Customer Reviews Xero Shoes HFS

Ive had my Xero HFS road runners for about a month now and Im ready to render my verdict: I LOVE THEM. Some background: Im a 54-y.o. female and have been casually running for decadesno racing or intense training, just regular exercise. Ive been wearing Nike Frees since 2011 and averaging about 20 miles a week long runs as Ive aged have dropped from 10+ miles down to a max of 6. Before wearing Nike Frees, I had all kinds of lower leg issues: neuromas in both feet, a stress condition in one foot, shin splints etc. The Frees seemed to help all of that. But recently I started having some weird issues with my callous patterns. Perhaps it was an age-related change in my weight or biomechanics, but I seemed to be over-pronating and developing a hard edge on the inside of my forefoot callouses, as though a disc of callous on the bottom of my foot was being forced to slide inward. The edges of these callouses were tender to the touch after running and just making me feel grumpy and old. I was due for a new pair of shoes and thought perhaps this was the problem. I started researching other minimalist running shoes and found recommendations for Xeros HFS. Decided to take a chance, bought them and started using them about a month ago. Im happy to report the callous issue has completely disappeared. And my feet and lower legs feel great. After naively just throwing them on and going for a run, I found great online advice about how to prepare for the transition to zero-drop shoes -- exercises, weights etc. WellIm too impatient for all that. ;) Maybe its the fact I went from Nike Frees to these, but I found that a gradual start was all that I needed. I started out using the Xeros for about 1/3 of my weekly mileage, allowing my feet and legs to adjust. At first, I found myself obsessing about my foot strike and noticing every sensation in my lower legs. I was vigilant about any excessive tightness in my Achilles, often stopping to stretch mid-run. And then I used a massage gun on my calves as soon as I got home each time. But after a couple of weeks, I found that I wasnt so hyperaware of my stride and felt a lot more power and agility in my lower leg and foot. Now, a month in, its like Ive always worn them and I feel great! Random thing I love: the shoelaces are made of a spongy material and they STAY TIED. I was so tired of double knotting my old shoelaces and still finding them trailing the ground 2 miles in. ;)

Fantastic shoe for those who want a barefoot shoe. These fit me so well, I forget I have shoes on! I have narrower feet than average so I was overjoyed to read a review that they seemed narrow. I love them waaaay more than the Merrill and New Balance. I think they are super cute on, especially if you are a sporty gal.

I love the wide toe box. Buying in wide sizes is not needed since the wide toe box is standard. I never knew how hard it was to find this type of shoe until I recently started paying attention. I just wish there were more options for kids.

I love these! I exercise everyday and have always worn plain running shoes. Sometimes my toes would get tingly. Sometimes I would have heel pain or calf pain. I read something about wearing a minimalist shoe for exercise instead of running shoes, which are made for…running. I splurged on these and could not be happier. They have a roomy toe box that allows for your toes to work as intended, helping balance. They are arch and lift-less so your feet can feel the surface you are on and accomplish the balance and posture you need. I have noticed a lot of improvements in how my feet and legs feel!

I am a runner, so to counter balance the repetitive motion and support in my running shoes, I do all my indoor training, from cross training cardio like bike and mixed martial art stuff, to most of my strength, plyometrics, and balance, in a barefoot trainer. I’ve tried Vibram, Merrell, New Balance, and inov-8. For my feet, these are the best of all of them. I wear a regular street shoe and don’t need wide running shoes, but lean towards a wider toe box, and for me, these are snug enough my foot doesn’t move around in them, without pinching at all. I actually prefer them to barefoot, which is saying a lot!

i seriously love these. I lift weights and these are by far superior to any padded shoe!

I've been wanting these shoes for months now and my only regret is that I didn't pull the trigger sooner. They're as great as I hoped and more. They almost shouldn't be called shoes, though, maybe "foot covers." That's all that shoes were originally meant to be - protection for the soles of the feet. The notion that the foot needs "support" and "cushioning" is invented by the shoe industry, when in reality, the foot is a pretty great piece of engineering all by itself. That said, our particular modern day feet, which have developed inside thick confining shoes their whole lives, may need some time to develop the strength needed to do a lot of walking or running under their own power. I would advise working up to full time in them gradually. And even more gradually if you're a runner. But it's well worth the patience. My whole body feels better wearing them.

I wear barefoot shoes while working out in my home gym -- mostly calisthenics -- and my feet are fairly slender. I was planning on replacing my old pair of Vivobarefoot Primus Lites with a fresh pair but decided to give Xero HFS a try first. So glad I did! Some differences I noticed with the Xeros: - More padding around the collar and tongue - Better fit for my feet (Vivobarefoot ran a bit bigger in comparison and felt a bit awkward on my feet) - More comfortable (Primus Lites would pinch in some areas around the top of my foot) Bottom line: My feet feel more like *my* feet in Xeros, which is the point of a barefoot shoe. However, Vivobarefoots might work better for others.

I have been using the FitOn app for home work outs and there are a lot of Pilates and yoga type movements included in the workouts. I only had thicker soled running shoes and sneakers and found myself slipping and sliding, or just feeling out of balance. I had zero drop running shoes that worked best of my options, but decided to look for a thinner soled, grippy shoe. I am not a fan of barefoot workouts, and there was enough jumping around in the routines that made me want some support. Enter the Xero barefoot trainer. Life changing! This is perfect! I can now do planks, side planks, mountain climbers etc on my mat without slipping g or feeling off kilter. I would not use these for walking, and I expect these shoes will never actually go outside, but they are perfect for my at home fitness routines. So delighted to have stumbled upon them.

Well, five stars guys. Nearly a perfect minimal shoe. As a person who went barefoot most of my life, these are a joy to wear. Shoes have tortured my feet all my life. I have even ended up taking off my hiking boots and hiking down a mountain barefoot. What a lovely minimal shoe! No arch support in the wrong place, no overly engineered sole extensions outside the foot’s natural stride or, rocker soles. Sizes are an issue and do not conform to US sizes. One full size up did not fit my feet in the women’s shoe. My foot is an exact, 6.5, wide D, in US measurements. My toes are just like your logo. They progress down is size like 28% of the population, yet, no shoes are really made for this foot shape, or that fit my feet. The slight cut out and rounding on the inside toe, has the effect of shoving my toe inward and restricting all mobility, or spread. This is very true for the women’s 7.5 HRS. The woman’s 7.5 has an overly rigid material on the toe box, and is too tight over the toe box. This may be do to the light gray material on this one shoe. My big toe is centered and shoved inwards. It is wearable, but the rounded toe box, narrow toe box over the front top of the shoe, and too narrow of width, makes it uncomfortable. It may measure a D, 3.5 width, on the outside of the sole, but not inside. I’d never run in them. So I tried the men’s HRS, 7.5 in black. The men’s shoe has a softer more playable material, and is about 1/2 inch bigger. The entire base is wider and more flexible, and the toe box is more generous in depth. The toe box accommodates toe movement and spread running up hills, and fits my big toe. Again, there is a cutout and rounding on the inside toe that is not good. The mesh is, as you have heard, a problem. The smaller interior hole size is great, except it sifts fines in between the meshes. This fine sand then accumulates IN THE TOE BOX. After every run, I sit and pound the sand out for a long time. My advice is to fuse the mesh if possible. These fit my personal foot supports and have enough width that I can actually tie them all the way up on my feet for the first time! They are too big in length for all but my big toe, but my toes are so happy. Yay! I feel somewhat like I am wearing big shoes with my tiny feet inside, but they accommodate my highly angled toes perfectly. I love them. The first to fit at all in years!

These shoes look really cool and should definitely help me as I embark on a barefoot journey. I've recently learned that barefoot shoes do not only mean the 5 finger style. These allow your toes to move and function naturally. I just wish they were a tad longer- I normally wear a 10, 10 1/2 and got these in 11 and they fit, but could be a few millimeters longer. They don't make a larger size so I'll keep these. They look good and seem to be off great quality.

I normally wear a 6.5 and had planned to remove the insoles and wear without socks, perfect fit! If you intend to leave the insoles in and/or wear with socks you may want to order a half size larger than your normal shoe size. Just depends on how tight you want the shoes. They do stretch a little after the first wearing, however I noticed the stretching really made the shoes conform to my foot. Super comfortable and have already bought other styles in this brand. Love Xero shoes! This is the only brand I wear.

Love these shoes!! So cute and comfy. I normally wear a 7.5 but ordered the 8 because I have the Prios in 7.5 and they seem just a hair too short. These are perfect. They are light and very attractive.

I love these shoes. I love Xero Shoes in general. This is my third pair after the Prio and Oswego. They felt great in the first run I wore them in, no real need to break them in. The whole philosophy of this brand is to encourage your feet to build their own strength for arch support, as a minimalist barefoot style approach. So that is why I marked it as "no arch support". Because there isn't supposed to be any. It's better for the muscles in your arch to get strong and support themselves. An arch in a shoe is like a crutch, making them more prone to injury if you take it away. As far as size goes, I'm borderline between 8.5 and 9 for most shoes, and for these I needed a size 9. The 8.5 was fine except my toes touched the end (not too narrow).

I totally said Holy F#@!$&* S*!@ when I first put them on. ;) I love them and wear them all the time. I love wearing them without socks. It's the best!

I have a narrow back of heel and a very low instep, but a wide toe area (toes splay out). These fit great!

I just got these! I’m new to the minimalist shoe/ barefoot shoe trend. I’ve been researching the benefits and they are suppose to help you build up the muscles in your feet so I decided to give them a try. They are comfy and for me the toe box is wide enough. I’m usually a 8, 8.5, 9 depending on the shoe but I went with a 9 and my toes don’t feel snug at all, just roomy. My only complaint is I feel the back part by the Achilles is a smidge high and I’m a little afraid it may irritate the skin there eventually if I end up wearing these a lot and am not wearing high enough socks. Haven’t run in them yet but I’m going to try and ease my way into that. Overall I think I’m going to like these shoes!

I have been using a fitness app and yoga mat and free weights to do exercise programs. I was having trouble finding a good shoe to work out in, and I don’t like doing it barefoot. But found my running and training shoes were either too slidey to do planks, especially side planks, and the soles were too thick so i was feeling off kilter. The closest to work was a zero drop running shoe. I decided to look for a light, flexible, thin soled shoe with good traction and VOILA! It exists in the Xero HFS. It is absolutely perfect for my in home work outs. Grippy but flexible so it helps me find my balance. And no more sliding around. These shoes will probably never go outside and I can’t imagine they would be comfortable for walking, and the soles might not hold up, but, they are perfect for mat workouts if you want the benefits but not the cons of being barefoot. And, they also got my dog’s seal of approval.

These are my new favorite shoes. So comfortable. I've walked and lifted with them but i think I would need some additional cushion to feel comfortable running or doing anything high impact. I'm in my 40s though, so maybe if you are young with all your joint cartilage intact you'd be fine.

I started with a pair of sandals and loved them so much I thought Id take a chance on these for walking and running. They are truly life changing. I look forward to putting them on every day. On my first walk I felt all sorts of tiny shifts all over my body and an instant grounding. I had some issues with my hips and have experienced a wonderful new alignment and strength building and stretch in all the right places since using these as my daily exercise shoes.

These are my 5th pair of Xero shoes (one pair is a sandal). I just love these minimalist shoes, and, my feet love them. The toe box is very comfy and I have narrow, low volume feet and they are great for me. I’m a long time yogi and love the feeling of the ground, the flexibility and the stability. I highly recommend!

Absolutely love these sneakers. I have been searching for a pair of sneakers for awhile now that did not feel like it was compressing my foot. These fit the bill. I feel like there is nothing there! Instantly I was I love. I also like the toe box as it feels wider than most sneakers. Minimalist sneakers are new to me. I have been slowly integrating them into every day wear to prevent pain/injury.

Lightweight, well-made, good-looking, super flexible, roomy toebox, and just enough rubber between your foot and the road to not be hurt by the heat and sharp rocks. I like them very much.

They are amazing, I won't wear anything else!!!! I am physical therapist, trying to convince my coworkers to get out of toe squeezing shoes, so far one other therapist just bought the sandals.....I'm trying, work in nursing home would be great experiment to get people to try them...as we all on feet all day....

very comfortable. great for indoor gym workout.