Customer Reviews Merrell Barefoot Pure Glove

About two years ago I tried Birkenstocks and found that I could finally walk without pain. I have very flat and flexible feet and the support felt great. Of course I went out and bought several pairs thinking a major problem had been solved. A few months ago I realized that my knees that had never given me problems before, were becoming very painful. It seems like the problem could possibly be my beloved Birks. While looking around the net for something else, I stumbled on the stories of people who had gone to barefoot or non-supportive shoes because of pain. This of course was the opposite of what I had been doing. My knees were so painful though that I thought it was worth a try. It's been a month wearing these shoes almost exclusively and being barefoot as much as possible. The articles that I read were mostly from runners, which I am not. But my knees are much better. My feet are sore but they seem to be getting used to it, and I am kind of "pulling up" at the arch. I've used a very careful, gradual approach to learning how to walk in these. I do wish the shoe was wider. I had to buy a half size up to accommodate my wide feet, so the shoe has a loose feel to it. The recommendations say they should fit like a glove, which I don't think I would want. For bad weather I've used my Merrell hiking boots with the insoles taken out to make them more roomy and flatter. They still felt like low heels after wearing the Barefoot Pure Glove. Very odd. So far so good. And I have actually gotten compliments on them at work, which I never had with the Birks. After a few months I should have a better idea if the shoes are working for me or not, and will update this review.