We have been buying a different brand of penny loafer, the bass weejuns for years but they are hard to find in a size 14D so we tried these.  I love the way they look and feel. These were a gift so will post later on how well they hold up. So far so good.  The leather felt comfortable, not stiff, right out of the box. No need for a  "break them in"  phase,  like the Bass brand penny-loafers.  The only negative is that the bottoms are super slick so I'd suggest roughing them up with an emery board or sand paper.