Favorite running shoes?

Love my minimalist shoes. My current ones are :-

Road : Inov-8 Bare-X 180 (Done 203.2 km)

Trail : Inov-8 Trailroc 235 (done 281.5 km so far)

how's the grip on trail innov8's?

Really good - for wet grass and trails .. for Deep Mud , I'd got for their MudClaw shoes

The ones that we were born with were perfectly good enough for Millions of years (or 6,000 if you're a complete muppet) .. until the Marketing morons saw Pound signs flash before their eyes.

LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE my Brooks Ghost 6 shoes!!!!! If they stop making them, I'll be full of sad.

I have to use pronation inserts inside them but I'm on my second pair.

Will probably move to the Ghost 7 when it comes out.

Oh, and some people just can't stand the feeling of something between their toes. Personally, I don't even notice anymore...

That would be me - but to each their own and as you say - you need to try them before you 'dis' them.

BUT I'm sold on 'barefoot/minimalist' (zero drop, 3 -4 mm underfoot) running shoes - been that way for a couple of years now. I have reduced my injury rate to almost zero.

Try the Merrell Bareform line. I use the Bare Access Arc 2, which is zero drop, but with some cushioning. There's a v3.0 (and maybe 4.0), but the 2.0 worked so well for me, I stocked up when they went on clearance. They use Vibram soles, but the toes are not separated. Love them! (I didn't like the separated toes-- my little toe would go numb though I had had them sized.)

That's one thing to look out for - I have three pairs and only one of them (the komodosport) doesn't have a funky seam in the little toe. Not sure if it is model specific, as both pairs of bikilas differ in how bad that seam is, or if it is just different for each pair...

I'm really trying to transition more into minimalist running and move my runs away from the gym and more into an out doorsey type setting. I've been trying to practice good running form, but it's really hard to tell (in my opinion) with conventional running shoes which is why I'm trying to make the switch.
I'm fine with blisters (still get them with my current shoes unfortunately) but I do see how feeling every pebble would be a problem.
Are the ones who have a good cross over (use them both on trail and road)? Really interested in getting one (or the innov8 which someone else also brought up) now and currently debating if I want one for the road and trail or one universal one

I haven't tried the trail specific ones yet. Depends on your terrain really. I like the bikila's on ashphalt or soft, even ground, and the Komodo's seem fine on gravel. The bikila's did ok on trails, i just had to be a bit more aware if where i was steppig...
If you are planning on running on grass though, look for a pair that doesn't have separate toes - plucking weeds from between them is just such a nuisance

Love my minimalist shoes. My current ones are :-

Road : Inov-8 Bare-X 180 (Done 203.2 km)

Trail : Inov-8 Trailroc 235 (done 281.5 km so far)

how's the grip on trail innov8's?

Really good - for wet grass and trails .. for Deep Mud , I'd got for their MudClaw shoes

Hmm... do the MudClaw do well on wet grass and trails as well, or just specialised for muddier terrain?

The ones that we were born with were perfectly good enough for Millions of years (or 6,000 if you're a complete muppet) .. until the Marketing morons saw Pound signs flash before their eyes.

Speak for yourself. When I am barefoot, I can't walk in a heel-toe movement. Only toes and the pads of the balls my feet touch the floor. If I stand with the ball of my foot and heel on the ground, the arches don't touch the floor and it becomes painful if I do it for too long. I don't wear heels. It's the natural shape of my foot. Not all bodies are the same, and not all bodies are built for running. It comes across as rather ableist to assume that.

This is actually the point of minimalist shoes. I remember learning how to transition to them, and the guidance said to walk actually barefoot and see how our feet naturally skip the heel strike. As you transition--very slowly/gradually--to the minimalist shoe, your leg and foot muscles that you haven't used maybe ever due to over supportive shoes awaken, strengthen, and support you naturally. (With that said, I also think that everyone should just use what gives them the most comfort.)

Yup, as a person with exceptionally small feet and very high arches myself, you absolutely CAN transition to minimalist shoes, but you have to accept that you're going to have some very sore calves and feet for a while until you fully transition. Coming down on your heel is exactly what you are trying to avoid, it doesn't hurt anything much when walking, but my heel strike gait when running caused SEVERAL injuries until I switched over. As of two weeks ago, I ran a half marathon on concrete/asphalt in my vibrams, and the only pain I had to deal with was the lactic acid build up in my calves.

If they're not for you, that's perfectly fine, I tell most people not to bother with them if it's not important enough to them to dedicate several months to the transition, but there's no reason someone with high arches can't use minimalist shoes if they feel it would be beneficial to them.