I always put a hold on purchasing these because I never liked the way they looked and the price was just too expensive for me. This time around it was different, I did not care about how ugly or funny they looked or how much they cost, but I just wanted some shoes to give me support, make my feet feel less pain and discomfort for standing and for walking. I will share with you my experience with my first and last pair of crocs. I read some of the reviews on amazon about this product; especially those about having pain, aches, and plantar fasciitis. These reviews were so relevant to my life and I was totally convinced to purchase these. When I first saw them and felt them, they truly felt so light, I tried them on and initially they felt great! They fit me as if they were customized for my feet! I couldn't believe that these light, funny looking shoes might just be the solution for my pain on my feet. I wore them that same day I received them for maybe about 2 hours. During my first experience using my crocs, I was so satisfied, my feet were not burning me and aching me as usual and as I stood in the kitchen preparing a meal, I noticed the comfort right away on my feet. My feet just felt so light, these shoes just felt super light and for several times I thought to myself, why did I not get these sooner? Maybe if I purchased them as soon as I felt the plantar fasciitis symptoms on my left foot I would've avoided surgery? So, for that first week after receiving my crocs, I wore them only at home on my carpeted and linoleum floors to do shores, to clean, to cook, or just to relax at home. I did not wear them the whole day though, just momentarily here and there. I was so happy with them until the real test came a week later. A week later after receiving my crocs, I decided to wear these shoes to do my laundry. I thought, I will be okay, so far they have been working good for my feet at home, so I should be okay if I wear them outside. Throughout the time I was at the laundromat; maybe a little over two hours, I noticed my left toe was getting irritated and becoming painful as my toe touched the toe box in the shoe. I also noticed that the support I was looking for my feet from these shoes was no longer the same after 1 hour of been on my feet. My feet began to ache again, from time time had to limp, and the burning sensation began again. Exactly, I want to say, these crocs felt comfortable on my feet for about 1 hour while standing and moving as I did my laundry. After that I could not stand them, and I just wanted to go home and take them off. After the experience at the laundromat, I wanted to give my crocs the benefit of the doubt and decided to wear them again, but this time to the grocery store. I experience the same as at the laundromat; the crocs only gave my feet comfort for a limited amount of time. My toe was very irritated and in pain due to the toe box on the shoe being too low for my left toe. In conclusion, if you suffer from plantar fasciitis or any type of pain in your feet, these might not be for you. And hey , who knows, they might just be the ones; since we all react to pain and discomforts differently. I think these shoes are perfectly fine if you do not have any feet medical issues; for sure they will make your feet less achy and tired for a long period of time throughout the day. I really mean it, because that's how I felt when I initially began to wear these. But as time progressed, I realized these crocs are only useful for a small period of time and not for me to wear them the whole day. Also, if your toes are curled up, they may touch the tight toe box of the shoe and cause pain and irritation. All in all, I do not regret purchasing these and I know they would've been better on my feet if I did not have the medical issues I have. I hope my story helps you make a decision on purchasing the crocs. I will keep using my crocs but only small period amount of times per week and only at home. Note: It is better to wear them with socks to avoid feet from sweating and your crocs to smell bad later on. The designed protruding lines inside the shoe might make your feet itchy at first like it happened to me. When I wear these with socks they are more comfortable, otherwise the protruding lines inside the shoes bother me a little bit and my feet can get sweaty; I do not like that.
