User Review: Merrell Phaser Peak Waterproof

Merrell Phaser Peak Waterproof
Above: The current Phaser Peak Waterproof, which may differ slightly from the version reviewed.

Reviewed November 18, 2007 by tysonson

Rating:
Materials: Leather
Use: Daily wear/ Light Weight Hiking
Break-in Period: about 2 weeks
Weight: 3
Price Paid: $120

Overall the boots are comfortable but I had problems with the quality. The rubber toe guard is pealing away on both boots and the inside of the arch, where the sole meets the leather, is coming apart. It looks to me like there is an issue with the glue in both cases.

The left boot is not waterproof, I was standing in about 3 inches of water and the left boot had a good amount of water seeping into it, the right boot was fine. The break in period did cause some soreness around my upper ankle but it went away in couple of weeks, then they were fairly comfortable. Normal breaking I guess.

The boots are made in China and I wonder about the quality the Chinese put out. In my case the glue seems to be substandard. It only took about 5 months for the pealing to start on the toe guard and arch of the sole. After hearing so many positive things about Merrell, I was pretty disappointed.