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I'm not gonna lie: When I learn of a product that a company has named "Mindbender," I expect something pretty over the top. "Hey, man, bend my mind!" I expect magicians popping out of hats… er, wait… Of course there's a lot of hyperbole in names and marketing, so I'm automatically a bit suspicious… and curious. Vasque says they developed the Mindbender for running ultras, and the shoes seem to give good torsional support, soooo… how are the Mindbenders for ultralight backpacking?
ARTICLE OUTLINE
- Introduction
- Assessment
- Conclusion
# WORDS: 1440
# PHOTOS: 6
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Companion forum thread to:
Vasque Mindbender Trail Shoe Review
I have these, agree with average. I think they need *more* volume over the lacing, but something about the cut over the foot leaves something to be desired. Forefoot could be wider on outside of toe box, but my big toes are happy. The most mind bending thing for me is the firm midsole somehow allows good ground feel. A little bit 'slappy' on the heel to toe transition compared to my H.O.O. Shoes.
I have a normal foot. These shoes were nearly floppy on my feet when I tried them on. Didn't care for them at all. Maybe those with a really wide foot may have better luck with this shoe.
I have a pair of these and have some similar experiences. I love the sole and the ground feel. They are great in the flat. I can handle them on the uphills but downhill really drives my two outer toes into the front of the shoe. I've also noticed some random iritation on my heel that I believe relates to the depth comments in this article. I have a slightly wide foot and prefere a large footbox with normal heel. These are going back to REI I'm afraid.
Have never had these on, but just from reading your detailed review, I wondered if the small toe box that caused you to go up a little in size (and proportionately, volume) was contributing to the close lacing as well as puckering? Might Vasque affect several of your problems with a fix for the toe cramping?
Thanks for a thorough review.
Chris, I tried these on and they were big. The correct length was huge in the toe box, "floppy" as I described above. These shoes also had a low heel depth and just didn't impress me much. I have tried on about half a dozen trail runners lately and the Mindbenders were the least impressive.
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