Vibram KSO

The first review that I'm going to do are on the first pair of bare feet running shoes that I every owned. They are known as the Vibram Five Fingers KSO (Keep Stuff Out). These were an exciting new endeavor for me when I first started running bare foot and it was all thanks to a video that I saw from Tim Ferris' blog. He was wearing these slightly goofy looking shoes and was talking about how they strengthen the bones in your feet and legs and well... pretty much your whole posture given you were them often.

Image courtesy of Vibram FiveFingers.

I put these bare feet running shoes to the test not by first running but by walking around my college campus in them. My pair were blue at the time and they got looks and questions but they seemed to be working. My feet got sore but not without reason, they were strengthening my toes and legs and my arches became more arch worthy. I wore them out needless to say as I wore these awesome bare feet running shoes out within several months and here are some things to look for when looking at these:

Review

I wore these bare feet running shoes out within several months mainly for the fact that although they fit my foot like a glove, the seems tended to break apart after a extended amount of use. I think that its also because I did end up washing them a few times for the fact that running bare foot in these can get them pretty dirty from sweat. I will say that toe socks for these might be a little on the pricey side which is why I didn't go for them and might make your feet feel a little too snug. I did follow the instructions on washing them but that didn't seem to save them too much durability. At the time it was a big purchase for me but it looks like you would be able to get a pair of your own for only around $85.00

On the mesh side of things, they do have some mesh to keep moisture from totally bombarding your foot but for me in particular it didn't stop my feet from getting the shoes a bit slippery from the inside but the gripping on the outside was still a nice plus. If you're looking for a nice first pare of bare feet running shoes but don't want to spend a whole lot of money, I would say this is a good shoe to go with (of course if you don't mind the five finger look.)

These have very little support, but what do you expect from bare feet running shoes. They boast the 3.5mm Vibram TC1 Rubber outsole. They are not a shoe you want if you're looking for arch support as these actually strengthen your feet AND arches. These shoes are quite stretchy and they are used for a number of different activities such as of course bare feet running, other fitness, water sports, traveling, yoga/pilates, trekking, etc.

Finally on the toe sockets themselves. It takes some getting used to in terms of getting your feet into a toe like groove especially with people that wear shoes pretty much their whole life. To me it felt like forcing your foot into a position it wasn't used to but it wasn't painful by any means and once the toes were in place, it felt exactly like an extension of my own foot. They are a very comfortable shoe.

That's all I have for today on our bare feet running shoe reviews. If you would like me to elaborate on anything, or add anything to the review that might be of importance, please feel free to leave a comment or contact me and I will get back to you as soon as possible.