Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I wore Sambas in my late teens (I'm now 39 years old). I'm convinced that either my feet didn't matter to me as much back then (I also lived in Doc Marten's year-round and in any weather conditions, so I was probably just "tougher" back then :P )....or that they have SEVERELY changed the insole in these shoes over the years. I don't recall having any gripes with them back then. I bought a pair at an Adidas outlet several years back. Tried them on, and although the arch-support felt awfully "high" and stiff to me...I didn't think much of it. I figured I'd get used to them in time. Wore them the whole next day, and when I got home...I literally felt like my instep was bruised. I seriously threw the shoes in the trash that night because I was so irritated with them. Flash-forward to about 2 weeks ago. I thought about getting another pair of Sambas...but even at a sub-$40 price-point...I couldn't really justify buying another pair of shoes just to throw them in the trash again....so I did a little research. I figured I couldn't possibly be the only person to think that these shoes were unfathomably uncomfortable. Almost torturously so. So I googled something like "uncomfortable Samba insoles" or something of the sort...and stumbled upon a true godsend. Some ingenious and benevolent soul uploaded a YouTube video that addressed my exact concern. Come to find out...the Samba insoles are VERY easy to remove. When you do so and flip them over...there is a white rubber piece that is attached with an easily removable adhesive that you can peel the entire arch-support off with literally no effort. Slip the insoles back in, and BOOM....comfortable Sambas. I will admit that even with the ridiculous arch-support removed, there is still a little more arch than I would prefer due to the shape of the shoe in general (I prefer my insoles virtually flat)...but it's the difference between having a pair of shoes I can wear every day...and having a pair of shoes that would go immediately in the trash. If my above description of how to perform minor surgery on your Sambas is confusing, Google "How to remove samba insole" video....it'll be the first thing that comes up in YouTube. It seriously couldn't have been a quicker or easier fix. Without this "hack"...these shoes would be a negative 15 in terms of any kind of comfort unless you like your shoes with a ridiculous amount of stiff arch-support. Hopefully this review will help someone else that had the same issue as me, because for the price I bought them for (again...I got them for a little under $40) I doubt you'll find a better value on a name-brand shoe...as long as you can comfortably wear them.