****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
I have pretty extensive arthritis in my feet and toes and have been struggling to find a black, leather, summer slip-on sandal that is attractive and comfortable and does not have a toe post or much of a heel. While I finally found an older Birkenstock style that worked for me, I still wanted something that was a bit more flexible in style, i.e. not so chunky and could be more dressed-up. After months of looking, review-reading, buying and returning I finally tried the Born Inlet Sandal and found The One.Pros: The style is perfect for me. Simple, classic, and moves from casual to dressy very easily. The quality is excellent; soft, attractive leather, comfortable padded sole and well-made overall. The strap fits my foot well whereas many of the sandals I tried that had non-adjustable straps across the forward part of the foot were far too large. I would be able to fit at least 2 fingers between the strap and my foot in many of them. I have long toes and was afraid the strap might not look well on me but I like where the top strap crosses my foot, just at the lower part of my toes but not below. Most important to me, because the leather is soft, even in areas where I have enlarged joints from arthritis, there is still no painful squeezing or rubbing. The sole is soft and padded and I do think this is the most comfortable pair of shoes of any type that I own.Cons: So far I have none. Leather stretches of course but after a couple of weeks of constant wear, including travel and long walks (these really are more comfortable than my slippers) I don't see anything to worry about yet. I don't have concerns about arch support so not sure if that might be an issue for some people.
