Vibram FiveFingers Shoes

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lvsnick
lvsnick Posts: 22
in Fitness and Exercise
Ive heard of these Vibram FiveFingers Shoes I was thinking about getting them. Does anyone have them? Do you like/love/hate them? My husband is a chef and one of the cooks at his job wears them daily and he's on his feet for over 10 hours sometimes and he doesnt even wear socks he says they are sooo comfortable. I do walking (@4-5 miles per day) and light hiking (@6 miles) on the weekends and was considering the Womens KSO or Trek. Need feedback before I go and blow $100.00! Thanks for anyones help :o)

Replies

  • gnomie17
    gnomie17 Posts: 5
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    my cousin and her husband do a lot of 5ks and she bought him a pair. he swears by them!
  • marthauchino
    marthauchino Posts: 9 Member
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    Try them on in a store and walk around in them before you buy them. I have a pair and I like them a lot. But, after wearing them all day inside (I'm a librarian), sometimes my knees start bothering me. It depends on your foot shape, I think. My feet are very narrow and flat. I think they LOOK really cool, though, so I'll keep wearing them! :)
  • tam8374
    tam8374 Posts: 270 Member
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    My coworker and her husband bought them and we have a couple customers who wear them. they love the shoes. The only thing they said was that even though they wore them in the store, you still have to get used to them. Don't wear them for a long time the first time. But once you're used to them, they are extremely comfortable.
  • NeuroticVirgo
    NeuroticVirgo Posts: 3,671 Member
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    I know a lot of people who really like them. I would consider if you need arc support, or special support in your shoes when you do your walks. I don't think they really have support since they're more like a sock haha.

    I want to get some because I pretty much never wear shoes...its barefoot or flat flip flops (the thong for your foot...oh yay naked foot) haha. But obviously for hiking etc these are supposed to be good.
  • Amara15
    Amara15 Posts: 211 Member
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    I borrowed my friends for a couple weeks and liked them but since then have had ankle surgery and my doctor said no way because they have no support or anything. If you have healthy joints (knees and ankles) though you will probably like them!
  • LittleSpy
    LittleSpy Posts: 6,754 Member
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    I have a pair I sometimes run in. I like them but you need to transition into them SLOWLY. You'll be using muscles & stretching tendons you don't normally use (calves & ankles) and they will SCREAM at you the next day if you overdo it. I've never really worn shoes with arch support. I'm a chuck taylor & ballet flat kind of girl and I go barefoot whenever possible. But the first day I had the Fivefingers, I ran 2 miles and my ankles & the pads of my feet didn't care for it at all. :laugh:

    I still wear the FiveFingers for hiking and walking sometimes but I've found I prefer New Balance 100s (NB's minimalist shoe) for running and working out. The NB's don't interfere with my running form (which is the reason I got the FiveFingers in the first place) and the pads of my feet don't get hot like they still do when I run over 2 miles in the FiveFingers. The NB's also don't draw the same unwanted attention from strangers.

    So to conclude, yes, I like Fivefingers. If you decide to get them, my advice is for you to transition to them slowly. And also, the cheapest place I found them in my size was the manufacturer's website. So, find a local store that carries them, try them on to find your size, and then if they're more expensive at the local store, just buy them directly from the manufacturer. :smile:
  • akrae
    akrae Posts: 18
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    My brother has a pair and absolutely loves them. Like TOMS, they sort of have a cult following. You can only get them at high-end running stores or online though, which makes me think they're made for serious runners. With the VFF, you have to get special socks too...so not only are you paying for the shoes, you're also paying for the weird socks. If you're going to casually run or walk, I'd recommend something less expensive like a good pair of Asics.
  • LittleSpy
    LittleSpy Posts: 6,754 Member
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    Oh, by the way, you can (should...) certainly wear them without socks! They're machine washable. :wink:
  • Chenoachem
    Chenoachem Posts: 1,758 Member
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    I have fivefinger classics. I have had the KSO and Sprints also. I found the KSO too restricting and they go to hot when running and hiking. I didn't like how sweaty my feet got. The sprints are cooler but the strap bothered the top of my foot. After 6 months of playing with the fivefinger shoes I have settled on the classics and love them for hiking, errands, going to work, walking around parks and fairs. Wherever you would normally wear shoes. I didn't like running in them as they gave me blisters so I run barefoot or in racing flats (asics hyperspeeds).

    As suggested by another, you have to transition SLOWLY. I never walked around barefoot and always wore very supportive shoes when I started with the FF. I started by walking around my house barefoot whenever possible. When my feet got tired I put slippers or shoes on. When I got my fivefingers, I started by every other day walking about 0.5 miles. I would only add about 10% per week at a time that I spent in them until I could walk without getting tired. After 3 months, I still managed to hurt my achilles tendon and had to go back to normal shoes for 3 weeks.

    So yes, I love them now that I am used to them and wear them everywhere. One thing to note is that as your feet get stronger by wearing them, your toes will spread and your arch will get higher. This causes other shoes to start fitting differently too.

    Have fun!
  • disneyfetishboy
    disneyfetishboy Posts: 65 Member
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    Lots of other threads on here about these shoes and barefoot running in general, but let me highlight:

    - DON'T get them unless you are willing to adapt your running style/form

    - Barefoot running and/or VFFs, when coupled with good running form will REDUCE impact on your joints and INCREASE the strength of your calves and feet

    - You need to ease into this type of footwear or you can hurt yourself, but once you get used to them, they are extremely comfortable

    - They certainly are attention-getting, expect a lot of questions and comments(it's up to you whether this is desirable)

    - Many traditional doctors do not like them, and prefer to recommend supportive and corrective footwear - these are the opposite. (There are plenty of newer researchers and sports doctors that do recommend them, however)
  • SweetPandora
    SweetPandora Posts: 660 Member
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    I just bought a pair yesterday. I've been doing alot of research and asking people's opinion on them and everything I have heard is positive.

    Vibrams are not just for runners.

    They have a few different styles for different sports. Check out the website http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/products/products_footwear.cfm

    Karen
  • LittleSpy
    LittleSpy Posts: 6,754 Member
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    - They certainly are attention-getting, expect a lot of questions and comments(it's up to you whether this is desirable)

    Oh, thanks for this. I didn't realize the way I worded my post came across so negative. Sorry, OP! To clarify, I described the "attention from strangers" as "unwanted" because I'm introverted & have a bit of social anxiety. :embarassed: So while I personally don't like the attention, someone else may love spreading the word and answering questions about the shoes. :smile: The comments and questions I've gotten from people about the shoes have been purely out of curiosity and certainly have never been malicious in nature by any means. :wink:
  • mangorabbit
    mangorabbit Posts: 219 Member
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    I have two pairs of the VFF's, the KSOs and the Sprints, and I love them!
    Currently hoofing it all over Shanghai, and no problems. The people here find the fascinating, I take that as the price of wearing what I want. ^_^
    I have done a fair amount of walking, and circus classes in them (as well as climbing trees...oh the fun!), but not so much with the running yet - maybe I am being a weenie, but the thought of running on concrete/asphalt in them makes me think it is going to hurt a bit! (Could just be that I need to reevaluate how I run...)

    Everything people have said about needing to adjust to them slowly is true, though - even the sales person where I bought them cautioned against doing too much in them too fast.
    The other thing to think about (and I am guessing you already have) is if you don't like things between your toes, than these are probably not the thing for you. There is a period of adjusting to how they fit, and though there is not much material between each toe, there is some and it is different from ANYTHING you have worn. (Toe socks probably come the closest to the experience.)
    One more point - and the vibram sizing chart does mention this I think - if your second toe is longer than your first, the shoes will not fit properly - as yet the molds are designed for toes of decreasing length as you procede from the big toe outwards.

    If you want them, definitely find a place to go and try them on first - see what you think about the crazy shoes that have so many of us grinning and waggling our toes! ^_^
  • krlloyd
    krlloyd Posts: 9
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    Just got my VFF KSOs! Ignoring warnings from friends ( :) ) i went ahead and did 5 miles ( albeit treadmill miles ) the first night. A bit of calf soreness the next day, but they felt great! I did get a blister on my left heel that was a bit troublesome. I am hoping if i work into it my shoes and feet will adjust to each other...

    I have adjusted my running style since reading Born To Run last year, so i don't think there was as much body shock moving to the VFFs as would have been otherwise.

    -Ken
  • Chenoachem
    Chenoachem Posts: 1,758 Member
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    Just got my VFF KSOs! Ignoring warnings from friends ( :) ) i went ahead and did 5 miles ( albeit treadmill miles ) the first night. A bit of calf soreness the next day, but they felt great! I did get a blister on my left heel that was a bit troublesome. I am hoping if i work into it my shoes and feet will adjust to each other...

    I have adjusted my running style since reading Born To Run last year, so i don't think there was as much body shock moving to the VFFs as would have been otherwise.

    -Ken

    I am glad you liked them. They are a lot of fun, IMO. Everyone's adjustment is different to them, be careful and have a great time being 'free'. :)
  • cinwalkbag
    cinwalkbag Posts: 9
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    I just bought a pair last weekend. They look kind of silly on me--I have very thin legs--but they are COMFORTABLE. To me, it feels like my toes are being massaged! They're great for playing disc golf or working in the yard. I don't run, but I do some hiking. I haven't tried them on a long hike, yet, but I expect I'll really like them because I'm a barefoot/flip-flop girl normally. The fabric is light, too, like that microfiber, so my feet don't get hot. I would recommend them. One of my sons and my sister have pairs, also, and they love theirs.

    I also recently got a pair of Keen's, style is Newport H2. Highly recommend them for just about anything. SUPER comfortable. Well made. I liked them so much, I got a pair of their "flip flops". Great arch support, too. My husband has 3 pairs: a hiking boot, a low-cut hiking shoe, and slip-ons for work. They're kind of expensive, but they're on sale a lot online. I would suggest trying them on in a store first, then ordering online. They run a little large, too...I ordered 1/2 size smaller than I normally wear and they're perfect.

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