I bought these shoes after seeing them at NAIDEX 24. I have been looking for a smart looking shoe which had good supportive innersoles, were lightweight, easy to put on and fasten. I also required a wide fitting shoe and importantly the innersoles needed to removable so I could fit my Ankle Foot Orthosis (AFO) under the innersole.
I like shoes which have laces but I am increasingly finding these difficult to put on due to increasing lack of finger dexterity/ coordination due to my Parkinson's disease. The large opening provided by the zipper make these easy to put on or take off. Once you have fitted the shoes securely and tied the shoelaces to keep a good fitting they can be left tied up as the zipper lets you easily take off or put on your shoes. Though other types of fastenings are available, if you wear an AFO, these work better with shoe laces due to the need to keep them fixed securely in the shoe. I also prefer the shoelace look compared with fir example velcro or zip fastening where the zipper is clear visible. These shoes the zippers are on the innermost side of the shoe they have a large pull tag but when fastened this lies flat against the shoe so it is not obvious they are zip on shoes.
So they look good and fit well, however what are they like to wear is probably the most important question. Unlike any other shoes I have ever bought they were comfortable and well fitting from the first time I put them on. However just in case they did not stay that way all day on the first time of wearing them out we took a pair of my own shoes with me. A unessesary weight to carry round all day as these shoes were do light and comfortable all day long and I had no sore feet or blisters. The are so light and to me I felt that I had been walking on air all day long.
The big test how do they last, well I have worn these for 8 hours plus now for 21 days since they were delivered, (delivery was extremely fast and I was kept upto date via email), they still look as good as new with no noticeable signs of wear. As expected I have adjusted the laces to get what is now the best fit for me and I can not praise these shoes enough. They are an excellent pair of shoes that exceeded my expectations and I will be investing in other styles as they become available.
Fast, friendly and efficient services with a great product thank you Friendly Shoes.