BlochS0388L Ladies Tap-Flex Split Sole Tap Shoe

I'm a 65 year old woman taking on tap dance classes for first time in 58 years. I have well-earned foot problems, I expected the worst when going in to this challenge but I put these shoes on and started a vigorous class. These shoes are divine. I needed to put orthotics in for my arches but that solved my personal mechanical foot problem. I bought two pair, another from a name brand, all for comparison. This shoe won, hands down. No pun intended. These passed a strident litmus test.

I'm a beginner at tap and I initially bought the Bloch Women's Tap-Flex Tap Shoe in my street size (5.5M). It was a little tight, so I ordered the Capezio Women's Flex Master Tap shoe in a size 6. Though both brands fit well, I found that I prefer the construction of the Bloch and returned the Capezio. Both are nice shoes and sound great. Here's a comparison:Bloch Tap-Flex:- Shaped more like an Oxford, wider at the ball and tapering toward the toes- Soft leather upper. The flex sole is stiffer out of the box than the Capezio. A couple of weeks and the flexibility has improved while still providing support.- There is no stitching around the support at the back of the shoe in the Achilles tendon area. The edge of the support caused some friction but nothing a pair of socks will not mask.- Liked the short laces. Even if they come undone they are not a trip hazardCapezio Flex master:- Shape is different. It looks and feels somewhat like a ballet shoe mounted on heels- Very soft and flexible right out of the box. In fact, too soft and flexible for me because I could feel the edge of the heel transfer through to the insole. Probably something to get used to with time, but I found the feeling distracting.- The heel is rather long and extends forward almost to the arch. This may not be a problem in larger size shoes. The Bloch heel stayed well back from the arch.- The blue insole is comfortable at the heel but stops just beyond the arch. The ball and toe area appear unfinished inside and I kept feeling the transition through my socks.Hope that helps!

These shoes are very comfortable! I love how flexible they are in the middle but I feel that I should post a small warning. If you want to be able to do toe stands, you will not be able to do that in these shoes! The reason they are called "tap-flex" is because the souls of the shoes are not hard or firm the way other shoes are made. I actually like that feature on the shoe, but bear in mind that these shoes will bend in the middle so they won't support your weight if you try to do toe stands. I could best describe them as similar to ballet shoes with taps on the bottom.

Fantastic shoes. I am a size 6 with very few exceptions. My feet are pretty typical - no instep/arch issues, bunions or anything like that. I don't have wide feet in that I never need to order wide sizes, but I tend not to like pointy shoes as they always feel like they are pinching my toes, so maybe my feet are a bit wider in that area. There were many varying opinions as to the sizing, which is why I am trying to be as specific as possible about the size of my feet. After reading all of the reviews, I decided to go up a half size and ordered the 6.5 - I was nervous because my class was starting in a few days and I would have no time to exchange themFor me, the half size larger than normal was PERFECT.They were soft and comfortable right out of the box. I wear them with very thin nylon socks - maybe twice as thick as pantyhose.Some people have mentioned the short laces, but I have no trouble tying them and they stay tied. I'm assuming there is a reason for this, and I am guessing that it's mostly because longer laces would look sloppy. If the short laces bother you, they can be easily swapped for longer ones.Other people have also mentioned a funny/musty smell (some of the ladies in my class have these shoes and were talking about it). I personally never noticed an odor - only really noticeable if you stick the shoe right up to your face - and as your feet will hopefully be on the floor and not next to someone's nose, you should be fine. ; ) The smell is probably from whatever chemicals are used to dye them.

Absolutely true to size!!! These are quality shoes and will stretch comfortably to conform with your foot shape with use and need to be a snug fit so, DO NOT upsize. My daughters are 8s and both need 8 in this shoe. One daughter has a narrow foot, one a thick foot however still both fit in 8. They will stretch.Unfortunately, I followed some of the reviews and bought "upsize" as a gift, now I am exchanging for her true size. Save yourself the trouble.

I started tap dancing again a couple of years ago, after about a 15 year hiatus. Since I wasn't sure whether I'd keep it up, I got the cheapest tap shoes I could find, and I regretted it almost immediately. The insole bunched up and had to be removed, and the sole was stiff and made my feet hurt halfway through class. Two years later, I decided to invest in some better shoes, and I tried on a pair of Blochs at a dance store. They were so much more comfortable than my old ones! But the $90 price tag wasn't going to happen for a once-a-week tap class. Fortunately, Amazon had the same style for a little over half the price.These shoes are 100x better than my old ones. The split sole allows for much more flexibility, there's more cushioning in the lining, and the taps are somehow louder. The leather upper is also softer and more flexible, so they fit my foot much better. I would definitely recommend them over cheaper models.

The reviews stated to buy a size up if you had bigger feet. My daughter is size l0 ladies so I ordered 11 and they were too big. I then ordered 10.5 and they were still too big. Size 10 fit perfectly :)Amazon was excellent in the return. It was no time at all to get the new ones and little time for the refund of the others. My daughter loved them once I got the correct size.

Great shoe! So comfortable. Some reviews said to order a size or size & a half up from your normal shoe size. I did this and had to return two pairs before purchasing the 7-1/2. Typically I wear either a 7 or 7-1/2 in a fitness/everyday shoe. I needed the 7-1/2 in the tap shoe because my left foot is just about a half size larger than my right. Definitely need appropriate toe room in a tap shoe or you end up with bruised toe nails!!

Full disclosure - I'm writing this review while the shoes are still new, but so far so good. The shoes seems to be well made, fit perfectly and are exactly as ordered.

Found out that the first pair I received was not the correct size. When ibreported this, I received a credit and then reordered the correct size and they fit beautifully and are very comfortable.

These shoes fit so well. I had been borrowing my friends Bloch tap shoes in a size 9M and they felt just a tad big, so I ordered the 9N and they are perfect!I’m also super thankful to have received them so quickly and having saved myself the trip to a bigger city to buy them.