Feiyue High Top Shoes

This is the first pair of Feiyue shoes that I have liked. Maybe it's the high-tops that I like but perhaps it's the sole of the shoe is less sticky than previous pairs of Feiyue shoes I've tried. Feiyue shoes were originally designed for Wu Shu performers who work on carpet so the shoes didn't work very well on gym floors or linoleum tile where the rubber soles adhered too well and could cause knee or ankle injuries. My 20 year old traditional Hong Kong hand made Kung Fu shoes finally gave up so I decided to give these Feiyue High-Tops a chance. Not bad at all, very comfortable and with just the right amount of slip on hardwood gym floors.Update:After using these for a few weeks I have to change my assessment of these shoes. While they work fine on hardwood gym floors, they are not good on regularly waxed linoleum floors. Much too sticky, bad for the knees and ankles. The shoes themselves are not wearing well. An eyelet on one shoe popped out and can't be reset. The interior of one shoe has shifted and is now lumpy with no obvious fix. Down from four to three stars.

For anyone who is unsure, these are the Chinese Feiyue, not the French version. They're also NOT produced by the original manufacturer Top One, but by Tiger Claw. I bought them to wear in my boxing and kickboxing classes (3-4 times a week, 1-2 hours each time).I wear size 8 1/2 to 9 1/2 women's normally, and the 40s did feel big at first, but once I started wearing them with thicker cotton gym socks, it wasn't a problem. Like other people mentioned, they are quite wide, but I don't think I'd be comfortable buying a size smaller. The laces are also very long, even double-knotted.As for using them to train, the first few weeks of wearing them were a bit rough because while the ball of the foot has great support, the signature ridges on the sole initially made pivots and roundhouse kicks hard to do on a carpeted gym floor. But after a few weeks, those ridges smoothed down--almost too quickly, to be honest. Yesterday my left shoe developed a hole in the sole, right on the ball where I pivot.That said, these still get four stars because they are so dang lightweight, comfortable and inexpensive. I love that the entire toe section is solid rubber. With traditional sneakers, my biggest problem was that after doing a lot of burpees, lunges, mountain-climbers, etc. the tip of the shoe where the sole curves up over the toes would start to peel off. That made doing those exercises quite annoying because the tip would then catch on the floor and make me trip.I also liked the Feiyues for jogging short distances, but they unfortunately don't have a ton of arch support, so you really have to train yourself to jog on the balls of your feet. (Which is what you're supposed to do anyway, right?) Would NOT recommend this for heel-strikers. All in all, given the price, I wouldn't mind having to buy a new pair annually. I've read the Top One-manufactured Feiyues have better quality soles, so I've just purchased a pair from KungFuDirect.com, as they don't appear to be sold on Amazon.

I originally bought the low-tops for kung fu- I am a beginner. I wear a size 9 to 10 women's and bought the 40s (9.5) in both the low and high tops, and they fit about right. Both low and high tops definitely run wide (I have average feet), and maybe a little short, but I could tell that sizing up or down wouldn't help- this is about the ideal balance.The low tops fit fine except for the laces- I tied them tight because they were too wide for my feet, and the laces put a lot of pressure on the top of my foot. Unlike running shoes/other athletic shoes, they aren't padded on the uppers, so lacing them tight enough to make them feel less wide put a ton of pressure on the tendons of my feet. I tried lacing them more loosely and they were more comfortable, but still a little uncomfortable in the lace area. I realized that the extreme low cut of the shoe was a major part of the problem- the shoes tied about an inch lower on the foot than normal shoes, and I guess they tied right on a pressure point for me- whereas normal shoes are cut to just below the ankle and can be tightened there. I have unusually sensitive and kind of bony feet, so this wouldn't necessarily be a problem for someone else (my boyfriend likes his low tops fine- he wears a 44 and he's a size 10.5 wide men's) but if you're not used to wearing very low-cut shoes they might take some getting used to. We both found that the foot can definitely slip out of them pretty easily- I could easily remove them without untying- but probably wouldn't slip out during walking or working out.These high-tops are a definite improvement. They're still a little wide, but I can lace them more tightly without discomfort so I don't notice the width as much. I don't feel any pressure on the top of my foot since I can tighten them around the ankle. The tongue of the shoe bunches a little but it's not too distracting. Based on a recommendation on a martial arts forum, I laced them "over under" [..Ian's shoelace site..]) instead of in the standard criscross pattern to make them easier to loosen/tighten and I think it lets me get them tighter without as much of a tongue bunching problem. They are much more solidly on my feet- these definitely can't be removed without unlacing. The cushioning is just as great as in the first pair, they fit about the same, and they're not noticeably heavier- I was worried about that since someone else mentioned it. They did NOT come with a bag, though, unlike the low tops, which is a little annoying. I can find something else, but I wish they had. They came in a deceptively small shoebox.I'll update later on with the life of the shoes and what I think of them during kung fu.Update a month into use- I do about five to six hours of kung fu per week, with a little walking on my way from the car to class. The shoes are showing some wear on the treads, but it's cut down on the squeakiness and grippiness which isn't a bad thing- I actually wish they were less grippy than they are even now. While they're still too short (I find them a little uncomfortable when walking outside of class) I don't notice it at all when doing kung fu, and they're much more stable/ comfortable than my normal shoes for side-to-side movements. They still feel wide but it's not too noticeable during class. I wish they would lace tighter at the ankle- there's a minimum diameter and it's bigger than my ankle. However, overall very happy and the cushioning helps a lot.

I bought these but had an issue with one of them. The customer service I received was absolutely excellent and they took care of the issue immediately. These are a very good deal for the price they are charging. I use them for Krav Maga. There was a guy in my class who has had the same Feiyue shoes for a couple of years, and his look like he walked around the planet twice wearing them. They are old! But they are holding up well for him, so that is good news.

Love these shoes. I bought the low tops a year or so ago for Krav Maga and ended up using them for the gym because they are now profile heals. Perfection. Easy wash if needed. Holding up very well. Wore them to do some yard work and was very happy yet again. I thought I would give the high tops a try and they do not disappoint. Very comfortable and do the job. Great price too. I have had several people ask me where I got them. I will buy again when the time comes.