Crocs Unisex-Adult Specialist Clog | Comfortable Slip-Resistant Work Shoes for Healthcare, Kitchen & Outdoor Activities

This is my third pair of Crocs-style shoes. Before owning a pair, I saw numerous people walking around in them in stores and my thoughts were, "They must be comfortable" and "They look kinda sloppy" and "I can't imagine that I'd like them". Then, about 1-1/2 years ago I was given a pair of Crocs-like (but not Crocs) shoes. This first pair was a two-piece blue and gray design that looked kinda cool and they sure were comfortable! I wore them most of the time I was home until it became cold. In cold weather I usually wear boots to keep my feet warm, but when I get home I'm like to easily slip my wool-socked feet into something more comfortable. The ventilation of the shoes worked too well, so I bought a pair of conventional at-home-type slip on shoes which didn't allow so much airflow. But when the weather got warmer the soles on my first pair were getting worn so I looked for the cheapest Croc-style shoe I could find, and it was on Amazon for only $10. That second pair was comfortable, but only when I wore socks... otherwise I didn't like the way it felt when my bare toes touched the front of the shoe. I wore them all this summer and they wore out very fast because I wore them almost anywhere. Toward the end of the summer I wore them to a friend's house in the country and as we walked on a gravel road on his property I noticed that I could count the rocks under my feet. They were too thin and flimsy to venture far and the soles were becoming too thin.So I was learning about this style of shoe — it's extremely comfortable but can vary in performance. There are several designs but all that I've seen are meant to fit somewhat sloppy, not tightly formed to your feet as most shoes. The material is a tight closed foam made of EVA (Ethylene-Vinyl Acetate) co-polymer resin. But one EVA is not necessarily the same as another EVA because the characteristics vary according to the percentage of vinyl acetate content. Crocs are made of Croslite, which is a proprietary formulation of EVA. EVA is very tough and crack resistant. EVA foam is used as padding in sports equipment and is so non-toxic it is used for mouth guards and even some medical implants.I decided for my next (third) pair I would buy a pair of genuine Crocs so I could determine any differences. These were a little more expensive but are much thicker. With the thickness comes more comfort... it's much like walking on semi-firm sponges. These particular Crocs were designed for the services industries such as restaurants and medical fields which could have liquids on the floors and require shoes with closed uppers and heels. These also have thicker uppers to help protect from dropped items and thicker soles to make standing all day comfortable. These are named "Specialist Clog" and there is a similar version named "Bistro Clog" which is the same except it has a special non-slip sole glued on the bottom. I find the EVA sole to already be quite non-slip, but I guess the Bistro version is even more so.It's already getting cold now and so far these non-vented Crocs are keeping my feet warmer than the fully vented type. I also like that it has a taller heel which helps keep my feet dry in the rain and when washing the car. They are basically impervious to water and can easily be washed in a bucket of water then towel and air dried.These Crocs Specialist Clogs are comfortable for all the reasons they are designed for specialists — the thick soles provide very pleasant cushioning for walking and standing, the thicker uppers provide more protection and structural stability, the non-vented feature provides greater warmth (but would allow no ventilation in warm surroundings), and being non-vented with a higher heel helps keep your feet dry in wet situations. So they are exactly what I was looking for and I'm happy enough to add them as an ongoing item in my shoe closet.