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Tuesday, August 23, 2011

In Search of the Perfect Summer Sandal: SOLE™ Casual Flips

If you’ve spent your life strolling around on the traditional one-size-fits-all flip flop then you’ve been living your life on little more than a flat cardboard platform.  While you thought you’re feet were gaining freedom, the reality is that you’ve been forcing your body to work harder to keep those flips on, aggravating any existing biomechanic problems you may have. 
Enter SOLE™, a footwear company out to shatter the traditional one-size-fits-all flip-flop paradigm.  
SOLE understands that like fingerprints, your feet are unique. As such the've created a casual styled flip flop that provides custom support and cushioning courtesy of the SOLE Wear Moldable™ footbed which molds to your unique foot shape, providing unmatched comfort and support.
On Style and Performance…
Who knew that living an eco-friendly and sustainable lifestyle would also allow you to look so chic?  A gender-specific strap is composed from 50% hemp and 50% recycled polyester.  Both the men and women’s version come with patterned/embroidered straps that give these flips the definitive "sweeeet" factor when you first pull them from the box.
The magic ingredient of the SOLE casual sandals is cork.  Yup… cork.  SOLE has been researching cork and working on developing products with it since 2008.  Through their research SOLE discovered that they could replace some petroleum-based foam with cork and not reduce the performance of their footwear.  Using 35% cork in the footbed and midsole, the Casual Flips reduce impact on your feet and the environment.  Our field testers were truly impressed by give and natural shock absorbing qualities of the cork footbed.
More than being stylish and environmentally friendly, the SOLE casual flips are a great sandal for your tired feet after any adventure.  The full and roomy shape, contoured cork footbed and deep heel all combine to holistically support your feet in their natural and free form. It’s this free and full support that shapes and molds to your foot over time supporting the body and allowing your feet to recover.  In other words, this flip not only wows at summer BBQ's, it's the perfect post workout sandal for runners and weekend warriors alike.
And when the rubber hits the road, the non-marking rubber outsoles boasts tremendous traction.  In fact the traction on these casual flips exceeded that of some “performance” based flips we’ve tested.  The grip smooths out your step on gravely roads, uneven boardwalks, and unexpectedly rough cement steps outside your local organic grocery store.
Room for Improvement…
The SOLE casual flip is changing the way that people view the traditional flip flop for the better.  The design team at SOLE deserves a great deal of credit for the craftsmanship of this flip, although our testers felt that there was one foible: the double stitching on the underside of the strap. 

The 50% Hemp/50% Recycled Polyester strap was comfortable, and wicked away moisture like a shammie, however the double stitching proved to be unforgiving on the back end of the toes.  As a result we were left with tender tootsies and dubious dorsals until these flips were fully broken in.
Bottom Line…
You have certain requirements of flip flops. For one, you like a polished, sophisticated look, and the stylish upper and cork wrapped footbed fit that bill. You also demand comfort and support; the SOLE casual comes through with a first class moldable footbed that cradles and supports your body.  Like your favorite baseball glove or a fine wine these flips will only get better with time.  So whether you’re a fellow outdoor enthusiast or a flip flop connoisseur, you’ll revel in the SOLE line up of casual sandals.

You can get them from the SOLE store for $70 by clicking here.

4 comments:

  1. Wow! Thanks for the great review guys - Matt from SOLE

    ReplyDelete
  2. Cool review! Team Big Mountain AR loves the Sole sandals!

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  3. I don't need to worry for my pair of shoes in this summer season as lots of features for summer season are being posses by Sandals.

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  4. Thanks for the informative post! Buy mens leather sandals online that is perfect blend of style and comfort.

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