Yeah, this gets a subscribe from me. Perfect review, no filler, delivered exactly the information I needed with clarity and vibrancy. Plus I was hoping one could skateboard with them and you happen to be a skateboarder too? 10/10, no notes.

@AndrewFolts

7 ай бұрын

Ha, thank you! The Freestyle's exactly what the name implies, a great shoe for any kind of motion, but with casual vibes. Looking forward to buying a longboard when the summer comes around. Enjoy!

Almost 10 months ago your videos convinced me to get a light phone, now I have made my way back to you after foot pain and just got me a pair of splays. Love ur work Andrew :D

@AndrewFolts

3 ай бұрын

Oh man, foot pain is the worst, but barefoot shoes were a huge help to me in clearing up mine. Props on taking the leap to the LP and Splay's! (:

Totally agree about the grippyness. I really love theese having used them for six months. Going to get a few more in various colours for different style options. Best part is probably the wide toe box. If there is one thing I would have fixed in a future version, then it would be the length of the shoe laces as I think they are bit long.

@AndrewFolts

8 ай бұрын

Yea, lacing's always tough to get right, since it depends entirely on the person's foot width. Would be cool if they so extra laces.

I love these shoes. Splay is dropping new styles on Friday. I really love their canvas shoes and hope they will continue with them as well. I get compliments all the time.

@AndrewFolts

13 күн бұрын

Oh cool, I love my Splay's! Thanks for the heads up. Canvas shoes are my fav.

@janefreeman995

13 күн бұрын

@AndrewFolts the new ones look very different and have leather styling whereas a few weeks ago they also launched some lace-up canvas shoes in other colors. I ordered the gunmetal color. The new canvas, freestyle 2.0, the trim on top appears to be less offset.... if that makes sense. I haven't received them yet.

I've been wearing splays for about 6 months now, and I LOVE them!

@AndrewFolts

8 ай бұрын

Right? They're so good and so inexpensive too! Wish other brands would make toeboxes shaped like Splay, because it's just perfect.

@candaceshook5313

8 ай бұрын

@AndrewFolts I walk about 3 miles a day, and they are great! No foot pain, and they are holding up so well! The wide toebox has been a life changer!

i bought the freedom midnight and they are great

@AndrewFolts

3 ай бұрын

"freedom midnight" What a cool color name. Have fun out there!

I love having a pair of Vans slip ons around, but I just did grab a pair of these this morning in all black. Really would love to have a barefoot option to wear especially during the summer

@AndrewFolts

Ай бұрын

Right on! They should do a collab with Vans some day. Hope you have some great adventures with them!

I have a pair of them, they are very comfortable and rather thick with an insole, so fits the beginners. But notice that in rainy weather they become very slippery on the metal surfaces and stones!

@AndrewFolts

6 ай бұрын

Yea, there's really no tread that can grip on such slippery conditions, because there's not enough texture to create friction.

I have these and really like them. They tend to be sold out a lot though. Only issue is they are hard to put on, takes a while to loosen the laces to be able to put them on. And they're a lot cheaper for Canadians with shipping then a lot of other US brands.

@AndrewFolts

4 ай бұрын

Yea, it's odd that they can't seem to keep a steady inventory, since they know they're popular. Still, glad you're enjoying yours too!

Cool! I was looking for a barefoot shoe for skateboarding and this is the closest one that seems to me. It does not seem to me to alleviate the impact under the heels below and resist the abuse of the sandpaper on top, in front and on the side, but it is something. It is certainly worth the test. By the way, this model mentioned from Vans can't stand a real session kkk thanks man!

@AndrewFolts

5 ай бұрын

Yea, they're better for like casual longboarding than high impact/abrasion. Too bad there aren't any wider foot-shaped skate shoes.

Nice, they look like they'd be the next closest to barefoot transition shoe. Quality material and craftsmanship for ten or so dollars more than the cheapie whtins from 4m4zon. Definitely seem more worth spending a bit more for these. And even though they've got the breath holes on the inside foot, that half inch or so of sole is plenty high enough when it's rainy and wet outside, especially if you spritz them with collanil or similar water repellent impregnator. Thanks for showcasing them.

@AndrewFolts

8 ай бұрын

Yea, I wish I had tried Splay's way back in the beginning. So rare to find a cheap shoe that's actually high quality. Water spray's a good idea, I'll have to try that!

You're the one who got me into wanting to try barefoot shoes. These shoes that i got are incredible. After about an hour of walking, any foot pain i had was gone. My word of advice is to keep using your old shoes, but force your walking posture to not heel strike for a few months. I did get a tad bit of ankle pain, but it didnt last like some of my old shoes where after sitting down i would be incapacitated for a few minutes after a lot of walking. There was a pressure point on my new barefoot shoes right behind my pinky toe. But an hour of walking had completely removed that pain spot. Just the shoe and my feet conforming to eachother. I have flat wide caveman feet so it was hard to find a shoe capable of working with my feet, but i tjink ive found my new favorite footwear.

@AndrewFolts

8 ай бұрын

Ayo, great progress, Jessica! I wish I had caveman feet, mine are all squashed from track and soccer cleats in school. And yea, working in with your old shoes is really helpful. Keep it up! (:

@JessicaFEREM

8 ай бұрын

@@AndrewFolts I've just only walked in sandals or barefoot most of my life because "normal" shoes would become painful after about 10 minutes of sitting down, and ones with high arches would become debilitating.

@JessicaFEREM

8 ай бұрын

Also just learned a new technique for shoes, if you have pain spots from foot squeezing, it's the laces, loosen them to where it's just barely hugging your foot enough to not slip around. I thought my shoes were a size too tight but no it was just the laces. I use stretchy laces btw, as I've completely forgotten how to tie my shoes and I don't feel like learning, plus it's superior to laces, since it basically turns your shoes into adjustable slip-ons.

@AndrewFolts

8 ай бұрын

@@JessicaFEREM Yea, that's a great hack! You can even skip an eyelet if you had a super wide spot.

Got the Freestyles in white leather about half a year ago, they were my First barefoot shoes. I actually transitioned really well to them and as a shoe for beginners they seem to be very comfortable. I actually liked the extra wide toebox, while looking a Bit clownish it really suited my feet. The only negative side for me is the Build quality and General Build of the shoes: After half a year I noticed my feet having rubbed a few holes into the fabric on the inside, i Kind of expected them to be designed for everyday wear. What bothered me too is that dirt seems to be literally attracted to all the stirches around the whole shoe, After a few days they can be so dirty that i really had to wash them frequently. I now have bought another pair from vivo and i will get to experience them for the next months, Lets see if those Problems get better by the next year or if all that is just my fault😂

@AndrewFolts

7 ай бұрын

"white leather" Oh yea I could see those being dirt magnets, but I'm glad you enjoyed them. Should have sold them with a dirt-free forcefield, ha.

Great review as always Andrew! For anyone who doesn't know, the reason why Splays are probably the best barefoot shoe for skateboarding is because of the vulcanized sole, which is the same kind of sole that Vans shoes have. I use my Splays with Xero Prio insoles, and while the shoes are fine for casual cruising, my feet tend to hurt. So I bought some Lems 5.5mm adventure insoles and will report how my feet do! They're not completely zero drop, but with the Splays I think they'll make for an excellent compromise! Finally, for those who want barefoot shoes for cruising AND skating, Splay may have solved this with their leather upper shoes that they just released! Leather's definitely better than suede and potentially the canvas that Vans uses. So if I ever pick up a pair (which is more than likely) i'll have to let y'all know how they do for kickflips and such!

@AndrewFolts

3 ай бұрын

Bravo, some great tips for everyone! It would be cool if Splay made a slightly thicker zero-drop version of their shoe for more hardcore skating. I'll suggest it to them. Cheers!

@bangbangcabrera

3 ай бұрын

@@AndrewFolts thank you! That def means a lot coming from you haha. Hopefully Splay will take your suggestion into consideration, they could tap a market with serious potential!

These were my first pair of barefoot shoes & they only lasted about 7 months before i noticed the sole starting to come off. Took me awhile to get past the sq toe box.. overall all tho, they're pretty good

@AndrewFolts

6 ай бұрын

Yea, sometimes it happens with glued soles. One of my goals for 2024 is to figure out a way of stitching all my glued soles to make them more durable. Shouldn't be too hard.

@Allenballen88

6 ай бұрын

@@AndrewFolts well when you find the affordable & best solution let us know! Lol i appreciate the content

I hope Splay will open up an european warehouse in the future. Shipping is really pricey to Germany.

@AndrewFolts

8 ай бұрын

Yea, cross-continent shipping costs are rough right now. Feel like Splay could do well in Europe tho, so let's hope they do.

@SkulosGav

5 ай бұрын

Hey my friend, greetings from Greece. Homw much is the shipping? Here is 16e but it says somthing about unpaid taxes. IS this te same with Germany?

There’s some new barefoot shoes I saw, they’re called Realfoot Barefoot Shoes, definitely wanna try them out as from the videos and photos, they seem to be extremely wide, hope you can check those ones out and see how they compare to other barefoot brands

@AndrewFolts

7 ай бұрын

Literally have some being mailed to me for testing soon. (:

I wish there was an as-cheap alternative with thinner sole. Ideally I like 5 mm or less but maybe it would be good to wear down the sole on the splays and let them get there over time

@AndrewFolts

8 ай бұрын

Yea, totally agree. The one thing I'll say for Splay is that given the deep waffle tread pattern they're way more flexible than a Vivo or Xero shoe of the same thickness.

@childcrone

8 ай бұрын

Splays are that thin :~) According to their website the sole is 4mm (5mm for size 13 up)

As far as I can tell these are all sold out in mens 11 for every style but black leather. Any tips on where to find them?

@AndrewFolts

2 ай бұрын

Yea, Splay does seem to run out of stock quickly. You can try eBay.

Just found your channel, great review! You mentioned these might be a little too hot for hot days, does that mean it might not be good for summer days? I'm looking for barefoot shoes I can wear for casual/everyday purposes, I live in norcal.

@AndrewFolts

2 ай бұрын

They're basically like Converse or any other canvas type shoe, which can be worn in hot weather. Just won't be as breathable as a mesh shoe or sandal.

@MaySaysSo

2 ай бұрын

@@AndrewFolts I see, thanks for the response!

Never realized vans were zero drop until you pointed it out

@AndrewFolts

8 ай бұрын

Yea, they're flat, it's too bad someone doesn't make a less pointy skate shoe.

@Lord_Marquaad

8 ай бұрын

​@@AndrewFoltssomeone really should, balance is important for skating so skaters should like that

@AndrewFolts

8 ай бұрын

@@Lord_MarquaadI'll keep an eye out.

Do you have any recommendations for barefoot slip-ons? I’m looking for one that I can slip on without using my hands.

@AndrewFolts

7 ай бұрын

Yea, Ahinsa has a great minimal Chelsea slip-in boot: bit.ly/3MZmUWz.

I am starting a delivery job soon. I want to find a barefoot safety shoe. I was looking into the Birkenstock QS700 but they are hard to source... Do you know of a good option or a good resource to check?

@AndrewFolts

8 ай бұрын

Not that I know of, they're out of stock a lot. The closest thing to a barefoot safety boot I've found is the Saltic Outdoor, which has a beefy toe guard and thick leather upper. Not steel-toed but way more comfortable and flexible than the QS700. bit.ly/3Xxbgok

Are the soles on leather version slip resistant?

@AndrewFolts

3 ай бұрын

It's the same sole for all their shoes, I believe, and yea, it's a very sticky material.

How durable is the canvas? posaibly looking to use this for a summer shoer working outdoors in thw summer in and out of a warehouse.

@AndrewFolts

2 ай бұрын

It's medium thick and seems quite tough so far. The glued sole is the only area where durability could be a factor, as with any glued shoe.

@jurkjaredgamez8392

2 ай бұрын

@AndrewFolts fun fact the shoe is actually put in an oven and the sole is melted to the upper, it's supposed to be more durable than glue.

How did they skate? Compared to Vans on same board?

@AndrewFolts

5 ай бұрын

The Freestyle's are great for like casual longboarding, but they're not as durable or protective as Vans, which are thicker and meant to get beat up at a skate park.

I like my splay shoes. Good for the price in my opinion. But wouldn't use them as skateboard shoes. Unless you are just riding very casually

@AndrewFolts

8 ай бұрын

Yea, you could do some basic long-boarding, but I expect they'd get chewed up fast at a skate park.

hey! i made the diy shoes i was talking about and shot a short amateur video of it if you want to see them (vibram and cowhide)

@markifi

8 ай бұрын

also i walked a 100 days straight barefoot this summer

@AndrewFolts

8 ай бұрын

Woah, cool! Video link?

@markifi

8 ай бұрын

kzread.info/dash/bejne/hYR916qJlsjbdaQ.htmlsi=C9aX5l726H05O3mQ&t=30@@AndrewFolts

@markifi

8 ай бұрын

it's the last video on my channel@@AndrewFolts

@AndrewFolts

8 ай бұрын

@@markifi They look rad, nice work! Seem nice and stealthy. My leather moccasin boots are still some of my favs. Really can't beat a leather sole for flex/feel.

On their website it says the sole is 5mm

@AndrewFolts

2 ай бұрын

Customer service told me it was 6.5mm back when I researched them. It's possible they've changed, or maybe 5mm is referring to the midsole (not including lugs). They do feel thicker than my Vivo FG's, which are 5.5mm, although the flex is great due to the tread pattern being really open.

Andrew, you didn't pronounce the T in cotton. Messin with you bro.

@AndrewFolts

8 ай бұрын

Sometimes I start talking fast if I'm not playing attention. I watch videos at 2x speed, so I have to remember not to talk at 2x, lol.

If Splay reading the comments- why you do only limited sizing? What about big sizes? Dislike

@AndrewFolts

8 ай бұрын

They go up to M13, but I'd guess there's not enough demand for larger sizes beyond that to justify the manufacturing costs, since they're a small company.

@slavasss2189

8 ай бұрын

@@AndrewFolts i always thought big footers are main buyers or barefoot shoes, as we need accomodate comfortably feet, also big toe box is beneficial. so ok, i go ahead with xero, vivo, merrell then, skip this brand...(though feelgrounds also small brand,, but they do up to M15)

@AndrewFolts

8 ай бұрын

@@slavasss2189Softstar would be the best brand for wide feet and they have larger sizes, I believe: kzread.info/dash/bejne/X5lnzJSYitGefNI.html

@ImLootGoblin

2 ай бұрын

No one is forcing you to buy them 😂 ​@@slavasss2189

Customer service stinks Never order from ES online!!!

@AndrewFolts

6 күн бұрын

ES ans in Spain? Too bad to hear about customer service, it can certainly happen with smaller companies.

Switched to barefoot shoes about a year ago now. I have some vivobarefoot prim. lite, lems primal pursuit mids and lems zens or something. Oh plus some earth runner sandals. I think doing this and just going barefoot more often along with getting rid of 98% of my regular shoes (that i didn't even wear most of) Has helped improve my life significantly. I also got rid of my mattress bed and started sleeping on the floor, I bought a japanese thin futon if guests what to sleep in my room. But like another comment said, I have escaped from the loop of smoking vaping and drinking. I literally feel like i'm changing into a better me, the last two addictions (that i am aware of) is what i eat, and drinking black coffee (caffeine) I noticed when i eat all fruit, that's when i become the brightest version of myself, i highly recommend everyone sleep on the floor, wear barefoot shoes, put your bare feet in the grass everyday, and eat fruit. Oh and don't forget to show those around you kindness and freedom of judgement ❤

@AndrewFolts

8 ай бұрын

That's amazing progress, yo! I sleep on a Japanese futon too, and I love it. Props on kicking smokes and drinks, it's not easy to do. Also yea, fruit is my go-to for healing. Fermented cacao chocolate bit.ly/3LXqyje is a great alternative and fills that same taste craving with very little caffeine. Keep gong! (: