These are stiff \ hard soles, you might have to break them in. Definitely, cannot compare to my old higher topped Globes or Vans Hi-Sk8, but given the price, I never expected them, too. They actually have more skate technical features in the sole, than I was expecting for the price.Right now, I wouldn't wear them for hours of walking, skating, cycling, driving. We'll see if they get better.I have very high arches, so there's too much pressure if I tie tight. The tongue just barely stays in the shoe, keeping my socks from view, so they're almost too small for my arch. It was a bit of a risk, since I often cannot comfortably fit this style of shoe and generally should only try before I buy.I think this is more of a me problem, because I've been wearing only Reef and Keen for the last few years, bare or toe socks only, so I find certain kinds of standing and pressure on my feet cause some parts of my foot to go to sleep. Given this issue, I'm going to avoid wearing any socks with any compression with them and see if it improves. The narrower toe box means my toes can't splay, like they do on\in the sandals.My heels do pop out of the shoe, but they're still right there, when my foot comes back down. That isn't ideal for cycling (or specific aspects of skating), but I haven't lost my shoes or had an accident yet.These are really low, they show quite a bit of my Injinji mini crew and I'm not confident that a no show sock would be hidden, either.