Xero Shoes HFS Original Review (Long-Term)

January 2023, I set out to walk 5 million steps in a single year, a that goal took me nearly two years to reach — which I did in September of 2024. I have maintained pace to stay over 5 million ever since by hitting at least 13,700 steps a day.

Reaching that many steps has required discipline, building in daily walking (or running or both) sessions into my life.

All that dedicated movement has made for a solid way to put active miles into testing and reviewing "barefoot shoes," minimalist sandals, etc.

So today, I'm reviewing the Xero Shoes HFS — a.k.a. the "HFS Original" — shoes I got nearly two years ago to the day. I estimate I've put somewhere between one and two thousand miles on the HFS Original at this point. Most of those miles (though not exclusively) were scored a treadmill through a mix of running and walking.

The TL;DR? I really like these shoes. They're lightweight, durably soled, foot-friendly — and they look good too.

Of course the devils in the details. And if you want those details, keep on reading.

My very first pair of Xero Shoes shoes

My HFS Original were gifted to me by Steven Sashen, my friend and the co-founder of Xero Shoes. Believe it or not, the HFS were the first Xero Shoes shoes I ever got. (Thankfully, Jarvis has reviewed several Xero Shoes models, but somehow I just never got to trying them.)

That it took me nearly 10 years to try out Xero Shoes is incredible because Steven and I go way back — back to before Xero Shoes even existed, back to when Steven and Lena's company was "Invisible Shoes." In fact, I still have my first email exchange with Steven from 2010. Back then, Steven was selling DIY huaraches kits — kits that were a 12" sheet of Vibram cherry rubber, some nylon, instructions, and all flat-packed USPS envelope.

Back then, I barely knew Steven, but I quickly learned he was smart, talked fast, and having found FiveFingers didn't fit his feet, he decided to help people make huaraches.

I never could have guessed what would come for the company Lena Phoenix and he were building. Xero Shoes today is a booming company that's sold millions of sandals — and shoes. Congratulations to Steven, Lena, and the team for 15 years of hard work and wild growth that continues to this day.

Xero Shoes HFS Original vs. HFS II

Why is the Xero Shoes HFS "Original"? As mentioned before, the HFS I'm reviewing today are the original version of the shoe. These are not to be confused with the HFS II.

What's going on?

Xero Shoes HFS Original and the Xero Shoes HFS II, while sharing a common name and a mostly similar style have subtle, but meaningful, differences tailored to distinct minimalist shoe preferences.

Here's a quick breakdown of the differences:

• The HFS Original has a 7.5mm stack height with a 5mm outsole. The priority is ground feel. The HFS original's outsole is car tire-inspired tread for road running. It's lighter at 7.9oz (men’s size 9).
• In contrast, the HFS II steps up with a 9mm stack height, incorporating a thin "BareFoam™ layer for extra protection," making it slightly heavier at 8.3oz.

I have not yet tried the HFS II. From what I understand based on some review research, folks say the HFS II is stiffer, which is exactly what you'd expect from the extra foam. My hunch is that over time the HFS II foam "degrades" to be more like the HFS. But I am speculating.

Because people loved the original so much, Xero Shoes "brought back" the HFS and offers it still to this day.

One last note on different models: Xero Shoes says the HFS Original (and II) is more shoe than the Xero Shoes Speedforce (Jarvis reviewed the Speed Force in 2021) and less shoe than the Xero Shoes Prio (Jarvis reviewed the Prio in 2017).

The Xero Shoes HFS Original — What it is

The Xero Shoes HFS Original is a minimalist running shoe built to make you feel close to barefoot while shod. Not surprisingly, Xero Shoes calls the HFS a “true barefoot-inspired experience.”

Claiming a 7.5mm stack height and Xero Shoes' proprietary "FeelTrue®" outsole, the HFS Original gives you a great deal of ground feel in a lightweight package that is not barefoot but is very little shoe. Meanwhile, the HFS Original features a zero-drop design (no heel-to-toe elevation), and the HFS Original has a wide and foot-shaped toe box, giving your toes room to do what they need to do.

The upper is a breathable mesh with synthetic overlays, paired with a moisture-wicking lining for comfort. That outsole is "tire-tread inspired" to offer traction on roads. And like so many Xero Shoes, the HFS Original comes with Xero Shoes' 5,000-mile sole warranty.

The Xero Shoes HFS Original MSRPs at $119.99 (just like the HFS II), and as of right now, are only available in a couple colorways: a light grey/blue (this colorway is the closest to my older pair) and a solid black upper/white sole.

Here's a photo gallery of the shoes:

What is the HFS Original when you put it all together?

A very comfortable, lightweight pair of shoes you can wear to do everything from walking to running to lifting weights. They are minimally there, easy to put on, move well with your feet for a shoe (e.g. dorsiflexion no problem moves the front of the shoe up, but bending your toes downward isn't going to bend the sole down.)

How I Used the Xero Shoes HFS Original

I got my Xero Shoes HFS at the very beginning of May 2023. I was already four months into hitting 13.7K steps/day as part of my 5-million-step challenge. The HFS Original quickly became a routine pair for walking.

At the time, I was using a pair of Merrell Vapor Glove 3. The Vapor Glove 3 is a great shoe and very minimal (The 3 is similar to the original Merrell Vapor Glove). Still, within a couple months of owning the HFS Original, the HFS completely displaced the Vapor Gloves and became my go-to shoes for walking — and then running — on the treadmill. (A bit more on the Vapor Gloves later.)

I also went on several neighborhood asphalt runs in the HFS Original.

I did not take the HFS Original out on the trails. I'm sure they could survive my well-trod local trails, but not without a lot of dirt, grime, and potentially snagged mesh. Also, these shoes lack any lugs for trail conditions — potentially a con.

Rough estimate is I have logged about 1,500 miles in the HFS Original, and they look like they could handle several hundred miles more. You be the judge:

Xero Shoes HFS Original Aesthetics

Now let’s talk looks. My HFS Original, in gray, black, and white, reminds me of the New Balance Minimus Life, one of my all-time favorite minimalist shoes. No surprise given the similarities to those NBs, the HFS look great to me.

The HFS Original's design fits right in at the gym or out for coffee, and will blend right in with jeans. The mesh upper with synthetic overlays gives it a modern, clean look.

Drawbacks of this lighter colorway. The light-colored mesh wicks sweat away from your foot and (of course) can pick up stains, something I learned when I spilled coffee on them early on. Thankfully, a quick spin in the washing machine on a cold cycle (followed by air drying) brought them back to life. Eighteen months of heavy use had left some sweat and street grime showing, so I finally washed them again in the washing machine.

They cleaned up great.

That Xero Shoes Sole

The HFS Original’s sole is a beast when it comes to durability. After 1,500 miles, mostly on a treadmill, my soles barely show wear.

By comparison, prior to the HFS Original, the Merrell Vapor Glove 3s wore hard from 3–4 months of treadmill walking. Altra Lone Peaks were another pair that often got a rotation on the treadmill and saw its lugs wear down (no surprise).

But the HFS outsole was and is a tank.

There’s a catch though. That durability comes with a rigidity to it, a kind if hardness. The sole isn’t as pliable as softer minimalist shoes like Vibram FiveFingers or the Merrell Vapor Glove 3.

(More on this in the section on ground feel below.)

For treadmill running, the durability of the Xero Shoes sole is a huge plus. In fact, just look how well these outsoles are holding up in the below before/after photos.

Before: The HFS Original sole new

After: The HFS Original sole after 1–2K miles

Xero Shoes HFS Original insole

Now let's go back to my earlier photos, photos taken yesterday, of the shoes.

Did you "xero" in on that yellow wear patter in my "after" photos above? That yellow spot kind of stood out. I'm talking about this:

I don't know when the yellow started showing through because I only recently noticed it. For the purpose of this review, I pulled the insoles out for a closer look (the insoles are removable by design; I just never had reason to take them out). What I see is that I've worn through the black fabric overlay on my right insole and only a little bit on the left one. On closer inspection — and nearly impossible to see in the photos — the underlying yellow insole foam doesn't look to have degraded all that much, if any. Kind of impressed given that the thickness of this insole is, looking at the math, only about 1.5mm. There are little holes in the sole too that (I suppose) are there to reduce weight and increase airflow.

Anyone got any ideas about my right foot's insole wearing faster than my left?

Low-structure Xero Shoes with floppy soles

Let's return now for a moment to that sole I called "rigid." I need to be as clear as I can and this is tricky. The sole is not stiff. Want proof? Here's a short video of me flopping the shoes back and forth:

The HFS Original's outsoles are just kinda hard, ya know? Let's make a totally imperfect analogy.

Imagine you took a piece of poster board paper and laid it down on a table that a pen on it. The poster board will "bridge" from the top of the pen to the surface of the table, arcing between its two points of contact toward the table, bowing under the weight.

Now imagine you took a piece of tissue paper or Kleenex and did the same thing. The Kleenex would likely collapse completely, contorting around the pen's shape.

If you stood on the poster board with the pen under it, you're going to feel that pen's hardness even if you may not be able to identify it as a pen with your foot. But if you step on it through the Kleenex, you very well will know exactly what you're stepping on.

That's sorta what I mean by "rigid" here. The HFS sole is more like a piece of poster board than a Kleenex.

The hardness of the HFS Original outsole is what makes them so durable. That hardness is also why they aren't going to absorb much impact from sharp objects you walk on — even if the soles bridge over those objects.

Make sense? Maybe. Let's talk just a bit more about ground feel.

Ground Feel

Let's start with my highest use-case for the HFS — the treadmill. I don't know if there's a "perfect" shoe for the treadmill. Some I have tried over the last two years:

• Vibram FiveFingers (Classic)
• Altra Lone Peaks
• Merrell Vapor Glove 3
• Shamma Warrior sandals

The HFS Original is the best of these, no question, for its foot-friendly characteristics and its durability.

Perhaps surprisingly, the Altra Lone Peaks are second best (though the lugs do wear down a lot over time). Yes, they are completely different than the Xeroes with their plush 25mm stack height, but on a treadmill this doesn't seem to matter all that much.

For me, wearing Vibrams and Shammas for any longer walks on the treadmill result in hot spots (though both are more minimal than the HFS Original). Vapor Gloves' Vibram rubber outsoles wear out fast, but they perform similarly to the HFS Original on the treadmill.

Okay, Justin, but what about ground feel outside?

If you enjoy feeling the ground beneath you, the HFS Original is going to give you that. That outsole isn't going to pad the surfaces you walk on. On the other hand, a hard outsole means it can't compress as much as a softer outsole. There are softer soles for minimalist shoes that also transmit a lot of ground feel in a different kind of way to the Xero Shoes HFS Original (more like the Kleenex in my analogy. More like a pair of socks). That said, different doesn't necessarily mean less ground feel.

On asphalt, the sole provides little to no shock absorption, so you feel every bit of the hard surface. This is great for forcing you to run lighter and more responsively. But it will be jarring if you’re not used to it — which I wasn't at first. However, if you're like me, you'll adapt quickly — that's the beauty of the feedback.

And all the while as you try and turn your feet over at that treasured 180bpm cadence, the HFS Original's lightweight design becomes all the more appreciated on the road.

In all cases, if you haven't adapted and learned how to walk with less impact (as you might walk when barefoot), there's no better time than the present. Same goes for learning more about minimalist running. My only recommendations are these: Do what you can, and be patient.

(I had given up on running, but maybe I just needed to be more patient.)

One other use-case worth mentioning is weight-training. I used the HFS Original many times for everything from barbell squats and deadlifts to kettlebell swings.

(They tell me I should use weightlifting shoes, but I have yet to cave, for good or bad.)

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Conclusion

This review is not just long, it's long overdue.

The Xero Shoes HFS Original has been my go-to treadmill and neighborhood walking and running shoe for the last two years. The durable sole, washable upper, and foot-friendly design is so easy to like, and it will be interesting to shift off them in order to test other shoes.

At $119.99, the HFS Original isn't cheap (what is?). You'll find it at XeroShoes.com. Remember that I did get them for free. I can only speculate here, but based on my long-term use and their continued durability, the price seems okay to me.

If you’re thinking about trying minimalist footwear for walking and running, the Xero Shoes HFS Original is a solid choice.

Got a pair of HFS yourself? I’d love to hear your story. Drop me an email.

📫 P.S. After all these years, Xero Shoes still sells a DIY huaraches kit, which you can use to make your Contact or Connect huaraches — here's my 13-year-old review.

Xero Shoes DIY Huaraches Review

Xero Shoes are hardly shoes, at all — they’re sandals. But they’re not just any sandals, they’re ultra-minimalist huaraches sandals. You know, like the “sandal tech” worn by the Tarahumara Indians of the Copper Canyons.

BirthdayShoesJustin