Trying Out Some Valesole Footwear - First Impressions
Despite the title of my blog, I don’t get too many opportunities to talk about footwear. Just because I am not talking about them on here doesn’t mean I am not thinking about what is on my feet all the time. And not just what shoes go with my outfit either. I would say that most of what I am thinking about when I look at my pile of shoes is how many more walks can I get out of this pair or that pair of shoes before they explode. I go through shoes quickly and that is because I spend a lot of time walking. I average about 8-12 kilometres a day. Mostly walking to and from my office and around downtown at lunch. I wish I could say that I base my shoe-buying decisions based on performance, but I would say that it often comes down to style. Business during the week and fun in the evenings and on the weekend. Due to all of this, I was ecstatic when Valsole reached out to me to see if I wanted to try a few of their pairs of their recovery wear for wearing at the end of a long day or on the weekend.
I should say that Valsole has not paid me for this review, nor have I sent it to them for their input before you are reading it. You should know that they did send me the shoes to try at no cost, so please take that into account as you read.
Valsole is a footwear company that has focused its work on footwear that is focused on helping recovery. That is recovery after activity or like me, after walking the city all day. I was sent three pairs of their different footwear and each is focused on a different aspect of your day. I received the Recovery Slide, the Propel Flip and the Hearth Clog. I haven’t had too much time to put some distance on them, but I thought I would provide some basic first impressions and then in a few weeks I will drop a second article on how they are after I spent some time with them. Okay let’s go through each pair.
The Recovery Slide
The Recovery Slide is the pair that I have likely worn the most in the short time that I have had them. Valesole describes them as “designed to reduce foot fatigue and improve alignment” and “ideal for recovery, casual wear, and all-day support”. They come in four colorways: Chalk, Azure, Onyx, and Olive. The pair I was sent are the olive ones. These simply slide onto your feet. I was surprised by the very supportive cushioning, though they also make you feel quite tall. I love having these at my back door so that I can just slide them on and head outside.
The moment your foot goes into them you can feel the sole squish down a bit to your weight and cushion you. Like all three pairs, they are fairly thick soled so you get a little height when you wear them. You use a Velcro flap on top to adjust the tightness around the front of your foot. So far I have enjoyed to comfort and the look of them.
The Men’s Propel Flip
The Propel Flip is in my opinion, the best looking of the three pairs of shoes. That may in some ways come down to the colorway. I have the Ether one and it is a dove gray with some light blue accents. I think this flip-flop looks great, though it is anything but floppy. Like the Recovery Slide, the Propel Flip has a thick, comfortable and cushioning sole. I have so far just worn it on one walk. For summer footwear, I have always just worn Habianas and the comfort difference is pretty obvious. I know that some people don’t like a thicker toe-post, and that is a little present here, however my feet were used to it quickly on my one outing. I can say for for sure that it is the most cushioned I have felt on a walk to the beach in a long time. I will let you know how it is over the longer term in a few weeks.
The Hearth Clog
When I saw the Hearth Clog out of the box for the first time, I immediately wished it was still December. They have a beautiful warm look to them. The outside is a soft leather and inside is this fluffy inviting wool. Putting them on, your feet feel warm, cozy and protected. There are three colorways, the Classic Tan, Deep Chocolate, and Matte Black. I was sent the Classic Tan and I am glad I was, as I really resonate with the way they look. They have a baby blue accent at the back which just looks perfect with the light brown.
When you put on the Hearth Clog, you can immediately feel that these are different than the other two pairs of shoes. While the Propel Flip and the Recovery Slide are extremely comfortable, the Hearth Clog takes it to another level. The arch support in particular is quite strong and feels really good on my foot. Valsole says that the Hearth Clog has “an active recovery footbed to relieve foot strain and plantar fasciitis”. Due to this, I am looking forward to putting this pair on after one of my weekend runs for my evening foot wear. I imagine that you could wear this at home or around the garden, but maybe not down to the mall, though that would be totally up to you.
As I said at the beginning, I have not put these three pairs of footwear through their paces yet, but with the weather getting warmer during the day, there will be a lot of opportunities to wear the Recovery Slide and the Propel Flip, and it is still cool enough at night to enjoy wearing the Hearth Clog. In the meantime, make sure to check out the Valsole website, they have so much more information and products on their than these three pairs of footwear.
If you have a question about the product, how it fits or feels, please leave me a comment below.
