My wife tried Yak Trax twice, and while they do provide traction, both times they broke within a week of daily use. The design just isn't very good; the metal wire presses directly into the soft rubber stuff and cuts it. If you never walk on hard surfaces, it might work ok, but if you are walking on a mixture of concrete, asphalt, and ice/snow they will break down pretty quickly. After that, she got a pair of ICEtrekkers Diamond Grip and so far they have lasted through one winter at least, and work well for providing traction.