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Vibram Five Fingers 'Barefoot Shoes'

I'm seriously considering a pair now. I just wrecked my saucony running shoes doing martial art training (all of the twisting on the balls of my feet ripped most of the rubber sole off the front of one of them :( ).

The only ones I've seen are the sprints. What are the main differences between them and the flow or kso models?
 
The biggest difference is that the heel tightening mechanism is different. The flow, KSO and IIRC classic models all use a locking pull-cord to tighten the heel. The sprint uses velcro. It works well if you have normal or large heels, but if you have skinny heels like me then they're more of a pain. Also, they have a velcro strap that goes over the top of the foot; I don't know if the others have that too.
 
The flows are made out of a material designed for cold eviroment use IE water sports, winter running, etc. I would not suggest them for everyday use.

Flows:
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The difference between sprints and kso is foot coverage and heel strap mechanism, like dave said.

KSO Heel Strap:
img2-large.jpg


Sprints Heel Strap:
img2-large.jpg


For normal everday use that includes warm water sports, exercises, hiking, climbing, running, sprinting, parkour, etc I would highly suggest the KSOs. The are the most versatile model.

I do not suggest the sprints as I've heard negative things about the velcro heel strap.
 
Got some ordered =D I'm getting the same grey ones as Syko's first post. I wanted black but didn't want a three month wait for them to come into stock... Of course the local store stocking them had a few pairs of some garish neon-blue camo ones but I couldn't bring myself to wear them... bad enough I'll be wearing finger-shoes without drawing more attention to myself 8)
 
belarki said:
Got some ordered =D I'm getting the same grey ones as Syko's first post. I wanted black but didn't want a three month wait for them to come into stock... Of course the local store stocking them had a few pairs of some garish neon-blue camo ones but I couldn't bring myself to wear them... bad enough I'll be wearing finger-shoes without drawing more attention to myself 8)
Click to expand...

Woot! I'm glad to hear it! Let me know how you like them :)
PS: Give it a week or so of some good wear to break them in. They get more and more comfy the more you wear them.

I wanted some black ones as well but didn't want to wait. I just got my second pair, they are the classic model, so there more like slippers. No strap or anything. But I got them in black. I want to get a pair of KSO Treks next!
 
I have pretty long toes... Does this seem like it would be a problem to all you who have tried them? I am totally fascinated by these and would love a pair, but the unnaturally long toes thing might kinda break the deal...
 
BollWeevil-- I have long toes as well, and unfortunately the bits in-between the toes don't go all the way down for me. They still seem to work just fine, although I would love to get a pair that had longer toes on them.

belarki-- Nice! Are those the river-shoe version?

I haven't been wearing mine lately, as my podiatrist gave me shit for not wearing my orthotics all the time (even though I hate wearing shoes in the house). Plus ankles and knees have been bugging me lately, so the lack of impact cushioning while running isn't a good thing right now. Hopefully in a couple of months my joints will be in better shape and I can get back to using those shoes again.
 
I don't drop by the HL forum often, but I saw the vibram thread and had to comment. I've run in them three times now, and I can tell my intrinsic foot/calf muscles have a ways to go, but the shoes are so damn comfortable...perfect for disc golf, light hiking, or climbing (mostly trees at this point). I took them to Costa Rica a few weeks ago and got many compliments, and plenty strange looks too.

I even had a five year old ask me why I was wearing socks. "They're shoes," I said. To which he retorted, "Those ain't shoes!"

:D

Awoke one morning in Costa Rica with this guy on my shoe...

costarica157.jpg


Putting my vibrams to use...

costarica035.jpg
 
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^ Haha cute little fellow there nesting in your shoes. Looks like you had some fun in Costa Rica too!

Dave said:
belarki-- Nice! Are those the river-shoe version?
Click to expand...

Nah they're just the KSOs. If I really like them I might think about getting a pair of the thicker-soled treks for bushwalking/hiking. I picked these up for martial arts but was told to go easy on them as apparently the seam between the fabrics tears easily with vigorous kicks. The sprint model may have been a wiser choice but i prefered the look of these ones :)
 
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