8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Most comfortable MBT casual shoe - not a walking shoe, March 31, 2011
This review is from: MBT Women's Lami Casual Sport Mary Jane (Apparel)
WARNING: MBT has informed me that while Amazon, LLC is an authorized reseller of genuine MBT shoes, Amazon Marketplace has authorized and UNauthorized sellers. Some of the MBTs being offered on Amazon.com by Marketplace sellers are COUNTERFEITS. Everyone has known for some time that most of the MBT shoes being sold on eBay are counterfeits (cheap knock-offs) and now apparently they have snuck in here. There is no check done by Amazon to make sure their Marketplace sellers are selling genuine MBTs and not counterfeit MBTs; they rely upon customers to tell them after they have received them that they are fakes. This can be difficult as while some counterfeits are obvious, others are very clever and the average MBT customer may not be able to tell that the workmanship or materials are substandard until after the Amazon return window has closed! If you like counterfeit shoes that is fine, but you can usually find them for about $30 which is why crooks like to try to pass them off as genuine selling them for the full MSRP and pocket the difference.
I think I have owned the entire line of MBT shoes for women that fit me for some time. This MBT Women's Lami Casual Sport Mary Jane and the MBT Kaya Mary Jane are my first choices for when I am going to be out all day. They are the most comfortable through the top of my foot and still has all the shock absorption and rocking benefits of the MBT line. To me, this shoe doesn't feel as built for intense long walks as my other MBTs. I think this shoe is correctly classified as a casual shoe rather than a walking shoe and I would agree with that - it is my favorite casual shoe but not my choice as a walking shoe.
I will now compare the Lami with the Kaya. Both of these Mary Janes have more give or squish when rocking than the rest of the MBT line thus the classification as a casual shoe instead of a walking shoe. The Kaya is much lighter than the Lami. The Lami feels much more substantial all over than the Kaya. The Kaya has a squarer cut out and shows more of your upper foot - the toe knuckles are exposed but not my toes. Lami comes up much higher against the Achilles tendon and if that is something that is going to bother you as it did some other reviewers, then the Kaya would be a much better choice. The Kaya strap goes across the upper foot just once with the securing strap doubling on the side of the shoe whereas the Lami doubles over the top of the foot for more warmth and less foot exposure. The Lami actually runs in 1/3 sizes but to me eventhough my Lami is 2/3 size smaller than my Kaya, the fit seems the same to me both in width and length as well as arch support. The Lami looks sportier than the Kaya. I own them both and wear them both often. Both are excellent shoes.
The Tunisha Mary Jane is similar to the MBT Lami and Kaya Mary Janes but
New MBT Tunisha Womens Fitness Shoes - Cork - SIZE US 7 has no arch support - it is for people with flat feet.
MBT technology and superior materials allow many people to walk pain-free that wouldn't otherwise due to a variety of medical conditions. Just read all the testimonies about how people love being able to walk pain-free because of this shoe. The MBT shoes were originally designed as medical devices and then marketed to the general public; they help people with pain in many places including feet, knees, hips, spine, back, and neck by changing your posture, absorbing shock, stretching and strengthening various muscles and the neurolomuscular effects of rocking. If you are just wanting the rocking technology, there are lots of copycats out there such as Skecher and Aspire but the quality of material used does not compare to MBT. Someone told me that I had spent $200 unnecessarily because their shoe was the same and I went and tried on the Skecher and Aspire and let me tell you that yes they rock but the quality of materials used is not the same at all. The MBT absorbs shock 1000 times better than Skecher or Aspire for one thing which is crucial to my shoe selection for me.
MBT technology also "raises your bottom line" and if you aren't used to them, you will be needing to stretch out and you will be sore let me warn you. A neighbor told me they read a newspaper article that said toning shoes don't work and all i can say is they must not have worn MBT! Anyone switching to MBT from other non-toning shoes will wake up the next morning SORE like you overdid it at the gym. Muscles would not get sore like that if they were not getting more exercise than they are used to. Also when one gets to be over 30 or 40 years old, your balance muscles start deteriorating which is why you hear of senior losing their balance and falling down; the tone-up shoes target these balance muscles.
Here is my summary on the MBT shoes for Women I worn or tried on:
MBT SHOES:
best walking - grey Maliza (and the Casual Black which I think is discontinued)
most comfortable lightweight shoe - Kaya Mary Jane
most comfortable with high achilles tendon support - Lami Mary Jane
best for long narrow feet - Fora
best for narrow feet - Wingu
best for small ankles - Patent Nama
best for large/swollen ankles or diabetics - Sport (this is a unisex shoe)
best for flat feet - Tunisha Mary Jane
if you like it real tight across the lacing area - Zuri
most annoying/high maintenance - Chapa Trail
MBT SANDALS:
prettiest - Staka
best walking - Kisumu2
most comfortable - Kisumu (original, not Kisumu2)
best standing - Panda
best for long narrow feet - Habari
dressiest if the buckle rubbing your ankle doesn't bother you too much - Salama
For those on a budget, I get just as much toning benefit and pain-free walking with Rebook SimplyTone. The SimplyTone also works your inner and outer thigh and gives more of a leg workout than a bottom-line workout. It offers just as much shock absorption and pain-free walking as the MBT and both are better than the Mephisto line for shock absorption which is what I wore previously. However, you might really miss the rocking of the MBT line which I believe has a very relaxing effect neuromuscularly as well as neurologically.
MBTs run small compared to other shoes. In MBT, I wear a full-size (not half-size) larger than in most other shoes.
FAQs
Questions about usage
1. Q: Do they reduce cellulite?
A: MBT shoes were developed as a medical device. In the past few years we have learned about the toning effects. MBT shoes help to tone and firm the muscles of the abdomen, buttocks, thighs and calves and increase circulation. We have lots of positive customer feedback regarding cellulite reduction. Wearing MBT shoes activates the stretch reflex thereby helping tone the postural muscles, improving posture and lengthening the body (which will reduce the appearance of cellulite).
2. Q: Can they help me to lose weight?
A: MBT shoes will help you become more active using more energy during the course of your normal activities of daily living. Wearing the MBT shoes during aerobic exercise will help you burn more calories, thus helping to lose weight and gain a more sculpted appearance.
3. Q: Can I do the following in my MBT shoes: squash, badminton, tennis and football?
A: MBT is designed as an instability shoe to stimulate the muscles responsible for posture and balance. It replicates walking on an uneven surface: so imagine playing squash etc on uneven ground. Therefore it's not suitable to wear MBT shoes for agility sports in general (such as racquet sports, football or dancing).
MBT shoes can be used when exercising with free-weights, step and aerobics. These activities should only be taken up once you are used to walking correctly in the MBTs and have reached a good fitness level (approximately 12 weeks).
4. Q: How long should I wear my MBT shoes for at first?
A: MBT usage should be between 1 to 2 hours per day for the first week, and then gradually building up the time, until the MBT can be comfortably worn for over 2 hours, by which time muscle activation and proprioceptive feedback are sufficiently attuned to wear the MBT all day, every day. If applied as a medical or therapeutic tool, make sure you refer to a health specialist. The amount of time you are able to tolerate wearing the shoes will depend upon your initial level of fitness and health. Basically, there's just one simple rule: listen to your body!
5. Q: Does body weight have an influence on wearing MBT shoes?
A: MBT shoes can be worn both by light and heavy people. In the case of very high body weight, it is possible that the soft part of the sole may wear out and require replacement sooner.
6. Q: I love my MBT shoes and want to wear them all of the time, but I'm getting blisters on my heels, what can I do?
A: Do you have the right size?
MBT shoes should be snug on the instep, tight on the heel and comfortable on the toe. If there is any slipping at the heel it is possible that they are too large for you, or if your foot feels as though it is struggling to move but can't, it may be that they are too small. In either case you need to return to the dealer where you bought them so that they can check the fitting.
Are your laces tight enough?
It might seem obvious that you'd need to do up your shoes tightly but this does really make a difference. Pull the laces firmly from the very front of the foot to ensure that the foot is held snugly and does not slip. You will usually gain about an inch of lace by doing this and, for most people, this will be enough to make sure they stay snug.
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