Since pictures hate me on here, go to my blog for full review,
http://bit.ly/whTnRgSteven Sashen from Invisible Shoe sent me a set of 4 mm and 6 mm huaraches to review and try out, and I have to say, I am glad he did.
Originally, I have never been one to wear sandals or flip-flops so other than the thin material of my KSOs I have never been used to something between my toes like the cord I was supplied with. It got to the point I just wanted to give up, throw them in the closet and forget I ever received them. However, I am glad I didn't, I toughed it out a few more days, wearing them whenever I could until it got to the point they didn't hurt any longer.
I had messed with the system, making a new toe hole because I thought it was too far forward for my foot. I tightened it, loosened it, tried this style and that style to try to get the comfort I wanted, the comfort I thought these huaraches should provide. Which all goes back to my foot not being used to the feeling, and thats all it took, it ended up being about a week.
So unless you are already used to wearing flip flops and such, I feel there WILL be a learning curve with these. But for any minimalist shoe wearer, there is always some learning curve that you will have to overcome.
Alright, these shoes... err... sandals I mean, are pretty freaking minimal. Nothing on your foot, but a cord and the sole. The jump from Vibrams to Huaraches is pretty much identical to the jump from Nike to Vibram. The Huaraches are lighter, more flexible, easier to get on.
Since this isn't a shoe with an upper and waterproof and all that, I will just go with why you should choose these in comparison.
1) They are cheap and easy to make. You can make your own for thirty dollars. Less than HALF the price of VFFs. You can easily whip up a pair in probably about twenty minutes, who doesn't have that much time? I mean really.
2) DURABLE! I have done a few little runs in them, probably about 40 miles or so, you can't even see any wear, and from what I read on their page, a 5,000 mile warranty on them incase they get less than a millimeter thin at the ball or heel of the sole. No other company offers anything remotely like that for any shoe, sandal, shirt, clock, sofa. No one offers anything like that. You know they make good products when they will put the name of their company out there with a 5,000 warranty.
More than anything, these is no upper to rip. I have ended up ripping both the uppers on both my pair of vibrams. Both within the first 2 weeks of owning them. Vibrams coming in at a whopping $85 for a pair, it makes your stomach turn when you accidently deface them in any shape form or fashion.
3) Flexible. More flexible than any other shoe I have run across. You can roll them up, fold them in half, strap them to your back, hang them on your ears, point is, they are portable. Hell, you could probably put them on to a cat and they wouldn't even mind!
4) Ground feel is terrific! I was walking across the grass and stepped on one of those annoying sweet gum droppings. For that split second I could have swore I was barefooted, for the sheer fact I felt each and every one of those little spiky thingy-ma-bobbers.
5) Comfort. What can I say that could express my feelings for these? These huaraches make all the difference in the minimalist experience. I have an issue with my feet sweating in vibrams, which as many VFF users know it WILL cause the swamp monster to form and begin to take over the shoe calling that territory his. So then you go and dump chemicals, water, more chemicals, to drown him, forcing him to take higher ground in one of the toe pockets. And after that long fight with many casualties on both sides, it is finally socially acceptable to wear the shoes again until the next further war on stank. But with my Invisible Shoes, that is not an issue. There is not a SINGLE thing to soak up the funk. Not to mention the impeccable ventilation that stems from your feet not being incased. The major flaw of every other minimalist shoe, imagine this, you go through a rain storm or a water puddle your foot, what happens to the shoes? Does water just flow off? Or does it soak up the water leaving your shoe wet for hours? The invisible shoe doesn't have ANYTHING for the water to get trapped in, water in, water out, it is as simple as that. I have literally had to wring out minimalist shoes because they got wet. You could seriously see a stream of water falling out of the shoe. I do not think anyone wants a shoe that soaks up water like that, since it would lead to blisters making shoes uncomfortable, no thanks. Not for me. To be honest, I love these so much I would wear them way more often if it wasn't for an over protective parent who is afraid I would get sick by wearing my huaraches. They are that comfortable.
6) I have noticed it forces me to have a better running form. Otherwise, you will have an annoying slapping every time you step down, I have gone through my first pair of vibrams like a knife through butter. All because I had horrible form. However, I am noticing these shoes are helping that, I try to run as silently as I can which drastically improves my form and cadence. Even if you are a barefoot runner, these are great to have in your arsenal.
Differences from the 4 mm and 6 mm? Ground feel, Ground feel, Ground feel. You would be surprised how much 2 little millimeters change everything. From flexibility (come on, it would be kinda weird if that didn't change) to ground feel, and like Steven said, some days I just don't feel like having a ton of ground feel, so I will throw on my 6 mm ones, and other days, I want to feel as much as I can while still having a little protection, so on goes the 4 mm ones. Which is less than the stack height of the ksos. Not to mention these do not have arch support, while ksos actually have some.
There are plenty of Tying methods, and it basically comes down to comfort. I started out with the slip on slip off method, and tried the traditional lacing system, minimal lacing system, and ultimately ended up where I started. It works perfectly fine for me, easy on, easy off. You just need to find what works for you. It is a very personal experience.
Overall, I am starting to fall for huaraches. I love the simplicity of them, how many shoes can you think of that you can buy the materials and make them yourself?
You may have noticed a high vibram content in comparison, and that is for the sheer fact I have had the most experience with those, and so have a good amount of minimalist runners, so it makes for a good point of reference.
For more information on Invisible shoes, or to buy your own kit or even get a pair custom made click Here.
