Review on KEEN Mens Newport Grey Magnet by John Castle

I've been a big fan of Keen shoes for 10 years and still have this pair. After about 30 days of everyday wear and a few short hikes, the heel strap broke right where other reviewers show it in pictures (see my picture). After several emails/application forms I was credited for purchasing a new pair on their website. However, since this is an obvious design flaw, I opted for the Newport leather version, for which I had to pay an additional $10. Hope they last long. I should point out that a shoemaker in my town mentioned that he sees many of these Keen Newports coming in for repairs. So why do they keep the same design/construction? A simple cross-stitch in the area prone to tearing seems to suffice.