No Shoe Laces Required
Written: Dec 28 '06
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Product Rating:
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Pros: No laces
Cons: Questionable durability, hard to tighten enough
The Bottom Line: As with most Foot Joy shoes, the weatherproofing is great. Other questions arise.
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| lmh3's Full Review: FootJoy Reelfit Golf Shoes |
Foot Joy has been a dominant player on the PGA Tour when it comes to footwear. The one area they had fallen behind in was using new technology to enhance the performance and comfort of their shoes. This has been addressed with the introduction of the Reelfit shoe, one of the most technologically advanced shoes on the market.
The first thing that you will notice when you try on the Reelfit shoes is the lack of traditional shoe laces. Foot Joy has utilized Boa technology to create a lace free closure system for the shoe. It uses 49 strands of aircraft grade steel to create a customized fit that will not loosen over the course of the round. These strands are woven together to create a single lace that winds through low friction lace guides that are placed where traditional eyelets are located. This allows for a snug fit without putting any extra stress on pressure points in the foot, this results in less fatigue in the foot as you walk the course. The reel on the back of the shoe works very easily, when the reel is pushed against the shoe, you turn it clock wise to tighten the lace, pull the middle of the reel out and pull the shoe apart to loosen them.
The heel of the shoe features the GelCollar that was first introduced in the Gel Fusion shoes. This allows the achilles tendon to settle into a soft portion of the shoe which well absorb moisture and form a gel that molds to the exact shape of your heel for a snug fit without rubbing that causes blisters. The upper portion of the shoe is made from Pittards leather which offers extreme water proofing. The Extreme Comfort Leather (ECL) features a membrane free system that maintains a 2 year waterproof warranty. The highly cushioned EVA midsole provides an incredible amount of cushioning in the heel. The forefoot flex channel on the sole produces a highly flexible point in the shoe for comfort and balance through the swing. The Tri-Density Outsole utilizes three different density materials strategically placed in the shoe for added stability, comfort, and durability.
Having been a fan of Foot Joy shoes for years, I was eager to see how the ReelFit shoes actually performed. It was a great idea, a classic looking golf shoe with no laces that could still produce a tight, customized fit. I was somewhat disappointed when I actually got to try them on and take a few swings in them. The reel system for tightening was not as easy to operate as I thought it would be. It took a lot of turns to fully tighten the shoe, which never seemed to get tight enough. I felt as though I needed a wrench to fully turn the reel to get the shoe to fit as tightly as I like. If you have a somewhat oddly shaped foot, or don't fit perfectly into a full or half size, the ReelFit may give you the same problem. Needless to say, I was not all that confident when I went to the range, seeing as I was not able to get the shoes as tight as I wanted to, so I was not going to swing as hard as I normally do. When it came to walking, EVA midsole and Tri-Density Outsole made it very comfortable to walk. The cushioning you get from these two features absorb most of the shock from impacting the ground. I'm also not sold on the durability of these shoes either, I have had a couple of pairs in the shop that the mechanism locked and you were not able to loosen the cable to get the shoe on, not the best thing if it's still on your foot.
While a great idea, this shoe still has a few question marks in my eyes. I would wait until they get the bugs worked out and try a pair next season. At $200 a pair, it's not a cheap investment and while Foot Joy has always been good about backing their product, it would be disappointing to have to send them back after a few rounds.
Recommended:
No
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lmh3
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Location: North Carolina
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