text: Avoid these at all costs. I'm a seasoned veteran of Merrell water shoes and this pair is just poorly designed. Unfortunately they opted to run the laces through a stitched in lace instead of a main part of the shoe. As a result, my pair broke after only a handful of uses. My first pair of Merrell water shoes lasted 6 years. This pair less than 1 year. For the price, not a good value. I would opt for a pair that doesn't use this lace design.