Vibram FiveFingers Review

Weird at first, then surprisingly comfortable, we try on a pair of Vibram FiveFingers for ourselves. Read our Vibram FiveFingers review and see what the no.1 barefoot walking shoe is all about.

If you ever meet someone wearing Vibram FiveFingers, they will give you an enthusiastic endorsement, explaining how comfortable they are, the fact that you will forget that you’re wearing them while being flexible, protective and helping you to safely walk barefoot without injury from sharp stones, rough surfaces or even hot pavements and scorching sand in the summer.

Fascinated by the concept of a glove for your foot, we tried on a few pairs of Vibram FiveFingers for ourselves.

The first thing we found is that they fit very snugly, which means stretching the shoe to get your foot to fit into it. But once inside, they hug your foot and each of your toes like a snug glove, while allowing for full freedom of movement.

The rubber is a little tight to begin with, but once you’ve been wiggling your digits for a few minutes, the fabric soon begins to loosen up, so there is a little time needed for breaking them in.

The grips are quite incredible and provide excellent traction. In fact, it feels as though you can walk up walls in them, which is quite amazing when they are relatively subtle. The sticky rubber fabric that Vibram is so well known for when it comes to walking shoes and hiking boots helps this to happen. This means that Vibram FiveFingers are able to form an extra thin layer around your feet, not only protecting your soles, but adding to your natural grip without interfering with the shape of the foot.

There’s no extra cushioning, so jumping onto a hard surface is just as painful as in your bare feet, but when it comes to hot pavements and scorching sands that have had the sun beating down on them all day, there’s no pain, just a lovely warm feeling.

When it comes to barefoot walking, wearing Vibram FiveFingers is just like walking in your barefeet, so you have to tread differently, using your midfoot and forefoot for softer impacts. This puts a little more spring in your step and can become quite tiring at first, but you’ll soon adapt to it -especially if you’re prone to heel striking hard in your everyday shoes. You won’t want to do that anymore after taking a few steps on a solid surface!

Are Vibram FiveFingers a suitable alternative to going barefoot?
Definitely! They’re comfy, protective and full flexible. While many of us prefer the cool comfort of walking barefoot, no one wants to step in anything spikey, mucky or generally just unpleasant, so FiveFingers are great for that. They also enhance grip and povide a layer between your skin and any blistering hot surfaces, making hot summer sandals and baking pavements surprisingly pleasant to walk on.

Are Vibram FiveFingers worth the cost?
Tough question. Would you spend £85 on a pair of barefoot walking shoes? They’re quite a luxury item and when a large number of people would spend over £80 on a pair of casual trainers, why would they bat an eyelid over a pair of Vivbram FiveFingers?

Generally you get what you pay for at FitnessFootwear.com (where we only sell what we would wear!) and Vibram FiveFingers are no exception. They’re comfortable, made from hard wearing, good quality materials, they’re perfectly comfortable and highly fashionable.

But when it comes to their purpose in barefoot walking, is it worth paying for something you can do anyway?
Due to the level of protection and the increased comfort, we’d say Yes! Your feet will feel sharp stones, mud, muck and other unpleasantries including burning hot sand, pavements and even gradual wear and tear to the soles of your feet. Vibram FiveFingers protect your feet from all this and probably much more while letting you enjoy the health benefits of barefoot walking and generally freeing your feet from the restriction of your shoes.

You can check out the best selling styles of Vibram FiveFingers at:
http://www.fitnessfootwear.com/c-204-vibram-five-fingers.aspx

And for more information about the benefits of barefoot walking, visit:
http://www.walking.org/p/walking-barefoot

Popularity: unranked [?]