text: As someone who loves Merrell thong sandals (I'm a 9.5 usually, but get those in size 10), these just didn't do it for me. I thought I'd take a chance since they are extremely well reviewed both here and on Zappos, but I didn't like them at all. All the reviews that said they run big? I'm not sure that's correct. I measured thrice and rounded down to the 9 based on many reviewers' recommendation, but it didn't work for me. I'm not reordering in a size 10 because my foot is a little bit wide and I think these would still be too narrow. They are adjustable, but I think it looks odd to have them only partially tightened. The design on the bed of the shoe is nice and it had nice enough padding -- certainly much better than most flip flops, but doesn't compare to even my 3-year old, worn-nearly-everyday (winter & water) Merrells. The material on the top of the shoe is shinier than I'd like and too plastic looking for my tastes.