Posted By Philip Jones
From personal experience,Lace up boots are better for ankle support, but only if fastened correctly.
Riggers are a particular problem if climbing ladders on a regular basis, as the tops of them are roughly the same height as the distance apart of the rungs, and can catch on the underside of the rungs when climbing

Posted By John Webster
Rigger boots provide little or no ankle support. They are designed to be roomy at the ankle to allow them to be slipped on and off with ease. They are particularly popular where personnel frequently have to remove boots when messing or entering office or accommodation areas. They do provide protection to the lower leg from cuts, abrasions and a degree of impact, but for ankle support, eg when working on rough ground, a high lace-up, correctly laced, is required. Even then, only a few designs are both rigid enough, yet with adequate padding to be laced tightly to provide real support without becoming uncomfortable.

Posted By Jim Sweetman
From painful experience, another downside of Rigger boots is the ease that they can be slipped on and off.

This can be so easy, that people do not do it properly. If the boot is not pulled on fully, the back of the boot is compressed/ squashed and quickly becomes deformed permanently. So, instead of a smooth rounded profile inside the boot, there's a rather annoying lump of leather (?) that then irritates the heel.

In short, if you don't put them on properly, they become deformed, which in turn is considerably painful if you are walking about for any length of time.

As you've guessed, I prefer laces - economically speaking, they also last longer.

Jim