Merrell Moab Edge

Seeking to provide a low cost hiking shoe, Merrell has marketed the worst hiker I have ever used. Merrell should be embarrassed to have this shoe in their lineup.

Usage: Day-to-day wear at work. I facilitate team building and maintain hiking trails at my conference center. So essentially, I am doing day hikes throughout the week. 

Lifespan: I did not even get 10 months/200 miles out of these shoes before they started falling apart.

The frustration I have with Merrell is product inconsistency. My very first review on Trailspace was a 4-star review of the Moab Ventilator. After buying my second pair of Vents, I downgraded my review to 3-stars. The third pair was purchased on discount and was to my satisfaction. 

So when my local shoe store owner recommended the Moab Edge for only $70, I was willing to give it a shot. The first thing I noticed was the soles of both shoes are nearly identical. 

My two-year-old Moab Ventilator is on the left. The brand new Moab Edge on the left.

While I cannot find Merrell stating this anywhere, I surmise that the "Moab" series is built off the same sole. At least it appears that way with all of the Moab shoes I have looked at.

With the Edge, the upper is mesh. In marketing terms:

With instant comfort and the perfect fit, it's the Moab you know and love, now with a breathable, athletic mesh upper.

So going into the purchase, I knew the uppers would not be as long lasting as the Ventilator. But I was surprised that after only a few weeks, I began to see wear in the uppers. Six months in...

By comparison, back in my impoverished days, I would buy "hikers" from JC Penny's Arizona line for $15 and get a year's worth of work out of them BEFORE they would become my caving shoes. 

I knew I was not going to get my money's worth from these shoes, but before the summer was out, this happened...

While Shoe Goo might be a quick solution, you'll note in the picture how dry and cracked the upper is under the sole. The shoe is basically rotting away. 

So in summary, these shoes fell apart long before their expected lifespan. Even at the lower price, I would expect a shoe to last longer than the Moab Edge. 

Merrell just recently started marketing the Moab Edge 2. Like running shoes, Merrell seems to need to change the line every year or so. I won't waste my money on this shoe's successor.