offroad, with the offroad being mostly gravel with some fairly tame double-track. I'm a bit paranoid about leg injury while learning, so trying on real MX boots as advised here. My in-store try on options were pretty limited by my large feet, but the Alpinestars tech 3s fit OK (with my usual arch support insole in place of the stock one) and seemed pretty comfortable. However, given the claims of better protection as you move up the scale, I figured I should at least try the tech 5s as well. Keeping the tags on both and checking them out in-home (and returnable condition). That means sitting with them on for a few hours at a time as well as walking around the house.

Protection

Acknowledging that this is just speculation based on what's easily observable wearing and not riding in them.

  • Sole / shank flexion is the same on both. Neither is unbendably stiff -- yet both are stiff enough that clearly some learning will need to happen before shifts / braking feels natural again. If you are planning to peg a rock or tree at high speed and want zero flex in the sole, neither of these will fit the bill. (FWIW, the outer sole on these is exactly the same, kinda smooth.)
  • Foot protection on the outside / top feels like the weakest thing for each. Both are a bit soft midfoot toward the outside. The extra buckle on the 5 moves it further down the foot and so there will be more protection there just by virtue of the stiff buckle and backing slider / hardware.
  • Lateral ankle rigidity seems nearly the same between the 2. The 3 (using a lever inside a sleeve rather than a hinge on the inside of the ankle) actually feels a bit stiffer than the 5.
  • Front/back rigidity feels exactly the same -- fairly stiff with some movement but stops built in to try to fight hyperextension.
  • Buckles: The part-metal of the buckle system is supposed to be a selling point for the 5, as well as the fact that the strap portion can swivel more. I find the 5s buckles smoother to operate. Not sure if they'll actually last longer.

Comfort

  • They both feel fairly comfortable just sitting for a few hours as well as walking around the house for whatever reason.
  • The Tech 3, however, begins to give me a hotspot / numb spot in the medial malleolus (inside ankle bone, if I have that right). It's not terrible, and it doesn't happen until I've been strapped into them for more than an hour, but it's there. Taking the boot off and prodding that spot inside, you can feel that there's some kind of plastic texture under the padding in that point, and the padding feels thinner there than in the 5. That spot isn't directly under a buckle, so loosening it up to alleviate that means loosening the foot buckle as well as the first ankle buckle. This might be the dealbreaker for me on the 3. Do I want to put up with that in order to save $90?

Step it up?

  • Of these two, I'm leaning toward the 5, which puts me at about $300, for what feels like a decent boot, but now I'm wondering if I shouldn't just step up to maybe the Sidi Adventure 2. Buy once, cry once? Get the Goretex waterproofing, but how will protection compare?