text: I thought long and hard about taking a chance on these shoes. Was looking for some slip-on's I could wear in the office and be able to quickly get in and out of them to use the padded mat at my stand-up desk. I've had several good pairs of Merrell shoes and liked them all, but when recently looking to replace my worn out Chameleons, the one's I had were no longer available and have been replaced by what many reviewers said was an inferior quality product. Having then seen some in a local store, I was not impressed with the &#34;new/ improved&#34; Chameleons and immediately saw what people didn't like. Didn't feel or even look much like the old design and made noise when I walked in them.<br />Same issue with my hiking boots. was going to replace my waterproof Moab mid-hikers and found that again there was a &#34;quality&#34; change, and not for the better. Boots falling apart, failing waterproofing, etc, etc. Still look the same, but evidently not. Still haven't replaced mine.<br />As for the Encore Gust, I couldn't find them locally, and though most reviews were really good, there were a few very unhappy campers who had the same quality issues and pointing out that the current model is not the same as the previous shoes (differences not being enhancements). Despite the negative reviews, I decided that since Amazon offered free returns, I could take a chance.<br />It's only been a few days, but so far, so good. Though they were a bit snug at first, they are loosened and comfortable so far.  And so far, no visible quality issues. I really want to like these shoes. They suit the purpose I bought them for perfectly. Jury is out on how well they hold up. I will post updates.<br />Merrell had a great reputation until recently and I've always liked the Merrells I've owned. But I'm not wealthy and can't afford to drop over 100 bucks on something that I can't get plenty of use out of. Not sure why the problems or why the apparently uncontrollable need to discontinue and replace proven and popular designs with apparently inferior products, but I truly hope they bring back the old Chameleon design. I love those shoes.