REEF Phantom LE Mens Beach Flip Flop, Full Grain Leather Strap, Compression Molded EVA Footbed

I love and have loved Reefs for years...... Capitalism is a weird thing. These sandals used to be made with RUBBER soles that lasted for MANY MANY YEARS. When my last pair broke (4+ years of use), I started looking for a replacement. I was shocked that I had to spend so much time finding a pair of plain old reefs without bottle openers on the sole (gross) for under thirty dollas. I thought I hit the jackpot when I found these on Amazon. Much to my surprise, when I started wearing them, I noticed they were manufactured with some hard plastic crap sole that is akin to the garbage found on the bottom of most sneakers these days. Ever look at Nike shoes then and now? See what I mean? Thank you capitalism for screwing consumers twice over in the name of your shareholders. I have no problem paying more for quality products, but nowhere in the description does it state the material used for the soles, so I feel like i got hustled and I don't want others to make the same mistake. After less than a month of wearing them, the proverbial "tread" has worn down to nothing. Hear that? It's the sound of my money flushing down the toilet to line the pockets of Reef's parent company shareholders. bring back the rubber dammit!

I'm going to start this review by clarifying that I have a lean, narrow foot. I have a C toe and a B heel. So this review is biased towards a narrow foot. That being said, I have tried about twenty different sandals to find a couple that fit reasonably snug. So for comparison purposes this may be a useful guide for people. My preferences are light weight, comfortable, with a heel strike that has some padding. I also like moderate arch support. I don't want a lot of flop in my flip. I don't want a negative heel. I'm going to list the sandals I've tried, and give a brief comparison, which should be helpful to everyone. I'll start with this one:Reef Phantom LE - (Mens 9) This leather sandal is much lighter than most of the others, weighing in at 142g. Somewhat more snug fitting than average. Very comfortable and attractive. Reasonably priced. This pair was a keeper for me.Reef Mens Leather Fanning ll - (9 Mens) These are the heaviest of all the sandals I've tried, weighing in at 219 grams each. The footbed is comfortable but more firm than some of the others. Nice looking. They have an average fit, (fairly snug), but they were a little lose on me. I think these would last a long time. Unlike with the Reef Draftsman, I did not feel the bottle opener under my arch. Comfortable, but expensive and heavy.Reef Leather Slap ll - (Mens 9) Oddly, this sandal was a full size shorter than any other Reefs I tried, (A full 1/2 inch), so order up. They weighed in at 205 grams each, making them the second heaviest in this comparison. Had they been the same size as the Fanning ll's they would have been the heaviest. Average fit. These are one of the most comfortable sandals in this line-up. Very cushy heel.Reef Phantom Prints - (9) Weighing in at 113g, these were the second lightest sandal of the bunch. Snug fitting and comfortable, these are my personal favorites. Reasonably soft heel-strike with an average width footbed and just the right amount of arch support. They won't likely last as long as some of the heavier sandals, but they can be had for half the cost. I've seen them for $20 on up, depending on color and size.Reef Phantoms - (Mens 10) These synthetic sandals seem to be made elsewhere from the other two Phantoms listed above. The fit is much different. They are wider in the footbed and sloppy fitting. These are made for a wide foot. Again, they are fairly light, weighing in at 134g, and I got these a full size up from the other two because everyone said they ran small. I think they run just a half size smaller.Reef Draftsman - (9) This is a leather sandal with no additional heel support. It also has a bottle opener on the bottom. Nice looking, fairly snug fitting, and fairly light, (About 156g) but this sandal has an issue. As others have indicated, you can feel the bottle opener under your arch. I don't think anyone would be comfortable in these for long. I sent these back.Reef Crew - (9) This leather sandal is fairly light at 138g each. They have a slender footbed and a somewhat snug fit. I like that, however, there is no additional heel support and they run as high as $60.Reef Twinpin - (9) These basic synthetic leather sandals are fairly light at 137g each, and they have a slender footbed, but the thong is very lose and has no additional heel-strike.Sanuk Fraid So - (10) These sandals weighed in at a modest 139g each and were really comfortable and attractive. I loved this sandal. Unfortunately, they have a very wide footbed and a very lose fitting thong. Yep, fraid so. But if you have fat feet, you'll love these.Sanuk M Fraid - (9) These leather/poly sandals weighed in at 175g each, making them one of the heavier sandals here. They have a slender footbed, (A full half inch thinner than the Fraid So), but with a sloppy thong.Sanuk Beer Cozy - (9) This fabric sandal has a wide footbed and a sloppy thong, but weighed in at a respectable 134g each. These have a very cushy, comfortable footbed. People rave about how comfortable they are. But you need to have fat or wide feet. Dang!Teva Mush ll - (9) These are by far the lightest of the bunch, weighing in at a mere 92g each. They're also comfortable with a fairly narrow footbed and a snug thong. So, yes, I love these. And at $25 they are a bargain, even though they won't last as long as some of the more expensive sandals here. The middle of the heel-strike is a little harder than the surrounding area and some people have complained about it, but I haven't been bothered by it in the short periods of time I've spent in them.Teva Men's Classic - (9) This is a very basic, uninspired sandal with a ruff, heavily textured, old school footbed. Perfect for some people, but I found them uncomfortable. It's light, but not as light as the Mush ll's. The thong was more loose than the Mush ll and it runs a little more money.Teva Mush ll (Canvas) (9) I listed these as well because the canvas thong fits more loosely than the regular Mush ll's and weighed a little more. Other than that they have the same footbed.

Bought mine 02/17/17. Fell apart 06/02/17. Horrible previously had a pair that lasted 10 years.

So the price and quality are good, typical Reefs. The only drawback and my reason for 3 stars is the tread. I bought my original Reefs years ago because besides comfort and fit, the were the only flip flops that didn't slip. Whether on wet tile or a sandy floor these had a great grip. Far better than any of the others I tried on. Let's face it, these are meant to be worn on the beach or by the pool. So when I saw the price I didn't hesitate to buy them. To my surprise I didn't even make it out of my house without slipping on some water on my tile. This never happened with my other Reefs. I have no idea about the science of slippage, but these fail. Ice skates have more traction. Common Reef, it's your good name on them. Don't go cheap to increase profits. Use the old tread pattern or sole composition. (Photo, old and new comparison) the older sole is on the left

I was hoping the reviews were wrong - they're not. I have an 11.5. These should be great sandals. They're not cheap. I have $11 sandals from Wallyworld that fit better. I can't complain about the souls but I'll complain all day that they're too small and the one day shipping took 3 days. Move on from this cheap crap please!

If you are expecting a high quality product, non-slip, rubber sole flip flop that is durable, this is not it! This is a light weight, crappy sandal and the sole is hard foam and very plasticky feeling and slippery. Do not buy these especially if you need them on a boat, youll end up killing yourself. For the money, not worth it. These are definitely not the same Reef's that I'm used to and I refuse to pay anything more than 30 dollars for this crap. Reef has just lost another return customer, good luck. These are probably worth less than 5 dollars. Go with another brand.

I bought this for my husband and years of wearing out his old Reefs and I LOVE IT! Yes, me, a woman. Even though I bought it for my husband, I use it every chance I can get to run out and get the mail from the mailbox, or to get something either from the yard or garage. It is so comfortable. I have dry heels and even wearing these sandals makes it feel comfy. They're not hard or rough like other sandals I've worn, they have the perfect amount of cushion. My husband love his sandals too. After wearing out his old one after years of wearing them, he asked me to find him another pair of Reef sandals! He rarely asks me to buy the same brand of shoes or sandals AND believe it or not, he's really picky, that's how awesome these sandals are! He like Reef as much as his Sanuk, if not more. I would definitely recommend these to others who wants a pair of durable comfy sandal. I'll buy myself a pair once I find myself one at an awesome price like this pair.

These are extremely comfy and fit very well to size. Dare I say they are perhaps more comfortable than my Cushe Manucka slippers.What attracted me aside for the decent styling is the pronounced arch support and because I have flat feet it makes a world of difference. Yes they are not made specifically for the arch support I need, but the generic level of support they do have is more than welcome and iv noticed less strain and pain to my feet around the house. The sole material feels like a textured rubber that's grippy to the feet and feels soft.Only negative thing is the durability of the sole, it feels solid enough when worn and walking around but is unforgiving to knocks or if they catch on something. One of mine must have got caught under the leg of a chair at some point along an edge and its pinched a little bit of the material off.

Bought to replace previous Reefs. Different model, thicker sole with slightly raised heel. Very comfortable and good quality. Took others' advice and ordered a 10 rather than usual 9 and glad I did.

Great flip flops.. i normally have a size 10 uk but due to narrow fit i opted for size 11 and they fit really good. Very comfy.Look good aswell

On my second pair having worn-out the soles of my last sandals (still perfectly functional). They are extremely comfortable (after a day or two of breaking in) and hard wearing.

Arrived early, good quality. Fitted loverly. Do'nt know you have them on.