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I purchased the  KEEN Women's Whisper Sandal  as well as the  Merrell Women's All Out Blaze Sieve Water Shoe, Brown Sugar, 8.5 M US  to compare the two and figure out which I liked better. I found the Merrell Women's All Out Blaze Sieve Water Shoe to be the better fit, but here are the pro's and cons of each:

KEEN Women's Whisper Sandal:
*Pros:*
- Very cute when you look down at your feet. The larger cut outs in the shoe really make it more attractive.
- Material is great, both on the outside and inside.
- Comfortable!
- Good tread for hiking.

*Cons:*
- There is a lot of room by your toes in width. I was trying to overlook this, but...
- There is also a LOT of wiggle room around your heel. I didn't notice this as much until I started walking around in them and my feet were wiggling in the heel of the shoe. Not good! If you have a larger hourglass shaped foot, maybe not as much an issue for you. I've never had this happen before.
- No arch support! To be fair, I know I have higher arches. But, while this seemed to have decent support when I first put them on, after walking around I felt absolutely nothing under my arch to support it.

For my foot type, there is no way I could count on these shoes for non-wiggling walking and no arch support.

Merrell Women's All Out Blaze Sieve Water Shoe
*Pros:*
- Material is great, both on the outside and inside.
- Comfortable! I really liked walking around in these. It feels almost like there's a bounce in your step from whatever the sole is made of.
- Good tread for hiking.
- Really fit true to size. Enough room where your feet are comfy, but you're still held nice and snug.

*Cons:*
- Not very attractive when you look down at your feet. They are a more rugged, seriously going for a hike (not very cute) cut.

Decision: I really wanted the cuter KEEN sandals, but with the fit and comfort of the Merrell, that's what I'll keep.

I needed some water shoes, and my feet aren't going to grow anymore (40yo and no more babies thank you very much) so I wanted to get a proper pair that will work for creeking and rafting/canoeing and swimming in the lake/ocean, but also for playing disc golf with my husband and light trail hiking, and will last for the next 5-10 years at least. I started off by heading to Cabela's (FYI, I have a local Cabela's, Field and Stream, and Duluth all within spitting distance of each other, and out of those three brick and mortars, Cabela's had the best water-hiking-shoes selection, BY FAR). In the store I tried on the KEEN Newport Hydro, the KEEN Whisper (mostly they had KEEN and their store brand, Worldwide Sportsman...or something like that), and a few of their Worldwide Sportsman brand. I did not find any Merrell water-hikers in-store (at any of the stores). Anyway, out of the ones I tried at Cabelas, I quickly decided against the Worldwide Sportsman as they did not fit well (loose on my very wide feet, but tight on top and jamming into my leg at the top of my foot). So that left the KEEN. Both the Whisper and the Newport fit well, but I wanted something sturdy and hefty, and the Newport fits the bill on that. If you are looking for cuter and lighter, the Whisper is that. I chose the KEEN Newport Hydro...but they didn't have any in my proper size (size 10 womens, with a wide foot). I bought a half-size down (still fit all right) and went home ($100). I really wanted to try something other than KEEN, so enter Amazon. I proceeded to order the exact same KEEN in my proper size (10) and a different color ($100), the Merrell All-Out Blaze Sieve in a 10 ($75), and the ATIKA All-Terrain Orbital in a 10 ($31). I made sure they all had free returns before purchasing, and waited patiently to try them all before returning the rest. Here are my thoughts on them all:

KEEN Newport Hydro
***PROS***
-Cute
-Very sturdy sole
-Fits firmly but still has lots of room in the toe box (excellent for wide feet)
-Seem to fit okay in my proper size and a half-size down. In fact, when forced to choose, I would choose the half-size down
-Larger cut-outs seem as though it would be easier for water to drain from shoe. Didn't try in water so just my assumption
-Excellent and substantial toe guard
***CONS***
-Expensive
-Back strap is less comfortable than other options
-Heavy
***OVERALL OPINION***
Great shoe. Comfortable. Heavy. Expensive.

Merrell All-Out Blaze Sieve
***PROS***
-Cute
-Fits like a dream
-Very sturdy sole
-Very comfortable to walk in
-Back strap has an extra layer of padding compared to others I tried and it makes a huge difference when walking. Much more pleasant than KEEN
-Cheaper than KEEN
-Neoprene webbing around foot has less gaps in tongue area compared to the others
***CONS***
-Not as cute as the KEEN (just my personal taste), but still very very cute
-Smaller cutouts compared to KEEN...not sure but my initial assumption is they would take longer to dry than the KEEN when creeking
-Not as substantial guard in toe area
***OVERALL OPINION***
Great shoe. Very comfortable. Pretty expensive.

ATIKA All-Terrain Orbital
***PROS***
-So inexpensive!
-Cute
-Very comfortable
***CONS***
-Fit is a bit weird. The bungee on top needed to be tightened a lot to fit on my wide foot, yet they were a touch short. Where the back of the sole comes up to hug your heel was jutting into my heel a bit and while not a big deal, it would likely be a big deal after wearing all day. Would prob need to size up half a size.
***OVERALL OPINION***
Surprisingly great shoe for the price. If price is your leading factor in deciding, or if your foot is still growing (hey girls your feet get bigger when you have a baby...I used to be a size 8 before my four kids), this would be a great shoe for you.

In the end, I'm going with the Merrell. I expected to like the KEEN best, but was surprised at the superior comfort and the sturdiness of the Merrell, and at a cheaper price tag, I'm sold.

I was looking for a walking shoe that would allow air flow since I like to go sockless but don't like sweaty feet rubbing blisters. I also wanted something that could handle a little rain without resulting in the same blister-inducing situation. These are great! I tried a variety of hiking sandals from Amazon and Academy; these were by far the best. I like the toe box protection rather than having the pinky toe exposed like in the equivalent Keen. Also, these are very comfortable. I'm used to wearing Skechers for everyday activities, which have a very springy, comfortable footbed. Imagine my surprise when these are almost as comfortable, but much much cooler (in the temperature sense). I only have two caveats. One, they seem to run very slightly large. I normally wear a 9, but had to send it back for an 8.5. Two, the strap around the heel dug in a little at first, but was great after a couple days. Very comfortable, supportive, and cool shoes.

I normally hike in full support leather Vasque boots, but I was looking for something lighter and water friendly for summer hikes with lots of stream crossings so I could enjoy the water and cool off. I knew that the support wouldn't be the same as a full support boot, but my feet were sliding all around in these shoes on rough terrain even with bungee laces cinched up. I had the most trouble with steep inclines and my feet sliding back, I wish there was a way to cinch up the heel strap. Overall I just didn't feel very sure footed in these on dry land. That being said, they were actually great in the water. Once wet, these shoes seemed to suction to my feet better, they have really nice grippy soles, and were fantastic for crossing very swift and rough glacial streams. They handle water well, dry off quickly, and haven't started smelling yet. If you are mainly looking for a water shoe, and/or will be hiking on pretty smooth terrain, I'd highly recommend these, but otherwise you may want to keep looking.

Numpty here. I thought they were trainers - should have looked closer but I really wanted the lace fastening and didn't notice that these are more of a sandal with cut outs on the sides and back. I'm keeping them as I love Merrell and these will be great for the summer months.. but still feeling a bit of a numpty... [noticed from the reviews that I am not the only one to make this mistake!]

I didn't really need these but kept looking at them on my wish list and when they came down in price I couldn't resist.
I do have lots of trouble with my achillies on both feet and was a little concerned that the strap at the back would irritated it but I needn't have worried it is so so soft you just don't feel it there. The size seems a little big when you first put them on but they are just quite wide at the toe the length is fine for me, I am usually a 5 1/2 or 6 and the 6 is great. I love the width at the toe as your toes have plenty of wiggle room without the shoe slipping at all.
I have worn these for several hours straight off and they were comfortable from the start, I do find that Merrells are quite often soft to start without wearing them in. If the other colours reduce in price I will definitely buy another pair.

I have to admit I don't do lots of fitness, only dog walking and gardening but these are just so comfortable I now have two pairs in different colours. I have lots of problems with my Achilles but the ankle part is so so soft it doesn't interfere with it at all. I like the fact that your feet can breath whilst wearing them. I would be even more pairs in different colours if I could. Highly recommended.

I wasn't a fan of this shoe. For a start, it didn't fit me properly, it felt too big. Also the sole was a hard rubber which I suspect would leave me with blisters in next to no time. Maybe it would be useful for someone who is in an out of wet conditions because the holes at the side would allow water to drain. I wouldn't fancy walking any distance in this shoe

Not my cup of tea at all - returned for refund.

Love this sandal but size was off by one whole size. Had to reorder. The nose tilts up and pushes toes up to the top of the sandal. I like my feet to not touch the nose of the shoe. Tried my own size, half a size larger and then 1 whole size larger which fits perfectly. Measure the length of your foot and pick the size of that length, maybe even a little bigger. The shoe snuggles around your foot, no worries about ordering half or whole size larger.