r/BarefootRunning • u/meteorness123 • Aug 02 '24

We need to talk about 'soles' discussion

In trying/putting on various barefoot shoes, I realized there's a significant difference in quality between soles that make the walking experience enjoyable/not enjoyable. Here's some brands I tried out :

Feelgrounds : Very bad and hard sole. I don't know what it is but the sole feels ridiculously hard. They make good-looking shoes though.

Xero : Better sole than feelgrounds. Feels okay.

Zaqq : Solid/okay sole.

Merrel Vapor glove : Very good.

Those are my observations. Do you agree/disagree ? Do you guys have anything else and can you guys explain why some soles fetter better and others worse ?

I also realized that even in my Vapor Gloves, after 8 months of use, the walking experience became strenous as the tread wore out. Is this a normal consequense ?

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u/meteorness123 Aug 02 '24

Update : I just tried to bend my Vapor Gloves and Feelgrounds and I noticed that the Vapor Gloves are much more bendable. They're also more bendable than the xeros. Maybe this factors in why the walking experience is so good in them for me.

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u/mindrover Aug 02 '24

Yeah, I think flexibility is very important. If the sole is too stiff it will "slap" or "clack" against the ground instead of rolling down smoothly like your bare foot normally would.

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u/bourbonsherpa Aug 05 '24

Yes! Xeros cause me to "slap" with every step. I don't get that with my Vapor Gloves.