Antivaxxers is a bit of an extreme comparison, though, don’t you think? What is it to you, really, if your neighbor happily and comfortably runs barefoot or in a funny looking shoe? Does it offend your technologically advanced sensibilities or otherwise put your own feet in peril? Sheesh. Lighten up, Francis.
ETA: If your only source of evidence is podiatrists, my point stands that it’s biased.
This is completely accurate. I just noticed today, while demonstrating how to flex the toes to get them spaced apart enough to slide into the shoe, that I can splay my toes out to an oddly extreme degree I’ve never actually been able to do before. Even the muscles in my toes are much more flexible than ever. It really freaked me and my customer out. I was like :eek: and then :o but it quickly evolved into 
Just like FiveFingers, only without the toes. Thank me later. 
It is later and I thank you. I’m a huge Merrell fan to begin with, these look perfect.
They are not skeevy or awesome. They’re just another pair of shoes, that seems to work well for certain environments.
…tend to feel threatened by things they don’t understand. I suggest anyone with doubts about this footwear phenomenon buy a pair and try using them to increase your mobility and burn a few calories. 
You might be pleasantly surprised. 
Serious question because I trust you folks – I’d hesitate to wear these over many miles of asphalt with broken glass, hobo sputum, acid rain residue. Are all the women (it seems mostly women who like them on this thread!) really just wearing them on the trail?
Also – they seem expensive to me. Obviously I’ll spend for trail runners (which I can buy online without fitting, in brands and models I like, for about the same), but I get pissed when I only get 500 miles out of them. Can you expect really to get similar mileage out of these, or better, or is it one of those things where it’s worth it at any cost?
Also, I’m a man, and besides not wanting to get tetanus shots or have a rabid dog bite me when I kick it away, is this really something a dude can wear without looking like some weak ass hippie outside? I live in Portland, OR, FWIW.
As someone who prefers being barefoot, but hates hurting my feet, they have a certain appeal. My feet are dexterous enough to pick up and manipulate objects (I used to draw with my feet at parties for a trick - not as good as using my hands, but hey, some people are impressed) and wearing shoes is like pulling a couple pairs of socks over my hands. And yes, I love toesocks and wish they were more available.
The point of “encasing each toe individually”? What’s the difference between wearing mittens and wearing gloves? People are so used to shoving their feet into corsets they don’t know what it’s like not to do it.
Up until now I thought I couldn’t wear Five Fingers, though, because my second toes are my longest and they didn’t look designed for that sort of foot, but on their website apparently that can be accommodated when you’re figuring out your correct size. Which makes me want to run out and buy a pair, except I just plain can’t afford to do so.
I’m wondering if that better grip would make me more secure climbing around on a roof at work. Then I’m wondering how I explain the goofy footwear.
My first thought on reading that question was, “your fingers get colder more quickly when wearing gloves.” Considering the level of frostbite damage my feet have suffered and how they chill up fast even in cold weather in thin shoes, I think this confirms my toes should be huddling together for warmth.
Plus I find even a strap between the big and first toe to be irritating at times and have never been able to tolerate anything else between the toes for long (pedicures make me tense up, not relax); I think I’d either be shucking those shoes off or constantly stepping one foot across the toes of the other to try to dull the sensation.
Some styles have deeper lugs and should last longer, but realistically do not expect them to last as long as conventional shoes when used for running on hard surfaces.
See above. FWIW, it really depends on how you value it from the ergonomic standpoint. I just bought my 2nd pair, and with the REI member free shipping and an online 20% off promotion got a $100 pair of shoes delivered to my door for $72. Not bad, considering they line up against the medium to high priced athletic shoes from other makers pretty well from a price standpoint anyway.
I can’t comment on your egoistic attributes, but personally I don’t give a shyt what anyone thinks of me in any respect one way or the other, with very few exceptions (family, friends, employer - that’s about it.)
Er. “Egotistic”? I prefer to not look like a fool on purpose, is all, although I see what you mean about priorities. I get enough shit (perceived, anyway), for being a walker in a car/cow-town like Portland, and my ego is somewhat too fragile for much ridicule. My middle fingers are almost ground to a stub from “dealing with” asshole cagers all day. Not to mention my face is stuck into a position which resembles a cartoon of WC Fields scowling.
Said with tongue in cheek. Thanks for the solid info. They sound good on the right surface, but maybe not for me, since I often must walk miles on asphalt to get to trail or something resembling backcountry. Will try someday. Maybe I’ll just barefoot it on duff or loam kind of trails anyway, if I didn’t hate carrying extra weight in my pack.
I went with two of my friends to buy theirs on Sunday. They love them so far, say they are insanely comfortable, and were able to find models that fit very well despite both of them having odd-shaped feet and toes. My one friend has both her second and 3rd toe longer than the big toe, for instance.
ETA: Jaledin, my male friend bought them in all black with yellow logo - they look pretty manly. Like ninja shoes. And I have no problem running through broken glass and hobo sputum in these. I run/walk almost exclusively on sidewalks.
I have the same problem. Could never, ever wear flip flops or even toe socks. But these shoes don’t bother me at all.
I guess I am too cheap to be interested. $75.00 for a pair of shoes? I’m the one who is perfectly happy with the cheap shoes from Target, WalMart or Payless. Heck, even Crocs are cheap.
They look so WEIRD. I’m sure they’re great for runners or whatever, but I would never be tempted to wear them.
Sooo… the fact that they are barefoot-type shoes that separate the toes is completely extraneous to you.
I grew up on Payless shoes. Once I started paying for my own shoes, I realized how much better fitting, longer-lasting, and more comfortable well-made shoes of better design and materials offered. Granted, not all expensive shoes are all that special or worth their cost, but overall I can realistically expect much more from a more expensive pair of shoes than what Payless, Target, or Wal*Mart have to offer.
And Crocs are crap.
Jumping in to say I just picked up a pair of KSO Treks. Of course the day after I got them it snowed 
I have a pair of Classics and wanted to get the Treks to keep little rocks and twigs from finding their way into the uppers. I also went a size up from reccomended on the Classics and they got loose feeling very quick. I went for the size reccomendation for the KSO Treks. Hopefully the leather doesn’t stretch too much.
Funny thing was, the store where I got them (MEC in Calgary) have the Treksports on the website, not the Treks. Finding VFFs in “average” sizes is very difficult here so I was well pleased when I was able to put a pair of 41s on hold. When I tried them on in the store they just felt a little off. Looking around for a sales person on a busy Saturday afternoon with a sad look on my face I spied a KSO Trek on display. Huh? That’s weird. That shoe isn’t even on the website. So I grabbed it, finally got some help from staff (did I tell you the take a number counter was out of order and we were all milling around the shoe display waiting . . . waiting?) and tried on the single shoe in the box and the display model match to it. Comfortable right away! Woo hoo! I spent $25 more for the older tech, but am happy to have the leather upper.
A friend picked up the Treksports I put on hold for him the next day. He’s probably getting used to them in Maui. What am I doing? Looking at them wistfully as I put on my Sorells and shovel the sidewalk.
Male, and I think they’re awesome.
No. I’m not a runner. I just wear them as my everyday shoes. Wearing tennis shoes feels like encasing my foot in concrete now. I’ve had my classics for almost 3 years now, and they just recently got a hole poked through one of the bottoms. So $75 for a shoe that last almost 3 years? Not that bad, considering I used to buy $20 shoes at Walmart that only lasted one year. Plus, fivefingers are actually comfortable besides.
I’ve wore them in parking lots full of broken glass (bar nearby). Never gotten cut, but it did make me feel a little uneasy, especially now with the hole. I’ve really got to order a new pair, but I haven’t decided if I want to stay with the classic or try the sprint or something else the next time around.
ETA: Oh, and I’m a woman, if that matters.
Astonishing about the ability of these five fingers to withstand even broken glass. To those who balk at the price alone, I think you’ll find that when you walk or run at least several hundred miles per month, every month, even though the expense of good shoes is considerable, every mile is a blessing when your feet are happy.
Maybe I will try out some Five Fingers next pair of shoes. Not to mention “Five Fingers of Death” is one of my favorite chopsocky movies ever. I’d still feel like a dork going out to play music or just socialize in a bar with them on, but that’s why I have leather black dress shoes. 
I would never wear them in normal social circumstances either. I have so many shoes that are so much more attractive…