I have a pair that I bought after getting all excited reading Born to Run but I can't say that I think they are really worth the money. You can probably get a very similar effect just by wearing a pair of converse or another athletic shoe with a thin sole.

I totally "get" the idea and concept - but just am too worried about how stupid I would look in public. So.. I do try to be barefoot as much as possible around the house and during the summer. Plus when I workout I use New Balance Minimus Zeros - which have the sole made by (or licensed from) vibram. They don't have individual toe pockets - but are a very minimalist sole. I run in the them, lift in them, crossfit and kickbox in them. Take a little getting used to because of the lack of "protection" and "support" but I really have grown to like them.

I totally "get" the idea and concept - but just am too worried about how stupid I would look in public. So.. I do try to be barefoot as much as possible around the house and during the summer. Plus when I workout I use New Balance Minimus Zeros - which have the sole made by (or licensed from) vibram. They don't have individual toe pockets - but are a very minimalist sole. I run in the them, lift in them, crossfit and kickbox in them. Take a little getting used to because of the lack of "protection" and "support" but I really have grown to like them.

Thats the one I was talking about!

No foot pain for you after wearing them often?

I've been considering some minimalist shoes for my leg days (squats). I think my running shoes are robbing my lifts.

I have wide feet. Are they cut more like Nike's or New Balance shoes? Do they come in wider cuts?

Have them, love them. Won't wear anything else unless I'm getting dressed up. Even my dog's vet and their staff wear them. I even wear them to work every day.

It does take some practice to get them on easily, but after a while, you can start doing it even without hands.

As for how they look, whether they're "hideous" or not depends on what you're considering "hideous" about them. If it's the color, then there are a bunch of models that are black on black or similar not-neon combinations. New Balance has some pretty hideous shoes that are the same shade of blue and orange as a highlighter, too, if you ask me. If it's because of the toes...well...that's about like walking into Victoria Secret and not liking that they sell lingerie. That said, I'd again recommend checking out the low-contrast colored ones (such as the black-on-black), which make the toe boxes less noticeable.

The last pair I had were black-on-black colored. I got a few comments, when people actually had time to really look at them and see that they had toes. However, when I got my new pair, which are green on grey and show the toes a lot more, I got a lot more comments and questions about them (most people are curious about them, though it's fun to hear the reactions from my son's classmates who are all around 3 years old).

And with price, well, I'm not sure what the people who are saying they're expensive are buying otherwise, because it wasn't unheard of for my parents to shell out $100 for a good pair of basketball shoes each year for me in middle/high school, and Vibrams run about the same, overall. Some models are as low as $60. I got my current pair last November as a Black Friday sale item, for $40.

I've been considering some minimalist shoes for my leg days (squats). I think my running shoes are robbing my lifts.

I have wide feet. Are they cut more like Nike's or New Balance shoes? Do they come in wider cuts?

They generally have enough give in them to handle wider feet, and they're not really sized the same way as regular shoes, anyway (they're made and sized to be snug and form-fitting). They also have laced ones now that provide more fine tuned adjustments for people with taller or wider feet.

I wear size 11 wide in women's and I can easily find Vibrams.

I recommend finding a place that stocks a variety of their models and try a few on to see which ones work best for you.

I really like mine. I go barefoot as much as possible. I've worn them to work on casual days - but can't most of the time. I have noticed that they have really helped my toes straighten out. My toes always kinda looked curled up until I started wearing them. After the first wear - I saw a huge difference in flattening out my toes.
I use them all the time for yoga.