sockwa | g2 review | sockwa - a minimalist shoe mini-review
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These (Sockwa) shoes/sock things solved all of my problems with the Vibram Sprints and the Minimus trails. They are the most comfortable shoe I have ever worn, hands down. They feel like your wearing a sock. They have the best grip in the water I have ever seen due to their plastic sole (more on that later). They are zero drop, with the sole being just 1.2 millimeters thick everywhere. Not 12, 1.2! And they are the lightest shoe I have ever seen or worn, my size 11’s weighing only 3.5 ounces. Perhaps the most interesting feature about these little slippers is the sole, which is not made of rubber but a plastic called TPU. TPU has better grip on wet surfaces, and is more durable than rubber. I can personally vouch for the durability; I have run 520 miles In them and I still have all the treads, even though the entire shoe stack height is only 1.2 mm thick. They are $50 bucks at Sockwa.com, which may sound steep, but I’m getting as much use out of them as I would with normal shoes. When buying remember to buy a full to half size larger than your typical shoe size, but the size isn’t a big deal because they fit just like a sock. Review by Birthday Shoes on http://birthdayshoes.com.TRANSCRIPT
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Sockwas - a Minimalist Shoe Mini-ReviewBy BdayShoes on Mar 16, 2012 | In Barefoot Shoes | 17 comments »
Guest post by James
I was inspired to become a barefoot runner after reading Born to Run, and started looking for “barefoot”shoes. My first pair of minimalist/barefoot shoes were Vibram Sprints.
I liked the FiveFingers Sprints but ...
1. They were uncomfortable due to inside stitching and the toe things not fitting well2. They became REALLY stinky REALLY fast, even if it wasn’t hot outside3. They had no treads at all, and I would slip in them all the time, on terrain that I had better grip on while
barefoot
So I bought a pair of New Balance Minimus Trails. These shoes solved all of the abovementioned problems Ihad with the Sprints, but created new ones ...
1. The 4mm heel to toe ratio was a big problem, messing up my barefoot stride big time. Who knew 4millimeters could be so evil?
2. The extra weight was a problem too. Again, who knew just 7.1 oz could be so heavy on your feet?
And NOW we get to the point of the whole shindig: the Sockwa G2.
These shoe/sock things solved all of my problems with the Vibram Sprints and the Minimus trails. They are themost comfortable shoe I have ever worn, hands down. They feel like your wearing a sock. They have the bestgrip in the water I have ever seen due to their plastic sole (more on that later). They are zero drop, with thesole being just 1.2 millimeters thick everywhere. Not 12, 1.2! And they are the lightest shoe I have ever seen orworn, my size 11’s weighing only 3.5 ounces.
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Perhaps the most interesting feature about these little slippers is the sole, which is not made of rubber but aplastic called TPU. TPU has better grip on wet surfaces, and is more durable than rubber. I can personallyvouch for the durability; I have run 520 miles In them and I still have all the treads, even though the entire shoestack height is only 1.2 mm thick.
They are $50 bucks at Sockwa.com, which may sound steep, but I’m getting as much use out of them as Iwould with normal shoes. When buying remember to buy a full to half size larger than your typical shoe size,but the size isn’t a big deal because they fit just like a sock.
About the Author — BdayShoes is the "guest blogger" everyman (or woman!) ofBirthdayShoes.com. Periodically, we feature original posts from non-regular writers on theblog here. Those posts get published under this user! If you're interested in contributing aone-off post to BirthdayShoes, contact us!BdayShoes has written 20 articles and 0 comments.
Tags: review, sockwa
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17 commentsComment from: ryan [Visitor]
Reminds me of the Moc3, but more simplistic.
03/16/12 @ 09:38
Comment from: Steve [Visitor]Awesome! How do they smell?
03/16/12 @ 09:38
Comment from: JackEoh [Visitor]What about toe spread? I'm always wary of shoes described as 'like a sock'. I want my toes tobe able to spread without any restriction!
03/16/12 @ 09:59
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Comment from: Juggling Mike [Visitor] How are they holding up to wear and tear? In one picture, it looks like the right foot's rubber soleis coming off the sock portion where the toes are.
Otherwise, they actually look pretty cool.
03/16/12 @ 09:59
Comment from: Danny [Visitor]The only thing that I hate about these shoes is the giant logo on the side. I hate feeling like I ama freaking bill board advertising my shoes. And I especially hate doing this when I pay premiumfor the shoes.
03/16/12 @ 10:02
Comment from: Aaron R [Visitor]Another reviewer found these to be too tight. Obviously, you like the fit. What is the uppermaterial like?
Thanks for the review.
03/16/12 @ 10:11
Comment from: Brett [Visitor]thought I would check them out, they looked like they would be pretty good on the website, butapparently you have to be a leprechaun to be able to wear these. I checked their website,biggest size available was an 11, which in normal sizes would be more like a 10. Consideringthe most common shoe size in the US is an 11, you would think they would at least go up tosize 12.
03/16/12 @ 15:33
Comment from: James [Visitor]Ok I'm probably not doing this right, but let's see if I can answer everyones questions in onegiant post:
1. Smell...well, not quite as bad as the vibrams, but now that it's warming up here (SC) they area little ripe. You can wash them though.
2.Your toes can spread great-this coming from someone who prefers to run with no shoes. The material (Ithink it's neoprene) hugs your foot all over but it's really stretchy, so no toe splay ruination going on.
3. They are holding up quite well considering 1. They now have almost 800 miles on them and look about thesame as in these photos and 2. I accidentley put them in the dryer with the heat on, which your not supposedto do and which I suppose weakened the glue holding the sole on.
4. And that is why I chose black. :). It's not nearly as bad as other colors, and hey, we can walk in "frogshoes" without any qualms, right?
5. Do I win a prize for the longest post EVER!?!?03/16/12 @ 18:11
Comment from: David Zasloff [Visitor] I love reading reviews of our product, in this case, specifically the G2.
Regarding the toes splaying and whether it's important or not? YES it is important, and yes, yourtoes can splay out in our G2. We use a super, uber thin TPU sole and a stretchy upper thatallows the toes and the feet to remain the shape they are and instead make the shoe the shapeof YOUR foot.
You can tell by the picture of James feet above that the Sock with Attitude, Sockwa, conforms to your feet.The result is a barefoot feel. So expect to feel pebbles and temperature change. Just avoid the huge acornsand watch where you walk.
Thanks for everyone's input.
David ZasloffSockwaFounder03/16/12 @ 19:22
Comment from: Milla [Visitor]@David ZasloffI'm interested in these shoes, there is any way to feel them on my feet here in Italy?
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03/17/12 @ 15:24
Comment from: Vitor [Visitor]I really liked them, very sober and no frills. Make a size 14 and you will have my money.
03/18/12 @ 04:35
Comment from: John Ohh [Visitor]I went through the almost identical process as the author. From the book to Vibrams (noMinimus Trails) to Socwa. And have come out with same result. I have a pair overly expensiveVibrams sitting in my closet and a pair of Socwa's on my feet each day I run the wet, rough backroads of South West Ireland.
I did have a sizing issue with my initial purchase (and was my own fault). Which was personallysorted out by David Zasolf at Socwa's expense, without delay or complaint. Now that's just good business,married to a good product. They (business and product) certainly have my vote. And will be buying again formy self and family.03/18/12 @ 17:36
Comment from: Chris [Visitor]I wanted to love these (super light, great ground feel), but I have wide feet so the sizing didn'twork.
I ordered a size 10, but the toe box was too narrow and the length was too long. I'm probablySockwa size 11 in width and a size 9 in length.
For reference, I fit Vibram KomodoSport LS in W42 and New Balance 2E tennis shoes (although New Balance4E hikers were too narrow for me).03/20/12 @ 16:42
Comment from: Fran [Visitor]Thanks for the review. These shoes look awesome, and I will definitely try a pair. I love thewebsite, and the price point for these shoes are unbeatable.
I joined the minimalist shoe culture last summer, and my entry level show were the VibramBikilas. Those now feel to stiff and rigid for my tastes. I'm currently wearing Soft Star RunAmocks and Moc3 for my walking and running. The quality on Soft Star shoes is amazing, unlike
the Vibrams which I found tend to wear quicker. If the Sockwa's are anything like the Soft Star, and theyseems to be so and more, then I should be a pretty happy camper.03/21/12 @ 11:22
Comment from: Benry [Visitor]I love the design on these and would love to buy a pair. My only problem is wide feet, whichseems like it might be a hinderance. Does anyone know how the shoes are in that dimension?
04/13/12 @ 20:52
Comment from: Robert [Member] @Benny I have pretty wide feet. I am currently working on a review of the Sockwa. Personally, Ifind them to be very narrow. I don't recommend them if you have wide feet. They can feel veryconstricting along the sides of the shoe near the pinky and big toes.
04/15/12 @ 02:47
Comment from: Patrick [Visitor]Hi, thanks for the review. It's definitely helping steer me in the direction of the Sockwas for mycold running shoes. I own a pair of original suede RunAmocs, but now that I try to do a majorityof my road running barefoot even those seem clunky to me now. But alas, I still need a littlesomething for the mornings when the pavement is chilled here in Colorado, and one of thesesuper thin sock-style shoes seems right for me. For 520 miles, your pair still looks great. I dohave a few questions, though: Do you have any concerns about the uppers? It looks like they're
starting to come apart on the right shoe/sock (but again, it's hard to knock it when they've lasted more than500 miles!). Do they get hot inside? Do your feet ever slide around in them? Thanks for any help with thesequestions.
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