Once a solid name in hiking shoes, but... - Merrell Moab 2 Vent Hiking Boots - Men's

Something changed at Merrill. Their shoes & boots used to be very well thought out. For the past several years quality has plummeted. It's as if they put designs into production without any field testing. Here are the issues; first in general: sizing is inconsistent. I've received a pair where one shoe fit and the other was to small. The finger loops for pulling the boots on have gotten so small, I cannot get one finger into it. I get the idea Merrill thought no one would notice. Wake up Merrill! People still use them and need them. Then there is the design change in the Chamileon stretch. Whoever thay had do the redesign must have been ordered to cut costs. I ordered a pair because I loved the gen. 2 model I had. The 5th generation was unrecognizable. This is a stretch shoe, you have to pull it on, and yet the finger loop was only a vestige. The pull loop was non functional. The shoe opening was impossible to stretch open wide enough to get a foot into because they no longer put the elastic in the material like the old ones had. It seems apparent that Merrill went on a cost cutting binge or went to a completely new Chinese mfg, maybe both. So, sad, as I over time have bought over 11 pairs of Merrill's. Not any more.