Product Review: Fei Yue High Tops

[sha0lin1]

I just had a discussion about shoes last night with a couple buddies from class. One says his high-top wrestling shoes are on their last legs and he needs to get a new pair. I wonder how these would compare?

...looking forward to your field test report!

Thanks for the link TaichiMantis. I think I will wait until I go to China in June to pick up some of the other styles. I am from Port Huron, MI originally, I see you guys are finally having a winter up there this year.

[GeneChing]

This is funny - it's really hard to find anything beyond standard white Feiyues in China, even in Dengfeng. This is especially difficult if you have large feet. It's true. One of our contributors, David Wei, has an article in the upcoming issue. He wanted to be compensated in Feiyues. He's now at Wudang. He can't find Feiyues in his size, in any color, so I have to frigging ship Feiyues into China!

As for the different colors, I've never seen those in China (although I confess it's been a few years since I've been there). I've only seen them on that website above. If you're really into fancy schmancy Feiyue colors, that's what sharpies are for...

P.S. I did field test the Hi tops last night and will report this afternoon. I have an appt. at DMV I have to go to now...

[GeneChing]

... Now you all know that I'm a strong Feiyue advocate. I was instrumental as the first importer of Feiyues through WLE and MAM, and I've written two (count 'em - two) informercials on the product. I learned of the HiTops via the forum here.

The comment I hear most about Feiyue HiTops is that they aren't "true" HiTops. That's true. They aren't 'true'. They cover my ankle bones, but aren't as high as say, Converse HiTops.

I tried them out last night at practice and since they are new, well, I got the new shoe blues and I'm here to tell ya 'bout 'em.

When Feiyues are brand spanking new, the soles are a little too sticky for me. I like the soles to get a little worn, so they're smoother. Plus new shoes are always a little uncomfortable at first; it takes a few sessions to break in. I'm really going to have to wear these for a month or so before I can give you all a more complete report. That'll give me a chance to ttt this every once in a while.

You can really lace into the HiTops, which I feel gives better ankle support as well as arch support. A lot of people have problems with original Feiyues because they are so low. They get 'flat tires' or loose them in high kicks. I've never experienced that personally, except in sweeping drills. I've seen it happen to others. The HiTop design completely eliminates that. These babies aren't going to come off your feet. You can lace in really securely. Since the upper is canvas, I didn't feel any impediment to my low stances like xiebu, dingbu or pubu (truth be told, only my dingbu is that low anymore). The canvas is soft enough to yield, while still providing some ankle support.

I totally stuck my first recital of qixing last night. That has become my fav Shaolin form lately. Immediately after, I was thinking "these shoes rock!" My second recital wasn't nearly as good and that was the peak moment in my workout, so I came back to earth pretty freaking quickly.

There's a definite coolness factor to being the first in the school to rock HiTop Feiyues. Several of my classmates commented.

My main downside is that it takes more time to put them on and take them off. You have to fiddle with the laces more. I like to be able to take my shoes off quickly. You never know when you need to drop trou super fast, or maybe throw them at a former president.

Overall, the jury is still out for me personally. I'm confident that this is a decent product and that some people will really love them. I'm still pretty attached to my original Feiyues, but I've blown out the right heel of my last pair (typical. Songshan, both Songshan Shaolin & BSL have a lot of right heel stomps so you always blow the right heel first). I'll keep wearing these HiTops until they wear out.

On last note: when I was at Shaolin, I'd wear Feiyues constantly, even when not practicing. I almost never wear Feiyues outside the Wuguan nowadays. I'm not sure why exactly. Maybe it's hold over to my old fencing coach, the late great Michael D'Saro, who'd yell at us if he caught anyone on the team wearing their fencing shoes outside the Salle D'Armes. I also feel a little exposed in Feiyues, perhaps some latent fear of flat tires or something. However, I am considering wearing these HiTops on the street. I think they would be fine.

[sha0lin1]

Gene, your review is right on the mark. I have worn mine for almost a week in class now and like Gene said they take a little time to break in. Now that the President is back in Texas, if I threw shoes at him, they wouldn't be my new Hi Tops, besides he can move pretty fast when he is ducking.

[richard sloan]

This is funny - it's really hard to find anything beyond standard white Feiyues in China, even in Dengfeng. This is especially difficult if you have large feet. ...

size 13- I had to go everywhere. Finally I just stopped in a store, and asked for them to do the running around for me. 20 minutes later, I had 5 pairs, and I would have bought 10.

[sean_stonehart]

size 13- I had to go everywhere. Finally I just stopped in a store, and asked for them to do the running around for me. 20 minutes later, I had 5 pairs, and I would have bought 10.

OT... when I was in Xian in '01, a buddy of mine wanted a cover robe like all the cool HK Shaw Bros guys wore (Da Guo??). We were in the night market in the Muslim quarter & he described for this kid what he was looking for. The kid motioned us to follow & took through some shady looking back alleys to his dad's joint. He told his dad what we were after I guess. His dad rattles something off to him & he takes of down the street while he showed us around the rest of his shop. 10 minutes later the kid came back with this blue robe in his hands.

Can't beat that for service!

[Pk_StyLeZ]

high tops?
pshhh the low tops are just fine and perfect...i even play basketball in them!
people call me crazy and think i will beak my ankle wearing those low top feiyues to play basketball, but i do just fine
=)

i remember back in the days when i use to train like 5-6 days of the week..i would go through a pair of feiyue in 2-3 months....now that i have over 20 feiyue in my closet..and i rarly train now..i go through a pair a year......

back than i would wear these suckers everywhere i go, school, mall, movies, class, restaurant, anywhere. they so comfortable!

[DeHui702]

Well it's one thing if you were all over China having trouble finding fashionable Feiyues, but when you say "even in Dengfeng" like it's some kind of metropolis I got kind of a laugh. Shaolin students are pretty uniform so I doubt any coaches there want someone kicking around with pink and green shoes clashing with everyone else in the class. It would probably go over much better outside of DengFeng, right?

I bet you can get them in Hong Kong and a boatload cheaper than the UK shop was trying to jack people for. Just a hunch.

[GeneChing]

Pk_StyLeZ, you are so going to eat those words as soon as you slip on a pair of these babies. They are really growing on me.

I may have to get a street pair.

As for Dengfeng, DeHui702, there was a day when you could buy monk robes in every color of the rainbow in Shaolin village - everything from traditional orange and gray to shockingly hot fluorescent pink. Those were the days.

[sean_stonehart]

I'll post a report on them later in the week after I've had a chance to put them to it.

[richard sloan]

As for Dengfeng, DeHui702, there was a day when you could buy monk robes in every color of the rainbow in Shaolin village - everything from traditional orange and gray to shockingly hot fluorescent pink. Those were the days.

pink. I'm glad i never noticed that lol...

[DeHui702]

Pk_StyLeZ, you are so going to eat those words as soon as you slip on a pair of these babies. They are really growing on me.

I may have to get a street pair.

As for Dengfeng, DeHui702, there was a day when you could buy monk robes in every color of the rainbow in Shaolin village - everything from traditional orange and gray to shockingly hot fluorescent pink. Those were the days.

One of my friends went over the year the black feiyues were hitting the market but all of the students were just wearing white. I suspect its a uniformity thing. I'd like to see hot pink robes I know some girls that would kill for pink or purple robes..lol

[GeneChing]

Back in the days of Shaolin Village, you could get all sorts of crazy stuff. The best stuff was always behind the counter tho. In terms of uniformity, the fashion variations get more abundant right before festivals. During the festivals, you might see a group of hundreds of students attired in pink robes. The Traditionals and the Olympics threw the festival schedule off a bit, but they're allegedly on the way back. At least, that's what Abbot Yongxin told me in our most recent Shaolin special.

But back more OT, I'm not sure that those designer Feiyues are available anywhere in China. From the looks of them, they may be strictly for export. You might be able to find a black market truckload of them somewhere, but I doubt you could get them through anyone except that web vendor listed above.

[UK MONK]

i stayed at wudang for 1 month and i couldnt find a pair of feiyues anywhere espesually in size 13. then me and my friend went to dengfeng for a month and we had a suit case full of them to bring back for all the students at wudang lol.

has any one noticed the prices of feiyues is rising every year? 3 years ago i could get feiyues for 10rmb in dengfeng. now they want 25rmb but my feiyues last me a long time. i would train every day in dengfeng and these lovely shoes would last me 6 months. iv still got my original pair back at home for good memories all blood splattered, torn and black all over lol.

P.S im wearing a pair as i speak

[DeHui702]

I'm impressed enough with Feiyues that I'd try out the high tops. It's a good martial arts shoe, proven so in hundreds of martial related sports. Wearing them myself, I get a good 6 months out of them wearing the 2 hours a day for 4 or 5 days a week. I wear Merrill Chameleons as my daily shoe..just a slip on all terrain hiking shoe. My running shoes are Nike Shox, so really, all of my shoes are cut really low..the high tops would definitely be a different experience.