Finally having tossed out my VERY old sneakers, I decided to give Reebok EasyTone shoes a try.  I take daily walks, and I also use in-door treadmills and climbers.  While I can honestly see that all of the negative reviews have a point about these shoes' tendency towards fast wear and tear, I can also see alot of benefits and positive aspects from the shoes as well.  Because of the positives outweigh the negatives for me, I'm giving this shoe a solid four-star rating.

First off, there is a HUGE misconception about EasyTone shoe sizing.  I would not recommend going any bigger than a full size because that would defeat the purpose of the instability pads on the shoe soles.  Go a half size up, if you can.  Otherwise, if there is a wide width available in your size, DEFINITELY opt for that roomier pair as these shoes have a tight fit.  It's difficult to tell from the pictures, but the shoe offers plenty of room at the toes and then has this odd narrow tip.  I'm not sure if that's a shoe design quirk, or if it's for added stability (there are pads right at that point, at the bottom... I had to walk on my tiptoes and was taken by surprise at the "bouncy" feel).  I wear a size 8 in most athletic shoes, and while these are true to size, the laces fit very snugly across the foot.  An 8.5 would have certainly had more wiggle room, but I think the bigger size would have made my feet look HUGE (no offense to anyone with bigger feet, I'm just giving my opinion about MY feet).

The shoe's design (other than the pointy toe and geometric-cut tongue) is nice and simple.  These have lots of options with pops of color (I purchased the pink and white), but not so much color and metallic that other people can't help but stare.  Also, in contrast to other shoe designs, the Reebok EasyTone name is NOT stamped all over the shoe and shoebox.  I can definitely see using these in a workout or wearing these to run errands, pick up the kids at school, etc.  After just wearing them around the house, I could feel my calve muscles tingling; then after a few solid hours of continuous wear, I could feel a slight strain in my hamstrings.  Unlike other toning shoes like New Balance, Sketchers, and Ryka (all brands I've considered, but thought were kind of bulky), the EasyTones can pass for a regular shoe going by looks alone.  Also while the pads are definitely noticeable when one walks and moves, the shoes aren't weighed-down like Sketchers.  They are light and very squishy (sorry, can't think of a more appropriate term).

Now on to the negatives.  Most of the support on the shoe is at the sole and in the back toward the heel.  The mesh webbing around the toes is very thin.  While the mesh is supposed to be thin to let air pass through, it's also obvious that one can't just yank on a pair of these shoes and run out of the house (unless you're willing to chance ripping the mesh).  The balance pads on the soles also don't seem like they can withstand wear and tear.  I live in an area where burrs are always getting stuck at the bottom of my shoes after I walk around the neighborhood.  I can already tell that this will be a major problem if burrs deflate the pads (crossing my fingers that I'm wrong on that one).  According to the booklet included with the shoes, Reebok states that "the balance pods have been extensively tested and are durable."  I'm fairly sure that this testing was made with a treadmill in mind and didn't include the possibility of running (although Reebok does offer a RunTone line), light hiking, walking over trails and rocks, etc.  And what about hot asphalt in the summertime?  I'm a big fan of theme parks and tend to hit those pretty hard (most folks would be shocked to know they average about 7 miles of walking in a single amusement park visit), walking from end to end, then doubling back.  I'm very curious to see how these shoes would perform after all of that walking, standing, more walking, etc.

Anyway, I really like these shoes and am happy with my purchase.  I bought them at a great price, and hopefully I'll get plenty of use out of them.  Ordering shoes online is always a bit of a toss-up (one can never really know what the exact fit will be), but all of these reviews helped me to make my final decision and hopefully they will help you as well.