vibram five fingers news, reviews, and fan forums

Attention! If you haven't sent in your "Free Feet for the Fourth Photos" yet, please do so (email them to pics at birthdayshoes dot com)! I'm going to keep accepting them throughout today with a full blog post on Monday!

And this week's latest reviews of Vibram Five Fingers:

• Vibram Five Fingers Sprint Review at Nic Myers:

  I have flat feet and I’ve been known to drag my feet and wear out the back of my shoes. I also have problems with my posture and my back being sore. While they are not a miracle fix for the issues, since I have been wearing the shoes my posture and back have noticeably improved. I also don’t have the problem of dragging my feet anymore. The fact that your feet are getting stronger while wearing them is a huge perk for me. I’ve never felt like my feet have been in better condition.

• Vibram Five Fingers shoes at falaris.com:

  I cannot recommend VFFs highly enough. They are a little more expensive than normal shoes, or sometimes right on par with shoes, depending on what brands you buy ... And the fact that it took the pain in my ankle away and helped my back pain is priceless. These shoes are one of the best investments I’ve made in my life.

• Gear Review: Vibram’s FiveFingers KSO (Keep Stuff Out) at SouthernHiker.com:

  In the first three weeks of having these shoes, they have been worn in the snow of Yellowstone, the desert in Arches, in the swimming pool in Georgia, during a soccer game I was playing/coaching in, at the grocery store, the beach in Florida, and along creek beds in the Georgia Mountains. With the exception of the grocery store and in the snow, these shoes have not only been comfortable, they have been exceptionally functional in all of those situations.

• Vibram Five Fingers – Barefoot at junglegirl:

  And when you just can’t go barefoot, try these shoes: Vibram’s Five Fingers. They do not assist grounding but they will re-align your posture and correct the alignment of your toes in the same way walking barefoot all day will. ( See the many YouTube videos and Google for blog posts that explain further the many benefits and body mechanics of wearing Five Fingers.)

• Reebok Taikan IB vs Vibram Five Fingers at Clinton Lake Ultra:

  These are perfect companions for POSE or ChiRunning. I encourage you to try these shoes. Why not give your toes some freedom on this Independence Day? Remember the sizing is a bit odd...I wear a size 13 shoe and ended up with size 46 in the Vibrams. They have a chart on their web site to guide you through the sizing process. I give this shoe a 5-star rating!

• Natural Walking and a Vibram Five Fingers Experiment at Hozaku — showing that VFFs aren't for everyone:

  I got the Five Fingers out of the trunk to give it another go. This time I gave it a full three weeks. I started out at a mile and experienced the same hot-spot and blister problem as before. I gritted my teeth. If they worked for Tim they'd work for me. Three days a week, slowly tying to extend back up to my normal 2 miles. The result?

  I'm back in my wrestling shoes.

  My feet did get tougher, but despite thick ridges of callous building up in the areas indicated on the image above, the Five Fingers were just too uncomfortable. A few times I found myself far enough out and, not wanting to endure the Five Fingers any more, pulling them off and finishing my run barefoot.

Remember, if I missed any, be sure to let me know so I can add them to the list!

About the Author — I founded BirthdayShoes.com in April 2009 on realizing just how much I enjoyed having "free feet" - I mostly wanted to use them for weights, sprints, and plyometrics (I'm not much of a runner!). I'm a Googler by day and minimalist footwear aficionado by night; you can find me 'round Atlanta. If you want to catch up with what I'm doing outside of the site here, follow me on twitter @bdayshoes or @justinno or check out my personal site JustinOwings.com.
Justin Owings+ has written 710 articles and 258 comments.