Ouch. I wanted to pick up a good pair of boots. Wolverine Durashocks, I was told, are number one selling work type boots in the country based on comfort. Sounded good. Tried them on in the store. The fit seemed fine, the quality appeared good. Assembled in the USA, etc..So, I bought them. The price was great and so was the service.

First time I wore them, the inserts started bunching up. I had to spend 20 min getting it in right because it had a sticky bottom on the insert, which made it nearly impossible to make them flat inside the shoe. Well, eventually I fixed that problem and wore them.

After a few hours, one of my feet started to hurt, the bottom of the foot, where the ball of the foot is, no less. I persisted and wore them all day. The pain got pretty bad but bearable at the end of the day. I took them off, readjusted the inserts again, and put them away for a day.

The pain subsided the next day, so I did something stupid. I decided to try wearing these boots again, thinking that it may not have been the boots, or maybe it was inserts, etc. Checked the inserts and they were fine. So I wore them again. Sure enough, the pain came back, and worse. By the end of the day, I could not wait to take them off. It REALLY hurt this time.

The next day, I could hadrly walk. The day after, I could walk, barely, but it hurt, a lot, every step. I think it actually hurt worse the day after I wore them then on the day I took them off for the last time. Two days later, the pain has subsided but has not completely disappeared. I could walk without flinching and almost without limping, finally. This was a bizzare experience, as the shoe seems to FIT fine, but causes a build-up of pain that seems to come from the SOLE.

Being of engineering mind, I can come to only a few conclusions. One, maybe, maybe, I had a bad pair with some defect. Not enough data. Bottomline is, if there is one pair like this, there maybe more. The problem seems to be directly related to the sole construction, and possibly inserts. They create some bizzare pressure points that kill feet, at least my feet. Either the soles are defective, or Durashocks design is just not compatible with some feet.

The whole reason for this review is that it happened so fast. Two days, a few hours each day. Perhaps I can spare someone the same experience, and then it will be worth it. Heck, I have already lost hours due to this, whats some more time writing a review ? :) I never had this type of pain, or any kind of bottom of foot pain / problem from any of the dozens other shoe brands I have worn. In fact, I have pretty tolerant feet... Not very picky at all. I just go for the best price/comfort combo.. if I ever stop wearing a shoe, it is because it is either worn out, or begins to rub on top somewhere, and there is no way to know that until you wear them for a while.

So, if you buy this, and feel incipient pain, take them off!!! Now!!!

Recommended: No