My sister swears by MBT and I never owned a pair but finally bought this and was convinced immediately.  I do a lot of walking and this is the most comfortably walking shoe I've ever owned.  It also seems to really assist my posture and form while walking.  It is light weight, breathable, and very comfortable.  I am a vegan, and I contacted the company to see if they have any shoes w/o leather, and they emailed me with a list of four products that are free of animal products.  This is one of the four.  Now that I've found MBT I'll probably buy more.  I'm adding to this review several months after first purchasing it.  While I still LOVE this shoe and think it's the best walking shoe I've ever owned, I want to modify that by saying it's really only suitable for smooth surfaces (such as concrete sidewalks or asphalt paved roads).  I recently brought these shoes to the woods and they were not optimal for walking on undeveloped paths.  When the ground surface is uneven, you really need a flat sole that can grip and allow your foot the ability to grip side-to-side, which this shoe doesn't do b/c of the "ball" effect in the middle of the shoe.  Also, this shoe isn't very suitable for working out in the gym doing weight training or aerobics (same reason).  So I see it's suitability as very specific and limited, but for sidewalks/paved streets, it's outstanding. UPDATE as of Nov. 2012:  I still love these shoes and stand by my original review, but they are totally and completely worn out.  I've owned them 18 months.  For such an expensive shoe, I was hoping they'd last a little longer.  But I will buy another pair nevertheless.  ANOTHER UPDATE as of Dec 2013: I've had my second pair for 13 months and they are already wearing out. Also, the left shoe only has had a loud squeak in it since the day I bought it (never went away).  I am less happy with this second set, and even though they're still very comfortable for walking, given the price and how quickly they wear out, I probably won't buy them a third time.