Vibram FiveFingers Signa Water Shoe - Men's

I'm not sure what kind of surfaces the designers of this shoe anticipated a user to be standing on, but any kind of dirty or rocky surface will result in all kinds of debris clogging the "ports" on the sole of the shoe meant to release water. Since the shoe is fully enclosed and relatively porous anyway the "ports" literally have no function but to capture debris from the bottom making it necessary to constantly clean the sole.The upper material is not a quick-drying material. Once it is wet your feet feel wet and drying of this material takes a long time after you've taken them off to dry. It would have been a much nicer design if there was some kind of wicking functionality to the material, which would allow your feet to dry rather than constantly feel wet. Since these are snug around your foot it is a weird feeling to get used to.Finally, after only a handful of uses, the pull tab on one of the shoes ripped and when I called Vibram Five Fingers directly to get warranty service they told me they could not since any entity selling on Amazon is not an authorized seller and they don't warranty products purchased from anyone but authorized sellers.I bought these for SUP (stand-up paddleboarding) and I am realizing that there is no arch support at all as the sole is very flexible and there is no footbed insert. This makes it highly unlikely to be comfortable for longer periods of standing and as your feet swell from standing for long periods of time the overall tightness of the shoe will begin to cause serious problems.For rivers I've heard the new Body Glove shoe is supposed to be good and I've just worn my casual Crocs with the cloth on top very comfortably as they are loose, dry quickly, and do not have holes (like Keens) that constantly catch rocks and other debris (except sand). While the concept of Five Fingers is interesting and may have some performance advantages in certain conditions, I don't see how you could avoid the problems with foot swelling over extended periods of time during a high intensity athletic activity (like 3-5+ hours) and for that reason I probably won't experiment with these again.Having this as my first experience buying shoes on Amazon and through FiveFingers makes it highly unlikely I will ever purchase footwear from either entity again.

foot length is identical to other models of 5 fingers, but with respect to the thickness of the foot, this is smaller, much smaller, it was quite difficult to wear them the first time, and not very comfortable, so I will use several times and I'll see if my foot brakes in, if not, I'll be disappointed. perhaps in the water become more flexible.

Hello Amazon Community. I recently purchased a pair of Vibram FiveFingers Men's Signa Water Shoes, and wanted to add my take on how they fit...First, A little about me:Male, 6'4" (76 inches) (??? cm), 210 pounds (??? kg), wear a size 13 US shoe (Adidas 47 cm) (Nike 47.5 cm), and flat-footed (no arch)...I bought these shoes on 2013/03/14, and have worn them on all 3 days. My experience overall has been much more positive than Nick's, but still not perfect! I got these Signas in a size 46, and they fit me perfectly (outside of a pain issue once an hour on the top of my left foot). I originally went into REI in with the expectation of picking up a size 47 since most of my athletic shoes are around 47.5 cm. Their online inventory checker said that my local store had them in stock, but they were not on the shoe wall. An associate didn't even know that they had them until looking around in the back (that's how new they were). The foot chart/measurement guide, as measured from the heel to the tip of the longest toe, had me measured somewhere around 45 centimeters actually. I tried on the 47s, but there was too much length between my toes and the tips of the shoes. The 46s fit fine, so I ran with those. Had I bought the 47s online, I would have had to return them...Introductions aside, I'll now give my angle on some of Nick's problems:1) Personally, I purchased these VFF Signa shoes as a pure water only shoe for aqua jogging/pool running. I don't have any expectations of excellent performance on land or in alternating wet/dry environments. I recently had a knee surgery (torn patellar tendon), and aquatic exercises will help speed up my 1 year recovery. I need shoes for running and lateral movements inside the pool, so the ultra-low profile of the VFFs will help get back my side stepping strength and quickness.2) It can, but should not, take minutes to put FiveFingers on. Because we in 1st world countries have been wearing cushioned shoes our whole lives; we have weaker muscles, tendons & padding throughout our feet. Because of our pampered feet, it is not recommended doing lengthy or strenuous exercises in VFFs until you build up your strength! I've seen posts online from people that were impatient and got stress fractures or partially foot ligaments (plantar fasciitis). Therefore, if it takes minutes to put on your shoes, you have still weak toes and/or bad technique. Today, on my 3rd time putting these on, I employed 2 techniques (walking my toes into the shoe & spreading my toes into their respective slots). I put both shoes on in under 1 minute 30 seconds total.3) The width of the shoe is a medium to a narrow (to promote a tight fit I presume since there are no laces). Anybody with wide feet or bunions, like my father, should look into a model with laces or a tying system. The use of vertical height may help alleviate some people's width issues.4) The clearish straps on the bottom of the shoe (between the forefoot and heel rubber pods) are not meant to continually drag against rough surfaces like concrete! When using these VFFs mostly in water, this will not be an issue, and the lack of rubber in the middle of the foot helps with added flexibility while swimming! With my flat feet, these clear stretchy straps will fray within a couple months of city walking, but, that is not what these shoes are made for. There are other models better suited with full length rubber soles for that.5) The side strap doesn't seem to get in the way for me when putting on the shoe, but fit is different for everybody. Personally, with my fit, I can't even tell if the strap works! I could do without it, but I do like the aesthetic look of it. Don't like the look of the top pull tag either, but it is very necessary.6) I got these Signas mainly for their perforated/holey sole as well. The holes will allow for better water flow and while submerged, and quick drying when exiting the pool. Other models with more heel or insole padding worried me in regards to the shoe retaining too much liquid and getting water-logged.7) These are my first pair of VFFs, so I can't talk about the long term durability of the rubber used for the sole, but in terms of thickness (from what I've seen on their website & felt in the store) these soles are thinner than other shoes. Signas have a 2mm sole, most other VFFs have a 3mm sole, and some trail running ones have a 4mm sole. For lateral movement and gripping the bottom of a pool floor, I enjoy the thin rubbery grip. Keep in mind that rubber thickness doesn't always directly correlate to long-term wear & tear.8) There is no rubber bumper on the tips of the toes! For those worried about constantly stubbing their toes, a different water shoe with raised rubber would be better. I never anticipated it being an issue for me, so I didn't mind the rubber only being on the bottom.9) Everyone that I've seen that teaches classes in water (especially in a pool) said that it is better to have protection on your foot than going barefoot. I read online about a person that walked into a local lake (without wearing their VFFs for fear of water logging) and cut their foot. I will be solely in a pool, and bought these Signas in part to guard against the rough surface of the pool floor! Even if these shoes aren't the answer, don't barefoot it if you can.10) Visitor Nick has a supreme tightness and pain around the pinky knuckle/little toe on one or both of his feet in these VFF Signas. Since every person is different, I did not receive this issue at all! My one problem (that may occur on my other foot in the future) is the pressure on the top of the shoe on the top of my foot! As it turns out, my left foot is bigger than my right foot (its very slightly longer). Also, due to the leg cast and inability to walk for an entire month, I lost up to 80% if the muscle mass in my right leg, and maybe 30% of the muscle mass in my right foot! With these 2 issues combined, it means that for me, my left foot is longer AND taller (due to muscles on top of my foot) than my right foot! The pain from pressure of the stretchy neoprene only occurs once an hour for a few minutes, then my body possibly gets used to it for a little while. To alleviate this, I have pushed/inched my foot back to the heel of my left shoe, and that seems to make the pain go away. Once I build the muscle back in my right foot however, I may have this same issue a year from now :-/11) The Vibram logo on the inner part of the outsole's heel is clean for Nick, but is dirty for me. This is because of differences of how he supinates (ankles move outward when he runs) and I pronate (ankle moves inward when we walk). Because his foot rolls outward, he puts more wear on the outside of his shoes. Because I am neutral & severely flat-footed, or possibly even rolling inward as well, I put more wear on the inside of my shoes! This is, like I said, different for every individual, and not a major design flaw in the shoe, but a flaw in our postures, stance and strides.12) Excellent point that the fact that there is no "segmented" rubber in the midfoot region of the outsole can be changed! I like that there is no stiff rubber in the middle, which is good for flexibility when swimming, but there could be dots of durable rubber along the clear stabilizing straps to preserve the wear of the area and keep the midfoot off of the ground for people with flat-normal arched feet! The rubber could be dotted and strategically spread out to keep the shoes flexibility, while strengthening the midfoot from long-term abrasion. Excellent free tip from Nick, you are welcome Vibrams...Novel, finished. If there is anything I left out that may be of concern, please let me know! I love the barefoot feel of this brand of shoes, and I only notice that I am wearing shoes when I curl my foot inward against the flexion of the rubber sole. Might even buy a second pair soon, or one for the g/f and Dad...

Thought they looked small but they actually fit my foot perfectly. I used the measurements provided on their site. They are very comfortable to wear around the house and to the pool. I love them.

I am a huge fan of the Vibram five fingers and have worn about 7 pairs (different types). I wanted a water shoes i can do some walking with so I decided to get one of those. Total waste of money, this is not good, after the second use the underneath the shoe broke. I tried sticking it but it was of no use. I will stick to buying the others but this one for sure i won't be buying. If you going to the beach, maybe that would be good but make sure you do not walk on any hard surface. I give all other five finger I've worn 5 stars but this one do not deserve 1 star

These shoes look great but I could not get my foot past the opening. My old Flows are still snug and comfy, and so is the new pair of EX-L running shoes that I just bought. I'm returning these shoes and I'll try to find a pair of Flows if they are still available.