Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Unshoes Review!



 I really like the concept of these sandals given the fact that I have yet to master huarache style sandal lacing.  I still believe though that its me and not the laces!  Regardless I think that these are a nice addition to the huarache style of shoes.
  I dig the groovy bright blue color and the strap is soft and flexible.  Very easy to adjust and no rubbing anywhere for me except between my toes on the right shoe.  Only on the right shoe though.


  Duct tape to the rescue!   I thought that I could remedy the issue with duct tape to make the wide strap narrow by taping it as you can see from the above photo and in the one directly below.  Even with the tape they still rubbed along the inside of my second toe.  I think the issue was the placement of the hole.  If the hole would have been up a bit farther I don't think I would have had this issue.

  Huaraches have been tricky for me so far.  This is something to keep in mind when doing your own tracing for a huarache shoe.   You can see from the below photo how far down between my toes the strap goes.  If it would have been up just a tiny bit I think it would have been comfortable.  I have hope that that is the case since my left shoe was  comfortable having the hole higher up between my toes but we are talking a subtle difference.  So next time I trace my foot and put dots for the hole I will remember to place it a bit farther up and see if that makes a difference.


  They have excellent ground feel and are quite flexible of which are both mandatory qualities to a good minimal shoe.   I can detect temperature and texture changes through the soles of these shoes.  Very nice!

   I worry that they won't  protect my toes well off road but I didn't have any mishaps though either.  Some people must be more graceful than I, which couldn't be hard, can run on some seriously difficult trails with unprotected toes.  I think that my state of mind and fear of toe injuries holds me back when it comes to huarache trail running.
The sole is quite grippy.  They are great for running on roads and I wore them often casually. 


  I have the Wokova design with the 4mm cherry sole which is priced at $39.00.   I am interested in trying the Wokova feather as it is even lighter yet having a 5mm sole and comparing the two. Notice how flat the sole is.  This is another mandatory quality of a minimal shoe. The Wokova is a great shoe for all around purposes whether running or going to the fair, for a hike, or walking downtown.  Multi-use shoes for sure that allows you to move naturally.


Unshoes have clever side straps that lay smooth against the skin.  I anticipated rubbing along the base of my ankle but no discomfort at all.    I think that in the winter these would pair nicely with wool toe or split toe socks for cold weather running as long as the conditions are dry.

These shoes seem well made and I have put many miles on them and I expect that they will last for many more without showing much wear.

Overall I think these are great.  Unshoes is certainly on the right path to creating a fantastic minimal shoe that allows the body to move in a barefoot style.  I look forward to the new incarnations of this style.
Well done Unshoes!

Cheers,
Angie














3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I kind of thought the straps would rub too. Thanks for another great review!

Shellyrm ~ just a country runner said...

Nice review. Great photos! Lovin' that blue.

Stephen Boulet said...

I've had some luck with other huaraches with fixing toe rubbing by aligning the strap more with the tendons on the top of my foot. Does the Unshoe allow you to do that?

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