Customer Reviews Sperry Authentic Original

I got these for my son. He needed a full size smaller than he usually wears. Also the inner lining started coming up. He crazy glued it down and that seems to have worked for now.

Top side leather is thin and flimsy, but the shoe fits very comfortably. Just hope it lasts over time.

I have had over 6 pair of these shoes over the years. Since they started making them in China I have found the inner sole become unglued (poor glue) and they seem to wear out faster. I like the look and feel but the quality in not very good.

Please know before you read that I spent over a dozen years in the men's shoe business, from the stock room to district manager. That being said, this is a perfectly serviceable FASHION boat shoe--despite the presence of a siped sole, the upper is far too pliable for the shoe to be of much good in a serious boating situation (and this isn't exactly the ideal color for working a deck). If you love the style and just HAVE to have it for weekends on the sloop, then consider the same shoe in the traditional brown--it has a much stiffer upper and will serve you far better in the long run. This shoe is a good summer casual, light, well-constructed, and about as versatile as it gets -- shorts, jeans, cargoes, khakis, Dockers and a sports coat, this classic style goes equally well with all. I almost never wear socks (not even with dress boots), so the quality and construction of the inside of the shoe is as important--if not more so--than that of its outside. The shoe is unlined, so there is nothing synthetic in the upper portion of the lining to promote sweating--a big plus in the summer. The biggest black mark against this shoe is in the footbed. The sock liner APPEARS to be leather (I don't think it is, however), and underneath is a lightweight heel cup/arch support that would make you think you were purchasing a shoe with some comfort technology included in the design. You would be wrong. Spend 15 minutes walking around the house and you will feel that "arch" just fall away underneath your foot; continue walking and you just might start to feel your feet pronate (you'll know this is happening when you feel like you're walking on the inner edges of your feet). This makes the shoe unwearable for some, uncomfortable for others, and--for those blessed with great feet, who could tie on a couple of Brillo pads with piano wire, run a marathon, and dance the Merengue deep into the night, all without so much as a hint of a blister or corn--no problem for many. For me, 2 hours with minimal walking is about as long as I can go in these shoes. If only they didn't look so darn good! A note--for anyone who has never owned a shoe in bone, ice, etc: these shoes have a tendency to yellow with age. Not a defect, it's part and parcel of the tanning process with these colors.

I got these for this past Christmas and could not wait to smooth out the inherent burrs or stickers that exist after manufacturing. They are great for wearing around the boat dock, on or near the water because the sole really grips wet surfaces. It is time for Sperry to finish the interior so feet with socks slide in easier. I have learned the hard way to not wear to Mall or Wal-Mart-my back will be killing me and a headache that won't go away. I began wearing Top-Siders, Bass loafers and Clark Walabee's since college in my casual time. The durability is there but comfort is lacking.

The problem with this shoe is the assumption that an XW equates to a 3E and a 4E. This shoe will probably break in to a comfortable shoe but right out of the box they were not comfortable on a 3E foot which is what you expect from this kind of shoe, especially since the same XW shoe also comes up when looking for a 4E. The shoe does look good though.

I've been buying these shoes for years, but they have changed. The leather color is now a lighter brown, and the soles are darker. They soles now sort of grey, whereas they used to be more like light brown. (I guess it's possible Zappos sent me the wrong color, but the box said Sahara.) The photos on here depict the old style, which I prefer. One way to tell the new style apart is that there is now a Sperry logo on the back of the shoe, whereas before there was no logo there.