Background: I purchased the Prios in March of 2022 and have worn (abused) them an average of 8 hours a week for the last two years. I bought the Prios following a severe high-ankle sprain I sustained while running in a maximalist foam shoe. After I graduated from my crutches the Prios lended themselves well to daily physical therapy, and were instrumental in helping me retrain my proprioception. Since then I have primarily used the Prios for amateur boxing training (jump roping, sparring, shadow boxing, and high intensity calisthenics). I also wore these shoes for short runs (≤3 miles), weight room sessions, slacklining, and running errands around town. For reference I am 190 lbs (86 kg) and wear a men's size 11.5. It is finally time to replace my Prios, and while ... MoreBackground: I purchased the Prios in March of 2022 and have worn (abused) them an average of 8 hours a week for the last two years. I bought the Prios following a severe high-ankle sprain I sustained while running in a maximalist foam shoe. After I graduated from my crutches the Prios lended themselves well to daily physical therapy, and were instrumental in helping me retrain my proprioception. Since then I have primarily used the Prios for amateur boxing training (jump roping, sparring, shadow boxing, and high intensity calisthenics). I also wore these shoes for short runs (≤3 miles), weight room sessions, slacklining, and running errands around town. For reference I am 190 lbs (86 kg) and wear a men's size 11.5. It is finally time to replace my Prios, and while I'm curious about other Xero models my experience with the Prios was so positive than I am reluctant to switch styles.Read on for pros, cons, summary, and suggestions:Pros: The shoes were comfortable out of the box and ran true to size. True to Xero's marketing I did not wear out the outsole. Boxing footwork puts tremendous lateral and rotational stress on shoe sidewalls and soles respectively. In my 8 years of boxing I have worn a variety of footwear, and the Prios were as durable and comfortable as any shoe I have abused, with the added bonus of being a barefoot trainer. Being able to root and connect to the ground helps with my balance and power transfer, and the thin soles are essential for maintaining the agility required for ringwork (the vast majority of wrestling and boxing shoes tend to be low-no drop for this reason, but most of them are stiff and cram your toes into a tight, pointy box). The fact that this shoe survived two years of this type of training is remarkable. I never had a lace or strap break, the mesh upper remains intact, and I experienced only minimal flaking of the leather toe cap. This shoe is very breathable, and even though I sweat through them every session (my coach insists on keeping the gym at 90 degrees F (32.2 degrees C)) they were always bone dry the next day. Unlike the rest of my boxing kit and other shoes I've worn, the Prios resisted funky foot smell admirably and are easy to wash. They also travel well and pack into a gym bag or suitcase better than any shoe I've previously worn. While serious powerlifters seem to be all about high-drop platforms, I felt grounded, balanced, and explosive while wearing the Prios for weighted single-leg exercises, sled pushes, box jumps, deadlifts, and squats. Likewise the protection and connection of the shoe is well adapted to slacklining outside when sharp sticks and stones are too much for bare feet.Cons: About 18 months in I did wear a hole clean through the honeycomb insole where the ball of my foot swivels while throwing my cross (dominant hand punch). This is not unusual or unique to Xero shoes, and I considered just buying a replacement pair of insoles (found under the "accessories" section of the website), but found the shipping cost to be prohibitive relative to the cost of the insoles themselves. Given the discrepancy in durability between the insoles and outsoles, it would be nice if shipping on replacement insoles were free. Instead I toughed it out with holy insoles for another six months, during which the uppers began to slightly separate from the outsole creating a mild (~5mm) flapper. This wasn't a failure of the sole itself, but an inevitable breakdown of the adhesive that joins the upper and outsole together. Other boxing shoes I have worn have had physical stitching connecting the outsole to the upper which may mitigate this issue better than glue alone.Summary: I suspect Xero was striving to put the "-prio," in proprioception when they conceived these shoes, and overall they did a fantastic job. The combination of biofeedback and protection provided by this shoe strikes a highly functional compromise that is great for physical therapy, agility, HIIT, martial arts, balance, and general fitness training. You can expect better than average durability out of these shoes, accordingly you can expect to wear through the insoles before the rest of the shoe is ready for retirement, so plan and purchase replacement insoles accordingly. Overall this is an outstanding piece of equipment for the money and I will be buying a second pair. Strong work Xero shoes!Suggestions: Xero, if you're listening, please provide free shipping on replacement insoles, and considering offering a free replacement pair per shoe purchase. The life of the outsoles is great, but holy insoles are no good! Your shoes are surprisingly durable, but if the connection between the uppers and outsoles were reinforced (say, by integrating high-tensile connective stitching in addition to adhesive), this shoe would be truly bomber. Lastly, if your shoes were carried at an in-person retailer (say, REI stores) I suspect it would be a win-win for your companies, and a win for consumers as well. Being able to try on your shoes in-store would introduce more feet to relative freedom, with the ancillary benefit of expediting returns without cumbersome shipping arrangements.*If you found this review helpful please click the thumbs up in the lower right corner of this box so others can find it. Cheers and fight on!*

I shred shoes. I could get nine months out of a pair before I got turned onto Xeros. I've been wearing this pair (second prio, third pair of xero kicks) for TWO YEARS now... walking, running, full time outside work, rain, snow, mountaineering, backpacking - I've had to apply some glue a couple times to keep the uppers and sole together, but they remain intact, wearable, and comfy. The only other footwear I use are sandals and heavyduty snow boots. I went Xero five years ago because I'm mega prone to recurring injury due to blown out ankle ligaments, and my footwear (a popular canvas sneaker) contributed to a bad one while just stepping off a curb onto a crosswalk. After a year of rocking xeros my ankles stopped rolling out from under me randomly. I haven't had any ... MoreI shred shoes. I could get nine months out of a pair before I got turned onto Xeros. I've been wearing this pair (second prio, third pair of xero kicks) for TWO YEARS now... walking, running, full time outside work, rain, snow, mountaineering, backpacking - I've had to apply some glue a couple times to keep the uppers and sole together, but they remain intact, wearable, and comfy. The only other footwear I use are sandals and heavyduty snow boots. I went Xero five years ago because I'm mega prone to recurring injury due to blown out ankle ligaments, and my footwear (a popular canvas sneaker) contributed to a bad one while just stepping off a curb onto a crosswalk. After a year of rocking xeros my ankles stopped rolling out from under me randomly. I haven't had any bad injuries since the one that made me go xeros. I've been a diehard xero'er ever since.I feel that almost every human (not just the 'active' demographic) would prefer lightweight minimalist shoes, once they rebuild their natural shock absorbers and their feet become accustomed to feeling the textures of the earth.

I’ve had these shoes for about a month now (why give a review after one week or so?), so it is about fitting for a new shoe review.I became familiar with the brand after listening to a couple running podcasts (The Strength Running Podcast and Run to the Top) featuring Steven Sashen as their guest. What made me gravitate towards Xero was the foot shaped show pattern, something few companies due. I typically run with Altra or Newton Fate and really wanted to give Xero a try.Right now, I just wear these for everyday purposes; work, home, out and about. The make my feel wonderful after running workouts, my other standard everyday trainers seemed to drag my feet to a lower level. Prio is very comfortable and it didn’t take too long to adjust. The heel claw feel snug ... MoreI’ve had these shoes for about a month now (why give a review after one week or so?), so it is about fitting for a new shoe review.I became familiar with the brand after listening to a couple running podcasts (The Strength Running Podcast and Run to the Top) featuring Steven Sashen as their guest. What made me gravitate towards Xero was the foot shaped show pattern, something few companies due. I typically run with Altra or Newton Fate and really wanted to give Xero a try.Right now, I just wear these for everyday purposes; work, home, out and about. The make my feel wonderful after running workouts, my other standard everyday trainers seemed to drag my feet to a lower level. Prio is very comfortable and it didn’t take too long to adjust. The heel claw feel snug and, as advertised, the toes feel wonderful and free. A real pity many other manufacturers think the human foot resembles that of an elf or some imaginary weird foot. In fact, this shoes is made me hate my Hoka Clifton 8s, so I retired them.I’m % glad I bought these because now I am curious how their other shoes will be for running.