Topic: Feiyue shoes review

[Geoffrey Gonzales]

I want to have many opinions, including Q&A. Join in if you want.

This is where I purchased them: http://www.amazon.com/Wushu-Shoes-Feiyue-Brand-BlackFeiyue/dp/B0002TW818

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FIT:

 The fit is about the size of Converse Chucks, just a little snugger. The sizing on this site is accurate, scroll down: http://www.themmazone.net/shopping/pgm-more_information.php?id=6536&=SID
Having wider than normal feet (cira 1.5cm extra) these shoes felt perfect in width.
The sole feels like a piece of thin rubber wrapped around your foot, and has a slight (2-3 millimeter) rise running down the middle of the sole, making walking feel like on a little rise.

 The sole continues to wrap 'round the side of your foot as a curve, and thins out on the sides. The line down the middle is slightly thicker, and as the sole runs toward the sides and up, it thins:

 
 
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 The lacelets are part of a separate peice of fabric, so is the tongue:

 
 
 
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 After a while, I noticed that the toe box tapers to a blunt point toward the front; my nail stared to feel uncomfortable.
I also noticed the heel fit; there is an extra 3-4 millimeters of space.
This is remedied by tightenind the laces fully, and sliding my feet back.

The heel is thiner than the fore-foot.
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 As you can see, the laces stop at the top of the arch of my foot, which makes them feel like they're going to fall off.
You'll get used to this; this makes the shoe feel lighter- and better in the long run.
Also, the way the shoe is made, it prevents the lace from slipping; as I pull the laces, the slack part in the middle remains slack.



FLEXIBILITY:

 These shoes are not as flexible as I thought they would be (out of the box), the most prominant flexible part is the arch:

 
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 The heel and toe area is bendable as a worn out shoe. This is out of the box.
 
As the shoe broke in, the flexibility went up, almost to the point of near-barefootness. After breaking in, the sole feels like leather. Much more flexable than your average shoe.
You can slip them on and off without tieing!

 
 



WEIGHT:

 Compared to Converse Chuck Lows, they weight about an egg lighter.

The balance of the weight is in the middle of the shoe, as opposed to the weight coming from the toe cap. This is nice.
They weigh about 2 tennis balls.



GRIP:

 I thought the grip would be super exceptional, from all the talk.
Reality, they grip as well as your own feet, only slightly less.

Wood, Concrete, Cinder Blocks- felt very solid.
They remain with good traction in dirt.
On smother things, like painted walls and river rocks, they slip somtimes. The grip is average in this area.

 BUT!
 When wet, these shoes have no grip on smooth surfaces!
After walking through wetgrass, I steped on a rock and slipped, felt like wet ice.
Don't get them wet.



BREATHABILITY:

 The outer canvas is soft, and is as breathable as a t-shirt.
The inner fabric, though, has a higher tread count, it's stiffer, and less breathable.

 The sole is thin rubber. None here.
Since the lace tie comes only so high, the opening has great air flow. If you buy a smaller size, naturaly the airflow is inhibited.



CUSHIONING:

 The sole is thin, but still provides cushion without numbing ground feel. Since there is a rise in the middle, your feet bones are spread out, which I find helps your feet absorb shock naturally.
 
 The heel is thiner than the fore-foot; When broken in the sole levels out. Walking in a negitive heel strains your ankle, but forces you to walk "properly".

 Here is an intresting article on natural stride and barefeet: http://nymag.com/health/features/46213/

 The cushion is ideal, wonderful, & perfect for training.
They are a great transition to much barefooted training.
Don't land on yor heels.
 


Durability

 The fancy teeth wear out quickly, not a bad thing though, because the grip increases through wear. It took 5 days of wearing and training to flatten the tread.
 I particularly like wall passes.
I imagine needing a new pair in 3 months time, with training.



Price

 14$; 7$ shipping from Amazon to Los Angeles. The value surpasses the price tag.
The highest I would pay for them, if needed, is 70$. In my opinion, they could be sold for that amount.
Worth buying I'd you're unsure about buying.



GENERAL COMMENTS:

 I love these shoes, and foresee wearing Feiyue much in my lifetime.
I recomend a few light barefoot sessions before use, perhaps whilst waiting for the delivery.
If you buy these shoes as a convient alternatve to barsfoot sessions, this is highly recomended.
The sole is rounded, beware of this as you might roll your ankle.

 
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It came with this logo, didn't like it so I niped it off.

 
 
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Cheap shoelaces.
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Inside the shoe.



The Bottom Line:

 Buy if you want an excellentshoe for training.
Buy if you want a shoe with feel close to barefeet.
Don't buy if you have narrow feet.
Don't buy if you have terrible, terrible form.
 


Pros: Lightweight, flexible, grippy, chee.
Cons: If you are weak in the feet/ heel, see above. If you have narrow feet, the width might be to wide.

 Sent via iPhone.

[Wenxin Yang]

Trust me they are not worth 70 bucks. I get 2 pairs in China, 4 bucks each.

[Gabe Arnold]

I think I'll be among the few on APK who give this shoe a poor rating. Perhaps it's because of my unique anatomy, perhaps it was just a bad experience, I don't know. But...

I ordered a pair of these once. They were amazingly cheap and after hearing so many good things I figured I'd give 'em a try. When they arrived I slipped them on and noticed first off that the toe box was huge. I have narrow feet to begin with, but I could literally slide my foot from the arch down side-to-side at least a quarter inch. When I tried to tighten them via the laces (I was really cranking down to get a firm fit) the metal eyelets ripped out from the canvas upper and the whole thing threatened to rip apart. Never even got a chance to walk in them.

Needless to say I returned them and have sworn off the Feiyue ever since. The price is amazingly good, but for me personally, they fit very poorly and just felt all around very cheap. The smell of the chemicals from the manufacturing process was especially bad.

So yeah, narrow footed individuals need not apply. I give 'em a 2/5.   

[Geoffrey Gonzales]

Thanks for your input.
I mentioned I have wide feet, and these shoes fit me well.

EDIT: I added your info to the review. Thanks

[EAT]

My feet are a little narrow so I just decided to go down a size.  I have to wear them barefoot or they'd be too tight.  They're a snug fit and I wouldn't wear them casual(too snug), but I like them for training.

[Geoffrey Gonzales]

I'm considering wearing them without socks, do they get stinky?

[Matt Stick]

theyre already stinky :/ and you can always wash them, just dont put them in a dryer or theyll probably melt. and I also have wide feet, most shoes are too tight on the sides for me, so i dont have any complaints

[Spencer B]

Hmmm... I ordered them and they were a size too large I think, but if I'm interpreting this correctly, that's how they are supposed to be, or rather they should have a little room? I need to know before I send them back to get the next size down. I don't want to have to pay shipping again when it's unnecessary... 

[Geoffrey Gonzales]

Use the chart, it's accurate
but the shoes shrink alittle, and are not ment to be skin tight.

[Spencer B]

Use the chart, it's accurate
but the shoes shrink alittle, and are not ment to be skin tight.

Well, yeah, but I usually order things a size large for comfort anyways, so when I say a size too large, I mean it's probably 2 sizes too large. 

I wear about size twelves and I grabbed size 47 and that felt a little too large, even when laced up all the way. I don't know. I just don't want to have to travel in circles with this.

[Geoffrey Gonzales]

My advice is to get a 46, and let break in. The rubber streches a little, I said they shrink but only if you leave them in the sun.

Hope it helps.

[Spencer B]

My advice is to get a 46, and let break in. The rubber streches a little, I said they shrink but only if you leave them in the sun.

Hope it helps.

That does help. It's what I was thinking about doing anyways, but I wanted someone who had more experience with the shoe.

Thank man. 

[Matt Stick]

kinda funny story.. I trained with my friend yesterday, and i woke up this morning when my brother came to pick me up, and i accidently grabbed his feiyues instead of mine XD I gotta go trade back tomorrow

[BearMills]

I am really interested in these shoes I might get a pair.

[Shawn Meilicke]

i ordered a pair, theyll be getting here within the week

im hoping theyre good to me

[Hazim Salem]

Mine, size 43, came today. I'm still at work so I haven't tried them. I'm posting here to stay in touch and remind myself. If someone just post here

[Shawn Meilicke]

theyre nice but fall apart kinda fast....

unlike this review said the grip seems to go down, not get better, especially once the tread is completely flattened...

mine lasted around 3 months with kinda light training because i sprained my ankle... im assuming two and a half if i didnt...

[Hazim Salem]

Okay, got it.

size 43, perfect fit. PERFECT. I got a wide foot
Traction is not what I expected, but it's still better than my previous shoe. It does squeak on wooden floor haven't tried it wet.
very flexible, awesome tree climbing shoes.

One thing I didn't expect though: what's up with the bump going from toes to heel? kinda like standing on and parallel to a railing. I expected it to be flatter. Aaaah we'll see how long they last

[WoodlandGhillie]

Hazim, what's your US shoe size?

Because mine is 9.5, but I think my toes are a little wide.

[Hazim Salem]

my US size is 9.5, which using the Amazon chart, is 43.

btw, i found out that they have better traction on smooth tile floor when they're wet. On the other side, not so much traction on brick =/