What is Vibram Morflex?

[jackie hayes]

I'm looking into soling materials to make huaraches, and I can't find any info on the Vibram "Morflex" sheets. Here's a link:



http://www.cobblersupplies.com/servlet/the-655/VIBRAM-8102-Morflex-Pyramid/Detail



If anyone has experience with this, I'd love to know how it worked out. I can't find any info on it. (I've found some stuff about the other types -- Newflex, Pro Tania, and of course Cherry). Right now I have a pair of Lunas I made from a kit. They work pretty well, but I'd like to try a couple other things (partially just to have a second pair, and partially to experiment).



Also, I've mostly looked at the Vibram soling sheets, but if there's a non-Vibram one that someone's had good experiences with, I'd love to hear about it.

 

[Barefoot TJ]

What is it about this

What is it about this particular sheet you are interested in? I only ask because it looks like the Vibram sheet I received from Invisible Shoe has a lot more grip to it at 4mm. The Morflex looks like it has none.

 

[Nyah]

The grip on that sheet looks

The grip on that sheet looks fine to me. The only real issue I see is that the thinnest available is 6mm, making it stiffer than the 4mm Cherry. Although there might actually be an advantage to that, if it reduces the amount of whipping against pavement. I've never tried anything thicker than the 4mm Cherry.

 

[jackie hayes]

It's just the only one I

It's just the only one I don't know anything about. The Invisible Shoe sheet is the Cherry, and I've read a lot on that (almost all positive). And I've read a little bit about Newflex and Pro Tania. I'm just trying to get a feel for the different options.



I know many will disagree, but I don't think 6mm is too thick, at least with the right material. The Lunas use 6mm Vibram neoprene, and they're working well. However, the Vibram neoprene is only available through Luna (afaik) -- it would get a bit pricey to order multiple single-pair sheets through them, and I may decide I want to try a different material, anyway. (Although that shouldn't be taken as a knock on the neoprene material -- it's doing well, imo.)

 

[jackie hayes]

Oh, and the grip on it -- I

Oh, and the grip on it -- I don't know about trails, but I think it would work fine for roads, which is mostly what I'd be using it for. The tread on it looks like the tread on the neoprene from Luna, which is working well on roads (although it's hard to judge similarity from those pictures).

 

[saypay45]

Unshoes uses a 6mm Vibram

Unshoes uses a 6mm Vibram Cherry. It is a lot heavier and less flexible than the 4mm Cherry.

Try the new FeelTrue kit from Invisible Shoes. I think it's the best of both worlds in terms of grip and flexibility right now. I have both the 4mm and the 6mm. There isn't a lot of difference in groundfeel between the two. But it is a great product.

 

[jackie hayes]

Unshoes offers the 4mm

Unshoes offers the 4mm Cherry, as well. Also a thicker Newflex option.



I'm curious about both (Unshoes and the new Invisible Shoes), but I'm still leaning more towards getting a sheet. It just allows some experimentation without breaking the bank.

 

[dunetraveller]

Only additional piece of info

Only additional piece of info on the Morflex® material is that it is one third the weight of composite rubber, so I am guessing it has similar chracteristics to comp. rubber, just lighter weight.

John T.

 

[Tfox]

Unshoes here,We use a 5 mm

Unshoes here,

We use a 5 mm Newflex sole for our Feather model and it works great. It's very lightweight and flexible. It's light and somewhat soft so it doesn't flap so much when your foot makes contact with the ground. As I understand it the Moreflex is very similar to the Newflex but with a higher elasticity. I don't know about the abraision resistance though. Good luck with your experiments!

 

[NickW]

Good luck with those and let

Good luck with those and let us know how the Moreflex works if you decide to use it. I bought the Invisible Shoes connect (4 mm) and I hate them. The material is way too stiff for me and it seems to flap a lot(weird that it's so stiff yet flappy) and their lace material rubs my skin raw.

I made a homemade pair though out of an entryway doormat I bought from Home Depot for $5 and I love it. It is made out of 100% recycled rubber, is about 4mm thick. I also added a suede leather footbed(additional $5) and a nice soft brown shoe lace from Payless for $1.99. Even at around 5-6mm I get much more flexiblility out of these, much more comfort, better ground feel, and the grip is phenomenal despite being completely flat on the bottom. I can walk on wet tile, linoleum, , wet boulders in a river, what have you and will not slip. And whats better it cost me less than half as much as the Invisible Shoes.

I really want to try Ted's Original Lunas but, being a college student on the GI Bill, I cannot afford them. Did I mention that with this doormat I've gotten 4 pairs of huaraches? I'm not sure about the durability yet, but they have made it about 100 miles so far hiking in Yosemite, walking around town, and running and are still in perfect condition.

 

[jackie hayes]

Tfox wrote:Unshoes here, We

Unshoes here, We use a 5 mm Newflex sole for our Feather model and it works great. It's very lightweight and flexible. It's light and somewhat soft so it doesn't flap so much when your foot makes contact with the ground. As I understand it the Moreflex is very similar to the Newflex but with a higher elasticity. I don't know about the abraision resistance though. Good luck with your experiments!

Thanks for the info! I haven't gone any further with this yet, but I expect to at some point. I was looking at the Newflex as a default option, but we'll see -- it may depend on price, as the Newflex sheets look pretty expensive right now. Good luck with Unshoes, btw.

 

[jackie hayes]

NickW wrote:I really want to

I really want to try Ted's Original Lunas but, being a college student on the GI Bill, I cannot afford them. Did I mention that with this doormat I've gotten 4 pairs of huaraches? I'm not sure about the durability yet, but they have made it about 100 miles so far hiking in Yosemite, walking around town, and running and are still in perfect condition.

Yeah, my Lunas were from a kit for cost reasons, and I bought the suede/glue elsewhere. (It probably cost about the same, but I have a lot left in case I want to use it for another pair.) The main thing I wanted was the elasticized laces, which I haven't seen elsewhere. I was extremely careful in cutting, so they are fairly presentable. I'm sure getting pre-cut ones would be better, but not by enough to justify the extra cash.



I'm glad your budget huaraches are working well. I looked a little bit for some cheap rubber base (like your doormat) to experiment on, but I didn't find something promising at first and then sort of dropped it. Maybe I'll start up that search again.

 

[NickW]

Ya, I was on the verge of

Ya, I was on the verge of ordering an expensive hunk of vibram sole too and then I came across this doormat. It had a fabric top on it which I had to peel off (much easier than I expected), only because it was a halloween doormat and I didn't want halloween themed huaraches. If I hadn't cared about the halloween theme I wouldn't have put suede on it, for comfort. Anyways, what I was going to tell you was that I found all sorts of doormats that would work for varying prices over by the flooring and carpet section at Home Depots. Lowes has them in the same spot. What I myself was searching for was a neoprene like material, but I found these instead, and I actually really really like this material. I thought for sure it would crumble and fall apart fairly easily, but it hasn't at all, and for $5 I didn't care.

 

[Tfox]

jackie hayes wrote:Thanks

Thanks for the info! I haven't gone any further with this yet, but I expect to at some point. I was looking at the Newflex as a default option, but we'll see -- it may depend on price, as the Newflex sheets look pretty expensive right now. Good luck with Unshoes, btw.

If you want we can send you a small piece of scrap Newflex so that you can see what it's like. I never like making a purchase without knowing what exactly I'm getting. I wish we had some moreflex rubber to send as well but we don't. Let me know.