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Review: Vibram FiveFingers Classic

By Tue • Mar 21st, 2009 • Category: Reviews • ShareThis

Vibram FiveFingers Classic

Review, originally posted 2007-09-07 (Revised 2008-04-09) on tjespter.com

Style: Men’s & women’s
Sample Size: EU44 / UK10 / US10.5
Design: Vibram (Italy)
Country of production: Unknown
Weight per shoe*: 175 gr. (6.17 oz.)
Thickness of sole*: 4 mm. (0.15748 in. - measured at the front foot)
Upper material: Abrasion-resistant stretch polyamide fabric
Outsole: Vibram TC1 performance rubber compound

*Weight and thickness are always measured without insole when possible (since I usually recommend losing the insole, thus making the shoe more minimal). The weight is found using electronic scales from OBH that weigh down to 1 gram. The thickness is measured with a one-handed bar clamp. Thickness and especially weight are of course dependent on shoe size (See above). NB. FiveFingers have no removeable insole.

The Product

The product comes in a neat little cardboard box including a brief information/instruction pamphlet and a bag for storage. Reading the pamphlet, there’s no doubt about it: Vibram Fivefingers support the concept of this very site – they are minimal shoes for the barefoot people. This is a unique approach – different and innovative.

A lot can be said about this approach. There definitely is a market for a shoe with a philosophy like this, if we consider the barefoot wave, including Pose Method running and Chi running etc. There are also the whole health, nature and wellness segments (including sports in general), which could be possible target groups. Finally there are the fashion aspect – considering the different color combinations available, for instance. Could FiveFingers become fashion? Perhaps – they absolutely do look different, which could appeal to some fashion avant-gardists (I promise: people will look at your FiveFingers and even ask you about them. Not saying that I’m avant-garde (which I’m definitely not)).

If we consider the design of the FiveFingers, there are several distinct features. They don’t look like any normal shoe, first and foremost due to the sole (which more or less makes the whole shoe). It is shaped like a foot and is supposed to wrap around you like a thin protective layer of rubber. Sounds good so far, considering that this is what we want when acquiring a shoe for our purpose: just a little protection that doesn’t interfere with our feet’s abilities or functions. Also, the sole is very flexible and you quickly notice the small grooves in the material. They are probably there to make the material more elastic or perhaps just for the looks, because the sole is just as flexible where there aren’t any grooves (under the toes and the arch of the foot). The same can be said about the notches near the edges around the sole. They are supposed to increase skid resistance, but their seize and depth considered they probably won’t make a difference in this aspect. Finally you notice that the sole is supposed to look like a foot from underneath. The parts supporting the heel, the ball of the foot and the toes are raised.

The upper material is glued to the sole, which makes sense. It reduces irritating joints and there is plenty of surface for affixing. The inner part (not exactly an insole) is a suede-like material and it is quite pleasant (without being too soft). Besides the sole wrapping around your foot, an elastic band helps keeping the shoe in place and it can be loosened and tightened for better fitting. The toe slots are a very fine piece of needlework, and you wonder how long it took the designers to figure out exactly how to create pockets for the individual toes. They succeeded, though, and the product overall seems very sturdy.

The Vibram FiveFingers are light, flexible and innovative shoes indeed. From the mere looks, the touch and the feel they come out as a very inviting product. So let’s see how they do in practice.

Use

I’ve had the FiveFingers Classic for more than 3 months now (I bought the first pair in May 2007) and I have used them for both walking and running. I first discovered them in a short article in a Danish science magazine and waited patiently for their arrival on the Danish market.

The feeling of having your toes move independently is great. A whole new world opens up, and you start thinking of shoes in a completely different way. I have no idea whether or not the Italian company, Vibram, was the first to adopt the idea but they have definitely succeeded in mass producing it (I saw another product they made that resembles the FiveFingers, but I don’t know how far they got with that). A minimal shoe with toes is a nice idea, though it’s not the only way of having your toes move freely. A big problem with normal shoes is that they generally don’t allow your toes enough room, which is really weird, when you think about it. How did the idea that our feet were supposed to be pointy arise?

Anyway, separate toes in shoes is interesting, and FiveFingers really help your feet to a better shape. But there is an issue. Because the sole extends way over your toes and because your feet tend to slide forward in the shoes, your toenails are squeezed a bit. It made me change to a bigger size, but it didn’t help. And the elastic band can’t save you here (the built-in straps in big brother FiveFingers Sprint could prevent this).

Another problem is the fact that the flap in the rear end of the shoe irritates you (the one that keeps the elastic band on the outside - see picture below). It crawls way too high up your Achilles tendon, which is one of the primary things usual running shoes try to avoid (we will return to this in a moment). Even the much cheaper Nika Holding water shoe avoids this. FiveFingers are also way more palpable. You are never in doubt that you have something attached to your feet.

Yet another issue I found is that the raised part on the sole underneath the ball of your foot becomes way too tangible when running fast. You risk getting accumulations of blood along the line that the raised part forms before the toes (not that this is such a serious matter in itself – blood accumulations can happen very easily when running barefooted as well – but I just don’t like the feeling of this slightly raised part of the shoe). This only happens when sprinting, which is why I avoid FiveFingers for interval training. I wish they would have made the sole completely flat. It would have been much smarter, considering the thinness of the sole. Also, I feel that this raised part forces your feet a bit outwards when landing.

Due to the low weight and the flexibility running in FiveFingers feels much freer than conventional running shoes, though. And they offer more protection than the Nika Holding water shoes, because of the harder sole. The hardness has yet another benefit, because your skin really gets used inside the shoe. It becomes tough almost as quickly as running completely barefooted. A downside is that the sole becomes more tangible.

So how did I end up incorporating FiveFingers in my daily life? Well, first and foremost they have become some of my favorite minimal shoes for mere walking. I like their good breathability (they do hold a bit of smell, though) and the fact that the toes are kept apart. The black pair I have even looks quite neutral with my black Feelmax toe socks that I bought for the very purpose of being able to use socks with FiveFingers (yes, neutrality is a nice thing, if you find incredulous glances a bit annoying in the end. But in a way it is a bit funny as well). As a shoe for walking they are just perfect. You don’t feel all those irritating things that become apparent when running.

This certainly doesn’t mean that you can’t run in them. If I hadn’t discovered other alternatives, I would have been much less critical. They score very high on weight, breathability, flexibility (see picture below) and even on skid resistance (not because of the so-called “razor-siped” parts of the sole, though, but because the sole has an overall good surface contact – even when it rains). And they are innovative, almost a stroke of genius, and in my opinion very healthy, because of the consideration for the shape of your feet. They are also durable – they still look almost new when they come out of the washing machine. Overall very good quality, though the price is too high in Europe. Half of the price is the concept, I think. It’s definitely not the amount of material.

So what you get is a healthy minimal shoe (if you believe that a thin sole and a natural shape is beneficial) that, besides some smaller annoyances, feels very comfortable. Considering that the shoes are so different and innovative I actually think that the Vibram Company pulls it off. There’s no doubt however, that they overdid the bottom of the sole. I think they tried to make it look cool, but it would have become much more usable if it was just flat. And the tall rear-end is a flaw, because the back of your feet is a very sensible place – it is a soft region that flexes all the time when you move – and especially shoes for running should keep a low rear profile (remember that not only is the rear flap high it is also made of somewhat hard rubber, which makes you feel it more). The elastic band also irritates you a bit, and I actually think that the shoe would have worked better if it just closed around your feet a bit higher up, like the Nika Holding water shoe. The upper material had to be more flexible though, and consequently more vulnerable, perhaps, or less breathable. And FiveFingers look cooler with their open design, I think.

Conclusion

I want to love the FiveFingers Classic because of the unique concept and the courageous step towards actually producing the shoes and distributing them. And I do love them, but with reservations. Considering the bottom of the sole, I imagine that Vibram thought too much of the expression of the shoes, and thus made them less practical (not deliberately, of course. Maybe they just put too much effort into making them look like an actual foot). Some design features reveal this. The overall problem with Fivefingers is the feeling. They just look better than they feel. Imperceptibility isn’t the keyword describing your feet’s connection with FiveFingers, though some features support it (as a whole there is also too much rubber around your foot, so I guess it is a matter of preferences. I like to step on the sole, not have the sole wrapped around me (unless it is soft, like in Feelmax shoes). This particular problem would regard the Sprint model as well. I understand the idea, though, because the extended rubber protects the upper material and helps making the shoe more durable).

A unique thing, however, is that your toes are forced apart – in a good sense. And the front is very wide – just like your feet are. In my opinion they are healthy and perfect for walking. They are just not that good a running experience, although they have a lot of cool characteristics.

When it comes down to it, FiveFingers are a highly subjective experience. It is hard to say some general things about them, simply because they are so different. However, this is their actual force. This is why people would want to try them. You chiefly buy an experience. To return to the new world, that I mentioned opens up in front of you: FiveFingers make you realize that shoes can be so many things. I really hope that this innovative wave rubs off onto other manufacturers. I would like to see both well-established and whole new companies try a lot more unusual ideas.

Finally, it should be mentioned that the Sprint model seems more comfortable and less likely too fall off your feet (It can happen with the Classic model), so if you want a more practical minimal shoe choose this one. The bad news is that it is even more expensive.

“What are you wearing? Some kind of aqua shoes?”

That’s a common reaction I get to my Vibram Five Fingers. Others include, “Hey can you run in those?” (Yes). Or, “Do they feel weird? Is it hard to adjust to them?” (Not really and No — its like being barefoot!). And of course, “What are those? And where can I get them?”

Five Fingers are shoes. Or slippers. Or socks with flexible Vibram rubber soles on the bottom. They have five toe cutouts and absolutely no arch support or traditional foam padding in the soles. They come in a few varieties (some providing more foot coverage, one intended for aquatic uses, a couple with straps, or the simplest, the “classic", which has a bungie type operation that keeps them from falling off when used in more engaging activities.

I’ve been using my Five Fingers for about three months now. So far, I’ve used them for:

• Kettlebell lifting
• All varieties of CrossFit workouts (In action: Burpees), which often include doing squats, cleans, jerks, pull-ups, dips, presses, etc.
• Rowing on an Ergometer (Concept 2)
• Getting around a dock and boat
• Going for walks
• Short jogs
• Hill sprints
• Frisbee throwing
• Grocery shopping!
• Lounging around in the house, grilling outside on the deck

Five Fingers have helped me be a kid again: as a kid, I never wore shoes, preferring always to be barefoot everywhere. Even today, I rarely wear shoes, preferring Birkenstock sandals in the summer or clogs in the winter (or just wearing flip-flops). Five Fingers are great in that they allow me to do all sorts of active things outside, no matter what the surface while still protecting my feet against wayward sharp objects on the ground.

Five Fingers take my feet back to basics. I wasn’t born with shoes on my feet. From an evolutionary perspective, human beings existed for countless millenia hunting and gathering, running from prey, lifting and carrying loads — all without the latest brand of Nike’s. It stands to reason that our feet evolved over time to withstand the freedoms (both good and bad) that result from going barefoot everywhere.

Our ancient ancestors likely had tough, calloused feet, ready to withstand sprints (or walking) across all sorts of terrain. Furthermore, they likely ran lightly on their feet (and almost certainly had little reason to ever “go for a jog"). Shoeless running would necessarily minimize contact between the foot and the ground. Just imagine a cat or dog sprinting and you get the idea. Contrast running on the balls of your feet with the pervasive long-stride, heel-striking (inherently inefficient), sneaker-clad foot-roll. This style is clumsy, and the by-product of the thick-soles of modern sneakers, which mute important feedback between foot and ground (See You Walk Wrong, referenced below).

Vibram Five Fingers minimize feedback-interference by having an almost insignifnicant rubber sole. When I wear my Five Fingers outside, I feel the curvature of the grass-covered ground. I feel rocks under my heels and get a real sense of the varying textures beneath me.

When I do olympic-lifts, I feel all the stabilizers in my feet activate (Like you might encounter in CrossFit). I feel reconnected to the ground, an empowering feeling when you’re trying to squat 150kg or stabilize whilst doing 24kg kettlebell swings. When I do hill sprints in my Five Fingers, I am considerably less likely to roll my ankle upon hitting a dip in the ground.

Going about “virtually barefoot” may seem odd to our sneaker-crazed modern world, but why not take a break from restrictive, clunky shoes and sneakers and traverse the earth as evolution intended (Well, as close as you can get while still maintaining some protection!)? Plus, being active and “barefoot” will build stronger ankles and leg muscles and improve your agility.

Mind, the day after running “barefoot” for the first time (virtually so with Five Fingers), you’re bound to be sore in all sorts of previously forgotten ankle, foot and calve muscles. So be prepared. However, this general foot/ankle weakness should tell you something about how much your regular footwear has been subsidizing your strength.

The bottom line: if you like being active and barefoot, you’re almost certainly going to like Five Fingers.

Finally, there are a few other benefits of Five Fingers I thought I’d share:

• Five Fingers are incredibly light and compact. This makes them supremely packable for traveling.
• They are machine washable! Yeah, you can just throw them in the washing machine, then hang them out to dry.
• Wet sports. This goes hand in hand with their machine wash-ability. Doing something in wet grass? Regular sneakers will get soaking wet and could end up smelling of mold. With my Five Fingers, if they get wet, its okay! They’ll dry fast. If they get muddy? Just wash them off and throw them in the washing machine. Easy.

Okay, you’ve sold me. So what now?

If you’re interested in picking up a pair, I recommend checking out some style specifics at barefoot evolution where you can figure out which style is right for you.

On style and sizing — I personally had no need or desire for a strap over the top of my feet (like in the “sprint” style — and I sprint in my classics all the time!) and didn’t want to risk rumored chafing. Sizing is always a question.

Buyer beware: friends and family might chide your weird-looking footwear, but don’t be surprised when they order their own pair shortly thereafter (To date: I know two CrossFitters who are looking to buy them after seeing me use them, and one CrossFitter who has already taken the plunge).

If you have any questions about anything I didn’t cover, let me know!

CrossFit Norwest, RAW strength and conditioning and Barefoot Evolution is announcing the the Paleo Slim down challenge for 2010.

The Paleo diet takes todays homosapiens back to out prehistoric paleolithic ancestors diet. Humans have evolved little over many many thousands of years yet our agriculture has evolved immensly. With this agricultural change many conditions previously unknown are also evolving, ADHD, ceoliac, gluten and wheat intolerance. These were not an issue to our ancestors.

Our life expectancy has increased but not because of your evolution or our diet changes. It is because we live in a vastly different environment to our ancestors. our ancestors were chased by bears, saber tooth tigers, slept in caves in freezing conditions. They were subject to extreme environments not to sickness and disease. They ate what they could grow, catch or kill! not wheat, diary, legumes they were all athletes!

At CrossFit Norwest, RAW strength and conditioning and Barefoot Evolution there will be a seminar on the paleo diet on January 18 at 630 pm. This will be one week prior to the start of the offical Paleo Challenge for 2010. All contestants are in the running for cash prizes by sticking to the diet for 7 weeks and showing changes in body composition.

Contestants will have to submit food diaries and be accountable for everything that goes into their mouth!!! Do not start the year slack. Join in get fit and live long!!

Barefoot Evolution is proud to announce it's partnership with CrossFit Norwest and Raw Strength and Conditioning to bring the Australian public to the best athletic footwear available at a fraction of the price!!! Selling Vibram Five Fingers (Vibram 5 Fingers) and Feelmax freedom footwear!

Barefoot Evolution (www.barefootevolution.com)