Stinky, but effective
I didn't think these could possibly smell as terrible as what all of the reviewers described, so I really didn't know what to expect, but boy was everyone right... these have an incredibly strong industrial/glue type smell that is so overwhelming when you open the package.  Seriously - they emit a ridiculously strong smell, not necessarily a gross smell, but just very industrial, like something you shouldn't be smelling.  I left them outside to air out for two days before using them, and while they did air out some, they still smelled after the two days.  That being said, I still needed to use them, and once on my shoes, they were effective at helping me not slip, and no one mentioned a smell, so they did the job for me.
Rating: 3 stars