I seldom order shoes online because I much prefer to "test drive" new shoes in the store before purchasing. However, the L.L. Bean store in our neighborhood is closing and I now have to resort to online purchasing unless it is something I buy on our one trip a year to Maine and we visit the "mother store" in Freeport.
I was pleased and relieved that these shoes fit very comfortably right out of the box. Previous reviews and descriptions indicated there was a breaking in period but they seemed fine to me. They were a bit stiff but they are solid, rugged shoes just as I expected. The evening I received the shoes there was a huge downpour and thunderstorm so I had to try the shoes out. I walked for half an hour in a deluge and my feet were absolutely comfortable and dry the whole time.
My one and only disappointment is that the shoes went on sale 2 weeks after purchasing them and I could have gotten them for $30 less if I had waited... Bummer! I still recommend them as being all that they were advertised.
This was my second pair of which I ware all of the time. The 1st pair lasted me 7 yrs. Quality really comes out in this Italian made shoe. Totally worth the extra $$
The shoes arrived as scheduled. They appeared well made of quality materials. The ad had said they needed to be broken in for a bit before they would be fully usable. Well, I think I will be broken down before they are broken in. They are the stiffest-soled shoes I've experienced. They remind me of wearing size 10 2X4s tied to my feet with shoelaces. I thought they would be my "go-to" shoes for walking; after several weeks they have become my "stay-away-from" shoes.
Purchased these shoes as a replacement for my worn out New Balance 955's. They look great and appear to be constructed well. I have only one complaint and that is I wear an extra wide and these "Wide EE's" are almost too narrow and I can barely move my toes. I would order at least a half size bigger next time.
