When I first opened the package, the shoes smelt horribly, with a factory-ish smell that I was trying to avoid by paying a significant amount of money for a pair of flip flops. Assuming the smell would eventually subside, I wore them around for a while. The toe band is extremely rough and painful. I thought I should just "break them in." A month later, the toe band still hurts, the shoes still smell like they just came from the factory, and I've just wasted over $50. Would not recommend.