Sperry Men's Authentic Original 2-Eye Boat Shoe, TAN, 9 M US (Open Box)

I've been wearing Sperry Topsiders for awhile. Usually I get a year or two out of them before the threads holding the uppers to the sole wear through and leave the toe flopping around. By then the uppers are pretty worn-looking and I don't mind replacing them. I bought the tan with white soles this time (usually tan with gum soles) and quality was worse than usual. This time, the rubber on the sole itself tore, releasing the threads that hold the upper to the sole, essentially tearing the front of the sole off of the shoe. This happened after fewer than 10 wears, mostly walking to and from the office from the parking garage. Maybe it's the white sole that's different because I've never had that problem with gum soles. Maybe it's just this pair because this particular failure has never happened with the others that I've owned. Whatever the case, something has changed with recent manufacturing and I wish it would be unchanged. Pity that you can't trust that the quality is what it used to be, especially as the cost of the shoes has risen significantly over the last decade or so.