Adistar Fencing shoe - Lowtop

These shoes are very nicely made in my opinion, if you look for the right ones with the new reinforced polymer guards in the front. I've tried many other brands and models but none of them stand up to this one in all aspects.

**The front protection needs to be the new plastic version, not fabric, otherwise the wear and tear will rub it away, which is why I suspect some people say these shoes won't last long. I had mine for over an year, I fence 4 times a week and 5 hours per each lesson with heavy footwork. I suspect other fencers may not be doing correct footwork or lacing the shoes correctly.

**The sole is sewn and glued to the shoe, and the materials last longer because of it's construction.

The shoes were uncomfortable before I placed insole pads inside, and the cushioning and fit was excellent afterwards.

**I do not recommend these shoes to people who have more rectangular shaped feet, my friend found these to be a little too tight.

**They're very light weight and have excellent grip compared to other models. I used to rub my feet on my socks to increase traction to clean the shoes, but with these, I don't do it so often since the grip is perfect when it is dusty, not too much grip, or too much slip. If cleaned, the grip is too much, which is why I leave the sole alone, giving me less things to fuss about.

**The shape of the shoe impresses me. There is a small protrusion lining on the sides of each sole, giving extra lining and balance because the pressure is spread over a wider area, but it does so without sacrificing mobility and weight. The shoe itself is shaped and lifts off the ground as if I was wearing nothing at all. The sole has three blue cup indentations, and somehow it feels much better to have a near flat surface with gridded grip and an insole cushion with the three indents than , for example, the thick protruding grip like the ones from Absolute.

**Style isn't important to me, but these shoes are very beautiful, and sleek. If hit on the foot, the top layer, mainly for style and fashion, might tear in extreme cases.

The only thing that I would give a huge down, is the price. It is too expensive for new fencers, and I do not recommend them for anyone without tons of experience since the fencers will most likely not need the added features and will need cheaper shoes to start upgrading, and abusing XD, with.

***two things I need to point out***

1. People who say the front cloth end of the rear foot is ripping, are most likely using the old Adidas model. They shouldn't be rolling their foot like that anyway if they want to keep their ankle being injured.

2. Some people complain about the cushioning. Why? There is ~NO~ cushion. I'm glad they didn't add any. If the right brand padding is added, there would be a near perfect fit for each different fencer, the cushioning could be increased and changed, suiting the style of each individual. The cushion on the insoles that you add are much better than than the cushions other shoes offer. Unless you're looking at Tennis Shoes.

A pretty unique looking shoe with the offset lace-ups and black and silver colors. Light weight with above average traction. Very good fit considering I usually wear a wide shoe. Good support and I can easily fit half length orthotic inside. Nice that they are among the rare German made Adidas when most are made in Asia these days. Mine are about a year and a half old and I fence about 3-4 days a week 9 months a year. The sole on my "rear" one is rapidly disintegrating as is the black reinforced part covering the lunging part (ripped open about 2" long). The very fast wear prevents me from recommending them. Would not buy again as they are a poor value given their high cost.

Piste glue, excellent heel support and cushoning. If people say theyre bad, theyre lying.

These shoes are the only thing I\'ve found that won\'t slip on a dusty gym floor, but there is such a thing as too much traction. Had someone flunge into me and torque my body sideways, which was ok - except that my foot was glued to the floor and didn\'t move with the rest of my leg. Result: stretched knee ligaments that I can only hope won\'t require surgery.



The other problem with these shoes is that if you have pudgy toes and fence in a really long competition, the shoe folds over in such a way as to drive a hardish wedge of fabric into your toes just where the nail bed starts. Result: toenails that chronically blacken and fall off. Really annoying.



The material on the uppers becomes brittle and starts to tear increadibly easily. I theorize they made the uppers silver simply to make the duct tape repairs blend in better. I at least needed my first coating of duct tape about 4 weeks after I bought the shoes.



Whatever happened to the concept of simple shoes, adequately padded?

These shoes look OK, if you\'re into garish shiny stuff. But they are the most uncomfortable (sport) shoes I have ever owned. My foot slid forward in them upon lunging, and I broke my toenail on the hard interior of the shoe. This is not because the shoes were too big - there was less than half an inch of space between the end of my toe and the end of the shoe. This is because the fit is poor, and somebody at Adidas decided not to use any cushioning for these. Also, the entire shoe appears to be made out various materials, all of which are so rigid they could be used to make hammers.



But being so expensive I forced myself to stick with them until they fell apart. Fortunately they fell apart quickly (all those super-tough uncomfortable materials seemed sloppily glued together, and the rubber on the bottom simply started tearing off), so I could better justify spending less money on far better shoes.



As for the price, $200.00 for these shoes is over the top. They have great grip and an appropriate low construction, but the terrible fit, lack of cushioning, and extreme overpricing, are too great drawbacks. With so many better and cheaper shoes, there is no real reason to get these.

These shoes are like racing tires, they provide tremendous grip and stability in the heat of action, but they aren\'t suited for cruising around in. These are the best shoes I have ever worn when it comes to fencing, but they are uncomfortable to just walk around in. I can find a million pairs of shoes that will comfort my feet when I am not in a bout, but these shoes are what I want when I am on the strip.

Just bought a pair of these online and didn\'t have a chance to try them on first. I\'ve always had Adidas fencing shoes so I figured I couldn\'t go wrong with these. Boy was I wrong.



O.k. on the plus side?

Style: sure they look cool.

Traction: Big improvement over the Equipment shoes on wood floors. The soles seem pretty good so far.

Durability: I don\'t expect any fencing shoe to last very long given the amount of practice and abuse on metallic strips.



On the negative side:

There\'s hardly any padding at all in these shoes and they\'re made from mostly stiff plastic. It\'s like fencing in a pair of dress shoes. I\'ve never owned a pair of athletic shoes that were so uncomfortable. The hard plastic used on the toe of the shoe bangs into my foot every time I lunge. Whoever designed these was a complete idiot.

These shoes are...okay. If you have a lot of money to spend.



I used to fence in the Dartagnan I's and the Asymmetrics. Admittedly, I tend to roll my foot a lot when I lunge and this has caused me to wear through those shoes quickly (1 pair every year to year and a half)



It took me merely 3 1/2 months to completely blow a hole through these shoes.



The color scheme is also nothing special, unless you like the silver-under-white look.



To Adidas's credit, the traction on wood floors is better than that of the asymmetrics; however, my asymmetrics are still in wearable condition and I'll be switching back to them.

This shoe, while I disagree with some, I don't think it looks that neat. But, it does have goot traction and fits my narrow foot well. THe biggest problem I had with it was the durability. For the $170 you will pay fo rthis shoe, I would expect pretty good durability, I was extremely disapointed. Fencing on a cheese grater strip for 1 tournament tore it to pieces on the front foot, but even before that for having it less than 4 months I noticed more than normal wear and tare. If you have the money to shell out on shoes, I would recommend but if you are looking for a solid investment, I wouldnt necessarily recommend these shoes

I was sold by the looks of the shoe when I purchased them over the net not really realizing that its skin was a sensational silver. I was dissapointed apon reciept. But looks can be deceiving. The Adistar is a great shoe that is stable and comfortable. I would not trade another in its place. I've had this pair for several months and the shoe is still intact; so I have to say that it is well made. As with most things that are not mass produced, higher digits make up the price, and the Addistar is no exception. I have gotten past the silver colour and find the lins of the shoe to be appealing. If you don't mind the passing comments from fellow fencers such as "what pretty shoes you have" then you should look into getting a pair.

This shoe has provided me with the best grip on metal surfaces and wooden surfaces thus far, and in comparison with the Asymms. However, the fit (particularly around the toes) is not as comfortable in comparison to the Asymms despite the inner liner and sole being more 'cush. I don't mind the color scheme as much as the last reviewer did. The abrasion resistant material doesn't seem to hold up as well as the Asymms did, but that could be due to the fact that it's black on the Adistars and when it rubs off it's more noticeable than the white material on the Asymms. I don't find this shoe to be more stable than the Asymms, and if anything, I feel that I'm 'riding' a little higher than on the Asymms.



The price on this shoe is something to behold and will lighten your wallet a-bit, especially from American vendors now since the EURO is stronger than our dollar right now.

OK, the Fit/Style is where I draw the line in this review. I love the fit and feel of this shoe and overall it performs very well. Stability gets a HUGE plus as this shoe helps to keep you firmly on the strip. However, color choice is a big thumbs down.... Everytime I where them, I feel like clicking my heals together and saying "there's no place like home, there's no place like home". They should have stuck to simplicity with their color scheme.