Stylish, comfortable, grippy, and a perfect fit!
I have always had trouble finding shoes with a perfect fit. Like many people out there, my feet are slightly wider than the standard "D" width. Everyone with wide feet (E or EE) knows that it's extremely difficult to find shoes - let alone stylish shoes - that come in different widths. So what do we do? We buy a size (or two) larger. My actual show size should be a 10. But for most of my life, I have worn 11 D shoes. This causes all sorts of foot problems over time...Well, it turns out that this is irrelevant with the Merrell Trail Glove 2 Minimal Running Shoes! I found this out with the previous Trail Glove. For once, size 10 shoes felt JUST RIGHT. My toes rested at the end of the toebox, and all was well.The good news is that the Trail Glove 2's are no different. In fact, I prefer the gradient coloring scheme (especially on the black/grey model). Plus they are EVEN MORE COMFORTABLE than the older generation! I couldn't ask for me in a shoe. If you want a shoe that fits perfectly, get this shoe. You may want to try it on in a store first to discover what your "real" shoe size is.The only con that I found was that my right shoe initially had a defect. Specifically, the interior, forwardmost seam along the "Merrell" swoop protruded a bit. It didn't rub my foot raw or anything, but it was slightly annoying. However, the solution was simple: I asked Backcountry to send me a new pair. I kept the old one to make sure that my new left shoe didn't have the same problem. Well, everything was fine. So now I am a happy camper.I STRONGLY, STRONGLY, recommend this shoe to anyone. It will satisfy barefoot enthusiasts, and may very well convert other people to barefoot shoes.As a final note, the Trail Glove 2's seem to have more grip in the sole. I find that I have sufficient traction when walking on flat, slick surfaces with these shoes, whereas I slide around a bit with other shoes.
✔ Verified Purchase
Could be three stars or five - depends on your feet and preferences
First - I'm not a runner. I use these, and a pair of TG1s, for my walking around shoes. The TG1s are phenomenal for me - but this review is about the TG2.It appears to me that in an effort to make these look more like "regular" shoes, Merrell narrowed the toe box just a bit. They succeeded; the TG2 has lost most of the odd look that a lot of zero-drop shoes have - or is it regular shoes that look odd and these look like them... Unfortunately, if you've got anything other than a narrow foot you're going to find these to be a bit tight in the toe box. Particularly, it's the width that is the issue - I don't like pressure on the sides of my feet and these squeeze me a bit. To be honest, while the very front of the shoe is also a bit narrower, I can't tell if my toes are getting squeezed because of the pressure on the sides of my feet. I just can't get past it.Otherwise, these also have a stiffer sole than the TG1 and other zero-drop shoes. This is probably a good thing for those who run on very rough terrain, but with this shoe you're going to lose the awesome flexibility that comes with the TG1 and others, and you'll also loose a lot of the feel. Quite frankly, I don't feel like I'm "barefoot" in these. I feel like I've got shoes on.I will say that both of these issues seem to disappear for me when I'm walking around. After a couple of miles of walking in them, they're actually pretty nice while you're on the move - my issues with these shoes seem to come up when I'm either sitting or moving around an office or short walks.So - if you've got wide feet (or even slightly wider than average), or if you're not a runner on rough terrain, these are going to lose a lot of the benefits (to me) of having "barefoot" shoes. For me, they're a three-star shoe and I'll be ordering some more TG1s. But, I can easily see these being a five-star shoe for others.
✔ Verified Purchase
S
Sean Murray
February 13, 2015
This is a pretty great shoe for running and working out
This is a pretty great shoe for running and working out. I like a "barefoot style" shoe but that can take some getting used to if you haven't tried them before.I wish they had some more variety of sizes though. I really wear about 11-1/2 US size, I suppose, but based on my previous Merrell Trail Glove shoe, this ran a little narrow, so I'm now trying a 12 this time. The width of the 12 is perfect for me, but now these are a little too long in the toes. I think that sometime before my time people used to be able to commonly get shoes in different widths if you go by what old movies and books suggest. I guess nowadays we have a lot more choices in shoes than our grandparents did, but less of a chance of getting them to fit right-- except that all of my ancestors would have been wearing handmedowns from siblings, so I guess those wouldn't have fit right either. Still, when buying new shoes in this day and age, it would be great if you could pick a length and width. Especially when footwear companies push all of this shoe technology talk and hype about barefoot shoes improving natural movement. How natural can your movement be when you can't get a shoe that fits your foot right?Anyway, the fit is close enough, so I won't complain too much, just wanted to mention it so that the buyer may beware if this is an issue for you. The shoes are really comfortable and lightweight though. I do martial arts and they are great for working out outdoors. Great for running in and great for jumping. Seems like I am less likely to roll an ankle compared to shoes that have a bulky sole that you are perched up on. With these, it is like you are planted right on firm ground. That being said, you do not get much of a cushioning effect as there is barely any sole at all, so you really have to work on using your feet like and legs like shock absorbers-- that is where the "natural movement" comes in, I guess. The shoe doesn't do the work, your body has to. This just covers your foot a bit so your skin doesn't get ripped up on rocks and concrete. Like the name suggests, it is basically a glove for your foot.Only other thing I will mention is that the color in the photo is a bit off. The color in the photo looks more like Black and Gold (or amber/deep yellow) but as the name "Black/Tang" suggests, the true color is more of a tangerine orange if you care. So these do not go as well with a Steelers jersey as you might guess from looking at the photo.
✔ Verified Purchase
