I just received a pair of these as a gift and have completed a couple of runs in them. I have been running in minimalist shoes for a couple of years and these are the best shoes I have tried so far. They are much more comfortable than my Vibram Five Fingers or Merrell True gloves. These are incredibly light weight and the bands provide a very secure feeling. The toe box is very roomy, allowing my toes to move freely.
Hitting the road in these the first time was great. They are so light, it feels like you have nothing on your feet at all. The road feel is great and very similar to my five fingers. My only complaint, so far, is they soak up water easily, however my feet have stayed warm despite this.over time.
Overall, these are the best minimalist shoes I have tried so far. I am curious to see how they hold up over time.
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I have only ran about 10 miles in these so far but I really like them except for the sizing. I originally bought men's 10 which was too small so ordered the men's 11 which are too big. It is a pity they don't do half-sizes as this would make them a far better product for me, at least.
The soles seem very good for the job. I ran on loose gravel, chunky pavement and then on dirt/gravel and had no problems with the 'feel' of the gravel and loose rocks through the soles.
The looks, well, I don't care as I prefer function but I was stopped by one passer-by walker who was very impressed with the look and concept.
I don't know how well these will hold up over the long haul but so far I am satisfied. If there are any longevity issues then I will write again.
The one really good thing about these is that I have an odd shaped foot with the second toe being longer than the first (big) toe this is actually not too uncommon. I tried on a couple of pair of Five Fingers and those will absolutely not work for someone with a non-perfect shaped foot. My smaller toes did not even reach the 'fingers' so the discomfort just standing and walking in the store was ridiculous. With the Zemgear shoes this is not an issue. I believe anyone wanting to experience near barefoot running will be very pleased with these shoes if the sizing works for them. If it were not for the sizing I would have easily rated these a five-star but I know the slightly too large shoe will be an issue but at least one with which I can live.
Happy running...
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I bought these shoes because they look original, and I enjoy barefoot running. I've used vibrams and really enjoy the feel of running barefoot. The Zems arrived a day earlier than expected. They look and feel cheap. I wore them around the house for a few hours and they instantly began to look worn. After my first run, the soles showed huge signs of wear. The yellow part of the sole under the big toe has already fallen off, and I havent even had these shoes a week. I am hugely disappointed. I wasnt expecting vibrams, but this i rediculous. These shoes didnt last a week before they looked like i ran a handful of marathons. The workmanship is crap. I wish i could get my money back, so i could invest them into another pair of minimalist shoes, like some New Balance, or really just another pair of vibrams.
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I have to return these because the band around the ankle is too tight for me and cuts off my circulation. Maybe I have fat ankle bones. The shoe fits great everywhere else though. I got my usual size. Personally I prefer my Sockwa G3 shoes. Which are very simular to these but they come in more colors and have a more comfortable band at the ankle. They also have a more flexible sole than these do. The Sockwa brand doesn't seem to sell on Amazon for some reason but I get it direct from their website.
Update 12/2012: Ok I found out that sockwa actually does sell on Amazon, but only their G2's. They only sell their G3's on their website for some odd reason. The G2's and the G3's are basically the same but the G2's are better for those with narrower feet and I definitely feel more comfortable in the Sockwa G3's. So I'm guessing that these Zemgear are probably better for people with narrower feet and ankle bones. I usually wear a size 7 regular width (B) in shoes, but I often have to break my shoes in a little bit because my feet are a tad on the wide side.
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I almost never write reviews for products, but I really feel like I need to write one for this product.
I do need to give some background before getting into the review. Twenty-five years ago I was in an accident and after many years of miss diagnosis doctors found a break in one of my vertebrae the nerve impingement from the break was causing chronic pain and numbness in my foot. Add to this that I work in a warehouse so I need my feet to work.
Someone (I can't even remember who) suggested minimalist shoes and I stumbled on ZEMs. I got my first pair about two years ago. I got the original playa round high top, the difference was amazing. I could feel and use my feet like a normal person. Unfortunately the playa weren't long lived. Fortunately they lasted long enough for the O2 and the 360 to come out. I got one of each last summer.
The O2s fit and feel very much like the playa, with more grip. They are awesome for a long hot days when my feet are tired and puffy. The deeper sole has meant a longer life so far, and they are the most soothing of my shoes. After a year there are a few marks on the soles, but nothing too bad.
The 360's took longer to get used to, or maybe they took longer to get used to me. These shoes offer a lot more support the new style bands seem to meld more to your foot they are a one person shoe, and it is a snugger fit than the O2 or the original so you may want to go larger.
I have these shoes on for about 6 hours a day of walking, running and carrying heavy objects over an uneven floor that is half wood with exposed nails and some areas of concrete, the soles are incredibly resistant the bottoms still look new. I don't think I've ever had a pair of shoes with such a strong sole, but at the same time you can feel the world around you. I recently had to get a second pair because I managed to cut one of the seams, but after a year of daily use I think that is acceptable.
This is probably the most important thing. Up until I found my ZEMs I was getting nerve blocked every three months to keep my pain stable. In the past two years I haven't had any injections and my stride has become cleaner and straighter. I feel like my ZEMs have gone a long way towards stabilizing my condition and reducing pain flairs.
I love my ZEMs
