New York Magazine is great for reading on the toilet, or any other time for that matter. And it was this article that convinced me I must get a pair of Vibram Five Fingers. Let me first say that this is not a paid post. With that out of the way…these are the best shoes I’ve ever had in my life! Here’s my newest pair:
After reading the NYM article I wanted to get these shoes, but was concerned about the fit and put it off. I let it slip from my mind for a while, but then a friend of mine who is a Crossfit instructor told me he likes them so much he has two pairs…one for exercise and another for every day wear. I finally ordered my first pair in October 2008.
As soon as I put them on I was addicted. Although it did take some time for the muscles in my feet to get used to walking in them for long periods, the experience of feeling the ground, being able to use my toes when I walked, and the extremely good balance and traction was incredible.
I like these shoes so much I’ve bought three pairs in the last 8 months. I started out with a pair of Sprints, and then bought two pairs of the KSO’s. The KSO model is definitely my favorite, and it’s what I’d recommend to anyone. They seem to fit a little better than the Sprint, and I love the fact that when hiking on trails they’ll “keep stuff out”. I’ve got one pair that I’m wearing only indoors…keeping very clean…and another for outdoors and exercise. My mother and father-in-law both have Sprints now. Here’s a picture of my father-in-law’s Sprints:
I wear Five Fingers almost all of the time now, and in the rare situation when I cannot, I realize how aweful traditional shoes are. They don’t allow your toes to grip the ground, they smash your toes into the narrowing front of the shoe, and overall they just feel like blocks of junk surrounding your feet. Before winter comes around this year I’m going to get another pair of the Flow model, which is twice as thick and more suitable for cold weather. Here’s a picture:
…and don’t just take my word for it. Everyone who tried these shoes loves them. They were even featured on NPR last year. Treat your feet to a pair of Five Fingers. You’ll thank yourself for it!
10 Comments
These are too cool to only wear them to the loo!
Nice name TorpedoButt! Yes, they are. But they’re also perfect for slippery public bathrooms, as the grip is better than a gecko’s.
Any comments re open vs closed styles? So you put these on bare feet, right? Without socks, shoes give me blisters. Will these?
After about a week of wearing them intermittently they’re less likely to give blisters than any other shoe. They fit your foot almost like a sock. And, yes, you can wear socks in them. I’ve got some for colder weather. You can find them here: http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/products/products_injinji_socks.cfm
I thought that this was a joke at first but it sounds like you guys love these things. I may have to try them but it will have to be in private first. D
Seriously Douglas, you need to get some. They’re awesome.
12 bucks for a pair of socks. Ugh. I guess this is the cult membership fee.
You’ll be drinking the kool aid too once you have the shoes!
OK, I got a pair of 5 Fingers KSOs and went for my daily run in them last night. I run on concrete pavement in my subdivision. The salesman told me that these shoes don’t work on cement, but I was too curious to pass them up. Afterall, I do sometimes jog on grassy paths and I hike in forests.
It took me just a few minutes to realize how great they were. I ran 2 miles in them, thoroughly enjoyed it, but then changed to my until now beloved Asics 2120s and ran 3 more miles in them. Everyone says to go easy the first few days, otherwise I’d have continued running in KSOs. What a difference. The Asics felt mushy at first. Compared to the KSOs, they seemed to rob me of some of the rebound energy. Also, and more disconcertingly, I was immedately aware that they made me lean forward too much (could that be the source of my occasional lower back pain?). If I tried to run more upright, I could see how I was flexing my lower back too much. The posture theory behind 5 Fingers seems correct (see this post). I can say that running in KSOs felt better and strangely less fatiguing than in Asics. I can’t wait to use them with my nordic walking poles, which help you balance the effort between legs and arms. These shoes should complement the cat-like feeling when you walk with good poles.
So, how do I feel “the next day”? Great. I feared blisters, but there is none. I don’t have any unusual muscle or bone pain. I had a plantar fascia injury years ago and I don’t feel any discomfort in that area (I have a fairly tall arch). On occasion I’ve had pain on the outside of the heels (just under ankles), but that’s not the case today. I can’t wait to run more in 5 Fingers.
I wear my 5 fingers all the time and love them. They only time I’ve ever hurt was my last day in Prague where I wore them and spent about 9 hours walking over the widest variety of cobblestones you’ve ever seen. Even got my first blister in them that day, BUTT I still wear them all the time. Got them on right now matter of fact. I’ve ran a 5K in them. That’s about the farthest I’ve done.
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