Tuesday, March 4, 2014

What I’m Loving So Far

Can it be possible to have too many huaraches?!?!?!?! So this is my stash…so far

Luna Sandals – Venado


Unshoes – Wokova Feather


Xeros – Sensori Venture


My vote goes to the monkeys! LOL! That’s Luna-speak. Done countless runs in them with the single highest mileage being 30km.






- It’s expensive but the overall feel is that it’s solid.
Footbed feels “plush” similar to a cushion on your feet but doesn’t take away from the ground feel.
- Footbed molds to your feet; so now the sandal is a bit of a curvy C – some sort of your imprint on your Lunas. Kinda love this coz I can now say it’s me!
- Snug straps that stays in place.
- Easy adjustable strap.
- Fastest delivery; got my sandals in a week.

Unshoes

Haven’t gone past 5km; so far it’s been mainly slow jogs around the block. Probably too early to tell.


- Minimal packaging – green vote!
- Thinnest sole of the three. I’ve no issue with foot reflexology but those of you who are new to minimalist footwear may want to consider a thicker footbed/sole.
Easiest adjustable strap and it allows you to remove or put on your sandals readily.
An in between off-the-shelf and custom made huaraches. Unshoes has a few templates for both the right and left foot as well as the position of the toe stud/strap. This is probably the closest to a custom made huaraches. I wish they had separate templates for the right and left toe straps – the position of toe strap on my feet were different and I guesstimate the closest/mid fit.
- Feels flimsier than the Luna and that’s coz of the thinner sole.
Some flapping sound when I run which I gather is normal and you’ll get used to it. Doesn’t happen to the Lunas though. Someone commented that it could be due to not securing the strap tightly. Thoughts?
Quick response from the team when I inquired if it was possible to speedy up the shipment. Had originally planned on having them as a spare for an event last month; in the end, I didn’t need them.

Xeros

My least favourite pair only coz I had the toe strap come off my original pair and replacement pair. WTH! Trouble come in twos?!?! The first pair – first run, after 5km. Replacement pair – second run at km 11, so that’s after 15km. I give up!




- Thin sole for a more ground feel; it would be the in-between the Lunas and Unshoes.
Great response from the team when I emailed them to let them know about the toe strap coming off. In fact, it was an almost immediate reply and they were so nice to send me 2 additional toe straps and a new pair of Xeros.
Some flapping but not as “loud” as the Unshoes.
- Straps are easier to adjust when your feet are not in them.
The heel strap tends to ride down during the run but not to the point of hitting your bottom heel.
- Overall feel: flimsy.

All my runs are on roads and pavements which these sandals are designed and made for; there are options for trails – think thicker soles. Be happy to hear about your experience on and off roads with the above models or other models.

There are a few more names in the market but I think my credit card has had enough of exercise…for the moment. LOL!

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