Retiring the KSO kids (long-term-wear mini-review)

[Peter]

I bought my 6-year-old twins some Kid's KSOs back in March.  My daughter never warmed to hers, and I ended up selling them.  My son, however, has worn his nearly every day since he got them. 

Sadly, the time has come to retire them from everyday use.  They still fit him, surprisingly, but there are other reasons that it's time to move on.  I'll explain with a little "A Brief History of my Son's KSOs":

For the first couple months, he wore them without socks.  Personally, I'm a big Injinj fan, but I hoped that a little boy's feet wouldn't stink-up a pair of Vibrams like a grown man's.  I was wrong.  After a few weeks, you couldn't even be in the same room as him after he got home from school. 

So I started scrubbing the shoes with a toothbrush and washing them every other night.  This was a pain in the neck, but it worked for a few months. Then I started to notice wear signs from the frequent washing.  The glue was seeping out along the edge of the sole (especially on the toes), and there was stitching coming undone on the top. 

I quickly went out and got four pairs of toe socks from REI.  This worked for a while.  There was still a lot of washing involved, but it is easier to wash socks than FF's.  There were other drawbacks though.  While my son had mastered the art of putting on his VFF's by himself, he was never able to get very good at putting the toe-sox on.  So someone had to help him with his socks every morning.  That could be a pain.   Also, it turns out that keeping track of a 6-year-old's socks is not as easy as keeping track of your own.  Now, in October, we're down to one pair of kid's toe socks. 

That, in conjunction with the fact that they're getting pretty worn, means that it's time to move on. (Also, I'm getting damn tired of keeping up with these toe socks.) He's worn a hole in the rubber on both shoes, the sole is peeling off the ends on 2 or 3 toes on each foot, and there are a number of holes in the upper fabric and threads sticking out all over the place on both.  But I'd say that they held up to 7 months of everyday kid-abuse pretty well.  He even did a rock-climbing class in July and went hiking in them 4/5 times over the summer. 

Since they still fit he can still wear them occasionally, but everyday-to-school is done.  I'm going to pick up a pair of Merrell Kid's Trail Gloves (his sister has a pair - they're great).  They'll be more practical for the winter anyway.  Maybe next summer we'll go back to FF's. 

My wife and I are thinking that when he does finally out grow his FF's, that we'd like to get them bronzed.  That'd be cool, eh?   I'll keep you posted on that.

Cheers!

[JustinB]

Bronzed VFF's would be fantastic!  Nice review to see that they lasted a solid 7 months of hard abuse from a kid.  I am right with him when it comes to toe socks.  I can slip my VFF's on faster than I can tie shoe laces but the socks are an all around pain in the ass. 

Next time, I would suggest the program I am using on my KSO's that I workout in.  Before each use I spray my feet with an antiperspirant/deodorant.  If I am not right out of the shower, I also rub them down with the antibacterial lotion people use on their hands.  After each and every use (especially after a long day or after a workout) I spray with Lysol, then spray with Tinactin, and then store them with a deodorizer ball and silicon dessicant in them.  So far after almost two months of regular use, they are still COMPLETELY funk free.

[irie]

I soak mine in denture tablets for an hour or two and then rinse them under the sink. Once they're done air-drying i can wear them again.  There is literally no funk smell and they actually look brand new!  So super easy and fast that even a kid can do it!

[Stefanie]

I soak mine in denture tablets for an hour or two and then rinse them under the sink. Once they're done air-drying i can wear them again.  There is literally no funk smell and they actually look brand new!  So super easy and fast that even a kid can do it!

How many tablets do you use?

[irie]

I probably go extremely overboard, but usually i plop one tablet in the front of each shoe and depending on how much water is in the bucket or how stinky they are, i use 1 or 2 just in the water.  Efferdent is my favored brand lol

[Stefanie]

I probably go extremely overboard, but usually i plop one tablet in the front of each shoe and depending on how much water is in the bucket or how stinky they are, i use 1 or 2 just in the water.  Efferdent is my favored brand lol

I did this last night, I used on-brand Efferdent.  I threw one tab in each shoe in a sink full of hot water.  Also tossed in my lifting gloves.  Let them for a very long time (partially because I was busy doing other things.. I am sure 20 mins would have been sufficient.) then scrubbed the inside of the shoe and rinsed everything really well.  Worked like a charm... I don't smell a THING!

[irie]

isn't it AMAZING??!!