These are my first and only crocs.  I purchased them looking for a slip on shoe that would be convenient to wear around the house.  Since then I've really put the shoes through the wringer, as it were; and they have performed surprisingly well.  Still, it's hard for me to justify paying 3-4 times the price of generic look-alikes, just for the crocs name, unless the style is of importance, as generic, croc knockoffs are about all the same style - plain.  All of which, including crocs, IMHO are pretty ugly.  Of course quality in materials can vary greatly among knockoffs too.  Since purchasing these crocs I've seen knockoffs that felt exactly the same upon trying them on, while others have used a much harder material that wasn't as comfortable.  These crocs were stiff enough when I got them.  In fact, when they arrived, I didn't care for them much at all; but they grow on you, or I've grown on them - probably both.  Despite printing out crocs own sizing chart, the shoes were too tight to wear with any pair of socks that wasn't worn out (very thin), but even with my rather tough skin, they still gave me blisters if I didn't wear any socks at all - particularly, where the heal strap buttons to the shoe.  After a couple months of frequent use, I noticed that they finally seemed to have broken in.  I could wear most of my socks with them and didn't get blisters if I didn't.

I do like the elastic heel strap.  With three large dogs (two aggressive huskeys and a very strong mixed lab) the strap keeps the shoes from slipping off my feet while playing in the yard, even when the dogs step on the back of my shoe when running.  Which brings me to their surprising durability.  For rather flimsy looking plastic, these shoes have held up surprisingly well.  We've had a number of trees that came down in storms over the past year.  Usually, before grabbing the chainsaw, I'll slip these on instead of my work boots for just a few hours of work, as they're easier to slip off and clean wood shavings out of.  Between walking through piles of cut limbs and dogs stepping on or biting at my feet (trying to get me to stop and play), there's hardly a scartch on them.  The thicker sole probably helps for such activity, though jiggers and other small yard debris seem to climb in the holes everytime I get off the concrete walk.  The shoes haven't been very efficient at keeping out sand and what not when walking in the surf at the lake either.  In fact, even with the heel straps, they're not that great around water.

Despite my overall satisfaction with the shoes, I still think that new buyers who have heard that crocs are the most comfortable shoe made should be reluctant to believe the hype.  I sorta get the appeal in the nursing profession and some others where you stand on your feet all day or need a shoe that's non-marring or easy to take off.  But, working in construction, I've stood on hardwood and tile floors 10 hours straight, cleaning and touching up houses we were preping to show or sell, as the crocs don't track mud like my boots or mark up the floor like my running shoes.  I really couldn't say they're any more comfortable than even my standard work boots, just lighter and more breathable.

Maybe quality of materials separates crocs from similar shoes of generic brands - I've never worn a knockoff long enough to compare, but I've been almost astonished at how well these crocs have held up.  Still, $40 seems so excessive for a molded piece of plastic that I'll probably be led to experiment next time I'm in the market.