Customer Reviews KEEN Austin

I wanted to like them - I like the colors and the look of the shoe...that is, until I saw it in person and thought they looked like clown shoes. But I was willing to try them out anyways. First of all, I couldn't even get my feet in the shoes. I had to remove the foam insole just to put them on. There is plenty of toe room (even if you had 15 toes) but the rest of the shoe felt too narrow. I will try to stretch them for a few days but might end up returning them. I want my discontinued Timberlands back!

Hot but HOT!!! A fantastic looking shoe with a nice wide toe bed. I only recommend it for the winter months as it is a bit toasty inside the thick leather. The material inside the heel is better than the Bronx which uses pleather and causes blisters. The ankle cut of this shoe is a little too tall and rubs your ankle bone. It's easily solved by purchasing heel inserts to raise your ankle a little out of the shoe.

Too Narrow - I ordered these for my husband for an upcoming trip and he tried them on and said right away that they were too narrow. You could see that he couldn't really tie them, they looked weird. Disappointing. I wanted to get him a pair of Keens because I have a pair I love and plan to take them to Europe with us. My husband does not have a wide foot. They also had a weird scuff on the side of the shoes which was strange for a brand new pair of shoes.

I have been buying Keen Austins for years...probably 20-25 pairs over time. However, in the past 3-4 pairs, I've noticed a decline in workmanship and quality: sometimes not true to size (had to return); sometimes the grommets pop out; this last pair the laces were 5-6 inches shorter and I had to go buy another set. Keen was always known for high quality but I sense they are slipping. Caveat emptor.

Very, Very stiff!. Quite uncomfortable.

This shoe fit my husband well until he tried to take a few steps. The edge of the tongue is so stiff that it pressed painfully into the top of his foot. There is next to no padding along the top edge of the tongue, and the solid leather is too stiff for walking. So back they go.

The shoes were too stiff and tight.

These are about a half size too small compared to my other keens, the width is very good but the length is a bit small. Also, as others have mentioned these are so stiff and the bottom is hard without any give which isn't good for walking naturally. This pair came obviously worn before, I noticed a bit of dirt that I had to clean off the side of the sole and also, the right shoe has something wrong with the bottom, it rocks and is not stable and since it is very hard without any give, I think this could be a problem and maybe that is why it was previously returned? They are going back.

was expecting more from my first pair of Keen. these were not particularly comfortable to wear and not much support, either.

Clunky and too short. Husband has worn Keen for years; this shoe was not up to previous standard.

I have been wearing Keen Austins in different colors for over 6 years. They WERE a suede type upper, very comfortable and predictable. The pair I purchased a month ago are now stiff leather and have injured my instep after 4 short trials in my house. I have to return them and hope I can find something similar to the old Austins. Very disappointed Keen.

I was not pleased with this shoe and if I had not worn it 3 times, I would return it! I previously purchased the piedmont lace but cannot seem to get that again, so tried the Austin. The quality is just not there. The left shoe tongue seems to slip down leaving a bump where the toes begin and there is a pucker on the side. They seem to be a bit wider too, and they don't fit right. I don't like the looks of the shoe after spending all of $110 on them, I will have to wear them. Bummer, I won't buy them ever gain!

I love Keens. LOVE them. They dramatically reduced my back pain, and eliminated my plantar fasciitis. These Austins, however? Let's just say that I'm not encouraged by the way things are going at Keen, and am worried I may have to find a new brand. Overall, they seem well built, but with less arch support than I am used to getting, and wider than other pairs of the exact same size. But, they are certainly comfortable. A keeper on the comfort/construction front. *Unfortunately* after just a few hours of being worn, my "Cascade Brown / Goat" pair look *terrible*. I'm guessing that was the effect the designers were going for -- "shabby chic" or "street worn" or something -- but they just look... old and abused. I wore them for about three hours and an hour or so of driving, and they look more worn out and abused than some Keens I have had for -years-. If that's what they're going for, fine... but warn us. It's definitely not something I expected, nor something I would have chosen, and, irritatingly, not something that is discovered until -well- past the point of being able to return them. Creases, faded off / rubbed thin areas of discoloration, etc. After just part of an afternoon, they look like I've been living in them for months! I guess I have a new pair of "wear while working around the house" shoes. Unfortunately, what I thought I bought was "wear with a nice pair of jeans or casual pants" shoes. Honestly not real happy here. Similar slips in quality / design changes on another pair of Keens I bought at the same time are making me wonder what the h*ll is going on at Keen HQ and whether critical staff members have changed. For the worse. After 15+ pairs of their shoes over the last few years, I may need to find another brand.

My husband & I have been in the Keen shoes family for about 5 years now. We have had different styles from sandals to his new Austin (Black). All were comfortable and fit well. But the road has turned from smooth to rough as his new Austin are turning his white socks black. Had it not been for this issue, he would rate them 5 stars across the board. I don't know what kind of dye was used in the tongue area, but it is some nasty stuff. Since we threw the box out and he wore them on the street, they cannot be returned. Be wary of black shoes.

I bought these shoes for working in a warehouse for 8-10 hr days. From what time I had with them the comfort was amazing. I had to return these shoes because the rubber around the toe and sides of both shoes started to come off with-in a week for working. Zappos customer service team was very helpful with the return process even though they were worn. This was my first pair of Keens. I'm disappointed in the fact the fell apart, but so happy with the comfort I exchanged them for a different style with stitching around the sole.

The rubber sole pulled away from the toe/ tip. I glued it back on, but for this price I expect better quality. I like the looks but the quality and comfort are lacking.

These shoes were great; however, after 7 months of occasional wear, the right shoe now has an annoying squeak when no matter the surface. I wear these shoes once or twice a week, and the only time that they don't squeak is when I walk in grass. They squeak on asphalt, concrete, hardwood, and industrial non-slip flooring. I am debating on returning these shoes because I can no longer stand to wear them.

I have many Keen shoes including clogs and sandals (both great), however the (#1321) Austin Lace Up separated from the sole at the heel almost as soon as I got them, and after a few months of occasional light wear separated at the ball of the foot and significantly lost cushioning. What was good cushioning, now leaves me w/hip pain. Not satisfactory for a shoe at this price. It was comfortable, while it lasted, but is just not good enough for a shoe at this price point. I have just bought a very similar design, the Keen Finlay, which is better looking, still not beautiful, but it is comfortable, fits well, etc. Please Keen, get your quality back up to where it was. These are great shoes and they fit my feet perfectly, but some QC and better manufacturing techniques would make these an easier purchase going forward.

I loved the shoe for about 3 months until the soles started to squeak and peel off. Returned and got a second pair and they started to do the same thing a few months later. They must have a glue issue. Love Keen shoes but this model is bad.

Like other reviewers have said, the sole became separated from the shoe after about 6 months. Also, even if they had not separated, the sole wore down very quickly. It's a shame as I had been buying this style (similar) from Keen for quite a while and this latest batch/version has terrible durability.

I will give this review two parts, first for the shoe and second for Zappos. Keen Austin: I ordered this shoe with the ambitious goal of finding a shoe that can fill multiple roles for me and essentially be a single shoe I can travel with. My hopes were to find a shoe that could handle moderate hiking, snow, all day comfort, still look nice dressed up with jeans or khakis and be high quality / built to last. This was almost the correct shoe. This shoe can certainly handle moderate to serious hiking and snow. It looks nice enough but maintains a more rugged look than I expected from the pictures. Unfortunately it did not meet expectations on comfort or quality. While the shoe is comfortable it is definitely built rugged, if you are going to be using this mostly for hiking/trails, then it is a good shoe; if you are going to be using it mostly for everyday use with occasional trial wear, I would look elsewhere. My biggest disappointment was quality. Within a few wears the right shoe began to squeak loudly due to the rubber sole beginning to separate from the leather near the outer toe where the shoe flexes. Noticed water leak into the 'waterproof' shoe from this spot as well. Poor build quality. I have seen this from other reviewers also. Not sure I would buy from Keen again. In the end it was not the shoe I was looking for. I ended up with a pair of Merrell Mountain Diggs which (so far) seem to be much more in line with my needs. Built well, look great, much more everyday comfort and can still handle the trail if I need them to. Zappos: What can I say, they are amazing! Ordered two sizes originally, shipped one back, all went smooth and easy. Before I noticed the defect in the product my job took me to Korea for a few months where I started having the squeak and separation issue on the shoe. I contacted Zappos to see how we could handle a return for the defect given that I was out of the country, did not have the original packaging, and it would be very expensive for me to ship the shoes back. They immediately credited my account, no questions asked and told me not to worry about returning the shoe! Amazing service that you just don't see from many places these days. Thanks Zappos!

These shoes feel and look great, but the soles separated from the uppers after three months. I work in a IT office job so I would expect a lot better life expectancy. Zappos has a replacement pair on the way. I hope they hold up better.

I bought these less than a month ago and they started squeaking (or rather one of them did) within a week. Manufacturing defect? My previous pair of Keens did the same thing too. Disappointed.

Great uppers but horrible soles. Have only had them a few weeks and the rubber is falling apart; happened with the last of the same make/model shoe by Keen.