Video of the Week: Vibram FiveFingers vs. Huarache Running Sandals
by Brian Patterson
on Aug 19, 2011
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Today’s featured video comes from Steven Sashen of InvisibleShoe.com. If you’ve done research on handmaking running sandals or huaraches, you’ve probably run across Steven through his website or one of his many videos on YouTube. He is one of the faces of Huarache information online.
Today we’re featuring a video he posted comparing Vibram FiveFingers to Huarache running sandals. He no doubt has a bias here, as his company makes and sells Huaraches and Huarache materials. He doesn’t seem to be a big fan of FiveFingers, and I’m curious what our community has to say about his points. What are your counter-points?
Let us know what you think in the comments!
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I own both VFF and Mr, Sashen’s (original) huaraches. I love the huaraches for everyday use and wear in places that are not barefoot-friendly. However, I find I cannot run more than 5k in them without intense pain. I know I have “baby feet” from years of shoe wearing, but I fall back on the FiveFingers for longer runs.
He forgets a lot of points. As odd as the VFF’s look, the are quickly forgotten about after the initial shock. Some people HATE seeing others feet. No problem with VFF’s.
Can you imagine how it has to feel to get rocks and sticks between the bottom of your foot an the sandal.
Dirt. Just getting horribly dirty feet.
You can wash VFF”s as well.
Cold
Toe cap. I have stubbed my toe in my VFF’s, not a big deal. Barefoot. OUCH!
I agree with him on price. I would be thrilled if they cut it in half, but only because i am a consumer.
I actually just ordered a kit from him to make myself a pair.
It has been next to impossible for me to find another pair of KSOs in a size 48 and I wanted another option for running. Even if they do not work for me, I am not out that mch $$$.
I love both and I run barefoot as well. I don’t think it needs to be this or that. I just did a half-marathon in my huaraches and will probably do my next marathon in my VFF. I feel like I do get a bit more feedback and correct my form better with huaraches but I can pick up a tad more speed in my bikilas on race day. I don’t see a problem with both. But I think either way, people should incorporate true barefoot running into their training as well.
Product bashing by a competitor is classless. After seeing this arrogant individual, I will probably never buy his product. Whatever the differences between VFFs and his sandals, every one has a right to choose. Both may have merits (I know the VFFs do) but his attitude makes my choice plain. I’ll use the VFFs or just go barefoot. Too bad some folks are such jerks!
I don’t think he was bashing, just comparing. When people here about minimalist running, their immediate response is “are you talking about those toe shoes?” VFF the most well-known brand in the industry, so having this comparison is helpful. It’s pretty much a given that if you go minimalist you try on or buy a pair of Vibrams first. I have VFFs and huaraches, and I gravitate towards my huaraches. My feet feel free and my toes are unencumbered, and they are a lot faster to get on. Actually a lot of people I know that start off w/VFFs don’t always wear them as their sole footwear option after awhile, but that is probably because there are so many options to choose from now. I just wish all of the options were as cheap as Invisible Shoes. Either way, the goal is to run and have fun right? ;) I am glad that this movement has (hopefully) gotten more people active and out the door!
I can counter-argue each of his points:
1. Empirical argument. Just because it doesn’t work for you, doesn’t mean the competition will work for everyone. The VFF are measured using your longest toe. If that’s your big toe, fine, if not, then find the longest toe, and get the right shoe.
2. Running sandals might have a more “barefoot” feel, it’s still providing protection to the bottom of your foot. Also, VFF have varying products, with thicker and thinner soles, for different activities. The Bikilas have a 3mm polyurethane insole and a 4mm rubber outsole, for a total of 7mm. Take the insole out, and it’s 4mm, point blank. He sells 6mm huarache running sandals.
3. Heel-strike running is not because there is adequate amount of support under the heel of the foot. Heel-strike running is due to bad habits, and really, not knowing better. You can lace up a pair of Nike’s, and be forefoot-strike running just as easily as you can in running sandals. You can also heel-strike barefoot. The shoe or sandal doesn’t force a running style at all.
4. If VFF are $85 per pair, and huarache running sandals are $25 per pair, that’s 3 you could purchase, for the price of 1 VFF, not “four or five”.
5. The running sandals won’t necessarily last “a lot longer over time” than the VFF. It’s entirely dependent on usage. Due to the minimalist free design of the sandals, they are subject to rips and tears, which limit them to light activities. The VFF have a much more rugged build, allowing you to do laterals, jumping, hiking, climbing, etc., without the risk of rips or tears.
6. The stench is nothing new with shoes, and is not unique to the VFF. The lack of stench is nothing new to sandals, and is not unique to the huaraches. This is a fundamental difference between shoe and sandal design. Both products are machine washable, so it should be trivial to get the stench out.
A couple of items, that in my opinion make the VFF superior, that he didn’t address are:
7. The human toes are designed for grip. The VFF allows your toes to grip the surface, individually for each toe, maximizing your stride. Sandals, as well as standard shoes, don’t allow your toes to interact individually with the surfaces on the ground, preventing a lot of muscles from properly developing.
8. The VFF keep your feet from being exposed, which will minimize damage to accidents in your surroundings, such as stubbing a toe, or scraping the ground.
9. The VFF will also keep your feet (mostly) clean. Face it, people don’t like seeing feet in public in general, so seeing dirty feet is even worse.
10. The knot between the first and second toe, underneath the foot, is something you may or may not get used to. Unlike commercial sandals, where that joint is flat, there is a sizable knot that you will have to get accustomed to.
11. The lace between the first and second toe can actually be quite irritating, and is a drawback of sandals in general. The constant rubbing of the material against the skin can cause chaffing or even bleeding.
On his site, and in some of his other videos, he mentions that when feeling pain, it’s almost synonymous with doing something wrong. That’s not true in general, but only in specific situations. After wearing standard shoes your whole life, then deciding to go barefoot, you will experience a great deal of pain, as you begin to tear and develop new muscles. Same could be said when weight lifting. With both the sandals and the VFF, you will likely experience discomfort, as your develop and build new muscles, that you’ve not exercised before.
IMO, the video was a misleading the facts, and stretching others, just enough to sell his product. It’s hard to prevent yourself from doing so, when comparing two products, one of which you own. I wouldn’t call it “bashing”, but I wouldn’t call it a representative comparison either.
the most likely reason you get pain in huaraches is because you have bad form and never learned to run barefoot first. Vibrams and huaraches are both great, but to truly run in them with minimal risk of injury you need to develop the proper form through bare feet first…Read Ken Bob Saxton’s book