Initial review:

I'm currently a dog walker part time and it took me forever to find a great quality shoe that I could walk in for miles on pavement without having pain or numbness in my feet and hip pain. I'm older and have had years of my feet being beat up in other work and recreation, and have damage from long hours in bad shoes, plus knee, hip and back issues, so now I have to be very careful of what I put on my feet. What happens at foot level affects not only my feet but all the way up my legs and spine. I had been wearing a pair of Arroyos that were literally falling apart and I had worn the soles way down, but they were the only shoe I had that I could walk long distances in comfortably. I also used those shoes with a gel insert on top of the insole. I tried several other models of Keens including the Alamosa which I really wanted to work but which tweaked my knees! I was repeatedly disappointed in the Keens I tried on, especially for the prices being asked. The Bryce doesn't hurt my feet, knees or back. Also the Alamosa had some creasing across the top of my toes in a few of the samples I tried.

The Bryce has been great for me with the insole provided. I wore them around the house for awhile to see how they would be after several hours, then took them on the road with success. I had just bought a well know German brand that fits me well, but have not used them since I found these because the support is better for me in these shoes. When I removed the insole to look at the quality of the shoe on the inside I was pleased, as it appears to be a very well built shoe. Personally I'm tired of made in China shoes that have shoddy materials and workmanship being sold at inflated prices.

I do wish the laces were longer and would hold better, even with a double knot they loosen up by the end of the day. It's a low rise shoe so the top hole for the laces is a little lower than I would prefer, but that's inherent in the shoe so I wouldn't deduct for that. It took trying on maybe 15 different shoe brands and models and buying, trying and sending back two choices to get these, so I will likely get a couple more pairs to stockpile in case this model is discontinued. Now that these have been broken in for a week of 2-4 hours a day of walking they are even better.

Remember that everyone has different feet and that reviews are just a place to start, but it's okay to be picky because it will help your feet stay healthy!

UPDATE: I ordered two more pair about 3 months ago as the soles on the first pair wore 50% in three months! but that's from logging all my miles on concrete. I was pleased that they wore evenly as I place my feet well. The first pair is still super comfortable to wear even with the sole lugs worn down to half the original height and I alternate those two pair and have another pair stockpiled. Because this shoe works so well for my feet I am ordering several more of the colors that are on sale. After 7 months wearing these exclusively I think I would have some serious issues trying to do my job without them. I have also had them in the dirt on light hiking trails and feel secure doing trail and rock hopping in them even though the rise is low, because the flat sole gives me a great secure feel to my footing. If these work for your feet they will be worth ordering a couple of pair to try on. I always order at least two, as any shoes will have some tiny variations just like our feet do, and I think trying on more than one of the same model of any shoe in a store or from an online dealer is always a good idea.

UPDATE 1/2015 : KEEN JUST RUINED THIS SHOE FOR ME BY CHEAPING OUT!!! In December I bought two pair as usual and sent one back. One pair seemed more viable but I was also stuck because my husband asked if he could have my shoebox and thinking he just wanted it for model cars or the usual I said sure. He used it to move from one job to the other but then left it behind and lost it. We had a garage full of various boxes but he had to have my shoebox.. The pair I kept has the same issues just not as bad but I can't wear them for work, and it has cost me $110 dollars so I'm pretty ticked off. We had a discussion about in the future HE tell me *exactly why* he wants something. So he is paying for this pair of shoes.

HERE'S THE PROBLEM: The exterior and outsole seem okay, but the removable insole has been changed, mostly by actually cutting it down around the edges and flattening it out and making it thinner. The result is that it cradles the foot less and has less side and arch support. They may have cheapened up or changed the material in the middle (?) sole as well as it doesn't feel as cushioned.

The result for me personally is that now this shoe aggravates the ball of my foot, causing pain that I used to have to flare up again. This shoe in the original format CURED that! It also has put a shift in my step that tweaks my knee and also aggravates my hip on the right where I have old injuries. I originally loved this shoe because I could walk miles without pain, and I am grateful I still have two pair tucked away of the older model. I tossed one pair that I wore completely out and donated another that was only half worn, I wish now I had kept them. They are still loose around the heel, not enough to slip but enough that the area inside wears out prematurely and I end up with holes there because the inner fabric is so thin and cheap.

I pulled the insoles out of a worn pair I held on to as yard shoes and am glad I did, I washed them and put them in this new shoe and will see if that makes them wearable.

UPDATE:

I've removed stars from my initial 5 because this is now a mediocre or aggravating shoe for me personally. I hate that it wasn't enough for keen that they could sell these shoes at $125, they had to go the route of every rich corporation and cut expenses. So maybe they save $1 on the insole and by cheapening the outsole as well so the cushioning to absorb impact is mostly defeated, they ruined what should have been a flagship shoe, one that people who loved it could have bought repeatedly. My feet used to love these, it was like walking on new feet when I put these on. The most recent pair I had to dump the insole and put in a Dr Scholl's cushion sole plus a blue gel heel and arch support. It makes the shoe useable but it's not what the original old worn out pair is as far as support and comfort.

Keen, you guys are idiots!