Customer Reviews Vibram FiveFingers EL-X

First, thank you Zappos for making my world complete. For two years I've looked and wished and hoped that you would carry Vibram Five Finger and I yelped with joy when I finally saw them. What better than buying my favorite shoes from my favorite retailer! My world is now whole! Second, let me address the arch support rating - when the muscles and ligaments in your feet are strong, arch "support" is no longer an issue. Third - thank you Vibram for your shoes. And I've been looking for a simple, black shoe that I can wear with my dress clothes and this shoes is the perfect answer. It looks a bit floppy in the picture, but they fit like a glove an actually looks really cute with a summer dress.

These are great shoes for exercise and perfect for programs like the Insanity workout. They allow your Achilles heel (which I have chronic tightness in) to fully extend, unlike running shoes, so you get full access to the muscles in your feet as well as legs. The toes of the shoe feel weird for the first few days but then your feet adjust and they feel natural. As far as arch support goes, I have high arches and these provide ample support. The sole actually matches the bottom of your feet quite well. Anyway, these are worth a try if you like to move your feet and they yearn for more freedom.

I wear size 9, so I'm right between sizes. I went with the smaller size, which is snug, but usable. I think the next size would have been too big. After wearing the new shoes for a while, I think they'll stretch out a bit. I'm so glad you carry these.

Back to basics five fingers is still the way to go. After owning several pairs of these, the basic no frills slip on design is still the best. I wear these to work out in and they cannot be beat for overall comfort and fit. Definitely worth the $$.

ordered shoe size toes don't even go into shoes

One of my big toes felt discomfort every now and then; my heel felt a bit loose, but it did not fall out. I think overall it's fine, but not great for those with sweaty feet.

Was looking forward to these as I have had 3 pairs of VFF and really liked them so far. This pair was the first pair that felt tight and narrow. The tightness felt like it restricted foot movement across the top of my foot and my metatarsals felt squeezed. I'm sure they will stretch a little bit over time, but I don't think they would have stretched enough to feel comfortable. As a big guy who typically wears 14 in Altras, the options for minimalist footwear with good ground feel are very few.

Runs very small. I wear 43 in two other pairs of VFFs and these were painfully short. Order up a size from your regular VFFs.

These are absolutely awesome! Do not follow Zappos' sizing. These are not equal to a man's 10. I am a female and wear a 10. 41 fits me perfectly in male and female styles. I have had about 10 different FiveFingers and these are great all in ones.They are not going to be great for hiking if you are sensitive to the rocks. They are great fit - though I think the elastic could be more snug. I can see that becoming loose with use and I use my shoes! Overall these are my new favorites when I am not wearing my CVT Hemps.

I purchased since they take up minimal room in my carry on bag. I use them when I travel for business and I want to get a workout in at the hotel gym. The biggest downside is that it makes me look like a pure D-Bag. All I need is a bedazzled Ed Hardy or Affliction t-shirt to complete the look.

I have been using this shoe for about 1 month now. I love them for they allow me to feel the ground. However, on rough hike terrain, feet will hurt in the beginning and then it will get used to it. The adhesive of the sole seems to be coming a little bit off. Also, getting the right size was difficult, had to try a few shoes.

My husband loves these shoes. He wears them everywhere. They do tend to smell and require washing weekly.

The sizing chart on the Zappos website in entirely inaccurate. I noted a review that suggested that I check the sizing chart on the Vibram website which was more accurate. I called Zappos to inform them and the response was along the lines of, "Well, that is the sizing chart that Vibram gave us." the fact that is the case does not let Zappos off the hook for not having an accurate sizing chart which only makes for a prolonged wait and disappointment. I might buy a Vibram product through Zappos again, but I'll be wary.

Relative to other FiveFingers models, the EL-X has excessive heel side padding conceptually similar to training wheels. This might be a necessary design side effect of the entire back end of the shoe being unsecured against the foot and capable of being pulled off under basically any non-compressive force; I suspect the KSO Evo has less tragic design tradeoffs.

I like these shoes. They are comfortable, I like the look, and they truly are very minimal (great ground feel). However, I feel like they are not very secure on my feet. They have just a little bit of slipping around when I'm real active and the back seems to slide down a little bit. Now I should say I like my shoes to feel real secure so everyone may not have the same issue. I still use them but I like my KSOs better.

I think these would be good for running but not something I would wear all day. They end up looking a lot like slippers.

With all the buzz about the False Advertising Lawsuit against Vibrams (which I heard of a day after I ordered). I was hesitant to wear it when it came but after wearing it for almost a month now I'm pretty satisfied with this product. I don't really feel a difference health-wise (hence the lawsuit) but I like that barefoot feel at the gym and casual activities. The grip is also well made and non slip, I ran over a puddle of water (not paying attention) and still didn't even skid the slightest. The cons for me is the steep price (I bought them because I believed their health claims of better balance, ease on the back..etc). Had I known this claims were false I wouldn't have bought vibrams for the price. The quality is good just not for the price listed... and be prepared to get stared at by people when you walk into the gym with these on, people just like to stare when they see something out of the ordinary. As usual really fast processing and shipping times from Zappos alone!

I bought these because I travel frequently for business and needed something very light, which these are. These tend to be at least 1, if not 1.5, size smaller than your regular sneakers. They're also somewhat difficult to get on since your toes have to line-up correctly with the pockets in the shoes, and it takes considerable getting used to. Overall, I like them because they're light and flexible to pack. I don't wear them for workouts when I'm not traveling though.

beware, this runs REALLY SMALL. I wear a 9.5 and a 43 in most Vibrams (my old Bikila's and my new KSO EVOs). I bought a 43 in this and it is at least a size small. I would exchange but I don't think a 44 would fit either and don't feel like dealing with multiple trips to return. if anyone has guidance on how small this actually runs, would love to hear it because I would love a pair of these, the fit was great otherwise, I have narrow feet and it fit very comfortably in the heel.

too bad that the product is a good product but the men's size chart is misleading. I normally wear US size 11 comfortably, I can just fit into a 10-1/2. I would have just ordered the 11 but to be extra careful with these five fingers I decided to use the size chart. measured my longest heel to toe and got 26cm or just about 10-1/4", so guided by that for safety I went a half size up from the recommended size 9. Sorely disappointed, my foot cannot even get halfway into the shoe. Sadly I cannot return them because I had them forwarded from the stated shipping address to my residence outside of the US. I would cost me half the price of the shoe in freight to return it. I know I halfway screwed up for using the literal advice from the size chart but I though because of the special shape it was important to use the size chart. now I have a dud shoe and 90 dollars poorer. really disappointed. all my previous zappos orders were great fit, but I will now be skeptical continuing to order shoes online where i cannot try on :(