Right before I left for a trip that required a lot of walking I suddenly started experiencing pain again in my foot, from an ankle injury and surgery that I went through last year. I knew I needed some good shoes and saw these at the store but was very skeptical - they look cheap and flimsy, like those shoes you buy on the sidewalk sales in NY's Chinatown. So I kept looking.

A few days later while waiting for my husband to shop for his shoes I thought, what the heck, I'll try these on for fun. I was surprised at how comfortable they were, and finally decided to take a chance on them after seeing a pamphlet inside the box regarding Sketchers' use of technology in making their shoes.

My feet not only survived but enjoyed the week-long trip walking. It's like wearing slippers. My feet felt very cushioned and it just made my walking experience that much more "luxurious." It is very difficult for me to find shoes that are completely comfortable, even before my foot injury and surgery (I have rather flat feet that are also a little wide in the toes area), so these are amazing. I also walked briefly in the sand on the beach as well as through a thunderstorm, and I was very surprised that absolutely nothing got into them, at least not in those short walks.

I haven't had these for a long time so I can't speak to their durability, but I am thinking about getting another pair so I can rotate through them (and in case they stop making these over the next few years). I want to get a pair for my mother as well.

In terms of sizing, I usually wear a 6 or 6.5 depending on the manufacturer; I bought these in 6 and they fit perfectly.