So I finally snapped my garter and went for THE 9's. Very comfortable right out of the box. I took a couple of peoples advice, and ordered a #8 slide sole right away, and I was glad I did. The #7 that comes with the shoe is just a hair tacky. I could change to adapt, but why, when the #8 was absolutely perfect. My only issue is a silly one. I got very used to hearing the "squeak squeak" of my SST 4's over the past 16 years. Not hearing that when I tried them today threw me off for a bit!