Merrell Mens Nova 3 Tactical

Most Helpful Review

"I think this is one of their best shoe models they have, but holy cow does it take so many returns finding the correct size due to their horrible marketing and lack of information so I’ll try to clear a few things up after going through four different pairs and save someone else all my frustration hopefully.I’ve always owned and been a big fan of their Moab goretex waterproof shoes which are pretty much heavy duty boots that can withstand any rugged environment, but this time when I needed shoes I wanted something lightweight and more suited for walking all day, rather than long distance hiking.I walk 3+ miles a day at work everyday so definitely needed some comfort and comfort/durable was my main priority.After owning many pairs of Moab and finally switching to these Nova 3, I cannot believe soft and flexible the material is making them both durable and soft as a slipper which is soooo comfortable and amazing.Unfortunately though, I ran into so much trouble with sizing and quality that I’m pretty upset with Merrell due to their lack of information about their product and horrible job marketing (I even called and messaged them with text support, and have no doubt they have little to no marketing team and no clue about what product they even sell).So let me try to help you with this model:First, for some reason the sizing does NOT match any other shoe models, and these are 1-2 sizes larger than any other models they have so you have to go down two sizes in this Nova model. :/But it doesn’t end there, unfortunately I would say they have a manufacturing defect with the stitching being right under your ball of the foot (bottom stitches go around right under your foot) causing immense pain in their standard size as you are walking on the stitches lump (WTH) so I would absolutely not buy the standard size and ONLY get the wide sizing.So with going down size and getting wide it’s more comfortable but doesn’t end there.The regular shoe is like barefoot on cement and will very quickly cause plantar fasciitis arc pain (happened on my first pair, uggg) unless you get there so-called tactical model with comfort insole.So unfortunately they are harder to find but I would only get the tactical (No idea why they even call them tactical when there is zero difference/not any more durable except for actually having a cushioned insole).They still tend to have extreme arc curve molded in (which of course is not stated in any of the product information or anywhere so you only can learn by buying it, being in pain, and returning it if you are lucky), so I would not buy them if you have flat feet or they would cause so much pressure on the middle arch you would be in pain after a while.The Moab’s in contrast are a very flat profile with little to no arch support but no cushioned insole so unless you like rock hard have to buy a 3rd party comfortable insole (but again isn’t stated in any of their information).But, luckily!!! I finally found their trick with ordering a size smaller than you normally wear and only getting the “tactical comfort-base” wide version, finally making it a nice shoe, whew.Unfortunately though for me, with having to go through four pairs and returns hassles trying to find a comfortable pair, and zero product information like the vastly different arch height or that a lot of models are lacking any insole cushion….. I will probably switch to a different brand in the future that is more comfortable and clear with what you are buying/ has much better product support/familiar with the product they sell (which says a lot coming from a long time Merrell fan). :/"