salomon s-lab sense

has anyone tried these yet, looking for feedback they look interesting?

I know a few people who have them. Apparently the sizing is a bit funny on them but if they fit you they are brilliant. Would love to try a pair but seem to be as rare as rocking horse shit over here!

I have a pair, had them for about 3-4 months. Fantastic shoe!! Fit is strange, my S-Lab 5, 5 Softground & Fellcross, I take 9.5. Sense is a 9, very snug in the width, (fat feet, need not apply for this shoe!) but plenty of room in toebox for decents. Because of the width, & with the short lacing limiting the openning, they can be a bit of a struggle to get on & off. Personnally, I had blister on outside of little toe at first - no socks, but once they were broken in, they are so comfortable (like a slipper).  I would definately try before you buy, or at least ensure you can return them. With only a 4mm drop they are definately suited towards forefoot runner, they are very flexible but have a forefoot plate for protection & I wouldn't want to use them if I were a heavyweight. Very responsive, brilliant grip on most terrain (rock, various grades of gravel, hard packed & grass), although i've not used when its been too muddy. Drain & dry quickly too.

Would I buy another pair ... definately!! But, its not a shoe for everyone, guess Im lucky.

Give James a call at Castleberg, he runs in them too, so his advice is well founded & helped me when I was looking to purchase.

thanks I did email castleberg with a few questions about them  I like my shoes loose so I'm not sure if I'd like them but that said I have skinny feet! and less than 50kg so shouldnt require too much cushioning!

Do they have the same curved base under the insole that the fellcross have or are they a bit more anatomical?

I would say more anatomical, more of a racing last. The insole is a flat piece of thin 'felt' type material not the ortho insole. There is little build up around the instep, if thats what you are refering to. This is a minimalist shoe.

Hope that helps

yes thanks I've had sore spots from built up insteps before so flat is definately preferable 

If its any help, Im sure I read that a new version of the sense was coming out probablt SS 2013. I think it will be a bit more substancial than the current Kilian version.

If I find the info, i'll post the link 

Here you go, new for SS2013 - Sense & Sense Mantra:

New Sense 2013

thanks that was interesting. I currently use the Brooks Pure Grit as my  light trail shoe and La Sportiva Crosslites for stickier stuff but the former don't have a rock plate so on long runs over stony ground the ground feel starts to get annoying! and I'm not convinced that the latter have enough cushioning for ultras so I am on the lookout for something in between!

If you havent already, you could do worse than take a look at the SLAB5 or 5 Softground, especially if you prefer your shoe on the loose side

I haven't run in anything with more than a 4mm differential for a few years now though so not sure if they'd work for me

Owned Slab1,2 & 3`s and while they were great along gentle forest fire roads the minute you tried tackling anything off-piste they became very unstable....

thanks for all your help, I've actually just ordered the new Merrell Mix master to try as they are much cheaper but will be keeping an eye on the S-lab sense for the future!