These replaced a 17 yr old pair of Teva Teradactyls. The soles were beyond fixing, they had that permanent sunken foot shape that eventually comes to all soft comfortable footwear.. They were simply broken-down. Those amazingly comfortable sandals were great 80 lbs and 10ish years ago & I loved them dearly, but they hurt my feet & knees. Which leads me to one of the often complained about features of the Teva Terra Fi 3 sandals, the Shock Pad.

If you weigh 100-140 lbs and have little to no issues with your feet or knees (at this time), then you won't notice until much later in life how ruined your feet and knees are due to the cheaper, softer, and often flat footwear you wore for most of your life. And when you have to start wearing firm supportive footwear, you will probably complain like so many people here do about the Shock Pad. I weigh 235 lbs, have alignment issues with my feet (I over pronate) that cause issues with my knees and cause plantar fasciitis. These sandals are firm, and a bit stiff like all new footwear (until you wear them for a month or so). The shock pad does not hurt my feet. In fact the purpose of the shock pad is to overcome past performance issues such as sunken heel & to help distribute the weight that the heel places onto the sandal. I have worn them for several months now, and I am happy with the replacement. Sandals are not something that should be worn all the time, but when you do wear them these are so much better than some flatwear or soft slipper type open shoe.

I don't intend to sound "preachy", but these are sports sandals & they should durable & supportive - not soft. I think a large portion of the people who complain, have issues with their feet that they are unaware of and should find out whats wrong with their feet before more serious issues arise. I have been through this myself the last few years and have taken many steps to correct the problem. Upgrading my old sandals is the latest.

They are stylish, have some arch, are firm offering more support, & have the same velcro strap system of my previous sandals. I am considering buying a second pair for the future.