text: The only reason that this shoe doesn't rank a 5 star from me is an issue that I have with the construction details that affect wear ability. The issue with the MW812 is that the maker chose to minimize the top line of the shoe so that it doesn't cover the tongue properly. This is an issue with almost all modern shoes and boots. If you look for old pictures from the early 1900's until about the 1990's notice how close together the sides are. They almost cover the entire tongue. This feature allowed the foot to be cradled in the shoe aiding in lateral support as well as torsional rigidity. The modern method has the left and right side of the shoe trying to work in conjunction with the tongue to accomplish the same thing. It doesn't work as well which results in stressed feet. This lowering of the side is more pronounced on the MW812 than it is on the MW577. I find that the MW577 folds over the top of the foot to a greater degree than the MW812. The major trade off for me is that the foot bed of the MW812 is much more comfortable and gives more support than the MW577 does. Therefore I have bought 2 pairs of the discontinued MW812 shoes based on the foot bed alone and the fact that they are so affordable now. I am getting beyond the short side issue by not wearing my orthotics in them like I can do in my MW577's and I am stretching the straps by readjusting the straps periodically throughout the day.