Just got some Earth Runner Alphas recently, and I agree they are really hard to beat once you break them in. I've got numerous minimal sandals from other brands, and all have their pros and cons. But for everyday wear, the Alphas are really nice. But the break-in can be pretty brutal, especially if you wear the heaviest performance straps. I needed about a week or so of wear before the straps felt comfortable.
The strap becomes very comfortable when you adjust it right and break it in, but the sole didn't work for me. I got one of the thinner ones but at 8mm they're still not that thin, and they also weren't wide enough to let my wide feet toe splay without hanging off the sides. Those two factors combined made them very uncomfortable for me, but...there was a happy ending: I found it very easy to refit the strap to a 4mm Xero Shoes kit sandal sole, which is nice and wide so it can be trimmed if need be (I have no need). Hard to improve on that sole, but the lace that comes with it was a pain, constantly breaks, so great to have the ER strap instead. The resulting hybrid is the perfect sandal for me. Seems odd to me that a company that calls itself Earth Runner wouldn't do a sandal with a thinner sole. But at least they sell straps and buckles separately.
@@Sammyzinha2 I'm not sure how to do that here without making a video of it and posting that. Can't do that right now, but I'll see what I can manage in the next few weeks and let you know if I post something.
Seems that none of these reviews test to see if these sandals ground you when wearing them. I just got a pair and I found out I was not grounded on the ground and on pavement.
Allen it's a fair question and I believe there are videos showing earth runner sandals being tested for grounding specifically. I have not done such tests partly because that's def not my core competency but also because the grounding aspect is not one of my key requirements. I am barefoot on earth, sand and grass for some part of every day, and that's my time to 'earth'. The sandal's fit, comfort, durability and flexibility is what I primarily enjoy. Also worth pointing out you can only ground when on a conductive, natural material, so when on pavement or in your house or building or road you will not be grounding weather in shoes, sandals or barefoot. Need to get direct contact with the Earth. Hope this helps 👍🏽
Cam, yes there's def an adjustment period, playing with strap tension and wearing a plaster or tape on the inside of the second toe for the first few wears helped me adjust. Hope you found another solution!
I got my pair of earth runners. Sad to say I was not able to get the light to say on. Thus I was not grounded wearing these sandals. I'll test them some more in the next few days.
Great video! Do you find the canvas material on top makes either your feel smell or indeed the sandal smell bad? Also can’t decided between lifestyle and adventure… did you find lifestyle comfortable and good to run in?
Sorry for super late response 🤦🏼♂️ the sandals don’t get too smelly even with heavy use and are easy to clean with a light detergent and a toothbrush.. the circadian are def ok to run in both road and trail.. obviously you feel a lot more but that’s ok. For longer trail runs (15+ km) or multi day hikes the extra cush in the Alpha adventure sandal def helps. I’ve had no issue with the circadian ‘lifestyle’ strap on when running in them 👍🏽
Great review! I wonder if you've tried other highly rated running sandals such as the Shamma Warriors (or another brand), for a point of comparison? I'm interested in trying sandal-running and these two--Earth Runners & Shamma--seem to have the best reviews. Thanks!
I’ve had two pairs of Shamma sandals. They fit well, stayed secure and molded well to my feet but the tread wore down quickly. This was 4 years ago and maybe they may have changed the sole.
Frank sure, here's a check list in sequential order.. 1. take time to adjust the strap so that it's not too tight where it sits between the big toe and second toe. pointy pliers help adjust strap. 2. use the pliers and pinch the strap at the point where it sits between the toes, encouraging it to curve with the ends pointing upwards 3. pop a plaster on the inside base of the second toe to protect it while you're breaking in the sandals 4. rub a little wax on the underside of the strap where it makes contact with the toe to reduce friction. I had the same and it took a little perseverance but it's soo worth the effort. Let me know how you go 👍🏽
Max made the main points, but I can add: a little bit of vaseline between/on top of the toes and on the strap itself, find a video that shows how to lace them from scratch (its possible that they weren't done correctly) making sure to 'taco' and angle the part part of the strap that goes between the toes, and lastly, there is the temptation to make that first section of strap too tight (thinking that it is what really binds your foot to the shoe) but this is actually not necessary, even for running, b/c it is really that section over the top perpendicular to the foot that binds you to the foot bed.
Im thinking about purchasing the Circadian Sandals but the copper insert facing the bottom of the sole of the sandal will it scratch my wooden laminate flooring when I walk over it, or does it remain flush within the sole when applying pressure walking? Thanks.
That is a good question.. I have wood floors and have never noticed scratches.. I feel the flatness of the copper plug and it being flush with the sole makes it safe. Also the circadian sole is firm and so won’t compress and put additional pressure on the plug. I would just avoid too much lateral scraping of the feet on the laminate.. so no James Brown slides 😅
Thanks for sharing your experience!
Just got some Earth Runner Alphas recently, and I agree they are really hard to beat once you break them in. I've got numerous minimal sandals from other brands, and all have their pros and cons. But for everyday wear, the Alphas are really nice. But the break-in can be pretty brutal, especially if you wear the heaviest performance straps. I needed about a week or so of wear before the straps felt comfortable.
The strap becomes very comfortable when you adjust it right and break it in, but the sole didn't work for me. I got one of the thinner ones but at 8mm they're still not that thin, and they also weren't wide enough to let my wide feet toe splay without hanging off the sides. Those two factors combined made them very uncomfortable for me, but...there was a happy ending: I found it very easy to refit the strap to a 4mm Xero Shoes kit sandal sole, which is nice and wide so it can be trimmed if need be (I have no need). Hard to improve on that sole, but the lace that comes with it was a pain, constantly breaks, so great to have the ER strap instead. The resulting hybrid is the perfect sandal for me.
Seems odd to me that a company that calls itself Earth Runner wouldn't do a sandal with a thinner sole. But at least they sell straps and buckles separately.
Can you show the hybrid sandal?
@@Sammyzinha2 I'm not sure how to do that here without making a video of it and posting that. Can't do that right now, but I'll see what I can manage in the next few weeks and let you know if I post something.
Seems that none of these reviews test to see if these sandals ground you when wearing them. I just got a pair and I found out I was not grounded on the ground and on pavement.
Allen it's a fair question and I believe there are videos showing earth runner sandals being tested for grounding specifically. I have not done such tests partly because that's def not my core competency but also because the grounding aspect is not one of my key requirements.
I am barefoot on earth, sand and grass for some part of every day, and that's my time to 'earth'. The sandal's fit, comfort, durability and flexibility is what I primarily enjoy.
Also worth pointing out you can only ground when on a conductive, natural material, so when on pavement or in your house or building or road you will not be grounding weather in shoes, sandals or barefoot. Need to get direct contact with the Earth.
Hope this helps 👍🏽
I purchased these and the strap between the toe was extremely painful. Had to return. Ouch....
Cam, yes there's def an adjustment period, playing with strap tension and wearing a plaster or tape on the inside of the second toe for the first few wears helped me adjust. Hope you found another solution!
Can you make a video testing these sandals with a multimeter?
I got my pair of earth runners. Sad to say I was not able to get the light to say on. Thus I was not grounded wearing these sandals. I'll test them some more in the next few days.
Great video! Do you find the canvas material on top makes either your feel smell or indeed the sandal smell bad? Also can’t decided between lifestyle and adventure… did you find lifestyle comfortable and good to run in?
Sorry for super late response 🤦🏼♂️ the sandals don’t get too smelly even with heavy use and are easy to clean with a light detergent and a toothbrush.. the circadian are def ok to run in both road and trail.. obviously you feel a lot more but that’s ok.
For longer trail runs (15+ km) or multi day hikes the extra cush in the Alpha adventure sandal def helps.
I’ve had no issue with the circadian ‘lifestyle’ strap on when running in them 👍🏽
Great review! I wonder if you've tried other highly rated running sandals such as the Shamma Warriors (or another brand), for a point of comparison? I'm interested in trying sandal-running and these two--Earth Runners & Shamma--seem to have the best reviews. Thanks!
I’ve had two pairs of Shamma sandals. They fit well, stayed secure and molded well to my feet but the tread wore down quickly. This was 4 years ago and maybe they may have changed the sole.
Hey rb, shame are def on my list of tests, keen to hear your thoughts if you've been running in them.
i got some of these, and the strap between the big toe and second toe was quite uncomfortable, any ideas how to fix the strap to alleviate this?
Frank sure, here's a check list in sequential order..
1. take time to adjust the strap so that it's not too tight where it sits between the big toe and second toe. pointy pliers help adjust strap.
2. use the pliers and pinch the strap at the point where it sits between the toes, encouraging it to curve with the ends pointing upwards
3. pop a plaster on the inside base of the second toe to protect it while you're breaking in the sandals
4. rub a little wax on the underside of the strap where it makes contact with the toe to reduce friction.
I had the same and it took a little perseverance but it's soo worth the effort. Let me know how you go 👍🏽
Max made the main points, but I can add:
a little bit of vaseline between/on top of the toes and on the strap itself,
find a video that shows how to lace them from scratch (its possible that they weren't done correctly) making sure to 'taco' and angle the part part of the strap that goes between the toes, and lastly, there is the temptation to make that first section of strap too tight (thinking that it is what really binds your foot to the shoe) but this is actually not necessary, even for running, b/c it is really that section over the top perpendicular to the foot that binds you to the foot bed.
@@johnmatelski6413 💯👍🏽
Im thinking about purchasing the Circadian Sandals but the copper insert facing the bottom of the sole of the sandal will it scratch my wooden laminate flooring when I walk over it, or does it remain flush within the sole when applying pressure walking? Thanks.
That is a good question.. I have wood floors and have never noticed scratches.. I feel the flatness of the copper plug and it being flush with the sole makes it safe. Also the circadian sole is firm and so won’t compress and put additional pressure on the plug.
I would just avoid too much lateral scraping of the feet on the laminate.. so no James Brown slides 😅
No!