Xero ShoesWomen's Speed Force Barefoot Running Shoe - Ultra Lightweight - Minimalist Road Running Shoe Black

I like lightweight shoes, and these are listed at around 5 oz. They are certainly lighter than the Nike Flex Contact shoes I have been using for dance fitness. The color is a beautiful sky blue, and they fit like slippers with lugs on the bottom. The uppers stretch perfectly around my foot to create a sock-like feel. Awesome!While I love the shoes, they could not replace my worn out Flex Contact shoes, so I ordered the last one in stock in my size (I wish they would reintroduce those!). On a rug, the lugs underneath interfered with movement and tore up the rug. Bummer. I don't know if I would run in these on pavement, but I will keep them.Since I prefer more cushioning than a true barefoot runner, I replaced the insoles with a slightly thicker insole. You can replace with orthotics, but I kept it true to barefoot running and have no arch support. I want my arches to strengthen. Plus, I have flat feet.A local shoe store rep. checked my foot and declared me a true 9, not a wide as I thought, and not the 8.5 I used to be. These shoes fit without sizing up or down.

I have tried pretty much all the “barefoot” or “grounding” shoes out there. I have tried Vivobarefoot, but they have this weird elongated toe bed in their running/walking shoes. I own several Softstar, they are lovely however they stopped making the moccasins with rubber soles. Now they only use leather as their soles. I own some Softstar “running” shoes and one particular is truly a leather sock and is very comfortable. However, does not seem to hold up well. They just do not compare to the, durability, road feel and comfort of Xero shoes. I also tried other cheaper brands that say they are barefoot, I sent those back as they were clunky. I own at least a dozen Xero sandals in all colors and styles and now about a half dozen or more in the running shoe style. This one though is my absolute favorite. I now have both colors.I am 65 and when I took care of my mother who had dementia she would occasionally fall. She was not blacking out or becoming light headed. So I took a good look at her feet and her toes were mangled. She had no way to grip. Unfortunately the advice of the day was these pointed, leather, albeit flat, shoes that did nothing to help her with her balance problems. They crushed her toes together actually making things worse.I began to notice as I got closer to my 60’s that I was having difficulty with balance myself and that, in combination with what was happening to my mother led me to begin my research. I was also told I had “flat feet” along with two surgeries and a need for another. My feet were a mess.I started with Xero sandals and toe spacers. Then I graduated to closed shoes (because it’s cold in Michigan) and not only have my own mangled toes improved a great deal but I am no longer flat footed because I have strengthened my arch by going “barefoot” in shoes. I can actually tell that my feet are signaling my brain about my balance. I feel way more sturdy and certain on my feet. It helps my knees and hips, but most importantly, I feel steady on my feet. Xero shoes is the reason for that.

I owned a pair of vibram "toe shoes" for a while and really loved them. These are definitely comparable, and look more like a tennis shoe, so can be used for every day wear. I've worn them every day since I got them on Friday. I'm a bit of a klutz, so shoes with a high sole tend to make me trip over my own two feet. Being able to feel the ground when walking is definitely a bonus for me! The one thing I can say about them -- and it's probably just me -- is that bc they are a tight fitted shoe, I do need to wear socks with them. I have sensitivities to cloth textures, and the upper made my foot uncomfortable. Once the socks were between the upper and my foot, I was good to go! Xeroshoes are amazing! I highly recommend them to anyone who wants that barefoot feel, but needs to be in shoes!

I am a Nike girl usually, I’ve tried other brands but I always come back to them. So far I really like these shoes. I have worn them for 4 workouts so far, one cardio, one leg day and 2 arm days. Quality seems good and they are so light and surprisingly comfortable for very little cushion.Pros: they are less bulky than the Xero prio which I had to return. Toe box is a good size for me, I have shorter toes and the ball of my foot is a bit wide so I sized down to a 7. I usually wear a 7- 7.5 for comparison in most athletic shoes. For instance in nike my metcons are a 7.5 but my free runs are a 7. On clouds are a 7, ASICS 7.5. I see a lot of people saying to go up a size, but it really depends on foot shape. It matters for the distance from the ball of foot to end of toes. If you have regular length toes go with your normal size, long toes maybe go up a half size. The straps on the side serve to pull your heel up and stabilize the ball of foot and adjust to your foot position which is cool. The zero lift is working out great for stability for me. Flexibility really allows you to feel connected with the groundThe only con I have so far is that the back of the shoe comes up a little high and rubs on my Achilles a little bit. I have already gotten used to it.

I followed the recommendation to get a size larger and glad I did because it fits perfectly. It’s a super comfortable shoe!