Customer Reviews

Keen Men's Targhee II Shoe

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

First of all, I'm a UPS driver, therefore excellent footwear is a must. After many failed attempts at finding some good shoes that will be durable, waterproof, and comfortable, I came across these shoes from Keen. They were tops in each of those categories.

It could be expected that most new shoes will need at least a minimal amount of time to "break them in." But these Keens felt like I had been wearing them forever on the first day! The waterproof protection on these shoes is great as well - I never hesitated at any puddle or stream of water.

I would highly recommend these shoes!

Sole: %100
Style: %85
Fit: %90 (nice roomy toe, good for wider feet)
Weather resistance: %90 (no they aren't rubber but as long as they don't fall apart water stays out)
General construction: %20* (see below)
Lacing: %75 (comfortable but tend to come untied)

I love they way these shoes wear and fit. They are fairly "waterproof" and they lace up nicely (although as someone else stated they tend to come untied no matter what the knot style you use).

I wear these shoes as "everyday sneakers" about three times per week. I don't really beat them up much more than a run at the dog park every now and then.

The problem with my first pair began about 6 months after I owned them. The glue that holds the rubber sole to the upper body on the outer side of the shoe began to loosen and eventually came open (on BOTH shoes). No problem, they are warrantied for a year so I took them back to the local shop and they replaced them with a like pair (in Walnut). The old shoe sales manager said "yeah we've seen a lot more returned Keens lately for quality issues).

The second pair became unstitched where the outer leather is stitched to the flexible gray fabric up near the toe on top. I thought "wow Keen has really slipped in quality". Within a few more months the other shoe came unstitched at exactly the same point. With just a few days left on the warranty I went back downtown to the show shop and to my surprise they had gone out of business (after 75 years in business).
I continued to wear them anyway but at this point the inner liner is exposed and they take on water at just over 13 months old. Otherwise the shoes are in excellent shape with very little wear.

So that is 4 separate shoes that either came unglued or unstitched in less than 6 months wear.

I've spent hundreds and hundreds of dollars on keens over the years (we probably have 6-8 pairs in our house) and I won't be buying anymore since their quality has quite clearly fallen off.

After some bad experiences with other woman's boots which claimed to be waterproof. . I think some companies think women don't actually go outdoors .. I tried these boots. They work. They feel loose when you try them on so the boot lore of yesteryear of having a perfect fit doesn't apply here as they are so comfortable there was no break in period, although I thought they were too loose in the heel and would cause blisters . . not so, once I got used to the fit they became my main shoe. With a pair of gaiters these boots stand up to search and rescue work, snow and mountain biking in wet vegetation, tracking off trail and spending a whole day in a boat with sloshing water in the bottom . . and now I know how long they last as my pair failed this week and are no longer waterproof after one and one half years of hard wear. I will buy another pair very soon, of the same boot. The boots I have are still good for everything but wet and I will use them up on dry days.

I purchased these (in black) for my husband for Christmas. Hands down his favorite present.

We had horrible snow this winter in the PNW and he opted for these over his regular snow shoes every time we went out. He never had a complaint of water seeping in, discomfort or anything.

Even on a recent ski trip, we had to dig our car out of nearly two feet of snow. He opted to keep these shoes on as he made his way around the car...forty minutes later dry as a bone inside.

I think his only complaint has come from a couple of day hikes we've taken and he's worn socks that are too thick...that's when his feet get a little hot and sweaty. However, so long as the right sock is paired with these shoes and you're not wading through a river, I'd be surprised to hear too many complaints.

I'm on my second pair now and I love these shoes. They are great if you work outdoors or live in the woods where good protection is a must. As stated they keep your feet really dry in wet conditions and the one person who gave them a bad review was expecting too much I'd say. Anything that is waterproof will get wet eventually. I love the toe protection, it has saved me countless stubbed toes when walking the dogs out on the trail! Overall a great shoe at a moderate price.