Men's Saucony Hattori

Comments about Mens Saucony Hattori Running Shoe:

I bought these after reading a couple of initial reviews on-line. I have been running barefoot and in VFF Bikilas for over a year now. I love the Bikila for up to about 5 miles, but after that I want a little cushion. The Hattori fits the bill.

While there isn't much more cushion than the Bikila in terms of millimeters, the difference is noticeable. The Hattoris feel slightly cushy while still offering a lot of flexibility and ground feel.

My first run was a 5-miler just today, and I enjoyed the feel of the Hattoris. They took a bit of getting used to because, while the sole is cushioned, there is next to nothing up top, i.e. the upper is really thin. Mid-stride, when my foot was in the air, it felt like I didn't have a shoe on at all. The inside of the upper is very smooth with only one little seam that I can see (but not feel).

Because the Hattoris have more cushion, the sole is noticeably stiffer than the Bikilas, but its an acceptable trade-off. Sometimes, ground feel isn't everything. Bear in mind that when I say that this shoe is cushioned, it is relative to the VFF. In the grand scheme of things, this is a very minimally cushioned shoe (as compared to say the Kinvara or any other more built-up shoe).

Some reviewers have said that their feet move around a bit in the Hattoris, and I agree somewhat. I wore 12s when I wore cusion shoes, so I went with 12 in the Hattoris. I think the movement comes from the sole being nice and wide to accommodate the splaying of the toes. If your foot is not as wide as the toebox, it is going to move some upon landing. My foot has widened with minimalist/barefoot running, and I found this shoe to be plenty wide enough. I did not experience any hotspots on my run.

I took most of my first run slow to get used to the feel. It is definitely easy to achieve a midfoot landing in the Hattori. Where it really shined was when I picked up the speed for a quarter mile or so. At the higher pace, they really felt great.

My only real issue is with the upper. Every few steps, I could feel my toes kind of "catch" the mesh upper material at the very front. It wasn't too annoying though and didn't affect my stride.

I am also worried about the durability of the upper. It's really just mesh glued to the rubber. There is a plasticky material there that I assume is to prevent tears. We'll see how that holds up over time.

As for the sole material, I haven't noticed any wear so far, but then I've only got 5 miles on them. It is the same rubber as is used in the Kinvaras, so it is durable without being black carbon rubber.

Overall, I think this is a great shoe, but it is NOT for everybody. The comfort is just about unbeatable. It's like wearing a cushioned mesh sock. The breathability is unmatched in any other full-coverage shoe I have tried.

I plan on using the Hattori in combination with shorter barefoot runs and mid-distance runs in Bikilas. I can't wait to give them a try on a good long run this weekend.

Comments about Mens Saucony Hattori Running Shoe:

For the past two years, I have been transitioning my running towards minimalism shoes. Yes, it is trendy, but I am sold on the perceived science so far. I am really stoked with these Saucony Hattori shoes though. These simply feel like the best shoes ever and yes, do go a half size up. Aside from that, nearly perfect is all I can say.

Comments about Mens Saucony Hattori Running Shoe:

If you're heading minimalist, which I highly recommend, this is a great shoe. The Hattori is zero drop from heel to forefoot, and I have found that makes a big difference in allowing proper forefoot strike technique. My previous shoes had 4 mm of drop, which eliminated my tibialis anterior (shin muscle) pain, but now that I'm in the Hattoris, I can really put what I'm learning and discovering about barefoot style running to work. The Hattoris are super-light. They allow your feet to get good ground feedback so they can figure out how to land. They feel great without socks--especially after I snugged up the velcro closure a bit more. I'm really happy with them. I'd recommend them highly to someone who is making the switch to minimalist running--particularly since they are zero drop. They do run at least a half size small, so I'd order up. My only other quibble is possibly with the denser pads on the soles. I'd be interested to know Saucony's reason for including them at all and for placing them where they did. If you're new to minimalist, do a little reading and avoid heel striking when running. I have had shin, foot, and knee pain that have disappeared the more I went to flatter, more minimal shoes. The Hattoris are a bold and successful evolution in running shoes.

Comments about Mens Saucony Hattori Running Shoe:

These are the lightest shoes i've ever put on my feet. These shoes shed seconds off of my times. There's no breaking these shoes in because there is nothing to break in. Just an all around great shoe.

Comments about Mens Saucony Hattori Running Shoe:

weightless, comfy. if you run right, you won't need the "support" that these don't supply. however, your calves/achilles will demand some break-in even if the shoes themselves don't. I normally wear a 10.5/45 and got these in 11.5/46 so definitely size up. durability is everybody's question about these. I've had them for more than a month, running 3-4 times/wk with no signs of wear so far. all in all, ideal for treadmill/street use. I look at shoes with laces now and wonder... why bother?

Comments about Mens Saucony Hattori Running Shoe:

I run between 50-80 miles a week, depending on the season. These shoes are wonderful. Saucony did so many things right when they designed these shoes. If you follow good form (aka Pose, Chi) your feet will land perfectly on the rubber pods. The Pod under the ball of the foot should be at least a little larger; even with correct landing, the EVA foam is showing early wear. The velcro straps hold the shoe in place, as does the "stretchy" upper. Great shoe Saucony!

Comments about Mens Saucony Hattori Running Shoe:

I am 6'4 210 when I was using these shoes. I used them to run and work out in the gym. They are a true barefoot running shoes. The con that I have is that they wear out extremely quick and tear extremely quick. I used them for about 1 month before they started to tear and rip. I won't recommend them for someone that is knew to the barefoot running because you will hate your life and running for a long time. For what you pay I think they should be more durable than what they were or maybe I was unlucky and got a bad pair

Comments about Mens Saucony Hattori Running Shoe:

I have well over 200 miles into my first pair of Hattoris. It's probably 70% road miles, 30% trail. I still think they are a fantastic shoe, and they are holding up well. The level of wear is totally acceptable. One caveat; if you run in these barefoot, I'd make sure your toenails are cut short. I could imagine a gnarly nail eventually punching through the shoe's top. Another note, I have never had traction problems in these--wet asphalt, sandy rock, etc. Never slipped.

Comments about Mens Saucony Hattori Running Shoe:

I just pulled these out of the box 3 days ago. My first impression is that they looked a little cheap. One of my friends said, "They look like aqua socks." I still love the black/green slime combo. They fit well, and they are super light, almost like wearing nothing at all. They are quite breathable and definitely are minimalist. I used them on the treadmill for a few sets of 5-10 minute runs. I felt significantly faster, and the padding under the balls of my feet was superb. They are comfortable, but my biggest complaint is that the padding on the inside of the shoe has stitching that the tips of my toes continued to rub against during the run. I haven't run in them enough yet, but I suspect this rub will create some blisters at longer distances. Perhaps I need a half a size larger for my toes to rest completely on the pad, but my feet otherwise fit perfectly in them. I love the velcro straps, and there was nothing rubbing on the tops of my feet, which were very comfortable. Overall, I think these are a nice product, but I'll probably switch to something else due to the toe rub.

Comments about Mens Saucony Hattori Running Shoe:

I picked these shoes up at the Boston Marathon Expo (sorry RoadRunner [...]). I had been running in Nike Frees for the past 1 1/2 years. The transition to these was easy. I started back slow (4 mile run one week after Boston). I also took the opportunity to focus on my stride, and eradicate my heel strike (that showed up in several of my Boston Marathon pics). It's been an easy transition with these shoes, given the extremely low heel to toe drop (essentially barefoot running). My calves are understandably sore given their new role in my new running stride; but all-in-all, the switch will help conserve energy and prevent injury on my runs. Great shoe, but I cannot comment on the durability, since they're so new.