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Sole Runner Test: The Trainer FX 3, barefoot shoe for everyday life

by · 5. February 2023

This barefoot shoe test is about the Sole Runner Trainer FX 3. With a Sole Runner shoe I learned to walk naturally. After this shoe was discarded, I had to get a new one. What I noticed on the new shoe you can learn in this Sole Runner Test.

Bulletpoints

  • Sporty appearance
  • Good processing
  • Very comfortable
  • Real barefoot feeling
  • Slightly slippery sole
  • Made of breathable plastic
  • Best for leisure time

First impression and appearance

The Trainer FX 3 made a good first impression. It has a sporty and simple look with a flat sole. No frills and no flashy colors. The rubber lacing is slightly covered with a velcro fastener. A very inconspicuous shoe with a sporty look.

What naturally stands out when you take the shoe in your hand is the light weight. Shouldn’t be more than 200 g. In any case they are lighter than the Leguano active.

Workmanship of the Sole Runner Trainer FX 3

Everything fits on this shoe from the processing. Clean stitching and neatly glued sole. You can see the handwork on the shoe.

The sole has a surrounding rubber edge. Thus, no water can penetrate. Flat puddles are therefore no problem. Not a drop gets through.

Fit and wearing comfort

Here I see the greatest strength of the Sole Runner. So far it offers the most space of all barefoot shoes I have tested. Because it is very wide. It is perfect for my wide feet.

With this space the foot has the possibility to “breathe”. My feet tend to sweat quickly. But not in the Sole Runner Trainer FX 3. Even after a long working day with a lot of movement there was no trace of wetness.

When I wear this shoe and am lost in thought, I often forget that I am wearing shoes at all. It simply does not pinch or rub anything.

Barefoot feeling

Also the barefoot feeling is one of the biggest strengths of the Sole Runner. With its 2 mm thin sole, I feel the ground very strongly. This is usually a very nice feeling. Very sharp stones you can of course also notice, which is often unpleasant. But that is what barefoot running is all about.

Slip resistance of the sole

No shoe can be perfect. So the slip resistance is the big disadvantage of this shoe. Because the sole has no profile, the shoe offers little grip.

We went for a walk in the forest. It was a bit downhill on wet leaves. I slipped several times and landed on my butt. Another time our cleaning lady wiped freshly in the practice. I was walking quickly, suddenly had to brake and slipped on the wet floor. Another crash landing on my butt.

Here I wish for a little more safety. In the Leguano active or the Vivobarefoot Primus Trail Firm Ground such a thing would not have happened.

Material

Like many barefoot shoes, this shoe is also synthetic. The upper material is a synthetic mesh fabric and the sole is made of rubber.

Fortunately the upper material is water-repellent, so the feet stay dry in light rain. But it is not waterproof.

The sole is waterproof and so is the transition to the shoe. This prevents water from entering the shoe when the puddles are flatter.

Field of use

I use the Sole Runner now mainly for everyday things like shopping, short walks on asphalt and long walks in the forest on firm paths. It is also suitable for sports when the feet are standing still, i.e.: weight training, yoga, archery. For very dynamic sports such as crossfit, sprinting, trail running I clearly recommend the Vibram Five Fingers. I tried the Sole Runner once as running shoes and never again afterwards, because you feel too many stones and therefore you can’t run in every terrain. The many space in the shoes makes it lack grip in sports, but is unbeatable in normal everyday life.

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