A Look At Vibram Five Fingers

Athletic Shoes - By Deila on Wednesday, November 3, 2010 - 01:59

Remember walking around barefoot in the summer, feeling the grass between your toes and being able to have your toes stretched out instead of bunched all together?  Well, how would you like the experience of going barefoot without getting your feet dirty?

In comes Vibram Five Fingers.  These revolutionary shoes are like gloves for your feet.  You’ve never seen shoes quite like these however, once you wear them for the first time, you’ll be hooked.

• Style – Vibram Five Fingers are made to appear like your feet.  They come in 11 different styles, each one suited towards the type of activities you would like to do *barefoot*, and different colors to fit your different moods.  These are unlike any other shoes you have ever seen so, at first glance, they are going to seem very strange to you however, once you put them on, the comfort will have you enthusiastic about wearing them.
• Quality – As I am reviewing the CLASSIC style of Vibram Five Fingers, I can only comment on that type.  The Materials consist of: UPPER - abrasion-resistant stretch polyamide fabric; SOLE- Vibram TC-1 performance rubber and FOOTBED- Antimicrobial microfiber.  The upper was stretchy and fit quite nicely across my foot.  Walking on the foot bed was almost like walking on a tight grip of sand.  I have no idea what Vibram TC-1 rubber is, but the sole has great traction with absolutely no slipping, whether I was walking up hill or downhill.  I even crossed a path of rocks with a minimal amount of discomfort.  I live in a fairly hot climate, with sidewalks getting extremely hot during the day, and the heat did not transfer in to the shoe as I thought it might.  I know I wouldn’t wish to walk barefoot on my streets after a certain time of day but these shoes made it possible.
• Durability – Vibram Five Fingers can be used for hiking, climbing, biking, sailing, kayaking, and so many other activities.  As I am not an exertive type of exerciser I tried these out (the CLASSIC style) on my weekly walk, my every other day bike ride and my 3 times a week yoga session.  These took a serious beating even with just the light workout I put them through and survived quite well. 
• Comfort – Each Vibram Five Fingers shoe has individual areas for each toe, are flexible and soft and truly feel as close to barefoot as you can come.  These shoes take the minimalist view when it comes to going barefoot.  You will not find a shoe more like walking barefoot than Vibram Five Fingers.

Final Thought – If you are a *Nature* boy or girl, and truly have the heart of a bare-footist, these shoes are for you.  They are easy to clean, air dry very quickly (so they can be washed and dry daily and used the next day) and can be used in a variety of activities, whether indoors or out.  I can see them being used in for running a marathon or just around the house.  You absolutely cannot go wrong with any use of Vibram Five Fingers.

See our main review of Vibram Five Fingers.