I had yet to own any shell that was not from horween so I jumped on these when they came up on the discord marketplace. They were secondhand and unworn so they fit my budget perfectly.
Took a little risk but after doing some research on the Meermin website I decided they would fit well.
Purchased secondhand but unworn.
Worn to run errands and to go to school. Been going on walks, some very light hikes,just chilling. Been my go to footwear as they started to break in.
The break in process on these was one of the worst I've had but not really because of the leather. The last doesn't work the best for my left foot so when in combination with the shell cordovan the creases on the vamps dug into me a bit. After the breaking really got going, though, the shell softened and is now pretty comfortable and getting better every year.
The instep on my left foot caused some real problems with the creasing on the left boot. Other than that the fit is very good. Flex points line up at the ball and toes have plenty of room without swimming in the toe-box.
Overall the construction is pretty good. Stitching is fine on the upper. The right boot has developed a squeak, but hopefully it will go away or can be remedied with some talc powder if needed. The home installed sole protectors are working great and the soles overall are quite comfy but sturdy.
Very comfortable and broke in very easily. Heels lack a bit of traction compared to full rubber but work well enough for my lifestyle.
So far extremely durable. The rubber quarter is holding up better than many other combo heels I have on other pairs of shoes.
I would recommend these for anyone if they fit the last. Hard to beat the price for a pair of shell boots.