This is my first pair of barefoot shoes so I can't compare them to others, but I have always been curious. I purchased these shoes on amazon deeply discounted. The color (brindle)) is excellent! I normally wear a 9.5 but some reviews stated that their norm size was too small with these and the 9.5s were $125~ so I looked at the 10. They were discounted to an amazing $56 and in one of the colors I wanted. I originally was looking for a black or dark grey color, but with these being my first and shoes nonetheless I saw it as a sign and purchased these. They arrived MUCH SOONER than initially declared, as always though with Amazon. They always get my orders to me very very quickly, which I love and with my experience with ordering from amazon, I've come to expect my orders much sooner than stated. I've never been let down! Back to this shoe though. Most shoes hurt my feet.  I have union's pretty bad so nothing really feels "natural" on my feet. These shoes are SO lightweight I can barely tell I have shoes on! In fact I really don't want to take them off most of the time. Imagine THAT with a shoe, because normally I hate wearing shoes and prefer barefoot or sandals. Yes, if you wear these shoes without a thin pair of socks they do have the potential for rubbing a sensitive spot right at your Achilles tendon but thin socks prevent that and honestly I wouldn't wear them without socks for running anyway. Bottom line is that these are incredible shoes and I will buy only Merrell in the future because I have finally found a shoe that feels wonderful, natural, and lightweight on my feet.  I love them and I have never been so thrilled about a purchase before.  I tell everyone!!!