Monday 9 June 2014

Vibram KSO Evo review - Nearly

This should be a review of my new Vibram KSO Evos. The first of a new generation of Vibram's Five Fingers that supposedly offer lighter weight and more feel.
However you'll notice there isn't a review here instead there's a bit of a blank space.....

I can show you a picture of the Evos......


I can say they indeed appear to be lighter and more flexible than previous models I've tried, I can even tell you they come with a neat little bag to keep them in. However what I can't tell you is much more than that.

I currently have two pairs of Vibrams, a pair of KSO Treks and a pair of Spyridons. Both in size 46 and both are a perfect fit. I've done countless miles of running and walking in them and never had as much as a hot spot or pressure point let alone a blister.
So when ordering the Evos from the Vibram website I had no reason to think anything more than my usual size 46 would be needed. Unfortunately it seems the KSO Evo has different sizing to previous VFFs.

Even out of the box the Evos look small, whether its just a trick of the eye I don't know but as soon as I put them on my feet I knew there was a problem. My VFFs have always been super comfy but straight away my left big toe was touching the end of its toe pocket in the Evos. After five minutes of trying to persuade myself they would stretch and bed in I came to the inevitable conclusion, I was going to have to send them back.


After checking they were indeed size 46 I put them next to my KSO Trek's and the problem was immediately obvious. 


The new Evos are approx half an inch shorter in length than the older Trek model, standing them next to my Spyridons told the same story. For me the whole point of them is the comfort and feel they give, if they're causing pain this is going to be a no go. 

Be warned if you're planning on getting a pair of the Evo's I'd highly recommend trying them before you buy.
At this point I must apologise for not getting a photo of the difference between the two shoes. I put the Evos back in the box while I looked up how to send them back and before I knew it the wife had sealed and sent them. You can't blame her for being efficient.

I bought the Evos direct from the Vibram website so they have had to be sent all the way back to Italy, not ideal. Note to self: next time go to my local barefoot shop and buy them there. Now I'm waiting on the roomier version to arrive.

I'm not sure why Vibram have felt the need to change the sizing of their shoe, its very frustrating to not be able to trust the sizing when you buy. Surely a size 46 is a size 46 no matter what shoes it is. I understand some shoes may have a sightly different fit but not to the extent that they a considerably too short and don't fit. 

I'm hoping it won't be too long a wait for the larger size 47s and of course there will be a detailed review as soon as I've had chance to put some miles under them. Just as long as they fit this time.


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