For a company focused on high quality outdoor footwear, I had high expectations for these shoes. Unfortunately, these are little more than flat footed soles with a cheap textile upper. Orthotic inserts will solve the lack of arch support, but the design of the upper is discouraging. The laces focus all their downward and side pressure onto a dime size spot on the top of my foot, directly above the arch. This concentration of pressure creates a painful hotspot after more than 10 minutes of walking. Unfortunately loosening the laces relaxes all the shoe's stability and my feet almost slip out.Lesson learned: Merrel isn't ready for modern urban footwear. They should stick to their hiking and moc product lines. I'll stick with Cole Han for my urban footwear.