Merrell Men's Encore Gust Slip-On Shoe

Great Merrell Men's Encore Gust Slip-On Shoes! They look great and fit well! Very comfortable. Well made quality shoes. Excellent Seller! Well described by Seller. Very pleased and happy with these shoes. Excellent Service And Excellent Safe Packing! Will buy here again! Many Thanks!

These slip-ons are now among the most comfortable shoes that I own. They slip on easily yet they seem to almost grab your feet. They are expertly crafted to stay on the foot while walking yet they are not tight and have plenty of room in the toe box. I wear a size 10 1/2 and found them to be true to size. They are a well made shoe with a substantial yet lightweight sole. They are also an attractive shoe and, being made of leather, should maintain their appearance for a good long time.

I thought long and hard about taking a chance on these shoes. Was looking for some slip-on's I could wear in the office and be able to quickly get in and out of them to use the padded mat at my stand-up desk. I've had several good pairs of Merrell shoes and liked them all, but when recently looking to replace my worn out Chameleons, the one's I had were no longer available and have been replaced by what many reviewers said was an inferior quality product. Having then seen some in a local store, I was not impressed with the "new/ improved" Chameleons and immediately saw what people didn't like. Didn't feel or even look much like the old design and made noise when I walked in them.Same issue with my hiking boots. was going to replace my waterproof Moab mid-hikers and found that again there was a "quality" change, and not for the better. Boots falling apart, failing waterproofing, etc, etc. Still look the same, but evidently not. Still haven't replaced mine.As for the Encore Gust, I couldn't find them locally, and though most reviews were really good, there were a few very unhappy campers who had the same quality issues and pointing out that the current model is not the same as the previous shoes (differences not being enhancements). Despite the negative reviews, I decided that since Amazon offered free returns, I could take a chance.It's only been a few days, but so far, so good. Though they were a bit snug at first, they are loosened and comfortable so far. And so far, no visible quality issues. I really want to like these shoes. They suit the purpose I bought them for perfectly. Jury is out on how well they hold up. I will post updates.Merrell had a great reputation until recently and I've always liked the Merrells I've owned. But I'm not wealthy and can't afford to drop over 100 bucks on something that I can't get plenty of use out of. Not sure why the problems or why the apparently uncontrollable need to discontinue and replace proven and popular designs with apparently inferior products, but I truly hope they bring back the old Chameleon design. I love those shoes.

The fit is accurate. They are a bit clunky to walk in and don’t have great arch support if you plan to be on your feet for an extended period of time. Overall comfortable enough for the price.

I have purchased several pairs. They are great for my feet. I need wide, 8 1/2 with good support, no high rear to rub my heel spur and arthritis, and no "flip/flop" hurting action as I walk, irritating my aging bunion.. That was a major concern when I ordered these years ago: would they flop when walking and create even more issues with knee and foot pain (Sorry to offend anyone, but I hate fip-flops and think there should be a health ban on them outside of the shower room!). In fact, in my first pair of these shoes, I put holes and grommets near the rear to lace them up my leg Iike ballet dancer's toe shoes to prevent any flopping. But with my second pair, I either started waling better or the design changed slightly and I did not need to be that drastic. However, these are not for serious, long distance walking for my feet. I can wear them all day for office work with plenty of standing and for running routine errands, but for two mile or more walks, even with my lacing technique, there is still enough flop action in these shoes to destroy my ankles and knees. So for my walking/exercising shoes I must look elsewhere. The look of these is more casual than I would like, but my feet are more important than style. They do look better than the more expensive Birkenstock (definitely too casual, expensive, and mostly sandal-like anyway) and I've never tried on a Birkenstock that felt any better on first fit than these do. I wear the high gloss, smooth finish style with a suit. (Again, sorry if I offend anyone, but they go on my feet with no pain all day--and I do wear orthotic inserts with them that fit well with the liner removed.) They are also much more expensive than I would like, but my reasoning is the same--they are good for my feet. I have read that the newer version of this shoe does not hold up as well as the previous version. I have a rough brown finish and smooth brown finish pair that have worn well--more than two years for the smooth brown and going in four and a half years on the rough brown. I have been waiting for black to come in around $80 and they did.( I have two pair of the Breeze style of this shoe, but only wear them as slippers around the house or for a quick trip out as with their open weave pattern, they look even more casual than the Gust. You can find Breeze version in the $50/60 range, although the men's version is getting harder to find.) I just hope that the negative review I read is wrong and that this new black model will hold up as well as the older brown ones have and that the slight price drop does not reflect drop in quality. The negative review complained of upper and lower separation. My older pairs are still going strong. If these do hold up as well, I will buy more when needed. If they don't hold up as well, I will be greatly disappointed that I need to start looking for good office shoes again.

The Merrell slip-on shoe is now a staple in my closet. I wear them as house shoes, swapping them indoors for outdoor shoes and boots, as I live in a snowy climate. They're nicely styled, easy on and off, comfortable and very durable. I like the fact that they're a straightforward leather shoe and don't look like some silly experiment.