Product Review: OOFOS Recovery Sandals
If you have ever run an ultra marathon or cheered someone on at the finish line, you are likely familiar with one common behavior that nearly everyone crossing the finish line exhibits – the overwhelming desire to take your shoes off almost immediately. Speaking for myself, after 6+ hours of running on technical terrain, my feet are sore and want freedom from my shoes. Therein lies the problem; you want to take them off, but you still need to take care of your already thrashed feet. I used to wear standard sandals, but they didn’t really provide much in terms of comfort or support. A friend of mine suggested I try OOFOS and when I did, I knew I found my answer. Let’s take a look!
DISCLAIMER: I am not affiliated with OOFOS in any way at the time of writing this review. OOFOS did provide me with this product with no expectation of a review. I am writing this review under my own direction and will look to provide honest, unbiased feedback.
Product Overview
OOFOS starts with their proprietary foam, which they call OOfoam. Whereas traditional foam (like what you would find in running shoes) is designed for responsiveness, OOfoam serves the opposite purpose; it absorbs shock…up to 37% more than traditional foam according to OOFOS. In addition, there are few few other benefits that resonate with me:
- Unlike most sandals/flip-flops, they have tremendous arch support.
- The foam maintains its shape and cushion for the entire life of the sandal.
- They are shower ready and machine washable.
They offer three main styles to pick from as you can see below. They are the OOahh Sport slide style sandal, the OOriginal flip-flop style sandal, and the OOcloog closed toe clog. I will look at each one below.
Price: $45-60 at oofos.com (but you can sometimes find deals on Amazon.com after a quick search)
Before I get into each model more closely, let’s look at the outsole and talk a little bit about my overall experience with them. The tread is the same on each model so you know what you are going to get. As a recovery sandal, traction is not really my primary measurement, but I have found them to handle more than adequately. Personally, I am more concerned with durability, stability, and comfort.
- In terms of durability, I have gone from wearing them as post-run recovery sandals to everyday casual footwear so, needless to say, I have put quite a few miles on them. Every model I have tried seems to hold up quite well. Aside from being dirty and maybe a little worn, they look just about the same as when I took them out of the box. Depending on your use, I am sure you could get several years/500+ miles out of a pair.
- As a cushiony recovery shoe, one concern for some would be stability; would they be squishy and wobbly? The short answer is no. I would say that they are squishy where it counts; I have never felt like was was going to roll an ankle or anything because of an unstable platform.
- When it comes to comfort, this is what sold me. Their OOfoam creates the most comfortable footwear I have ever stepped into. They feel great post run and I even wear them when I am working at my standing desk or just walking around.
OOriginal
If you like flip flops, this is the way to go. That being said, I found there to be a bit too much foam on the post in between the toes which I was a bit uncomfortable for me.
OOcloog
The OOcloog is easy to take on and off, but I am not so sure that the clog look is back in style yet. 🙂 On the flip side, I still wear them frequently because the closed-toe design provides a little more protection. Plus, no one wants to have to look at my gross runners feet. I also noticed that there seems to be a bit more support in the arch versus the other two models.
OOahh
Really not much to say about this one other than this is my favorite model. They have a good look and are easy to slide off and on. Really a great fit overall!
If you want my true opinion, I think these need to be in the finish line bag of every ultra runner. It is important to take care of your feet after a long race and I have yet to find anything better. Beyond long distance running though, if you are someone that spends a lot of time on your feet or just has problems with sore feet in general, you should consider a pair of OOFOS too. You will be thankful on those days when you want to give your feet a break.
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