Review: Vibram
Fiftysense is devoted reviewing products the general public may not be aware of. Boy, did we ever find a fun, valuable shoe in Five Fingers! We tried the Classic and Sprint. Because the shoe has a very unusual design, we found complete strangers asking what we were wearing.
Since they are correcting and exercising the feet and toes, the first couple days, our toes didn’t want to be separated and we only wore them a couple hours a day. After that, we could wear them all day for just about every activity. It was terrific mucking out the koi pond, gardening, and walking in the rain. They looked just like new after washing them in the washing machine and hanging to dry.
The typical human foot is an anatomical marvel of evolution with 26 bones, 33 muscles and hundreds of sensory receptors, tendons and ligaments. Like the rest of the body, to keep our feet healthy, they need to be stimulated and exercised.
FiveFingers can be used for exercise, play, and for fun. Stimulating the muscles in your feet and lower legs will not only make you stronger and healthier, it improves your balance, agility and proprioception.
The upper is made with a thin, abrasion-resistant stretch polyamide fabric. The patented Vibram® sole is made from the TC1 performance rubber compound, it’s non-marking and provides excellent grip and ground feel in both wet and dry conditions.
Vibram has designed a Five Fingers shoe specifically for the outdoor enthusiasts. The TrekSport is surprisingly tough out on the trails. It is built with a 4 mm EVA (ethylene vinyl acetate) in the midsole to protect against rocks under the tread. EVA is also known as expanded rubber or foam rubber. It has amazing properties such as being very tough, stress crack resistant, water proof and has little or no odor. This also allows for a minimalist shoe to be just as tough as it's traditional bulkier predecessors.
The Vibram sole is cleated thus providing great grip on many different surfaces. Even the toes have bleachered grooves for tread. It is very interesting when using these, because there is a significant increase in dexterity and balance. By allowing the toes to adjust individually the foot is able to uniquely adapt to each step.
The material on the top of the foot is breathable and abrasion-resistant. The TrekSport has a very natural feel to it. It was tested in numerous environments many times. From being worn around the house for a day to running trails they are very comfortable at all times. The footbed material is antimicrobial so reduces odors. One of the best things about them is they are machine washable. After each trail run they were a bit muddy, so we washed them. After three washes they looked brand new with no washing maching wear. We hung them up to dry and were ready to go after a day of airing out.
Sometimes we are looking for a shoe we can wear inside, yet still be fashionable for those indoor social activities. We found the Performa was designed to enhance a barefoot feeling, yet the kangaroo leather upper feels soft against the bare foot, yet is strong and tear resistant and beautiful in red!
Although the Performa was designed primarily for indoor use during fitness training, CrossFit, and for after sport, we have many friends who like us to take our shoes off when we enter their house Since they only weigh 4 oz a pair and are machine washable, they are perfect to stick in the bag when traveling.
The KSO trek is a more rugged version of the KSO. The kangaroo leather upper and sock liner feels soft against the foot, yet is strong and tear resistant, with outstanding breathability. A 4mm EVA midsole offers plating protection from stone bruising, and a lightly cleated 4mm Vibram performance rubber outsole delivers improved traction on trails and over more rugged terrain. We found these a great shoe for outdoors in light trekking, trail running, and travel. Even though they are made of kangaroo leather, they can be machine washed.
http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/
...Fiftysense Product Review Panel