The theory of them seems sounds. Unstable footing would make your body work harder to walk. But I don't know anyone who actually has a pair, so I have no idea how they work in practice.
Hopefully we'll find out!
I know when I've been on rounds at the hospital or anytime I make it up to the floors, I've seen a few nurses wearing them (or some other brand variation).
So they must not be incredibly horrible to manage all day in.
The idea sounds great, but I would try a different version of them. In my experience, any Sketchers brand shoes are uncomfortable, make my back hurt worse, and wear out incredibly fast. Maybe I just wear them too much.
If I wore "sneaker" like shoes more often, I'd probably get them. I like Sketchers - most of my non-work shoes are Sketchers - and it intrigues me. It just probably makes it slightly harder for your to balance, etc. Although I have issues walking straight anyway so maybe they wouldn't be a good idea.
I'm kind of interested also, but not interested enough to pay $100.
I've heard that it's like walking in sand all day, and sand is definitely harder to walk in. However, I'm not sure if they would really have the desired effect unless you were *really* out of shape to begin with. As in no muscle development in your butt and thighs. I'm not claiming to being at all super in shape, but I think my muscles are strong enough where these shoes wouldn't have too much effect on me.
I've wondered about these too. I wear mizunos for exercising and work. My back feels wonderful in them. They are around $100 also but I know they work. I'm really scared to spend $100 on shoes that may kill my back while being on my feet al day at work.
I've been wondering about the Reebok version of these shoes. I'm someone with no sense of balance. I'm the kind of person who will trip big time wearing sneakers while walking on a flat level surface. Maybe those shoes will do me so good. I can't even walk on sand without looking like a drunk idiot. But I'm afraid because I have very weak ankles. I've twisted them so many times in my life from mere walking. So for now I think I'm gonig to skip these shoes. But I'll keep a more open mind in the future once I've lost some weight and no longer fear that I might break my ankle in two from the sheer weight of my body.