In time, these might be excellent Flip Flops, but out of the box there are a couple issues.  The primary problem is the strap.  While it does have a softer layer that sits on top of the foot, the strap is still quite uncomfortable.  At the front edge of the strap, the various layers that make up the strap are sewed together such that the lower front edge creates a &#34;sharp&#34; crease that cuts into my foot.  It seems it would have been easy to just round the softer layer of material up around that edge.  Also, the strap seems to sit at an angle such that the front edge is tight to the foot while the back edge has a little room.  The other thing I'm not thrilled with is how thick the sole is.  It's about like a conventional style athletic shoe, with a good three quarters to one inch of lift off the ground.  The reason I've still rated the flip flops 4 stars is that I can see that after I've worn them for a while and the footbed compresses down somewhat, some of these issues will get better.  In addition, the arch support and overall foot fit of the cork bed is exceptional.  I think it's worth it to put in the time to break these in and hopefully I'll be upgrading my rating.  In the meantime, please please redesign that strap and make the underside soft all the way around!