Best running shoes ever for speedy lateral movements
Have been using these shoes for 6 months. Fitment is perfect (Size 28CM/10 US Men's) and is true to size. I literally don't even need to tie a knot for the shoes to feel tight and comfortable on my feet-- I just tie the knot so the laces are out of the way. I have a normal foot, but I enjoy the feeling of tight shoes as long as they don't make my big toe uncomfortable.When wearing these laced up with a runners knot, my feet feel absolutely locked in both the heel and midfoot and toes. The soles feel absolutely glued to my feet no matter where I'm touching with my foot. The shoe feels weightless as a result, compared to other shoes of similar weight that do not feel weightless due to how unwieldy they feel on my feet. I love this feeling. I can only get it with barefoot shoes that fit me exactly normally.The forefoot/toebox mesh and forefoot sole are VERY flexible.This is really important if you value natural-feeling toe-offs when running/or if the physical activity you're doing involves standing on your toes/working your calves a lot.You will put holes through the mesh where your big toe is. But this is a feature, not a complaint. I've accepted that I'm not going to to get a shoe that feels comfortable on my toes and also gives me the "locked in" feeling everywhere on my foot without poking a hole through the mesh where my big toe sits.The reviews I see complaining about the big toe holes feel like they fail to understand that the point of this trainer is for it to be a tight fit for forefoot/toe striking without destroying or causing discomfort in your big toe. Of course the mesh is going to give away within 6 months. It looks ugly after, but it's still functional.The shock absorption is good. The shoe doesn't have bounce, but just has shock absorption protection for your feet. I like this because I do not enjoy having zero shock absorption in barefoot shoes, but I like the locked-in sensation of a good fitting barefoot shoe.The grip is insane on the outsole rubber, too. This shoe has some of the most impressive outsole rubber grip on flat/glossy/indoors surfaces of any running shoe I've worn. You can literally stand on the tips of your toes and have incredible grip. Even if the floor is a little dusty, it still grips well.I am heartbroken to find out that the newer GT-1000 13 has done away some of the features I liked about the GT-1000 12, according to the reviews I've read. The outsole rubber was changed to be less grippy, the shoe is slightly less flexible, the cushion stack is higher. I will eventually give that model a shot when it goes on sale, as it appears the fitment is the same, it's just that the stand-out features of the GT-1000 12 for my specific use case were weakened so I'm going to keep buying the GT-1000 12's as long as they're in stock as I tear through them.