XERO SHOES AMURI CLOUD REVIEW

El Yuca Descalzo

Barefooters
Apr 3, 2014
141
182
43
37
This is the post for the continuos review of the Amuri cloud from the giveaway contest.

Before starting I would like to clarify that maybe I wasn’t the correct person to review these sandals, at first I thought might be what I was looking for those races in very difficult terrain to go barefoot , or exit to public places where no permit being barefoot, however there are some details to consider. I have to made ​​clear that these were my first sandals for jogging or rough use, had never worn sandals that had to pass through my fingers.

I received these sandals on my vacations days and decided to use them in the area, first walking and then running. I use them two whole days to get used to walking and then in a few short runs of 3 Km at home.


SOLE

The Amuri at first are show as a comfortable sandals for any activity, consisting of two materials in the sole and a third on the heel (that will mention later).

The core material is soft and comfortable to the skin, while the material that forms the outer edge is more rugged of some kind of anti-slip rubber. In binding, these two materials feel very good on the sole of the foot, keep a firm grip and allow the flexibility of the foot (very happy feet).

20140514_185114.jpg


The contact surface with the ground appears similar to a tire auto pattern and maintains a good grip on various terrains and as you use them this grip improves, even in those very smooth surfaces like marble, I say this because at first the soles are very slippery to the touch.

20140514_185033.jpg


At the sides it has extra material through where the cord passes under the ankles, which seems like a good design to avoid damage of the cord while running.

20140514_185020.jpg


One of the most distinctive features is that the sole is very flexible, more flexible than what I consider optimal for 3 reasons:

1. The Outsole has much residual material in the front, which may get stuck at some curbside or branches on the ground while running or walking, which is not good in any situation, possibly be solved by cutting the excess of material but I didn’t want to modify the original design for now.

2.Combining a highly flexible sole and the heel support makes the sandal to bend down at the rear and makes them heavier than necessary.

3. Makes a lot of noise when running, the combination of extra material and flexibility make a whip effect at running at the front of the outsole, making the outsole to hit the floor hard, this is a personal detail that did not like because I’m already accustomed to running barefoot in silent. Again possibly be solved by cutting the excess material.

The outsole provides an excellent feeling of the ground, you can almost feel everything beneath you.

Whip Effect
SLAP.jpg


The back of the sandal has extra material to give support to the heel or to hold it in place, but in my opinion should not be there. The particular shape of my foot is very wide, and it seems to rotate a little when walking or running, my heel always stepped into some portion of this material, (which is a very anti -slip rubber with a checkered pattern not friendly to skin contact). Also for some reason and no matter how many times I adjusted the cords, my heel always ended up stepping on the edge of this support and because the material is very rugged, after a half-day walking I ended up with blisters on both heels.

In order to be able to test further the sandals I had to cut the heel support which immediately become more comfortable. Even so, the remaining edges can be harmfull.

20140514_184755.jpg




Cords.

The cords of the Amuri Cloud can be divided into 3 parts , the portion that goes between your toes, the foot portion that holds the foot and the portion that holds the heel in place.
For someone who had never used anything between the toes (except vibram ) the feeling was strange at the beginning, the material passing between the toes is a kind of anti -slip rubber of about 5 mm thick that eventually get used to it, personally I think the material is not the adecuate and has some manufacturing lines.

20140514_184819.jpg


The rest of the cords has a skin-friendly feel, very comfortable and what I consider a great success.

In the back, the portion of cord passing through the heel, has a kind of rubber to give some support and stability, (the material is anti -slip and somewhat difficult to accommodate or adjust). Upon receiving the sandals the rubber presented manufacturing lines, which are thin lines of excess material that with use can damage the skin. I had to cut the excess material to prevent further damage.

20140514_184737.jpg


The adjustment is relatively simple once you understand the mechanism, however, is not very accurate since you cannot adjust the belts having the sandals on, you have to take them off and adjust, which may be somewhat inaccurate and something more of trial and error.

Conclusions

These sandals are not ready for use upon receipt, many adaptations as cutting excess of material is required, refine the edges, accommodate the multiple supports that includes and to get used to the rubber material.

The sensation of the foot sole is excellent, a great success. Excellent feeling of the ground, you can feel almost everything below you.

The support of the heel should not been there.

The rubber of the back of heel could be of a nicer material, takes time getting used to it. The remaining cords feel pleasant to touch.

Recommended only for those who are accustomed to various types of sandals.

At this point I have decided not to keep trying them without some advice of those who use Xero shoes, I really need something to run Ultras and Im hopping this Xero are the ones.

I ask you, do I have the cut the edge of the outsole in order to adjust it to my feet?
The outer edges should be at the same level that my toes?
Any other advice?
 
Thank you for your honest review. I know this will help others in making their decision to try this model of Xero Shoes.

Have you thought about trying their DIY kit? It doesn't have all the extras that you mentioned you had trouble with and should last through an ultra. I like my DIYs because I changed the lacing configuration from through the toes to crossed over the top of my feet.
 
Just a thought on the lines on the heal strap and toe plug thingy, couldn't you just sand those lines down with sandpaper so that it creates a smooth surface that touches the skin? You could probably do that where you cut the heal cup off too to make that better. As far as the length, I am not sure if you could cut it to fit better as there are two parts to the sole and I am not certain if that will weaken the bond between the two. I do know that an ill fitting sandal lengthwise will cause a person lots of problems. Hopefully Steven will chime in here. I am really curious about these as I am quite accustomed to sandals, although I haven't used this brand since I tried to use their connect sandal a few years ago with little success and lots of the slapping issues you mentioned.
 
I used to have slapping with my DIYs in the beginning, but then it just stopped. I don't know why. I don't think I changed my form, but I guess I must have.
 
Just a thought on the lines on the heal strap and toe plug thingy, couldn't you just sand those lines down with sandpaper so that it creates a smooth surface that touches the skin? You could probably do that where you cut the heal cup off too to make that better.


Yes, it can be done and that´s what I did, still the rubber feels weird.

The problem might be with me instead of the sandals, but I've read others reviews and they mention some of the same things. My feet doesn''t even tolerate for 10 minutes the so-called "Merrel barefoot" (those have nothing about barefoot) but another people might be comfortable with them, so...
 
Wow... this is the worst review any of our products have ever received.

Let's see if I can address some of the points:

FWIW, "slapping" is a form issue and not some function of the flexibility of the sole. If you foot meets the ground under your center of mass, with relaxed joints, there isn't any "slap." So, TJ, your form *did* change, which is what made the noise stop. One way I demonstrate this with people is by having them run up hill... when they do, the slapping almost always stops, because it's almost impossible to overstride or land hard when you're running up a hill.

Another way I demonstrate it is by running next to people, since when I run, it's not slappy... until I start slowing down quickly, because to slow down you overstride.

If you can actually feel the lines on the toe post, I'd be surprised. I guess it's possible, but out of 7,000 people who have experienced it, this is the first time I've heard a complaint. And, yes, if you felt the urge, a bit of sandpaper would do the trick.

To say that these aren't ready to wear when they come out of the package is to say the same thing of ANY sandal you would get that's not custom-made to your foot. The vast majority of our customers never trim the soles. But we make the Venture and our DIY kits for those who want to be able to get that perfect match between foot and sole.

I know some that don't like the heel cup... and we have hundreds of emails from people who love it. Oh, well...

As far as help and advice goes, we're always available... best is to find us on the phone or Skype since it's the easiest way to have a conversation.

Do with all of this what you will...
 
Yes, it can be done and that´s what I did, still the rubber feels weird.

The problem might be with me instead of the sandals, but I've read others reviews and they mention some of the same things. My feet doesn''t even tolerate for 10 minutes the so-called "Merrel barefoot" (those have nothing about barefoot) but another people might be comfortable with them, so...
I agree not everyone fits and tolerates footwear the same. I have my issues with almost all sandals that I know others don't, and like you my feet don't like merrells so called barefoot line either. Hope you can get the issues worked out. And for what its worth, the only sandals I've ever had an issue with slapping the ground were Stevens connect sandals (back when they were Invisible Shoes before the rebranding to Xero Shoes). I really do want to try these as it looks like they've come a long way in their sandals, but I am worried about that healcup and toe post that you had problems with.
 
  • Like
Reactions: El Yuca Descalzo
Wow... this is the worst review any of our products have ever received.

Let's see if I can address some of the points:

FWIW, "slapping" is a form issue and not some function of the flexibility of the sole. If you foot meets the ground under your center of mass, with relaxed joints, there isn't any "slap." So, TJ, your form *did* change, which is what made the noise stop. One way I demonstrate this with people is by having them run up hill... when they do, the slapping almost always stops, because it's almost impossible to overstride or land hard when you're running up a hill.

Another way I demonstrate it is by running next to people, since when I run, it's not slappy... until I start slowing down quickly, because to slow down you overstride.

If you can actually feel the lines on the toe post, I'd be surprised. I guess it's possible, but out of 7,000 people who have experienced it, this is the first time I've heard a complaint. And, yes, if you felt the urge, a bit of sandpaper would do the trick.

To say that these aren't ready to wear when they come out of the package is to say the same thing of ANY sandal you would get that's not custom-made to your foot. The vast majority of our customers never trim the soles. But we make the Venture and our DIY kits for those who want to be able to get that perfect match between foot and sole.

I know some that don't like the heel cup... and we have hundreds of emails from people who love it. Oh, well...

As far as help and advice goes, we're always available... best is to find us on the phone or Skype since it's the easiest way to have a conversation.

Do with all of this what you will...


Hello Steven, now I feel bad about the review, and couldn't agree more with you, the problem is my form and my feet, but still...

I'm not saying this sandals are useless, there are more pros than cons and that's why I ask for advice, I really want them to work and I need to know what the problem is, I promise you that will take into consideration all the advice and will continue testing the Amuri. And yes, I can feel the lines of the rubber, especially in the heel.

Kind regards.

 
  • Like
Reactions: Barefoot TJ
And yes, I can feel the lines of the rubber, especially in the heel.

I'm confused by this... what lines in the heel are you feeling? There are no lines "in" the heel cup. If you could show me where on your foot you're feeling something, and match that to a photo of you in the sandal, that might be helpful.

I'm not saying you're doing what I'm about to describe, but hopefully it'll make a point: About once a month, we'll get an email from someone saying the toe post, or the knot in the DIY kits is causing a blister. I'll ask for a photo, and I receive one showing a blister in a location that's not only nowhere near the toe post, but is the CLASSIC blister one gets when running barefoot and overstriding. And, 9 times out of 10, the person is only getting the blister on one foot (which points to a form issue -- see www.xeroshoes.com/blister)

That said, I just want to double check that what you're feeling is caused by what you think is causing your feeling ;-)
 
Yes, there's a factory mold line on the rubber heel piece as Nick describes. What is this piece called, so we can all be on the same page?
 
  • Like
Reactions: NickW
I'm confused by this... what lines in the heel are you feeling? There are no lines "in" the heel cup. If you could show me where on your foot you're feeling something, and match that to a photo of you in the sandal, that might be helpful.

I'm not saying you're doing what I'm about to describe, but hopefully it'll make a point: About once a month, we'll get an email from someone saying the toe post, or the knot in the DIY kits is causing a blister. I'll ask for a photo, and I receive one showing a blister in a location that's not only nowhere near the toe post, but is the CLASSIC blister one gets when running barefoot and overstriding. And, 9 times out of 10, the person is only getting the blister on one foot (which points to a form issue -- see www.xeroshoes.com/blister)

That said, I just want to double check that what you're feeling is caused by what you think is causing your feeling ;-)



Sorry, bad translation, I meant the line of the support rubber in the Achilles tendon, (last picture of the review).


The sensation is between the toes, I’m pretty sure is the manufacturing mark, in any case is not there anymore, now it’s smooth, I used my razor to eliminate it.
 
Wow, I'm stunned again.

The "heel tube" is made of really soft silicone and, once again, out of 7,000 customers, you're the first to report feeling that mold line (which is a fraction of a tenth of a millimeter). In fact, again, every comment prior to this one has been about how comfortable the heel tube is.

Perhaps there was some manufacturing glitch on the pair that you received (manufacturing is not a 100% perfect process, sadly)... but, again, I'm simply stunned. :-(
 
Imagine those ropes between your toes or tearing at your heels!

When you lace a pair of huaraches correctly the lace doesn't cause abrasion... that's why we have people who've run 100-mile ultramarathons in Xero Shoes. I've put tens of thousands of miles on mine in the last 5 years, without any abrasion issues.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Sid