Keen Utility Flint II (Soft Toe) Cascade Brown/Golden Rod

I bought these for my husband at his request to replace the pair he's worn everyday. His feet needed another half an inch. The Flint II soft toe is his favorite. What really impressed me is the fact I could still buy the same exact shoe several years later. The design is solid, they don't have to change it like other companies do. He has had the worn shoes for years and outside the fact they “look” worn they have held up well. This is his third pair and he loves them.

Holds up well under lots of various conditions (rain/snow). the upper just keeps going. HOWEVER, with the last two pair the heal blocks (which are cast slightly higher to provide extra wear) have broken BELOW the actual pavement contact surface!! The design is such that it uses (apparently) a trapped air-pocket, during the molding process, for better shock resistance. This pocket relies on the moulded soul walls to maintain structural integrity, and keep the pocket intact. These walls have failed to maintain this air pocket (no exterior indications or actual hole is visible) but the 'block' can be felt to have collapsed by pressing a finger on the pavement side surface, and it just is found to be mushy, or just completely 'flat'. The first indication I had of this issue was, hip-pain, centered around the gluteus medius muscle (and then progressing to the medius minimus and T. F. L. ). This structural failure of the soul design, IF NOT QUICLY CAUGHT, will take a period of rehab to again repair the stress damage to this muscle set, to walk without pain. With the changes within KEEN, I will still purchase their products, but this is to make others (and hopefully Keen's design team) aware of this particularly sneaky failure. :{)