Customer Reviews KEEN Austin

I have owned 4 pairs of Keen Austins over the past 6-7 years. I walk about 3 miles per workday on concrete/pavement. I have also used them as my everyday/runaround shoes. My first 3 pairs of Austins were amazing: 1) Great arch support that lasted roughly 1.5 years each pair. 2) Wide toe box is perfect for my feet. 3) Sturdy construction for the type of abuse I dish out due to my gate. 4) Look and feel good for a long time. Unfortunately, my latest (4th) pair have fallen short on the overall quality I have come to expect from Keen. I have owned them for roughly 10 months and this is what I have experienced: 1) 5 months into usage they started to squeak. This is exceptionally annoying and distracting. I can live with squeak because I am a function guy ... but I don't like it. 2) The arch support has fallen dramatically in this pair. I feel as though my feet are being ripped apart. I still own pairs 2 and 3 for yard work and they are more comfortable than pair 4. 3) I have also noticed the stitching is giving way much quicker than the other pairs. I thought that maybe since I have owned 3 other pairs of the Austins that maybe it was a fluke. It isn't. I discovered my father-in-law has a pair of Austins and has experienced all 3 issues I am reporting. I suspect they have made changes to their manufacturing/quality control practices and the end result is a lower quality shoe. I am very disappointed. I also have a pair of Keen activity sandals that are roughly 6 years old. I have been a loyal Keen customer. With my latest experience, I was hesitant to give Keen my business again and moved to another manufacturer and have been very pleased with the decision. My father-in-law is looking to do the same. I have written them about my experience and have yet to hear back... I sincerely hope they look at what detrimental changes have been made with this product and correct them.

There is something wrong with me. I've never been into clothes or shoes. I usually bought my shoes at JL Coombs in Freeport from the discount rack. Blemished, seconds, whatever. Had a great pair of LL Bean shoes that I resoled and re-soled for a decade. Then my fiancee suggested I get a pair of these hideous looking "Keens". I bought the Austins, black, size 10.5 One year later: I own 5 pairs...I'm turning into the Imelda Marcos of Keens, and I'm a straight guy. I just ordered another pair of sandals, and when the soles started showing wear on my original Austins and they couldn't re-sole them, Keen said I could get another pair. I've never worn anything on my feet so comfortable. I wake up in the morning and I can't wait to put on a pair. How is that for an endorsement?

These were great shoes for everyday use. Two things changed. They stopped stitching the sole to the shoe (starting to use an inferior glue) and the rubber used for the sole wares out in under 6 months. Not worth the money.

Great shoes for people with wide feet - wide through the mid-sole, very roomy toe-box and adequate arch support. For people with abnormally high arches you may want to undo the laces from the top-most set of eyelets for more freedom in movement. I was also very surprised by the quality of the leather upper of this shoe. Very supple! Wears well with most casual pants (jeans, cargos, cords, etc). Overall a great casual shoe!

I absolutely love my Austins! They are the best shoes that I have ever worn. They were a little tight out of the box but I just had to loosen the laces a bit. After that they were perfect! These are very comfortable and are built to last. I have worn them everyday for nine months now and they are still in great condition. My last pair of Sketchers fell apart and had no sole left after just two months. My next pair of shoes will definitely be Keen! Now I just have to work on converting my family and friends to be Keen fans!

These were my first Zappos purchase and it was a good experience. The shoes were on sale and I ordered three pairs to try on. There was no fuss on returning the other two and the return was processed quickly. I bought these to have good quality walking shoes that were not sneakers. I needed something to handle more casual days at work, some outdoor activity, and travel. These fit the bill. I am flat footed and arch support has not been a problem. There was a little bit of break in time and they are not the most flexible pair of shoes that I have had, but there were no problems getting them on or off. When I first got them they felt too small and my feet would ache after a day. It turned out that the lacing was just too tight out of the box. Once I did a big loosing of the laces the problem went away. They are holding up great for work and outdoors. I just did a last minute cabin trip with some light hiking. For personal travel I am hoping these can be the only shoes that I need to take, as long as I do not need to get dressed up.

I've owned 4 pairs of the Keen Austin and they've always been wonderful shoes....but this latest version is trash. I don't know what they did to them but these are not the same shoes I've been buying for years.

Awesome shoes for those of us with wide feet. The boxy toe is really comfortable for walking. I wear these almost every day, and they look almost brand new after 6 months. I can also wear them with jeans, khakis, whatever. I'm currently on my third pair of Austins. I'm really hard on shoes, and they usually last me about a year. That kind of durability is unheard of with other shoes I've worn. On the bad side, they're not substantial enough to wear much in the winter, and are particularly ill-suited for snowy walks.

My husband has had 2 pairs of Keen Austin shoes previously, but the soles and interior of this new pair were instantly uncomfortable. So sad that Keen appears to have changed a great shoe into a poor design.

I just bought my third pair. The sole is comfortable and solid. I've had these on rocky trails and more typically on the street. They perform as well as any day hiking boot I've ever owned, and the weight is perfect for everyday. You get the boot comfort with a city look, which means that on the trail, it's not quite the fully and properly outfitted look. I walk at least three miles most days on asphalt or sidewalk. Foot and knee comfort is important to me. The toe protection is a great feature. This is my third pair.

I bought these shoe as I work in the construction industry and not always needing steel-toe boots, but wanted something that was durable and these are perfect. The toe cap keeps me from wrecking the front of the shoe when kneeling. I wear custom orthodics and they are thick and fit great. I wear between a 12 and 13 depending on the shoe - and with these I needed the 13. Great shoe highly recommended.

These are very comfortable shoes for doing a lot of walking.

I just ordered my 3rd pair of Keen Austin shoes. I have switched nearly all my shoe purchases to Keen products. I had been buying Mitphisto, Ecco, and Sperry Top Siders in addition to Keens. I have found all Keen models to be comfortable, durable, and a great value. The Austin is my favorite all around shoe. I have also purchased multiple Newport H2 sandals and two pair of Yogis. Also have the McKensie, the Targhee, and the Keen high-top that looks exactly like the Newport H2 but is actually a full shoe. I have had no problem with premature wear issues at all.

My husband really likes these shoes, they are very comfortable. Unfortunately the glue started to come apart where the sole meets the shoe a bit, just in the first couple weeks of wear! Hence only 4 stars.

Very comfortable but not so durable: with two consecutive pairs, the leather detached from the sole before the rest of the shoe had worn out, letting water in. However, there's no better option so I keep buying these, always hoping that they'll fix that flaw.

Great shoe for a great BIG foot...size 16 and not an easy foot to fit either. These Keens have a big toe box which my hubby needs for his curlicue toes. The gargoyle/neutral grey is a brownish/greyish color...nice looking and is a neutral color that will go with any color at all (not that he cares, but I do). We had to return and reorder because there was a crease in the structure of the toe box, but Zappos is so great when it comes to returns and the new pair is in route.

These shows are great. Sturdy, good-looking, and room for my toes. They're heavy, though. (And Zappos is terrific!)

Being from Austin, I thought it would be a great idea to buy the Keen Austin. Perfect for urban hiking, looks great and quite rugged. Took a while to break in but always comfortable, even when new. Especially wide through the toe area. They have a different look but so do I.

This is a great shoe. I could not be more pleased with this shoe, and of course, the outstanding service I've come to expect from Zappos. You will not be disappointed.

I bought these shoes because I have been having horrible heel pain and my keen sandals were the only shoes that were able to calm down the pain. The problem was that I needed a shoe for work so I bought these. I love them! Right out of the box I can tell they provide the support I need. Thank you Keens!

My husband bought his first pair of Keen Austin shoes over 5 years ago, and after 5 years, they started to fall apart from heavy use. He loved them so much he wanted the exact same thing, and I was so glad to find them.

We bought these for our son for Christmas. He was thrilled. He said they fit true to size and were very comfortable. He's on his feet a lot and needs a shoe that is comfortable but that makes a nice appearance. These are his favorite!

I bought these for my husband to replace an old pair of other Keens. Since these are his second generation of Keen shoes and he owns another pair of leather ones, it is obvious that he loves them. They are super comfortable and he loves the look.

Very comfortable and high quality. It's hard to find shoes for my wide feet but these fit! They've got a nice ugly round look similar to Sketchers, but feel more better built. Wish they weren't made in China.

Great shoes. It took a couple of days to break them in but they are very comfortable. They are dressy enough for work but look great on the weekends, too.