FIRST OF ALL, THIS WILL BE LONG. I LIKE TO MAKE REVIEWS ENTERTAINING AS WELL AS INFORMATIVE, SO IF YOU DON'T ENJOY READING, YOU MAY WANT TO SKIP THIS REVIEW. IF A LONG, WORDY REVIEW DOESN'T BOTHER YOU, BY ALL MEANS READ ON. Like the title of my review here says, EVERYTHING was/is better than expected. FAR better! In this day and age of poor quality products, undependable shipping, and sub-par customer service, Amazon has yet to disappoint me. With THIS particular transaction and product, however, Amazon even outperformed themselves BY FAR! I have been wearing slip-on shoes for the past couple of years because back problems make putting on and tying my other boots and shoes has become quite difficult and rather painful. Slip-on shoes were the solution, but finding slip-on shoes that are comfortable, durable, and relatively inexpensive can be tricky. I remembered the Vans brand checkered slip-on skate shoes that I wore decades ago when I was a teen and in my 20s and early 30s. During that period of time, around 18 or 19 years, I owned 3 pairs of Vans slip-on skate shoes. I recalled how durable and comfortable they were, and they were inexpensive - back then. I looked for Vans online and discovered that the brand has become popular outside of skate culture, so the prices had skyrocketed with their popularity. I checked eBay to see if there were any decent used Vans slip-ons for sale in my size. Our Father in heaven showed me great favor because there was a pair of "like new" Vans "Asher" black/ivory checkered slip-ons in my size listed for just $35 & with the original box. The seller had the "Make Offer" option enabled so I offered him $25. My disability insurance pension keeps us on a tight budget. The asking price of $35 was fair, but if I could get them cheaper, I would. The LORD showed me even MORE great favor because the seller accepted my offer. I completed the transaction, and when the Vans arrived, I saw that even GREATER favor had been shown to me. The Vans I bought had been described as "Like New". THESE VANS WERE BRAND NEW IN THE VANS BOX, WITH THE VANS BRAND HEAVY PAPER TAG STILL ATTACHED WITH THAT ZIPPY PLASTIC THINGY, AND THERE WAS A VANS STICKER IN THE BOX AS WELL! BRAND NEW VANS FOR $25! I still wear those vans today. Vans are durable. I wanted another pair of slip-on sneakers because it would be silly to wear black/ivory checkered Vans slip-ons all of the time. One day I was exploring the In-N-Out Burger website's store. They have cool limited edition merchandise and I occasionally get a t-shirt or sticker there. While perusing their merch, I clicked on the "Clearance" link. Right there before my eyes were In-N-Out Burger slip-on skate shoes for just $20! They had a California sunset behind palm trees design, with the In-N-Out Burger sign displayed across the top of one shoe. The company contracted to make the exclusive In-N-Out Burger slip-on skate shoes is Straye, a high quality shoe manufacturer in Southern California. As good as Vans, but a bit more pricey usually. NOT THIS DAY. NOT FOR ME! I ordered those shoes so now I had TWO pairs of durable and comfortable slip-on loafers/skate shoes. I STILL, however, needed some slip-on loafers that weren't so "flamboyant", I guess is the word. Black/ivory slip-on skate shoes and bright orange over black with a BIG red and white In-N-Out Burger sign on one shoe just aren't appropriate for, say, a church Christmas banquet, or things like that. My daughter gave me an Amazon gift certificate for Christmas last month (December 2022) so I opened up Amazon and started searching for some decent black slip-on loafers. These LUGZ showed up, and at a sale price that I wasn't going to pass up. I ordered these shoes. Amazon shipped them immediately, and they arrived FOUR DAYS earlier than expected! I opened the Lugz box and immediately put the shoes on. THEY FIT PERFECTLY AND ARE SO VERY COMFORTABLE! They are also much warmer than the Vans and the Straye slip-on skate shoes, which came in real handy last week when we had temperatures at 0°F and below. So you see, even that phenomenal deal on Vans slip-on skate shoes that I got on eBay, and that great deal that I got on Straye slip-on skate shoes that I got on the In-N-Out Burger online merch store, although both phenomenal deals, are just good compared to this transaction with Amazon for these Lugz "Clipper Protege Classic Slip-on Fashion Sneakers" They're warm, extremely comfortable, the sale price was surprisingly low, the transaction went perfectly, and they arrived much earlier than I expected, and just in time for some brutally cold weather. Now my feet don't get cold when I need to take the dogs outside. Now to focus on the product: IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR A GOOD, DURABLE, COMFORTABLE PAIR OF SLIP-ON SNEAKERS, LOOK NO FURTHER THAN LUGZ. This "Clipper Protege" design has rubber across the top of the toes, somewhat like old-school Converse Chuck Taylor All Star sneakers and P.F. Flyers, but with a lean, stylish shape to the rubber over the toes. You can look at my photos to see what I mean. The insole is like walking on pillows on a cloud. That's about as accurate as I can get to describe the comfort. I have very wide feet, and these Lugz formed to my feet quickly and with NO discomfort whatsoever. We shall see how durable they are. It takes a lot to outlast a pair of Vans. I've worn the ones I have for 2 years now, at least 3 times a week, and walking at least a mile every day with my dogs, and they're still in great condition. My Straye "In-N-Out Burger" slip-on skate shoes are as durable as my Vans. From the looks of the construction on these Lugz "Clipper Protege" slip-on sneakers, I expect that they will easily last at least as long as my Vans and my Strayes. Thanks for reading my very wordy, very long review. I hope that it was helpful for whatever you are shopping for. Once again, THESE LUGZ MEN'S CLIPPER PROTEGE CLASSIC SLIP-ON SNEAKERS ARE AMAZING! THEY ARE WELL WORTH THE PRICE! Have a wonderful day/evening/weekend/week. I speak abundant blessings and perfect health from our Father in heaven over you all in Jesus' name.
