I've had bad luck with the last 2 pairs of Merrels. The pair I have now were free due to failure with the last pair. The current ones have failed too (lugs falling off) and I am going to send the back sometime this winter. I bough some Kayland's for winter hiking so I won't use the Merrels till spring. I won't be buying any more Merrels but I'll keep wearing the free ones as long as they keep replacing them when they fail.My Merrills are 8 or 9 years old... but they're made in America. All Merrills now are made in China and last about 6-9 months according to every person I've spoken with and review that I've read.