A
Amazon Customer
April 14, 2020
Great Shoe for Running and Lifting
I'm flat footed and have been in the process of strengthening my feet in order to improve my ability to move and lift better. Picked up these shoes for running, squatting and dead lifting. Bought them in a size 9.5 which is a half size smaller compared all my other shoes and they fit perfect. Shoe laces are a stretchy material which makes me wonder if I would destroy them if I tie them to tight. Despite the stretchy feel I'm able to tie them more than tight enough for my training. Sole of the shoe is very thin allowing you to really feel the ground. I do not recommend these things for off road running. Stepping on rocks with these things almost feels like stepping on rocks barefoot. Doesn't feel good.Running in these things feels great, however it does take some getting use to. I normaly run in metcons with a forefoot running style so the transition wasn't too bad. If your going from a completely soft running shoe with a heel toe running style you will definitely need to do short runs to get use to these things as well as maybe change your running style. Just walking heel toe in these is a little rough. You can really feel the impact with each step. Whether your walking or running in these things, its a great way to train the muscles in your feet and really feel how your toes are activating while you move. I haven't had too many runs in these things but I'll update the review once I get more miles on them.Squatting and dead lifting in these things is awesome. I normally trained legs in the Crossfit Lite TRs I bought during one of Mark Bells Seminars. I honestly prefer to Lift in the Vapor Gloves because I can just feel the floor more. I can feel how my feet are activating and what I'm doing while I perform the movement. I wasn't sure how well the shoes would hold up to lifting considering some movements put a lot of pressure on the sides of the shoe such as sumo dead lifts. So far no issue, but I also don't sumo dead lift often so take that into consideration. I've had roughly over 20 lifting sessions in these shoes and they're holding up nicely.Overall great shoe and I would highly recommend for anyone trying to get away from soft spongy shoes and focus on building and strengthening their feet.
✔ Verified Purchase
On my second pair-- lightweight, durable, great
Purchased VG3s last August, ran in them 12-20 miles per week, and they wore out in late May (lifespan ~8 months). I love them, they are extremely comfortable and unintrusive to run and hike in. I also wear them for weightlifting, which they work very well for. These are the best all-purpose workout shoes I have ever owned.The tearing issue...A common complaint is that the sides of these shoes rip after a couple months, which is true. Both of mine had tears after 3-4 months. In my opinion, the tears are a cosmetic problem and the shoes will last a while (4-5 months in my case) before the tears get big enough to require a new pair. VG3s are much cheaper than most running shoes, so having to replace them every 8 months doesn't bother me much.Considerations...These shoes are great for running/ hiking on anything other than coarse gravel. Your feet will hurt if you wear these on coarse gravel trails-- you'll feel every point on the gravel. The bottoms are very durable and did not wear through while running on pavement/ trails. However, they experienced considerable wear when running on the indoor track at my college (which is carpeted). 10-20 miles on this carpeted indoor track wore the tread more than the 200+ miles of road/ trail running did.TL;DR...Great shoes, last a long time, work for everything. Their low price negates all the potential problems I've had with them. 10/10 will buy again.
✔ Verified Purchase
A
Amazon Customer
September 21, 2018
Runs large (size down), possibly poor construction. Worth it.
I have owned a pair of Vapor Glove 1s that I ran into the ground over years, and two pairs of Gen-1 Trail Gloves that are still seeing moderate use. Coming from that background, I love, love, love these shoes. After a day or two of getting over the "new shoe adjustment", these may be my favorite Merrell's I've yet owned. Not too much padding, no extraneous thickness of the sole, no wadded up or misplaced webbing or fabric.Construction may be questionable. After about two months of comparatively light use (walking in various modes, mostly), one of the tongues began to detach near the front. Unfortunate, and could have been disastrous had I not noticed and sat down one evening with some thread and an upholstery needle to fix it. The seam is holding after several more months and nothing else has come apart, but I still give them a thorough look-over every now and then. At least none of the glued seams have failed!The shoes run large, consistent with the Vapor Glove 1s. Where I would usually wear a 9.5 in other brands, I fit very comfortably in an 8.5 pair of these.I'm not as fond of the flat laces, but that's more a matter of personal preference. I'm not so unhappy that I've changed them out, and they hold my knots well enough (double-overhand bow has yet to fail me).The opening is a little snug, trying to get my wider feet into them. I have to either stretch the back a bit with my fingers or really open up the laces to slide my heel in; maybe it's high time to invest in a shoehorn.To close, as I mentioned at the start: despite the minor things here and there (and the averted blow-out), these are hands-down my favorite shoes right now. I walk, run, and train martial arts in these, and they feel absolutely great. I continue to enjoy the connection of my feet to the ground in a way that so few other shoes afford. I'd get Vapor Glove 1s instead if they still had them, but this is a worthy successor.
✔ Verified Purchase
