Sketchers’ White Orbit Mule – Let’s my feet feel like I am walking on clouds!
Written: May 08 '08
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Comfortable, easy to slip on/off and they look terrific.
Cons: None really!
The Bottom Line: The price is great, the comfort is excellent and the shoes are easy to slip on and off!
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| Magick1's Full Review: Skechers Orbit Mule |
One of the beautiful things about shoes is there is such a huge variety to choose from. Whether you are looking for a particular color or style, you have many selections out there. And, whether you want to find something comfortable and that is sneakers or flats, again, there is a tremendous amount of selection to pick from on the market.
Women like having choices and they love shoes (at least a lot of them seem to anyway). I usually like to find shoes that are comfortable, can be worn straight out of the box without causing hideous blisters and keep me comfortable all of the time. With this pair of shoes, I was actually looking for something quick to slip on that was like a sneaker but not a full sneaker. I found it by accident when I was trying to help find shoes for my little one. Here feet are changing all of the time and I was looking for her, really, when I came upon these!
The Mule
Most people reading this know what a mule is, I believe. But, just in case there are those out there that do not know what a mule is it is basically a shoe where the back portion covering the heel has been cut off. Sometimes the style of shoe is called a clog. You still will have shoe covering the toes, the top of the foot and virtually all of the way back to the heel area but your heels will be exposed. This is not like sandals that just fit over the toes or a little bit across the top of the foot.
These Sketchers’ Orbit Mules look like tennis shoes, or sneakers, from every side you look at them. The bottoms have an excellent tread on them and it allows for good traction and foot on virtually any surface. I have worn them in the rain, light snow and dry sunny days, and they haven’t slipped. The tops have a string through eye holes that allow you to tighten the shoes on your feet. So, you can slip your feet into the shoes and make them really snug and tie them each time you wear them or set them and forget them, basically. I choose the last option and only retie them if the strings feel like they are loosening up or when the leather has stretched some making my feet slide out of the shoes too easily.
The shoes are white and have the S logo that Skechers use in a silver thread on the outside of the shoes and an inked S on the back of the shoe on the sole. There is a small silver thread going through for the stitching on the tongue of the shoe and the Skechers’ name is on the tongue of the shoe. The tongue of the shoe is loose, just like tennis shoes are normally. The silver thread makes the shoes sparkle a little bit but they are not super flashy and they do not look hideous!
There is a small tab sewn at the top of the tongue (where you would normally pull the tongue of the shoe back towards your foot if your foot was uncomfortable) to pull the shoe on or to make the comfort of the shoe better. I find that when I put the shoes on, I have them tied just enough to keep the shoes from flying off of my feet and snug enough that I just cannot step into the shoe and go. I always have to pull the tongue of the shoes back slightly to get my feet into the shoes just right.
The comfort is just like a sneaker. I have had no troubles with them at all. I wish they offered different colors of these shoes, but white is the only choice that I have found either in the stores or online. The price was comparable to tennis shoes (if you are not looking at the high tech, super pricey running shoes from Nike, Reebok, Saucony, etc. These were around $35 if I recall, since I purchased a few pairs of shoes when I bought these a while back, I am not 100% on the price, but it should be fairly close.
The foot bed is a thicker yet firm foot bed. The shoes are listed as being roughly 1 ½ inches thick at the heel and the shoes don’t have a “heel” look to them. The shoe bottoms are level and do not rise towards the back like the term “heels” implies it would. They are comfortable to wear and really make my feet feel wonderful!
If you are not familiar with mules and have not walked in a pair of mule shoes, you will walk a bit different. This is regardless of dressy or casual styles! When you first wear these for any length of time and are walking a lot, you will have a slightly different stride when you are walking. This stride is to help ensure that the mules are not slipping off of your feet. The ties on these shoes help reduce that fatigue because you are able to tie these on like sneakers. But, the back of the shoes where your heels are is open. There is not a strap or back on the shoes. Therefore, when you are walking, you walk a little different to keep the shoes from flying off of your feet.
I found after wearing these shoes and walking a lot, my feet felt great, but different muscles in my legs and feet were fatigued and felt slightly sore. But, this doesn’t last a long time and with a bit of massage, the feeling passes. So, if you intend to get a pair of Skechers’ Orbit Mules, break them in on moderate walks until you get used to them. Once you are used to them, they will be awesome for longer walks!
Overall Impressions
I originally bought these just to slip on and off at my kickboxing classes so that I would be able to take them off and put them on quickly for my classes. But, I have found that I am wearing them out on errands, walks around the neighborhood while my daughter rides her bicycle and many other places. I love the comfort, the easy on and off and the look.
For the price, they are a great tennis shoe and they are helping sway me towards the Skechers’ line of shoes more and more. I love the thicker soles on them and the feel inside the foot bed. No matter what, my feet feel comfortable.
There are only a couple of things that I don’t like about these shoes and I mentioned one above: lack of color choices. The other is that I wish the shoes breathed a bit more. These shoes are a thicker leather without any real breathing holes put into them so the front of your feet, unless you kick of the shoes, are covered just like leather sneakers and it can make your foot feel hot when you are walking a lot! But, the leather is really nice and looks terrific. I like it better than a lot of the cheap nylon or mesh styles that are out there where holes pop up quickly!
If you are looking for new shoes and like the mule (or clog) style, check these out as they are fantastic and comfortable! They are really durable and do not show my wear even though I have been wearing them a lot. The only place where I am noticing “wear” would be the soles inside the shoes where I shove my feet appears to be getting a bit dingy white color from wearing them. But, those can be spot cleaned with a wet towel and allowed to dry out. Check them out if you are in the market for some new shoes!
~Thanks for spending time with me today!~
Recommended:
Yes
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