As a flight attendant, there are very strict restrictions on my allowed footwear. I bought these not only because they fit the guidelines, but also because of the hard toe. I had purchased black Keen flats before and they were the most comfortable shoes I have ever worn. I could wear them all day and my feet wouldn't ache. Using the brake and release petals on the service carts all of the time really does a number on the toes of our shoes so the hard toe prolongs the life of my shoe by a tremendous amount (also, with the tight quarters on the aircraft, toes get stepped on and bags get dropped on feet). Keen no longer makes the model of shoe that I fell in love with. These were the closest thing. Even though I saw the negative reviews, I figured it would be worth giving them a try. If there was a Keen retailer nearby, I would definitely returned these. They were so incredibly tight on the knuckle just under my big toes. I felt bruised for at least half of the weekend after a workweek (as well as every night of the workweek). It took well over a month of nearly everyday wear for these shoes to finally give a little. I no longer feel as much pain and the shoes are getting more and more comfortable as the weeks progress (although, too much speed walking in the airport brings back the pain again).