Indeed, podiatrists are reporting that Vibram-wearers are overrepresented in among runners turning up with injuries.
Good on them for stepping up to the task of designing footwear that looks even stupider than Crocs, though. Next up, cold fusion!
Another vote for this being an apt description.
I don’t know from socks. Could you name or link to an example of the kind of socks you’re talking about?
I’m female and I love them. I’m not a runner, I just hate shoes. At our cabin, we have at very steep hill and no stairs (darn tornado took them out). I used to take my shoes off and walk down, as I find hard soles shoes difficult to maneuver down in. I’d get thistle cuts, step on a rock, cut my foot on a random fish hook that somehow ended up in the grass. Now, it’s comfortable and no bloodshed.
I also wear them hiking, again for the maneuverability I have wearing them. They also were great camping last year, when heavy rains made everything a pit of mud. Others were slipping and sliding, losing their shoes and boots - not me.
The only downside is that I have big feet. Womens’ size 10 or 11. TheKid says they make me look like I have ape feet. I say she’s just jealous as she cannot wear them with her finger toes.
I do not understand your reference.
This. I’d actually like to try them. While running on the trail, of course.
I’ve seen people wear them for sailboat racing. Particularly for the small boats, sometimes it helps to be able to grab a sheet or a line with your toes.
So, points for functionality. But damn, they’re ugly.
I disagree with the last statement. 
IMO, it’s today’s version of Earth shoes.
And if sales grew that fast, it’s a sure sign of coming overexposure. The same thing happened to Crocs. But again, my opinion.
I voted skeevy. I absolutely cannot stand to have anything between my toes. As a kid not only was I unable to wear thongs (Get your mind out of the gutter. I’m talking about what kids these days call flip-flops.), I almost felt sympathy pains seeing someone else wear them.
I chose your fifth option. I don’t think it was just for “those who like clicking buttons.” In fact, if you’re really trying to figure out what people think along gender llines, you might have broken the “no strong opinion” into male/female as well, as that’s as valid a reaction as any.
Anyway, I’ve never seen these shoes before, but based on the website I don’t find them awesome or skeevy. Just another expensive (and somewhat odd-looking) piece of equipment to make the hard-core fitness crowd salivate, that most ordinary people have no use for at all.
These are positively freakish looking. Plus, toes come in many shapes and sizes and it seems it’d be hard to get a good fit. I don’t wear flip flops either; I can’t stand the feel of anything between two toes, much less all of 'em. That said, I think they would be great for hiking if you could tolerate them.
Male.
I don’t have a strong opinion on their looks, but would go a bit more on the negative side. For me, that’s because feet generally don’t get tan (at least mine, since I don’t hang out at the beach much in the summer), so there’s a stark contrast between the embarrassingly white skin and the color of the Vibram’s. I have a pair of gray Vibrams that I use for running, and even that neutral color makes my feet look sick. But that says more about my skin tone than the shoes.
As for function, I won’t say they’re awesome, but I like them, especially for trail running where I feel like I can really just fly down some of the trails.
My husband’s family is big into sailing, and they’re very useful for decks and docks and all that in-and-out-of-the-water process that happens. I HATE crocs, so these are by far a better looking option, but sadly I have crooked-ass toes, so they are very hard for me to wear. I haven’t managed to convince myself to spend the money on a pair of my own yet, but I probably will eventually.
I do go hiking, and I would consider them for that purpose also, but if I want to be barefoot in the yard or walking around, I’ll just go barefoot like I’ve always done, and to be honest, for SHOES, they’re pretty weird-looking.
I am seeing a lot of waitstaff wearing them recently, and I would guess that for some people it might be nice to have them if you’re going to be on your feet all day. I can’t imagine wearing them to my workplace tho. They’re way too casual.
I don’t see how encasing each toe makes sense when they don’t design them to actually fit your foot. The noble toe mentioned earlier: a lot of people have those, but that won’t work in that shoe.
And they are sure as heck not simple being crafted to actually look like feet. You can do everything they claim without the loving detail.
But, that said, I really don’t find them skeevy, just, well, weird.
Also, I’ve never had a problem with cheap cotton socks–rarely have mine worn out in less than a few years, and every other type of sock I’ve used (including no sock) have a worse problem with foot odor. Sure, the socks may stink a bit, but why are you leaving your dirty socks lying around?
ETA: And, when i say foot odor problems, I mean some pretty stinky ones.
It’s almost impossible for me to find a shoe that fits and doesn’t cause blisters or numbness. I’m kind of skeptical of these, but I’d be willing to try a pair . . . as long as I can return them.
And they’d probably fit me better! Though to be fair I haven’t found them instock in a store with 100 miles to even try on. My main concern is my 2nd toe is longer than my big toe. I’ve never heard Noble Toe though. I always heard it referred to as Morton’s Toe. I like the noble thing better.
They’re cool IMO – I’d buy a pair, but my toes are pretty long-ish and I’d have to go in someplace to have them fitted, I suppose. Don’t like doing that. So, for the same price, I’ll just stick with trail runners that I know will fit.
I’d be chary of wearing them around town, for me – they’d just be for the trail, pretty much.
You buy to fit your longest toe, so even many long-toed people can wear them comfortably, as long as they size up so there’s no discomfort. You don’t have to have a foot that looks just like the shoe naked for them to work for you. I had to go up a sizes from the largest I usually wear to keep my toes comfy, and my toes are shaped almost exactly like the shoe.
I really like the toe separation aspect because it allows me to splay my toes a little and grab into whatever my foot is touching with each. Clambering around on soaking wet slippery rocks is a breeze in these things.
Anecdotal evidence coming from a profession that has quite a bit of business to lose if barefooting and minimalism really takes off. Based on my own anecdotal experience and that of many of my VFF-wearing co-workers and customers, I would put good money down that most of the injuries are of the overuse variety due to the huge difference between barefoot biomechanics and that of the typical thickly wedged, supported and controlled, stiffly shod athlete. What isn’t an actual injury is usually muscle fatigue from conditioning muscles long atrophied from under use in a beefed up athletic shoe. Achilles tendon and calf soreness is most frequently reported and fades quickly with conditioning due to the fact that the heel in a VFF is now level with the metatarsal heads* allowing those tendons and muscles to lengthen back to their normal range of motion and elasticity. *Zero Drop in ref. to Heel-Toe Drop.
My personal preference is merino wool, but you could opt for a synthetic such as CoolMax or polypropylene that is much more efficient at wicking than any cotton sock. Trouble I find with synthetics is they typically don’t thermoregulate as well as wool does, so my feet tend to stay hotter and consequently sweat more in them than they do in wool. Wool moves excess heat away from the skin very effectively reducing the body’s need to perspire. Most people I find wear too much sock as well. There is no reason a sock needs to be thick all the way around unless you’re trying to insulate. A more efficient sock is only thick where the foot (or leg) needs cushion, such as under the heel, metatarsal heads, and toes. More fabric just means more heat retention and more sweat.
Check any outdoor or running store for well designed, wicking socks. SmartWool pHD socks are my personal favorite for fit, softness and performance. Yes, they are expensive, but they last for years and you don’t need as many in your supply. The aforementioned Injinji socks are also great and though most of them are CoolMax, they do offer a Nuwool merino version (the best, IMHO). They are worth the money.
You may think that, but they are significantly different than Earth Shoes, which are unique in that they are actually negative heel shoes, meaning the heel sits lower than the forefoot under the theory that shifting more weight-bearing to the heel is less injurious than most shoes that shift weight-bearing to the front of the foot via a wedge under the heel of varying heights. Although the theory is sound, that’s not based on natural biomechanics, either. A bare foot has a zero drop, not a negative drop. Vibram Five Fingers allow the foot to function as if it were unencumbered or uncorrected by wedges; stiff, inflexible soles; pronation reduction; and narrow, restrictive toe boxes. Barefooting is something everyone does when they can. Now they can do it safely anywhere they want to. For the athletic community, minimalism has been solid practice in elite running for as long as people have run and is picking up speed in the recreational running community because there is no evidence whatsoever that all the technology of the last forty years has had any positive impact on injury prevention. On the contrary, studies are beginning to show that the most restrictive of running shoes are implicated in injuries.
I also have significant Morton’s (noble?) Toe, but mine fit just fine. As **rhubarbarin **indicated, your VFFs should be sized to fit your longest toe on your longest foot. Any play at the end of the shorter toes isn’t noticeable at all. Encasing each toe provides maximum independent flexibility and range of motion which enhances balance. For runners, it also eliminates blistering between the toes caused by toe on toe friction.
Not sure if this is directed at me, but the problem for me is when people take off their shoes to try on footwear where I work. Most people don’t bring clean socks with them to do this and their feet, when clad in cotton socks, are usually nasty. Not so much the customers that come in wearing wool or synthetics. A little, but not as bad as the cotton contingent. No socks, leather shoes are also pretty bad. And children in crocs or other plastic footwear. Ugh.
feet gloves? Pass. Maybe they’re good for rock climbing but they look dorky and are expensive.
I’ve tried some on stores, but my little toes get all skrunched up and I have to take a few minutes to force them into the appropriate place: if I wear them for a while, (i.e., a few weeks) will they eventually be easier to fit, or is this going to be an ongoing issue?
It can be a little tricky to get all your toes in the right place when you first put them on, especially if you have little space between your toes or don’t have much range of lateral motion (splaying ability). Some people just can’t get used to the feeling.
But most people find they achieve muscle memory after wearing them for a few days or a week and their toes just ‘know where to go’. I can now get all my toes in the right place just sliding my feet in the shoe on the floor. The first few times I put them on, I also had to manipulate my toes into the slots.
The alternatives, however, if the VFF doesn’t work out well, are Vivobarefoot’s collection of zero-drop shoes and Merrell’s Barefoot Collection. Several other companies are planning to (or have already) release zero-drop or minimalist shoes in the coming year, recognizing that there is a market for technical footwear that is not bulky and over-engineered. Vibram is largely responsible for establishing this market.