Earth Runners - Review

Zetti

Barefooters
Feb 17, 2012
1,031
899
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I must say that I was quite excited when my Earth Runners arrived in the mail. I intended to use these as everyday sandals and they appeared to be exactly what I was hoping for. I gave them a try on a few runs, but I must confess….footwear is not for me while running. This being said…take my criticisms with a grain of salt when it comes to exercise in these sandals as I can’t think of any footwear that I would praise in terms of running. That being said…here we go.

First impressions: they were stiffer and a touch thicker than I had anticipated. Not that this is a bad thing and it often helps to avoid flop. The leather top was very comfortable and the pre-contoured sandal felt like it was hugging my foot. Super comfy!! They were very intuitive on how to fasten and I didn’t end up reading the instructions until a few days later. It ends up I should have as I was just doubling back the extra nylon lace and tucking it into the lace on my heel. It’s kind of like getting a new stove, microwave, or refrigerator and not taking off that light blue protective plastic for a few weeks. Looks like crap, makes you feel like crap, but it takes some time to build up your willpower to spend a few minutes to make it look nice.
I was not super excited about the fact that I had to cut and burn the lace to the correct length, but once I took the 5 minutes to do this I found that it cut very easily and using a candle lighter (the one with the long nozzle), it was a cinch to melt the lace to avoid fraying. My other concern was that the lace would not fit thought the clasp mechanism once melted but those worries were unfounded too! The lace threaded back through the clasp with ease, I was happier than duckbilled platypus with a cheek full of crustaceans.

After some use: Once cut and melted, I found myself using these sandals much more often. After more use I found a few things that I liked and a few that took some getting used to.
I liked the material used for the sole. It is pretty grippy, flexible, but not floppy (warning, just because the soles of this sandal are grippy does not mean that one should attempt parkour in your mother-in-laws basement...especially where she keeps her china collection). The leather top wears quickly but not in a bad way. At first it felt SUPER soft and now has become a cool worn smooth feeling. I was surprised how quickly it wore in and got that cool vintage look. My wife likes the silver stitching just above the plug that goes between the toes, so that’s a plus as well. Also, the metal loops that the lace is threaded through, is connected to the sandal with metal as well. At first I was concerned as I thought that they may clack as I walk, but it ends up that they only touch the ground when in grass or sand. The sandal curves up enough to couture with the foot so that this part does not even touch the ground (it’s like they planned it that way!). I like that they look a little nicer than other sandals so my wife doesn’t mind me wearing them to most summer events. This is a huge plus. I like them, and she does too, so I don’t have to worry about jeopardizing our marriage! One could thus conclude that these sandals are capable of saving marriages….wait…that may be a faulty line of thinking…anyway.

Okay, now there are a few things that continue to concern or slightly bother me. First, the conductive weave in the laces initially irritated between my 1st and 2nd toe. When first donned, I thought it would tear up my skin, but after some use it has gotten a TON better. Second, the way that the laces thread through metal rings back by the heel is somewhat concerning. The nylon laces seem to bunch up at this point and I’m concerned about how they will wear (of course they will probably wear better than many other sandals where they come in direct contact with the ground consistently!). The sandal feels a little front heavy when running in them…but I didn’t put any mileage on them to speak of (remember I don’t like footwear for running though…so this isn’t surprising).
Overall, I think that these sandals are GREAT for casual wear and those who like to wear footwear while exercising may like them depending on how they wear and break-in. I love that they look slightly classier than most huarache type sandals and find them very comfortable. They are cleanly cut and look sharp….and may or may not save your marriage.

Thank you Michael Dally for the opportunity to try these out and forgive the tardiness of this review!
 
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