'Hannel' Sandal

When I first tried these Mephisto sandals on, I was delighted with how well they fit my slender size 7.5 feet. Although they lack the solid strong arch support and form fitting footbed of years past, I thought these would work ... until I took a few steps. While walking around the house in these sandals, I noticed I kept on scuffing the front of the shoes on the floor, like I wasn't picking up my feet properly. This kept happening over and over, so I compared the sandals to my 2008 Hannel sandals. First of all, the footbed on the older model feels MUCH BETTER than the new ones. Second, by placing one of each Hannel sandel (2008 and 2014 models) on top of my desk and looking at them at eye level from the side of the shoes, the cause of the foot scuffing became obvious. The older 2008 Hannel sandals have a slight bend in the sole at the front, so that it lifts off the floor (I believe most shoes do this). The soles on the 2014 Hannels however, are ABSOLUTELY FLAT. Maybe this doesn't bother other folks, but I can't walk in these. What has happened to the quality of shoes these last few years? It's been really tough to find decent shoes, as all the manufacturers seem to be lowering their standards. The only brand exceptions I have found, are Paul Green and Aquatalia. I'll be returning these Mephistos ASAP.

I have a hard time finding shoes that are comfortable and usually have great results choosing Mephisto. But these were stiff and the arch was too strong for one of my feet which is very flat. I'm sure the sandals would be great for the right feet but I had to return them and ordered another pair of my very comfortable Teva's which aren't as dressy as I'd like but I could walk in them all day.

Having structural damage incurred from three of my previous career choices over the past three decades has left shoe shopping categorically with undergarments, bathing suits and tooth fillings. However, these sandals are kind to those having structural issues and tendon instabilities. Orthopedic designers for medical solutions ought to pay more attention to the design of these sandals. Definitely worth investing the money to wear these sandals on a casual day. The designers really put a lot of valuable research into the design of these sandals.