****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
I hate to admit it, but I'm becoming more and more like my dad. He has several pairs of Keens (buys a pair about every 2 years) and thinks they are the greatest. I bought these when I noticed they were selling for an unusually low price ($80). I didn't buy them because I wanted them... I bought them because my dad loves them so much I figured I would too, although I definitely did not want to! Well... They're the greatest thing ever lol. I wear them literally every single day.Review and useful information:I wear these everyday as slip ons. No socks and I walk on the heal, but they're still comfortable and let my feet breathe. The part in contact with the sole gets sweaty, but at least it's leather so you get used to it. Because of the design, walking on the heal hasn't damaged them at all. When I go to the store or take a walk I tend to throw on some black cotton socks and honestly they breathe better than this way and tend to be less clamy. The grip these things have is incredible. I walk on trails and around the steep banks of water almost daily and these have much better grip than most shoes, and that's while I'm still walking on the heal! When I put my foot properly within the shoes I can walk anywhere including up the steeply inclined dam wall that EVERYONE slips on. I really can't say enough about how impressed I am with these. I guess dad was right lol.On the downside, these are sized terribly. I have somewhat wide feet and usually wear size 11 in shoes. Sometimes even 10.5 fit me, but I had to get these in 12 and return the first ones I bought. That said, these now fit me perfectly, so I think that means they are narrow for the average 12, because I fit these in width and length.Supposedly these are waterproof, but they are made with genuine leather and of course water goes right through the gaping holes, so I have no idea what they mean by that. There is no such thing as "waterproof" leather. When these are old and I have a second pair I'll feel more comfortable using these in the reservoir and creek walking, but for now I only do that with them occasionally. I tried buying a couple pairs of knockoff keens on Amazon for water use, but they all were terrible, so I returned them. I wash them every couple months in the washing machine. I use Ivory brand mild soap and put them in the wash by themselves so the agitator can toss them around but not abuse them. I oil the leather when they are dry and this has worked well for me so far.Like I said earlier, my dad tends to get a pair of Keens every 2 years and currently has 3 pairs. He uses the older ones for dirtier jobs so to speak. Only his newest ones are this particular leather model. He has had one pair that completely separated from the sole in only about a year and he never uses his in water or washes them at all. Apparently in at least some models they have used bad glue, which is why I am most afraid to use these in water until they are my secondary pair.These are literally the best day to day shoes I've ever had and the best water shoes as well. I guess they are called sandals, but they are actually just well ventilated shoes.
