I adore these shoes. They are very comfortable, though it took about a week to break them in. I wear them with pretty much everything. (There is an analogous style in women's, but since I'm extra-wide in women's, a men's wide was perfect for me.) I encourage L.L. Bean to carry more colors than just black and dark brown. The gray pair I bought last fall is beautiful.
I had bought the suede version of this shoe for myself, loved it, and decided to buy my husband the leather version for Christmas. He needed something with a tread for the winter, which this shoe provides. He also needed something appropriate for the office (his is "business casual") and this fit the bill.
However, what impresses me the most is that he's been wearing them every day for everything, and they are still in great shape. This man destroys shoes like a teething puppy (scrunching down the backs, etc). It's September, and I'd usually have to replace his shoes by now. When the time comes, I want to get him another pair of these shoes, but the time looks to be far off.
I love these shoes, but come on L.L. Bean, brown and black are now the only color options ? What happened to the tan (beige), cement, and gray. I own brown, beige and gray. I rarely wear the brown because they are too dark and my beige pair are worn out. I have no need for black. Please bring back the lighter colors, so I can order some more.
This shoe has been terrific! I just ordered my 10-12 pairs, but who's counting. My wife purchased the 1st 3 pairs (mesh type), they were the greatest because they were breathable. Since they no longer made them (sigh) any longer, I settled for the leather style. That also worked very well for me. I have purchased the grey suade, brown leather, and mostly black leather. They have all fit very well from the first wear to wearing them out. I'm on my feet 12-16 hrs, a day, and am very hard on shoes, remodeling, tiling, building, cabinetry, going to baseball games, etc. These are the shoes I wear 98% of the time.
