View Full Version : Vibram 5-Fingers..you've been ripped off
Mrs Baggins
05-09-2014, 18:36
http://fittish.deadspin.com/vibram-fivefingers-still-stupid-now-culpable-1572955736
I always thought those were THE most ridiculous clown-shoe stupid things going. I'd see them on people on the trail and all I could do was burst out laughing. A cousin of mine who believe they'd be wonderful had to admit that he wore them ONCE on a hike and it took his feet WEEKS to recover. No support, not enough sole to NOT feel every rock and root, completely ludicrous looking........
handlebar
05-09-2014, 18:55
Sorry to disagree. They were perfect for water shoes and I often walked quite a distance after fording a stream. In addition they make good town shoes, although now that I've switched from leather boots to trail runners, I don't need either water shoes or town shoes. I wear the trail runners right through fords and they dry quickly enough.
Almost There
05-09-2014, 19:02
I disagree as well...you have to break your feet into wearing them if you plan on hiking or running into them...does not surprise me in the least that he destroyed his feet if he hiked distance in them before getting his feet used to them. Our feet are weaker then they are meant to be due to modern shoes. That being said, I don't hike in mine, and use them for walks or working out.
I went for a job interview about a year ago at a medical device company. One of the people who interviewed me was was wearing these. It was hard to take the interview seriously. I didn't get the job.
MuddyWaters
05-09-2014, 19:12
After a lifetime of wearing shoes that keep the foot muscles from working, they are very undeveloped. It takes a long time to properly work up to running in minimal footwear for normal people.
Long in like a year or so. People that just put them on should expect disastrous results.
FarmerChef
05-09-2014, 19:14
Same here. Going minimalist from a full rise shoe takes weeks to adjust the foot. Our feet are used to being babied 100% of the time in thickly padded shoes with an elevated heel and "arch support." This reduces the natural flexion of the foot and the spring like action it was designed to employ. Further, the achilles tendon needs time to stretch due the heel going all the way to the floor. If I went straight from tennis shoes to barefoot walking my pads would be screaming too. I'd probably bruise the bones of my feet too while I was at it.
Rocket Jones
05-09-2014, 20:16
Yep, it's taken me most of a year to get to where I can walk in them comfortably for an entire day. At first, my feet would tire quickly. I don't hike in them, and when people ask, I tell them that they're the next best thing to barefoot.
bigcranky
05-09-2014, 21:32
I always thought those were THE most ridiculous clown-shoe stupid things going.
Judgemental much? My wife has a couple of pairs and uses them for kayaking and around town. Loves them. She has hiked in them, but prefers a full coverage minimalist zero-drop shoe like the New Balance WT10 on the trail.
Tuckahoe
05-09-2014, 21:54
Wait! I thought Fridays was mocking Paleo and Tuesdays was mocking Vibram Five Fingers... can we atleast get which day is which settled?
Wise Old Owl
05-09-2014, 22:00
Mrs Baggins.. wow you need to voice your opinion! Today you did not disappoint.. Thank you for your new thread...
and as a Kayaker - I still would not buy them
Lone Wolf
05-09-2014, 22:04
the price alone told me they were dumb footwear
Wise Old Owl
05-09-2014, 22:28
LW - there is something there we can agree on...
Sarcasm the elf
05-09-2014, 23:14
This is the advice about barefoot shoes I read on one of the major barefoot running sites:
...., many people are not able to learn to run with less stress on their bodies and feet while wearing any form of protection on their feet. This is because most of us need the emphatic and precise feedback from our bare soles as they interact with the terrain.
We are all designed to have this feedback while learning to walk and run, to ensure that we will be able to walk and run for what could be a very long life – the natural limit seems to be well over a century, for those with good genes, and healthy lifestyles....
...Bottom line, if you want to learn to run more gently, take off your shoes, and your socks, and your “Barefoot Shoes”, and let your soles feel how much force you’re putting on your feet. Then practice reducing those forces by adjusting the way you’re running.
http://barefootrunning.com/?page_id=109#begin-here
DocMahns
05-10-2014, 00:06
I got mine for $30... much less than I pay for most footwear minus flipflops...
Mrs Baggins
05-10-2014, 07:37
I kayak and I wear the Keen H2O sandals. I can also wear those all day long on land and I have flat feet. Thicker tread, easy on my feet.
Judgmental? No. I said that I thought that they're ridiculous looking. I did not say "They ARE ridiculous looking." Even though they are. I was coming down from Keys Gap one day, eyes on the ground looking ahead, and into my field of vision came a pair of those things, in rainbow colors. On a guy. I burst out laughing. Couldn't help it.
Not that I have a pair, but my little toe always wants to go in the wrong hole lol
SouthMark
05-10-2014, 09:21
From another site. Just about says it all.
If you love this kind of shoe, calm down. I'm sure they work great for you.
If you hate this kind of shoe, calm down. Nobody's forcing you to wear them.
This lawsuit says Vibram could not prove their claims about health benefits, and unjustly profited from those claims. That behavior is illegal.
That's NOT the same as saying there are no health benefits for anyone, anywhere.
Pedaling Fool
05-10-2014, 09:28
I've never wore the shoes, but I do run barefoot on the beach and I do believe it's helped me, but their claims were a little over the top and I guess they're paying for that now http://www.runnersworld.com/general-interest/vibram-agrees-to-settle-class-action-lawsuit
Just another example of some people looking for a magical solution to what ails them.
http://www.thewire.com/business/2014/05/how-to-get-a-refund-for-your-silly-looking-toe-shoes/362005/
Excerpt:
If you are one of the thousands of people who purchased Vibram USA's ridiculous FiveFingers shoes, you might be entitled to a refund. The company settled a class action lawsuit to the tune of $3.75 million this week and that money will go back to customers.
The case was brought by Valerie Bezdek (http://www.runnersworld.com/general-interest/vibram-agrees-to-settle-class-action-lawsuit)in Massachusetts, who claimed Vibram was deceiving their customers by advertising FiveFinger shoes as beneficial to foot muscles and helpful in reducing foot injuries, even though they did not have any scientific research backing up these claims. Also, they make you look really silly, but that was not cited in the legal documents.
The settlement required two forms of relief: a refund, and for Vibram to stop making claims in their advertising and product marketing that FiveFingers could help build muscle or reduce injury.
Offshore
05-10-2014, 10:02
A trainer at my gym was sporting these shoes one day and my immediate reaction was "wow, those are weird looking" and "how do you even air those things out after a workout? - nasty". Vibram now joins Sketchers with their own "toning" shoes scam. Lots of hype but no evidence-based and peer-reviewed health benefit claims. These types of product claims are no different than the magic fat melting pills or skunk cabbage cancer cure. The amount of people who do not or cannot think critically and thereby fall for these baseless claims never ceases to amaze.
SoCal Mike
05-10-2014, 12:30
I never tried the shoes but I have some of the socks for hiking. I really like them in warm weather. Helps the toes stay cool. So, maybe the shoes are bunk, but I will continue to use the socks.
Michael (SoCal Mike)
I've never owned or worn five fingers but used a pair of Merrell Trail Gloves on the BMT and they were great. Sure, your feet need to adapt to feeling everything. After that, however, they weigh nothing and you can walk all day in great comfort without any problems. They also dry even faster than traditional trail runners.
Agreed, expensive, bought a pair a few years ago while in vacation in Canada, shoes finally "died", needed a new pair for the trip, they are OK comfort and support wise but with my toes that are REALLY hard to get on.
Met one hiker who did Franconia Notch with them and was happy, could not imagine using them on the AT
Shutterbug
05-10-2014, 17:52
http://fittish.deadspin.com/vibram-fivefingers-still-stupid-now-culpable-1572955736
I always thought those were THE most ridiculous clown-shoe stupid things going. I'd see them on people on the trail and all I could do was burst out laughing. A cousin of mine who believe they'd be wonderful had to admit that he wore them ONCE on a hike and it took his feet WEEKS to recover. No support, not enough sole to NOT feel every rock and root, completely ludicrous looking........
Just think, Vibram FiveFinger Shoes are being discussed on every news channel and all across the internet. The cost to Vibram is less than one 30 sec spot on the Superbowl. No one who was thinking of buying FiveFinger shoes will not buy because of this settlement. I wonder how many people who had never heard of FiveFinger shoes will buy them because of these types of discussions? My guess is that Vibram will benefit -- smart move on their part.
Shutterbug
05-10-2014, 17:54
... Met one hiker who did Franconia Notch with them and was happy, could not imagine using them on the AT
I have not worn mine on the AT, but I hiked the Grand Canyon rim to rim to rim in mine. I wouldn't wear anything else.
ChinMusic
05-10-2014, 18:00
I saw lots of those things in GA-VA last year, not so many after PA.....
Worn them in a couple of tough mudders. Perfect for that. While everyone else was running in bricks, the vibrams would simply push the muck right out through the top mesh. I wouldn't run on hard packed trail or asphalt, but on softer terrain they are awesome. Getting your toes in to the rights slots was a major pain in the ass for awhile though.
Solitude501
05-11-2014, 06:09
I agree takes to much work to the toes in. When your fording streams, most people want a shoe that is easy to put on and take off. These are to much trouble for me.
PD230SOI
05-11-2014, 06:56
I have not tried them. I was interested in them until two people at work (serious runners) tried to use them while properly breaking themselves into them. Both people didn't like them. One guy thought that perhaps for some people they would be good. The other trash talked them for months.
each to their own.
Meriadoc
05-11-2014, 07:27
Some unsolicited feedback: the title of the thread feels like it's asking for visceral responses from those for and against. The tone of the lead post feels antagonistic to me, particularly when the viewpoint comes without direct experience.
Five finger shoes and similar minimalist shoes can be wonderful if you take the time to build up muscles, lengthen tendons, and strengthen tissues. As Sarcasm said, barefoot is better. As others have said, it takes a lot of time. It took over two years for my feet to fully adjust. I will not go back to standard shoes - they hurt my everything, are heavy, and change my gait and posture for the worse.
A lot goes into being able to wear minimalist footwear on all surfaces and be happy. Minimalist shoes are quite at home on the AT - if and only if your brain and your feet are ready for them. (Coming from a thru hiker who used minimalist shoes/sandals on the AT and backpacks in them to this day. I tend to like a touch more rubber than is in the FiveFingers I have tried.) Your brain is needed because the brain has to be engaged about where the foot is going. Proprioception is critical too. As is not overstriding. Or walking too far in a day - initially, for the first months if not year or more, my pace was slower and I couldn't go as far. Finally, remember your first days on a bicycle and how the seat really hurt after an hour or two? After a few days of riding the tissues toughened up, the pain went away, and you had a tight butt ;). The same is true of feet. Except it seems to take much longer for my feet than my butt (months) and it's super helpful if I build up callouses on my feet by walking barefoot. I can't say I have tried to build up callouses on my butt. :banana
There's some truth to what LW said about cost. Many minimalist shoes are priced similarly to traditional shoes even though fewer materials are involved and very likely fewer manufacturing steps. However, one would have to look at the full costs including economy of scale, modifying manufacturing equipment, training employees, and what the market can actually support in terms of price. Finally, these are large for profit companies so they are charging as much money as they can get away with charging - lesson 101 in business marketing. But the small manufacturers who appear to be in the minimalist shoe business more for the love of it seem to have similar price points, so there may be something in the manufacturing cost that I don't see.
bamboo bob
05-11-2014, 07:52
A fad is fad. It comes and goes. It was a cool hip thing and now it's not.
RockChucker30
05-11-2014, 08:43
I like my five fingers, but I think merrell barefoots are much more practical for wear about town.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I too will take the Keen H2O sandals over the Vibram 5 Fingers anyday. Just sayin. I bought my third pr of Keen H2O's on sale recently for $50. I will sometimes hike in these sandals.
Mrs Baggins
05-11-2014, 12:50
I too will take the Keen H2O sandals over the Vibram 5 Fingers anyday. Just sayin. I bought my third pr of Keen H2O's on sale recently for $50. I will sometimes hike in these sandals.
Do you ever have problems with rocks/twigs getting between the sole of your foot and the bed of the sandal? I tried hiking in my Teva Terra-Fi's once and was constantly stopping to get rocks out. I'd like to do some hiking the H2Os but not if it's a constant battle between me and the little rocks.
Meriadoc
05-11-2014, 19:27
Do you ever have problems with rocks/twigs getting between the sole of your foot and the bed of the sandal? I tried hiking in my Teva Terra-Fi's once and was constantly stopping to get rocks out. I'd like to do some hiking the H2Os but not if it's a constant battle between me and the little rocks.
Those were my go-to sandals. I find the trick to be to keep the straps rather loose. The friction between my foot and the footbed keeps me from sliding quite well. If it's muddy, I wear socks, and then there is sufficient traction there too. With the straps loose, most rocks and sticks simply fall out. If a stubborn one gets in there, a simple shake of my foot mid stride gets it out.
Decent article in today's Globe about the Vibram five-fingers "controversy".
http://www.boston.com/business/news/2014/05/12/here-the-thing-about-vibram-and-minimalist-shoes/P0SUxjEmzTHigY0pWrogrK/story.html
Foresight
05-12-2014, 21:20
Love mine. Been wearing them a few years now. I never was a heel striker anyway and I attribute that to rarely wearing shoes...any time I could be without I was was without. The area for me where they shine the best is one I never hear others mention and that is in the water.
With that being said, I'm not a runner, barefoot or otherwise. Running is coward practice :D I wear mine for the barefoot feel with the added protection of the sole. Period.
Wise Old Owl
05-12-2014, 21:29
I saw lots of those things in GA-VA last year, not so many after PA.....
love those rocks!
Berserker
05-15-2014, 12:31
I disagree as well...you have to break your feet into wearing them if you plan on hiking or running into them...does not surprise me in the least that he destroyed his feet if he hiked distance in them before getting his feet used to them. Our feet are weaker then they are meant to be due to modern shoes. That being said, I don't hike in mine, and use them for walks or working out.
^ This. I have a couple of pairs of VFFs, and I really like them for certain applications. They're great for my normal walks, and over time have actually strengthened my feet and ankles. They also seem to work on a muscle group in my calves that I never feel getting worked in any other shoe. They do have their drawbacks though. One can get easily injuried in them (by stepping down to hard on something like a pointed rock or the inevitable stubbed toes) if not paying close attention. Also, for me they just don't provide enough support/cushion for backpacking.