Vibram five finger shoes

[Lucas]

THESE SHOES ROCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/

ive always prefered to run bare foot or as close to as I can get. These are the perfect alternative.

[Drake]

My wife owns a pair. She loves them.

[SanHeChuan]

I'd like to try them but I don't have narrow feet on account of my bunions and they don't have extra wide sizes so I'm not sure they would fit comfortable. I haven't any on yet though.

[MasterKiller]

I wear them everywhere. Love them for training, too.

[kfson]

I wear them everywhere. Love them for training, too.

Do you have any problem with arch support with these shoes or do you think they promote stronger arches?

[MasterKiller]

Do you have any problem with arch support with these shoes or do you think they promote stronger arches?

I haven't had any arch problems with them. Running on concrete can be a tad painful because it's basically like being barefoot, but otherwise I don't have any issues.

[Drake]

A number of folks now assert that it's the actual shoe that is causing our arch problems, and running barefoot actually corrects a lot of issues. I don't know, though. Don't own them, and I'm no foot doc.

[taai gihk yahn]

haven't tried these, but Vibram makes the outer sole found on a number of different Merrell shoes (including my favorite, the Cameleon), and they last forever;

going to find a pair and try them out...

[sanjuro_ronin]

Are they worth the coin though?

[GeneChing]

FiveFingers Maker Vibram Moves to Settle Suit Over Health Claims
Proposal Awaiting Court Approval Would Offer Refunds to Shoe Buyers
By Sara Germano
Updated May 7, 2014 1:37 p.m. ET


Vibram's FiveFingers footwear has thin, flexible soles that are contoured to the shape of the human foot. ZUMAPRESS.com

Vibram USA Inc., maker of those glovelike FiveFingers running shoes, with separate spaces for each toe, has moved to settle a suit alleging it overstated the shoes' health benefits.

The privately held company offered to pay $3.75 million to people who bought the shoes and said it would stop making health claims in its advertisements.

The class-action plaintiffs in the case, which was filed in the U.S. District Court in Massachusetts, argued that Vibram was able to charge nearly $100 a pair for the shoes on the basis of unsubstantiated claims that they strengthen muscles and prevent injury.

The proposed settlement was filed last week and is awaiting approval from the court. If approved, customers who bought Vibram shoes as far back as March 2009 could be eligible for a refund of up to $94 for every pair they purchased, according to the court filing. More than two dozen models of Vibram shoes would qualify.

In an interview, Vibram USA Chief Executive Mike Gionfriddo said the company proposed the settlement to avoid the costs of prolonged litigation. "We continue to expressly deny the allegations in the suit," he said.

The proposed settlement comes as sales of minimalist running shoes, such as those made by Vibram, are tanking. The category spiked in popularity around the turn of the decade amid claims that running barefoot was better for the body. But minimalist shoes were the only segment in the $7 billion running-shoe industry to post a decline in 2013, when sales fell by a third, according to data from industry tracker SportsOneSource.

The suit against Vibram is the latest dust-up involving shoe-related health claims. In 2012, Skechers USA Inc. SKX -1.83% was ordered to pay the Federal Trade Commission $40 million to settle false-advertising claims regarding its rocking-sole shoes that purportedly helped consumers tone muscles and lose weight.

Skechers didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. At the time of the settlement, Skechers denied the allegations.

Write to Sara Germano at sara.germano@wsj.com

Shoe salesmen. What are they good for?

[Syn7]

I have also heard that wearing shoes weakens your feet. Saw an interesting doc awhile ago. They got into all those runners from places like rural Africa who ran most of their life barefoot. So putting on the shoe for them was like an enhancement, not a crutch.

[sanjuro_ronin]

There is nothing better than barefoot, that said because of obvious issues, shoes have become crucial.
I have tried the "five finger" ones and I have also tried the "three toed" ones ( and the "tabi type as well) and I have found that the tabi and 3-toed to be better.

[wenshu]

[sanjuro_ronin]

best post ever

[Syn7]

best post ever

Amphibious douche ninja. Awesome!!!