If you manage to copy some ideas from the asics gel-nimbus. You win. Also. Nike made a very unique running shoe with zig zagged squared off velcroe. Very comfortable. The stretchable tongue from asics is unique. Which competes with the hoka bodi for comfort. This is the holy grail shoe that no one has made.
Hey Would you consider doing an episode on a pair of Justin cowboy boots? Iv always wondered how they stack up against Ariat since they are a budget boot. This is just a shot in the dark but I would love to see it 🤗
I have 4 pairs of splays now and love all of them so so much .. So comfy and lasts a really long time also easy to clean .. These are great videos thank you fot posting these. Bought boots cause of your input.
My pair lasted for just 6 month before losing the outsoles walking in the street. Super sad because they were quite comfortable but I don't buy shoes that doesn't last at least one year of intensive use.
7 месяцев назад
Love the barefoot videos and Thanks to you and Jim Green for your colab. That they'll use their barefoot last on any boot as a custom order is a game changer! I've moved towards wanting more protection underfoot while still being zero drop and foot shaped. Started doing the "barefoot" thing when you could only buy VFFs (KSO had just come out), Invisible Shoes (now Xero Shoes) had a huarache kit where you had to cut out the sole, and Unshoes was cutting your sandals from a trace you sent them... We've come a long way and I love it! Xero scrambler low is my current favorite trail running shoe, and Jim Green is my favorite boot!
Since you already enjoy the Lems Boulder Boot so much I'd recommend the Lems Chillum. Same kind of fit and comfort as the Boulder Boot but in the form of a low top (vans-esque) sneaker.
There’s something worth mentioning about the objectivity of appearance and footwear. Pant length and style makes a huge difference with the ratio to the shoe. I don’t own these but I can tell they will look normal I.e. not clownish with pants that end below the ankle. Clownish shoes are even more accented by pants that are elastic or fold and rolled cuffs. A wide toe box looks more normal with pants considered “relaxed fit’ or “baggy.
Agreed. I have to wear a very wide toe box because I have very wide feet. I *have* to wear barefoot shoes; they don't make stylish women's shoes in my size. Anything that fits me will look a little like clown shoes, just because. My work shoes (I need to wear "office formal" so skirts, dresses, and tailored pants) include barefoot ballet flats, Drifter slouch boots, and Shapen short boots. All are dressy, high quality leather, and aside from the shape and flatness, look like any other high quality woman's shoes. I have sneakers (Wildlings) but that's different. The clothing I wear makes a difference in how wide the toe box looks. With a dress and tights, the width is obvious for all the world to see, but so is the rest of the shoe and it looks "high end from a different culture", not clownish. With my typical wide leg pants, it's barely noticeable. I don't wear skinny pants, but I expect they would look the worst of all.
As someone that owns the splayed pair with laces, they have pros and cons. The canvas is not very stretchy. The sole also eventually starts to feel hard on your feet and leave me wanting to wear something thinner as it feels less hard in the long run. The toe box is the one upside. It really let's your feet spread.
I really look forward to this video series. A nice comfy house shoe that allows reasonable outdoor walking yet. Will last a reasonable time given the price point. Thanks.
As someone who only wears bearfoot shoes more groundfeel and thinner sole is absolutely a real thing and not just about saving money. I want the thinnest I can get without it being too weak.
I like my Be Lenka "Cityscape All Black" barefoot shoes (not the 2.0 version). The upper & lining are made from nappa leather. It'd be interesting to see how's the quality.
The Birchbury Bramford that you're of course quite familiar with has been my daily sneaker for quite some time now. I've been looking at Be Lenka and Muki Shoes, but it's hard to pull the trigger at that price point when you don't really know anything about them. Like you, I've been searching for the perfect sneaker with an anatomical toe box, and while the Bramford is good, it does leave me wanting. Really looking forward to what you find out!
Direct comparison please 🙏 I have several pair of Vivobarefoot shoes, that I LOVE, a pair of Lems, that are pretty good, and a pair of Xeros that I use for my house shoes, because they have a collapsible heel. I do like the xeros and think they are great for how I use them, but wonder how they would fare with everyday use.
Those shoes are tempting! My husband is a runner and he has gone minimalist while running and while dressing casual. He swears the change to those funny shoes stopped his crippling plantar f. For casual, he likes ASICS Mission and Zurich indoor soccer (we're in Spain). I wear men's shoes and LOVE flat CETTI and Pikolinos.
I’m sure you’ve already looked, but Lems would have a good contender for this list. I know you like the Boulder boots and I bought some just from the video you made about the original boulders. They do have some good looking sneakers too.
I purchased some Splays based on this video. Weston said he thought they were made better than Xero shoes. I was totally impressed. First, they are made in Mexico. They appear to be very well made. They are wide in front and narrow in back. They are fairly narrow in the instep, more narrow than I can usually manage but something in the design makes them perfectly comfy in that area. I have big, knobby bunions and they fit in these shoes without hanging over the edge of the sole. They are very low profile shoes and may need to stretch a little depending on the style. Now, is this company going out of business? They have sold pretty much all their stock during the spring sale and, as of yet, haven't dropped anything new a nd it's time to buy summer shoes.
Ok so this might get lost but i just watched your Timberland Pro video and you HAVE to buy an old pair and compare them. I have a pair of pro boots that my dad used to wear, so theyre probably 15-20 years old. Just by looking at it there is a complete difference in quality an extra leather pieces to reinforce the back, a better quality rubberbised for the sole, the tounge is padded and connects slightly higher up, a plastic and fiberboard insole, has "Thermolite" sewn inside. Just look at some pictures Anyway yeah you should really buy compare an older boot when the pro line first started, but im not letting you cut up mine. Ok edit again just looking at my boots and comparing again it's just a completely different construction
While i have a pair of splay i mostly buy them (on our third pair) for my kid who beats the ever living crap out of them as they are her favorite. I will say their vulcanizing to the canvas could use some work as they always seem to start to separate at the toe and the major bend point. Style wise i find the big toe too pronounced to be a stealthy barefoot shoe and as someone with a morton's toe it isn't even helping on the sizing. If they rounded it out a bit more similar to other minimalist brands i think stylistically it'd work better. My only other quibble is they are much lower on the ankle than i am used to.
There's a brand of trainer I wear that is called Wave Inspire. Absolutely not waterproof, but as a running or casual trainer I find it utterly fantastic. It is about £100 and comes with the caveat that as a trainer, it has a lifespan limited to its tread, and I'm pretty doubtful it can be resouled, Basically, while Redwing is my all-weather boot and my Mugg 2 will serve as my winter shoe (I have it, and I'm pretty pleased with it.), Wave Inspire is my summer trainer. Perhaps because I had my initial trainer fitted to my foot shaped my experience, but I do feel out of all my shoes it is Then again, I literally use crocs as camping/home slippers because I own dogs, so take my idea of comfort with a grain of salt.
I use whitin barefoot for casual shoes. They are a bit clownish but honestly not as bad as other barefoot. I look for the exact same shoe features as you so im super excited about this series.
It would be awesome to see you showcase the Timberland Earthkeeper boots. I love the look of them, but i have have really come to look to your videos to see what I’m actually spending my money on.
Maybe try the barebarics zing leather for this series. Very comfortable barefoot shoe in my opinion. Nice and wide, not clowny, not hard on the feet at all. And surprisingly warm in winter for some reason.
I’ve been wearing my Shoes Like Pottery as an alternative to converse and I’m liking them so far more, feels like a zero drop put idk what even one feels like haha would be cool to see them against converse too
For me that looks good, my feet are quite wide and I have been considering something super casual and slip on like that. I don't mind the lack of squish as I am so often barefoot it doesn't really make much difference for me. That being said, I am quite interested to see what else shows up in this series.
Weston, maybe not exactly what you are looking for, but the sketchers slip-ins line of shoes look pretty cool. My son got a pair and they really work as advertised. I am about to get a pair myself.
I like the New balance 515 v3s. They’re basically a more minimal/ less cushioned version of the 574. Almost like an OG Nike waffle. I get them in an extra wide right off of Amazon for like $60-$80. With the extra wide sizing, the toe box is right there with a barefoot shoe. It’s fairly close to no drop and is very flexible, but they still look normal and have good cushioning. They also have the nice heel cup like a 574.
I wear Splay, and I don't mind the "goofy" look of them. They are comfortable to me. It was my into into barefoot without spending like triple the price for basically the same amount of product (ahem, Vivo).
Would love to see a pair of New Balance 1080 V13's cut in half. I just got a pair and they are possibly the most comfortable sneakers I've ever worn. They are the complete opposite of barefoot shoes with the outsole being about 40mm thick. Would be interesting to see the quality and what inside makes them so comfortable
I'll probably get some hate but I think beat up old boat shoes look cool with jeans. I'd always hated them but I recently got a pair because I wanted something squishy but classic to wear with bare feet. If you get colors like tan or natural leather they essentially look like moccasins. You can also dress them up a bit more than sneakers...
There's a brand called Icarus and their Ascent shoe seems like something you might be interested in for a barefoot shoe. Lots of leather and a side stitched outsole.
One consideration is the rubber quality. I've seen to many sneakers using a foam/rubber mix that just sucks and has horrible grip especially on slick surfaces. Then adidas with their "Continental brand rubber soles" which are top notch. I also really like the rubber on Xero sneakers. They squeak a little like sneakers used to on basketball courts... But I really enjoy the grip they provide.
Try espadrilles (Toms). They lack in durability but the are cheap enough to be easily replaced (I wouldn't pay full price, buy it on sale). Light, flexible, comfortable, classic style. Drawback, only good in warm weather.
I would wear these shoes but I am a bit less fashion conscious than most people. I do agree that a bit of squish could be nice sometimes. I am really looking forward to the rest of this series. Could you also rank these along side of all the other barefoot shoes that you have cut apart?
Very interesting getting a look inside these, thank you! Someday more people will not see the shape of the natural foot as ugly... but I'm not waiting for them! ;~) Room for toes to spread and be naturally aligned is pretty much # 1 for me. (the taper at the big toe is the one thing I don't like about the 'barefoot' African Rangers).
There's a weightiness and size that barefoot shoes don't have that makes it hard to match with clothes, imo. Edit: perfect time for this series as I've recently recognized my need for casual shoes
I love the sneakers from JAK. I think you would also really appreciate their build quality. However I don't think they are what you are looking for, since they are not that flexible with their leather insole + shank .
Could you review Ollo shoes for this series? They are meant to be a high performance parkour shoe. They should be super flexible and super shock absorbant.
i really like your videos , it's interesting to see the layers of shoes when they got cutted in half. I'd like to see some vivobarefoot lifestyle shoes been cutted, like ABABA or OPNKA thank you
can you do a breakdown on bed stu boots? They say they are good year welt, vegetable tan leather, hand made, different from the cheap stuff they started with way back when.
I have yet to try them, but Vans and Converse both now offer "Wide" sizing for a few of their classic shoe models. Might be worth checking out for this series!
@@dp4auburn glad to hear you like them. I’ve been rocking the discontinued Keen Coronado because they also have a wider fit, but I’ll eventually have to try those Wide Vans
I mean, the only thing keeping them from being a true barefoot show is the narrow toe box. But that’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make for that slick style
Those are so narrow I literally suffer when I see them on people's feet. Groundies and some other brands make similar looking shoes that won't destroy your toes.
Try lems primal 2. O used them on a 1.5 year travel trip. Doesnt smell at all, keep my feet tge coolest, even once did a beer challenge our of the shoes. Construction is ok, the microfiber hold up ok but will fray and look bad, but function well. The sole wear out really well and worn down very little. Feel grwat walking in them, as I prefer bare fut shoes with ball shaped heel,
Have you seen the Keen KNX shoes? theyre leather with a leather lining and seem pretty decent. Keen has a few newer products id love to see cut in half.
Oh I forgot to mention I am thinking about getting the leather version of the splay even though they are the most expensive. I am surprised you didn't do the leather one.
Love that you feature so many barefoot shoes! I found some splays at a thrift store almost new, I gotta get some laces for them. Do you feel weird going back to heeled shoes after barefoot? I can't stand it
@RoseAnvil, hey Wes and team! There’s these debates on PNW yt channels resoling old boots and leaving the old and sanded down welt stitching on while stitching on new soles. What’s your take on the matter?
Didn't you review Hey Dudes a while back, and would they be a good baseline for this comparison series, or are they too far off the mark for your criteria?
