I used to wear the stiff dress shoes and had blisters and gout to prove it but once I tried on one of these, I have never gone back. Granted, you won't see a GQ model wearing these and I have to take some barbs from the wife and kids for not being up on the "square bent up euro yuppie look" but I don't care. If you value comfort, long life and overall shoe for the money, these are the shoes to get. When they wear out, I just order another pair of the same. If they are ever discontinued, I am going to buy 6 pairs.