Decent minimalist/barefoot option
I got these for my 9 year old. He has very wide feet with a natural toe splay. He spends most of his time running around barefoot. He has pretty much only worn minimalist/barefoot shoes, with the exception of his crocs, though they're so wide they don't interfere with his feet too much anyways. He literally won't tolerate shoes with a built up heel, or rigid sole (I know because we tried some once at his insistence and he hated them and said they hurt his back).All that said, finding 'cool' looking minimalist shoes that don't break the bank is tough. We really love Splay shoes, but the last couple pairs from them got torn to bits before he outgrew them. We also like Xero shoes because they hold up well but he's in adult sizes in that brand (youth 5) and I just can't justify the cost.So we tried these. He loves them, he thinks they look super cool and says he can run really fast in them.He and I wear the same size shoe, so I've also tried this pair on - I wear both minimalist and regular shoes. My thoughts on these;Pros:- They have a good, grippy sole, great traction (not often easy to find in minimalist brands)- Good groundfeel even with the grippy sole, very pleasantly surprised by this- Nice and flexible, no arch nonsense- Very easy to get on/off- Super lightweight and breathable- Materials seem like they'll do fine when I machine wash them, I use a shoe bag and I'll air dry. (I mention this because my kids beat their shoes up and their shoes would be disgusting if I couldn't wash them).Cons:- The toebox, while much wider/better then a regular shoe, is marginally narrower then what I'd prefer for a barefoot sole. But it didn't squeeze my toes, just didn't allow for as much toe splay as it could have.- It is a bit narrow in the midfoot around the arch. Sensory kiddos could hate this. Doesn't interfere with movement (I did a bit of running to test this).The picture shows a pair of Lems, Splays and these Merrells for comparison. You can clearly see what I mean about the toebox not being quite as wide. Though if you look at the pic of the soles you can see they're not as narrow as they appear from the top.Kid wore them for field day at school yesterday and was thrilled by them, so I'm happy as can be. We'll stick with this brand as long as they are available.List of barefoot brands our family has tried and loved:-Splay shoes - decent price in the kid styles, fantastic barefoot shoe, hasn't held up as well recently (but my kids are unusual hard on shoes, they play HARD).-Teva classic sandals - not a barefoot brand, but the classic sole is pretty decent (though not amazing on flexibility) and the sandal is adjustable at the toebox and they can be worn in water, makes an excellent summer shoe.-See Kai Run: Good for toddlers-Plae: decent if your kid has narrower feet, don't hold up too well-Vivo barefoot: way overpriced, narrow-Softstar: beautiful, very expensive and not my favourite for kids because leather care and my rough kids don't mix well. Don't hold up well in wet weather.-Vibram five fingers (toe shoes): fantastic if you don't hate having your toes separated-Cheap water shoes: any brand, fall apart fast but good for a summer-Bogs Boots: classic sole only (!!) good rainboot option-Mymayu boots: decent rainboot, not super flexible though-Lems shoes: family favourite, only adult sizes and make sure you get the barefoot soles (they do barefoot and regular soled shoes). These hold up amazing we have been wearing for years and own most styles. Only brand my husband will wear (bar sandals cos they don't make them).-Zeazoo kids: lovely little shoes, but higher priced and again, I don't love leather care with kid shoes.-Livvie and Luca: nice shoes, flexible solesThere are others but I can't remember them all.Anyways, I recommend these ones that I can now add to my 'preferred' list. Enjoy my verbose review!