Vibram Five Finger Shoes - Review Thread

Jeanthemachine · Apr 21, 2014

These reviews make me somewhat more interested. I really wanted to be a tester because, frankly, I can't see myself buying these but I am getting more interested.

Sanzabar · Apr 21, 2014

#Cookie said:
Great stuff testers!

Sanzabar: with dew on ground how was stability? Any slipping?

Also any chaffing on the heel without socks?

Cookie,

I am a more smooth swinger and try to remind myself to slow it down, so I didnt notice anymore slipping than normal with spikeless shoes. However, when I really went after it on a few 3 wood swings, I did notice some slippage.

I did not notice any chaffing on the heel part without socks. I dont wear socks with hardly any of my shoes, so my heels may be more "tough/rough" than most.

Michigan Slice · Apr 21, 2014

Great writeups!

Anyone so far prefer these to a regular golf shoe? Is this offering something you feel you may stick with?
Has anyone tries a waterproofing spray applied to the shoe to cut down moisture?

woody_74 · Apr 21, 2014

Good job so far guys. The one thing that I think would really hamper myself in these would be the courses that I play. each have some areas that you can find and play your ball out of, but you might have some thorn bushes to deal with. These do not seem like the type of shoe to try and step over them with. I know it was mentioned that the socks help with the sweat from the feet, but I wonder if the sand would be worse with the sock on since it wouldn't have as many creavices to go into.

Playdough · Apr 21, 2014

Great reviews so far guys. I think this would be a great concept for practice and learning to swing within yourself while staying in balance but I don't think there is anyway i would wear these for a full 18. But I do feel they have a good use for practice time.

oiler3535 · Apr 21, 2014

Michigan Slice said:
Great writeups!

Anyone so far prefer these to a regular golf shoe? Is this offering something you feel you may stick with?
Has anyone tries a waterproofing spray applied to the shoe to cut down moisture?

I've been a V5 wearer for years, and started wearing them golfing two years ago. Unless it's extremely wet, I always wear my Vibrams golfing. The insane comfort is one thing, but my biggest swing flaw is trying to over-swing, and if you do that in Vibrams you spin like a top and look/feel like an idiot, so wearing them keeps me in control. As for the waterproofing spray, all pairs I've owned are mesh on top for breathability; I don't think waterproofing them would be wise/realistic. They do make a waterproof version of their shoe, but I wouldn't think they'd breathe very well. I've tried socks in my pairs and they just make my feet sweat way more fwiw.

GreekGodX · Apr 21, 2014

Another range session. No problem today with fat or thin shots. I really think I needed to get used to the shoes and I'm there now. I will try and get a round of 9 in tomorrow.

Here's some pics with comparison to my other golf shoe.

IceyShanks · Apr 21, 2014

GreekGodX said:
Another range session. No problem today with fat or thin shots. I really think I needed to get used to the shoes and I'm there now. I will try and get a round of 9 in tomorrow.

Here's some pics with comparison to my other golf shoe.

That's exactly what I was looking for thanks!

GreekGodX · Apr 22, 2014

I walked 9 holes today. I have to say I was really pleased with the shoes. Course was a little wet and I had no issues with the shoes slipping. My feet miraculously stayed dry too. I thought for sure my feet would at least be a little wet on a few shots but they stayed dry. I also was in the sand once and I didn't get any in the shoes. Sand was pretty fluffy and I took a good amount of it out, but none in my shoes. I attribute it to the shoes being more closed at the ankles versus a normal golf shoe.

I'm glad I only walked 9 though. At the 9th hole I felt in my knees some fatigue. I'm going to start wearing the shoes at the gym to keep getting used to them.

Mmaynard11 · Apr 22, 2014

So for the most part are you guys satisfied with the comfort level? Anyone notice any blisters forming? *quick skimmer*

Golferbest · Apr 22, 2014

Greay job so far testers. Interesting shoes. Will keep following along to check wear.

GreekGodX · Apr 22, 2014

mmaynard11 said:
So for the most part are you guys satisfied with the comfort level? Anyone notice any blisters forming? *quick skimmer*

I think they are one of the most comfortable shoes to wear. I feel like I'm wearing nothing and I love that.

Mmaynard11 · Apr 22, 2014

GreekGodX said:
I think they are one of the most comfortable shoes to wear. I feel like I'm wearing nothing and I love that.

Much appreciated.

oiler3535 · Apr 22, 2014

mmaynard11 said:
So for the most part are you guys satisfied with the comfort level? Anyone notice any blisters forming? *quick skimmer*

I wear mine literally every day it's shorts weather. Never had a blister. I have gotten a hot spot a few times on my heel when I didn't tighten mine enough and dirt got in and rubbed. But never too bad, and easily corrected.

Golferbest said:
Greay job so far testers. Interesting shoes. Will keep following along to check wear.

See above for how often I wear mine. My first pair lasted a year and a half. They wore through between the big and 1st toe because I rarely cleaned twigs and such out when they got caught there (never bothered me), and eventually wore.

mpeterson · Apr 22, 2014

I skimmed over the first pages to see if this came up, and didn't see it. Have any testers worn True Linkswear shoes in the past? If so, how do these compare? The Sensei are probably my favorite shoes I've ever worn (I wear them as my day-to-day sneakers).

checkered · Apr 23, 2014

Received my shoes in today. Thank you THP and Vibram for this awesome opportunity. I will be testing the Speed XC Lites. The pair I received are the grey and orange. They came with two sets of laces, one grey and one orange, which I liked quite a lot as it the option to be a bit bold with the orange, or keep things more subdued with the grey.

Out of the box the first thing that I noticed was just how light these are. I like that a lot. Getting them on the first time was a bit trying as my pinky toes did not want to go where they were supposed to. It was a bit uncomfortable at first for me, as I felt I had to spread them unnaturally far out to get them into the toe slot. However, after just a few minutes I could barely notice it and was totally comfortable.

Looks:
When I first pulled these out of the box and looked at them, I was surprised they looked better than I thought they would. The colors go well together in my opinion. While the orange is very bright, it's use is subtle, especially if you use the grey shoelaces. Putting them on my feet I'm not sold on the looks of these. Looking down at them is a bit awkward and I will take some time to get used to it. They're really not as bad as I expected but still just something seems odd to my eye. We'll see how I adjust to that.

Feel:
Once I got past the initial discomfort of my pinky toes, they felt good on my feet. Walking in them around the house has been comfortable and after a while I forgot I even had them on. I went out to the garage and took some swings with them on and really liked how connected to the ground I felt. They seemed to grip well even on the slick concrete of my garage. That has me excited about getting to the range and out to play with these. I walk barefoot quite a lot, so I'm hoping transition time with these will be minimal, but I am going to ease into them as suggested just in case.

Just wanted to get some initial thoughts down. I look forward to spending more time with these to get a better feel for them.

Sanzabar · Apr 23, 2014

Had a little range time with these and wanted to give some thoughts.

They are flat out comfortable as a range shoe for sure. Obviously that doesnt mean much... but they feel good.

I really got after the ball on a few swings to see how these would hope up as far as traction. I did notice my footing being just okay on several swings. However, I cant say much on that topic because I have a lot of lower body/balance movement issues.

My feet feel like they are really getting used to these bad boys.

ddelloch · Apr 23, 2014

checkered said:
Received my shoes in today. Thank you THP and Vibram for this awesome opportunity. I will be testing the Speed XC Lites. The pair I received are the grey and orange. They came with two sets of laces, one grey and one orange, which I liked quite a lot as it the option to be a bit bold with the orange, or keep things more subdued with the grey.

Out of the box the first thing that I noticed was just how light these are. I like that a lot. Getting them on the first time was a bit trying as my pinky toes did not want to go where they were supposed to. It was a bit uncomfortable at first for me, as I felt I had to spread them unnaturally far out to get them into the toe slot. However, after just a few minutes I could barely notice it and was totally comfortable.

Looks:
When I first pulled these out of the box and looked at them, I was surprised they looked better than I thought they would. The colors go well together in my opinion. While the orange is very bright, it's use is subtle, especially if you use the grey shoelaces. Putting them on my feet I'm not sold on the looks of these. Looking down at them is a bit awkward and I will take some time to get used to it. They're really not as bad as I expected but still just something seems odd to my eye. We'll see how I adjust to that.

Feel:
Once I got past the initial discomfort of my pinky toes, they felt good on my feet. Walking in them around the house has been comfortable and after a while I forgot I even had them on. I went out to the garage and took some swings with them on and really liked how connected to the ground I felt. They seemed to grip well even on the slick concrete of my garage. That has me excited about getting to the range and out to play with these. I walk barefoot quite a lot, so I'm hoping transition time with these will be minimal, but I am going to ease into them as suggested just in case.

Just wanted to get some initial thoughts down. I look forward to spending more time with these to get a better feel for them.

Awesome, you will have to bring them out the next time we play. I'd like to see those badboys in person.

checkered · Apr 23, 2014

ddelloch said:
Awesome, you will have to bring them out the next time we play. I'd like to see those badboys in person.

Absolutely! I'm really looking forward to wearing these in round to see how it goes. Plan on getting 9 in this weekend if the forecast holds up. I'll get to the range a couple times at least.

SkiBumGolfer · Apr 23, 2014

Interested to see what these do for you going forward John. They're totally crazy looking to my eye, but if they work, they work!

golfinFF · Apr 23, 2014

Great stuff so far fellow testers!

My shoes were too small and everything is worked out with Vibram and I should be joining in on the testing next week.

The Dave · Apr 23, 2014

golfinFF said:
Great stuff so far fellow testers!

My shoes were too small and everything is worked out with Vibram and I should be joining in on the testing next week.

Curious, what shoe size are you and what size did you order? I am just wondering about sizing as other testers have felt they are close to "true" size

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

Golds · Apr 23, 2014

Sounds like these really make you feel "grounded" but I don't know if I could ever get past the looks.

jjcgolf72 · Apr 23, 2014

SmoothSwing said:
Curious, what shoe size are you and what size did you order? I am just wondering about sizing as other testers have felt they are close to "true" size

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

I wear a size 8.5 or a 42 in Ecco brand shoes. I ordered size 41. They have a chart for you to measure your foot from heel to toe. For me I picked the right size. Still getting use to the feeling.

Jeff
sent using tapatalk

checkered · Apr 23, 2014

Vibram Speed XC Lite Testing 4/23/2014
The Hitting Zone, Bellingham, WA Range Practice and putting

I got my first practice round in with these today. Getting them on wasn't too difficult, but I did have a little pain getting my pinky toes in right again. However, once they were in and I started walking around, they were very comfortable. So, once I laced up I went and got a bucket and started warming up to hit some balls and saw that, unfortunately, this range is still hitting off mats.

I started off with some wedges, moved up to some mid irons, hybrids, then Driver. I had no problems hitting the ball with any club with these on (barring my normal swing problems we won't go into). I'm really liking how connected to the ground I feel in these. In my time today, I didn't feel any more or less grip than regular golf shoes which I'd say is a good thing. In general while hitting balls off the mat it felt fairly similar to wearing my normal golf shoes (Puma Amp Sports). I did notice I seemed to be keeping my right foot planted better and pivoting on it, as I could feel it more than normal in my muscles in the lower outside of my leg.

On the putting green was a bit different. I could "feel" the green more under my feet. I felt like I could notice more of the subtle contours of the green, something I've tried and strugged with in normal golf shoes. I didn't spend enough time to really validate this, but it's something I intend to pay attention to as I think it could be helpful with reading greens.

Overall, I felt it was a good first time out with them. I love walking in them, it feels so much closer to barefoot and I love that. I know I will struggle with the looks for awhile, but once I got walking around and doing stuff I pretty much forget I even have them on. The range was packed, and no one seemed to flinch at them or anything. So, it wasn't like I felt like they were staring at my gorilla feet or anything.

SmoothSwing, I wear a 10.5 typically. I checked the 10-10.5 and 10.5-11 on their size/fit page and both put me at a 43 so I felt pretty good about choosing that size. They fit well for me, snug but not too tight.

Should get out for at least 9 this weekend so will have more then. Any questions or anything feel free to reach out.