Do shoes with Vibram soles last longer?

[46YearOldSlinger]

I've been wearing Merrell shoes with Vibram soles for quite a while and love the feel and traction. The problem is that I always wear down the soles before I wear out the rest of the shoe. My question is: "Do Vibram soles last longer than most other shoe soles?". I've heard a few people say this is the case but I'm not seeing it so just wanted to get some opinions. I've had multiple pairs of Chameleon 4s and a pair of stretch All out Blazes which are both Merrell shoes with Vibram soles. I understand toe dragging will wear out any shoe but I'm not talking about that. I'm asking about wearing down the entire sole.

 

[Reniger]

Some do. Completely depends on the models. I have 3 pairs of Merrells with Vibram soles. Two are holding up GREAT. The last one I picked up from a Clearance Rack at the local Merrell outlet store - a pair of Bare Access Trail. These ones started falling apart within two months. I only used them for Disc Golf - changed in and out at the course, and I play 5-7 rounds a week. The bottom of the sole/tread started separating from the foam in the cushion of the upper. I otherwise love the shoe as it has great grip in all conditions, is semi-water proof, and is very light and comfortable. However, having to superglue the tread back on in two spots after every 2-3 rounds is a bummer.

Still, I'll keep buying Merrells with Vibram soles every time. My All Out Ice are the best DG shoe I've ever tried if you have a natural/turf tee course. Good on concrete, but the metal cleats are a bit loud. The things are absolute TANKS though.

 

[joecoin]

I can't say, as I will only buy shoes with Vibram soles. (I wrote "420" on the bottom of my newest shoes, don't tell anyone.)

 

[dontBLAMEtheDISC]

Here something to think about a quick look at vibrams website shows 27 different materials that they have available for soles.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337Z using Tapatalk

 

[spahnandsain]

Yes, in my experience anyway. My Keen Dela's w/o Vibrams lasted about a year (2 diff pairs). I love Merrill Moabs w/ the Vibram soles. My last pair last two years.

Also, I appreciate the OP being an A.B.C fan.
A nybody
B ut
C arolina

 

[@iDiscGolf]

No. There are lots of high(er) end shoes out there.

 

[46YearOldSlinger]

Thanks for all of the input. I was hoping for a more solid consensus but as with many things there's a spread of opinions. And oh yeah, definitely an ABC fan.

 

[captain jack]

Its not the Vibram part thats the fail, its the piss poor quality toddler labor made Merrells

 

[F.Luke]

Its not the Vibram part thats the fail, its the piss poor quality toddler labor made Merrells

I'm all for better quality toddlers.

 

[BrotherDave]

Some do. Completely depends on the models. I have 3 pairs of Merrells with Vibram soles. Two are holding up GREAT. The last one I picked up from a Clearance Rack at the local Merrell outlet store - a pair of Bare Access Trail. These ones started falling apart within two months. I only used them for Disc Golf - changed in and out at the course, and I play 5-7 rounds a week. The bottom of the sole/tread started separating from the foam in the cushion of the upper. I otherwise love the shoe as it has great grip in all conditions, is semi-water proof, and is very light and comfortable. However, having to superglue the tread back on in two spots after every 2-3 rounds is a bummer.

Still, I'll keep buying Merrells with Vibram soles every time. My All Out Ice are the best DG shoe I've ever tried if you have a natural/turf tee course. Good on concrete, but the metal cleats are a bit loud. The things are absolute TANKS though.

Yeah, in my experience it has a lot to do with the tread pattern on the sole. The circular ones you see on the Chameleon type models seem to wear out a lot faster than the knobbier ones you see on the Moab types.

There may be a better option out there but it's nice to support a company that supports disc golf.

 

[JeremyKShort]

I had a pair before. The soles lasted very long. The rest of the shoe gave out well before the sole. The show quality will vary from shoe manufacturer.

 

[cfair]

The reality is concrete tee pads tear up any and every shoes. I had a pair of merrels that went all kinds of hiking, 100s of miles of biking, martial arts, roof work and more. I loved that pair of shoes. I retired them right before I started playing disc golf. I got a new pair and DG chewed them up quick. Went back to my old pair and the bottoms got gnarled fast.

I have seen merril's quality drop over the last couple of years. Their shoes were always a little tight but comfy. I always felt confident in movement with them. Right now I have a pair of Keen's made in USA line. Really comfy and great for long hikes. But I am a little afraid for my ankles sometimes and don't always feel as confident as I did the merrels.

So long story short. Disc golf will chew through them all.

 

[Dan Ensor]

I have great luck with $20 Wal-Mart shoes. You just have to find tread patterns that aren't going to fail catastrophically. Single piece that aren't too aggressive.

Sure, your Vibrams are going to last longer (assuming no catastrophic failure), but not 4-10x longer.

 

[4ormal]

My keens with Vibram soles are going on 2 years of strictly disc golfing. I ended up ripping a small part of the mesh upper while doing some course work, but they other than that they are still going strong. I would buy again for the $90 I spent on them. They have lasted a lot longer than every other pair of "non" disc golf purposed shoe I've had in the past.

 

[frasnow]

The Vibram soles fell off my Merrells. I've been much happier with Keens.

 

[Lazerface]

That's the thing about disc golf shoes. You want softer rubber soles for grip, but those tend to wear out faster. You can find a shoe that is all terrain and has lots of tread depth, but the rubber is rigid. I have never been a fan because I tend to slip more with those types, especially in wet conditions. I actually prefer flat soled shoes on concrete when it's wet - at that point it just comes down to surface area, but a Samba ain't gonna cut the mustard in a mucky fairway or natural tee.

It's all just so complex

 

[Moose33]

There are plenty of good shoes out there from many manufacturers.

But I will say this; I've had 8 pairs of shoes with Vibram soles from 3 different companies. It's never been the sole that broke down first. On the 5Fingers I've had the straps or uppers usually tear off. The Timberland's just start to look like junk, they are actually still usable for yard work. The Merrills it's usually the side of the uppers by my pinky toe. For some reason on many shoes I will wear a hole there. It's very strange.