Comments on: Saucony Hattori Guest Review by Frederic Brossard

By: Bach Vuong

Bach Vuong — Tue, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

I own a pair of these, and while I do like them for some workouts, I have to admit that there are some shortcomings to the shoe. I'm a barefoot runner, and have been looking for the "perfect shoe". Here are some of my gripes about these shoes:

- I've been running with them in 100 degree temperatures in Washington DC and can say that these shoes DO NOT breath well at all. I'm a barefoot runner and typically run with no socks. Even with no socks, I feel like my feet are soaked and on fire. I can't imagine running with these with socks on. It must feel like an oven. I think they are just uncomfortable over 85 degrees. it's so hot, it's insane.

- I do not get any blisters under my feet, but the back of the shoe has caused some blistering here and there. Not all the time...quite random in fact.

- Slippage, I feel like my feet slip in them quite a bit. More movement in the shoe than I would like. The fit is good, but I really think it's due to the lack of a lacing system. I have a pair of KSO's and they don't slip as much. In these, I definitely feel a bit of lateral and vertical movement. I think a light weight lacing system would do the trick.

- Strange knee pains in my left leg with sprint workouts and drills. I don't get this at all with my Piranha SP3's or in barefoot. But for sure, the day after strength buiding exercises in these, I have pain in my left knee.

Overall, I think it's a pretty good shoe. It can improve some, but I think the build quality and comfort is there, especially for running barefoot.

By: Lou

Lou — Tue, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

And vitamin D can be considered as natural athletic performance enhancer. East Germany and USSR knew about it... back in 1950 or 1960s...

Chicago Blackhawks have been making sure their players are getting enough vitamin D, about 5,000 IU a day...

If you don't know much about it, you're missing out a lot of valuable information from Vitamin D Council.

By: Matt

Matt — Tue, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

I get the same blisters when I go sockless.

By: Pete Larson

Pete Larson — Tue, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

In reply to Bach Vuong.

I agree completely with your comment about fit - too much slip and slide in
the forefoot.

By: Lou

Lou — Tue, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

I wonder if stress fracture had to do with vitamin D deficiency which is much more widespread than realized thanks to poor research in the old days. As you know that vitamin D is needed for bone strength, the problem is that the recommended amount is FAR less than optimal needed for bone health. Gov't agencies recommends only 600 IU a day. The ACTUAL vitamin D experts recommend much more in the neighborhood of 2000-5000 IU a day! A cup of milk only contains 100 IU of vitamin D. Sunbathing between 10am and 2 pm for 30 minutes will give you 10,000-20,000 IU (for Caucasians, black people need 6-10 times longer of sun exposure to get same amount of vitamin D which would explain why very large percentage of them have vitamin D deficiency). We're being constantly told that sun is bad for you and apply sunblock all the time which ironically lead to significant higher risk of getting one of 18 different cancers including melanoma skin cancer. Ironic but true. You'd have to visit vitamin D council website for much more accurate information and yes, everything comes from pubmed that apparently most doctors don't even bother to learn about vitamin D...

By: Alex Beecher

Alex Beecher — Tue, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

I like this shoe. It's not perfect, and as people have noted, your foot can move around a bit. And I don't expect that it will wear incredibly well, nor would I use them on all surfaces. However, since the vast majority of my activity takes place on hard, unnatural surfaces (treadmill, pavement, gravel, etc.), I find the touch of cushioning to be a bonus. Primarily, I think they make great casual and gym wear shoes. The level profile makes them optimal for deadlifting and squatting, activities runners should all engage in. The aesthetics are questionable, but I like them. Overall, I think the Hattori is a very good, multi-purpose shoe for a wide variety of activities.