I had a pair of Trail Gloves pictured and they were great. Every pair of Merrells I've bought since have been disappointing. Either wore down too fast or were uncomfortable.
I'm kinda confused. I'm wearing a pair of trail gloves right now, and Merrel has continued to make them, incrementing a version number along the way... I wear them every day, and have been rocking them for my last four pairs of shoes, using 'em til the sole wears through.
I remember when the Trail Gloves came out, Merrell seemed to be really into minimal shoes. They even had what looked like dress shoes but with a thin and flexible sole, like the Trail Glove. Last time I looked for new shoes Merrell was pretty disappointing, it seems like the minimal shoes didn't sell well enough.