Fila Skele-toes are a four-toed toe shoe line produced by Fila that first hit the footwear market in early 2011.
The key differentiating elements of the Skele-toes line are:
- They are toe shoes (Read about the merits of the toe shoe design here) — rather than a traditional shoe’s open toe box, the Skele-toes have articulated toe pockets. Importantly, the Skele-toes only have four toe pockets rather than five due to the fact that they combine the smallest two toes into a single toe “box” they call the EZ-Slide. The EZ-Slide is intended to make putting on the Skele-toes easier.
- Most of the Skele-toes models are minimalist/”barefoot shoes” — they do have a few varieties (like the Amp or Voltage, which is similar to the Amp, reviewed here) that are not minimalist or barefoot, having elevated heels with significant cushioning; yet still maintaining toe articulation.
- Skele-toes are available for men, women, and kids and are priced competively and available at many department and big-box retailers. You can often find Skele-toes for $40-50. Premium toe shoes like Vibram FiveFingers or the Adidas Adipure Trainer sell more in the $70-$100 range.
- As compared to the premium toe shoe models (all of them), Skele-toes have stiffer soles which result in lower ground feel and a less flexible sole.
- Generally speaking, as people get into wearing toe shoes, they tend to pick up more pairs over time, preferring the fit and feel of the toe shoe design over more traditional shoes. With that in mind, if there’s a general purchase order, while many if not most toe shoe fans cut their teeth on Vibram FiveFingers, which have been around since 2006, Skele-toes fans often end up ultimately picking up FiveFingers (and not the other way around; FiveFingers buyers generally do not go on to buy Skele-toes).
We have reviewed (and continue to review) a number of the Skele-toes shoes here on BirthdayShoes in the interest of educating minimalist footwear/barefoot shoes/toe shoes consumers about the line!
The original Fila Skele-Toes released in early 2011