Thanks for your honest review. This is my second winter with the Merrells. Probably have about 100 miles on them, walking on intermittent icy sidewalks and some icy trails. Same observations that you obtained. Have not noticed any change in grip. For real wet icy conditions will still use traction device on footwear. When this first came out there was a lot of hype about how good the sole was on ice. It is better, but not as great as it was presented for everyday conditions.
thanks for the honest review. that clear my thought of buying a pair of boots with vibram artic grip. getting a pair of cheap removable slide on seems more practical.
The video I am looking for comparing vibram soles to studs. Almost was a little disappointed when I saw it being compared to regular boots and then you brought out the surprise in the end. Thank you!
Very interesting comparison...thank you! As a Colorado resident, I must deal with "occasional" ice/snow, I plan to get a pair of Danner Mountain 600 Arctic Slip-on hiking boots, to test that Vibram Arctic outsole. I have the "regular" Mountain 600 Hiking Boots, which are great in mild weather (Their Vibram Outsole offers excellent traction on most any terrain.), so am hopeful that these Vibram Arctic outsoles work adequately on ice. Thanks again for a great review/comparison!
There are studies on them (and by that I mean not by Vibram) and they work well up to a certain angle. There are places that studied falls and they did test best of all the soles. Cleats tested better than any sole. But Vibram Arctic grip tested next best. Vibram has a lot of different soles but it was the Arctic grip that bested all of the other soles tested. There was another type of sole material that also tested pretty good. I think it was called, "Green Diamond" but I have never seen that one.
Plus, I have watched a lot of media testing various winter boots for slip and Vibram Artcic grip Uggs won in this one. th-cam.com/video/3X1W86zt3X8/w-d-xo.html&ab_channel=Cityline
Thanks for a very accurate review. Like you I had a pair of boots I always wore in winter but would slip. I bought over shoe grips and they worked well. This year I needed new boots and bought a pair with Vibram soles. On the whole they are good but unfortunately I have slipped and fallen on black ice.
Thank you for the review. I got artic grip boots as well. And I was slipping even though they supposed to be non slip ice technology boots. Very disappointed in them tbh
Thanks so much for this! Would love it if you post an update in a couple of months too. Saw somewhere that Vibram is only promising 200 miles of non-slip wear with them, and have seen a couple of reviews of shoes with the Arctic Grip soles that claim they lost grippiness quickly. So I'm curious about that...
Late to the party here. It's possible the gravel-bits kept the Arctic Grip from fully contacting the ice. I'm just saying, you did point out the soles were full of gravel.
Please keep doing this type of content i know maybe is kind expensive to do it, really help a lot if you can do for all 4 season you can blow up a least 300k views . I love your content, and the well explained that the content is.
My suggestion is to get Kickspike they're great ( Kickspike.com ) they have retractable spikes, overall my favorite non slip boots, I would highly recommend them.
I can't believe how slippery normal Vibram soles are. With so many shoes using them, including some pretty high end shoe makers, it's a mystery to me why this isn't more widely discussed, so few complaints. People seem to have drunk the marketing kool aid about Vibram soles being a positive selling point when in fact in my experience, in house soles are much better quality. The only other ppl I've seen complaining about Vibram soles are soldiers that have to suffer them on military boots and ended up on their ass regularly, swore they'd never wear them again as a civilian
After one light season, the gripping stopped working. I bought LLBean Stormchaser’s and rest of shoe is in very good shape (as I said, only one winter), and when I contacted Vibram on how to restore gripping, they said they needed to be resoled. Why they worked wonderfully in the beginning, after one winter, they stopped working completely. I will NOT buy again.
Regular UGG soles are amlost or are a definite death wish on ice. I would avoid wearing them during winter, ice snow due to slipping. Glad to see Ugg put vibram arcticc grip on the bottom of the uggs. A definite plus. Vibram soled on Uggs is a plus since they are an expensive shoe. Instead of a sole that wares out in awhile
Thank you so much for this review! I've been doing some research because I have never been through a winter before but I also don't want to fall and all of my research has pointed me to vibram but I didn't know how good it really was. This review was great...think I'll get some of the cleats and a cheaper vibram shoe
I wear the ice cleats when it's really icy, but the arctic grip soles are usually good enough for most winter days days when there's just the odd icy patch.
Okay thank you! One more question...I'm not sure how rough your winters are but would you say that high winter boots are a must or can I get away with a lower boot all winter long?
That really depends where you live. Our winters are really rough and these won't be tall enough for the worst days. Last year there were days that the snow was up almost to my knee when I was walking to work before the snow was cleared. That's only a few days a year, so I figured I'd just deal with it since I couldn't find tall boots in my size that had all the features I wanted.
Yeah that's my problem. I don't want to get a super tall boot when I will only need it like 5 or 10 days in the winter. But again,because its my first winter, I won't really know. So far it seems like they're really good at clearing the snow so I think I'll go for a shorter boot with the vibram...my main thing is not slipping anyways.
Good review actually one of the better Absolutely real honest elevated ice covered driveway reviews and the two Costco purchases tells me you one who likes bulk low cost save for having to buy the money Grab membership purchases. And the best traction is the cheapest Costco wholesale price ice grip traction slip ons. $10 Buck's well spent, $60 Buck's at Work wearhouse now known stupidly only as Canadian Tire takeover #arks.
Better than all of these are ICEBUGS with BUGRIP. available on Amazon, Moosejaw, Backcountry, or on Icebug's own website us-shop.icebug.com. Icebugs are perfect.. They have tiny metal studs in the soles, and do not slip or slide at all. You can also drive in them, unlike Yaktrax. They are in the soles permanently, you don't take them on and off.
Vibram soles are absolute crap. Do not buy them unless you replace them yearly. They are deliberately designed to degrade rapidly and I've had several soles from different brand uppers that simply snap in half. Soul destroying.
You have the advantage of a lot of weight to help you also. I use the LL Bean specified shoes. My SUV weighs about 6,000 lbs. I would guess that you and I weigh about the same in human terms. The LL Bean Arctic are far better controlled than my tactical shoes for normal summer time special op's. In the winter, every ounce of traction gives you an advantage especially in a moment of fast and precise engagement. If I were you, order thing to be delivered to your house and never go out. You don't need to go out for several months of the year. If you do, you can surely put the best all seasons on your SUV and park inside your office building or store.
Thank you so much, you're one of the very few people to make an actual comparison between vibram and cleats. You're a godsend.
Thank you! Literally the best review on the internet about the different options.
Thanks for your honest review. This is my second winter with the Merrells. Probably have about 100 miles on them, walking on intermittent icy sidewalks and some icy trails. Same observations that you obtained. Have not noticed any change in grip. For real wet icy conditions will still use traction device on footwear. When this first came out there was a lot of hype about how good the sole was on ice. It is better, but not as great as it was presented for everyday conditions.
1:32
This was the best video. You nailed exactly what I was looking for! Thank you soooo much for doing this video!!!
Agreed. Was not easy finding a good review like this.
I love this! PLEASE make more testing on products (if you can) your explanation was great too! Thanks!
A review we can trust, thanks!!
Thank you! The best sincere review I’ve found aside from tech babble and commercials!
thanks for the honest review. that clear my thought of buying a pair of boots with vibram artic grip. getting a pair of cheap removable slide on seems more practical.
Excellent, neutral and honest review.
Finally some actual review without hitting the bush all day
This is an awesome video! Thanks so much. I've been helping my mom shop for a new pair of winter boots and your comparison is really helpful.
The video I am looking for comparing vibram soles to studs. Almost was a little disappointed when I saw it being compared to regular boots and then you brought out the surprise in the end. Thank you!
So simple and nice review. Thats so refreshing
Very interesting comparison...thank you! As a Colorado resident, I must deal with "occasional" ice/snow, I plan to get a pair of Danner Mountain 600 Arctic Slip-on hiking boots, to test that Vibram Arctic outsole. I have the "regular" Mountain 600 Hiking Boots, which are great in mild weather (Their Vibram Outsole offers excellent traction on most any terrain.), so am hopeful that these Vibram Arctic outsoles work adequately on ice. Thanks again for a great review/comparison!
How did the boots fair my friend?
Very good review !!! And you tested them outside..Unlike some video that only put a picture or its a narrative video
My first winder in MI and coworkers have been advising me about this so here I am 😃😃
I've never been that impressed with Vibram soles on any type of boot, very good review.
There are studies on them (and by that I mean not by Vibram) and they work well up to a certain angle. There are places that studied falls and they did test best of all the soles. Cleats tested better than any sole. But Vibram Arctic grip tested next best. Vibram has a lot of different soles but it was the Arctic grip that bested all of the other soles tested. There was another type of sole material that also tested pretty good. I think it was called, "Green Diamond" but I have never seen that one.
Plus, I have watched a lot of media testing various winter boots for slip and Vibram Artcic grip Uggs won in this one. th-cam.com/video/3X1W86zt3X8/w-d-xo.html&ab_channel=Cityline
Thank you!
Finally a good informative video. Just wish you were able to compare it with other fancy marketing such as "tarantula grip" and the like.
Very helpful, thank you!
Thanks for a very accurate review. Like you I had a pair of boots I always wore in winter but would slip. I bought over shoe grips and they worked well. This year I needed new boots and bought a pair with Vibram soles. On the whole they are good but unfortunately I have slipped and fallen on black ice.
😪😪😪Bende düştüm. Menisküs ve Yan bağ yırtılmış 9 gündür yatıyorum çok üzgünüm çok 😪😪
Thank you for the review. I got artic grip boots as well. And I was slipping even though they supposed to be non slip ice technology boots. Very disappointed in them tbh
Nice review, thank you
Thanks so much for this! Would love it if you post an update in a couple of months too. Saw somewhere that Vibram is only promising 200 miles of non-slip wear with them, and have seen a couple of reviews of shoes with the Arctic Grip soles that claim they lost grippiness quickly. So I'm curious about that...
it won't take me long to get to 200 miles. there's so little grip already so I'm not looking forward to having less.
I wonder if you clean it with clean water would restore it's grip. Would like to hear from you soon, I wanna to get one with this tech too
0:36 slick design.... the small rocks caught in the groves will add traction and get broken down but the design will replace them....
Thank you 🙏
You’re welcome!
great video no BS. That's amazing for 2017 also.
Late to the party here.
It's possible the gravel-bits kept the Arctic Grip from fully contacting the ice.
I'm just saying, you did point out the soles were full of gravel.
Thank you for your review! Very helpful
great review
Very informative thank you,
Perfect review.
Please keep doing this type of content i know maybe is kind expensive to do it, really help a lot if you can do for all 4 season you can blow up a least 300k views .
I love your content, and the well explained that the content is.
Really good test
Awesome review! Thanks
My suggestion is to get Kickspike they're great ( Kickspike.com ) they have retractable spikes, overall my favorite non slip boots, I would highly recommend them.
Olang Canada sells some boots with spikes that you can flip in and out pretty easily too.
Excellent review.
I can't believe how slippery normal Vibram soles are. With so many shoes using them, including some pretty high end shoe makers, it's a mystery to me why this isn't more widely discussed, so few complaints. People seem to have drunk the marketing kool aid about Vibram soles being a positive selling point when in fact in my experience, in house soles are much better quality. The only other ppl I've seen complaining about Vibram soles are soldiers that have to suffer them on military boots and ended up on their ass regularly, swore they'd never wear them again as a civilian
have you tried arctic grip?
Awesome review!!
Damn this was a good a video, gj.
Good review
After one light season, the gripping stopped working. I bought LLBean Stormchaser’s and rest of shoe is in very good shape (as I said, only one winter), and when I contacted Vibram on how to restore gripping, they said they needed to be resoled. Why they worked wonderfully in the beginning, after one winter, they stopped working completely. I will NOT buy again.
Regular UGG soles are amlost or are a definite death wish on ice. I would avoid wearing them during winter, ice snow due to slipping. Glad to see Ugg put vibram arcticc grip on the bottom of the uggs. A definite plus. Vibram soled on Uggs is a plus since they are an expensive shoe. Instead of a sole that wares out in awhile
thanks!
They are better than regular boots but you still have to be carful with water over ice and fresh snow I fell twice in 3 days 🤕
😪😪Ben de düştüm karda. Ameliyat oldum yatıyorum
Thank you so much for the amazing review! Did you get the leather or suede in the ugg boots?
Nakita Thapar suede!
Thank you for an honest review :)
I bought the north face shellista boots they are great had them 5 years now and hardly even worn out 😀
I slipped on vibram merrell soles
Thank you so much for this review! I've been doing some research because I have never been through a winter before but I also don't want to fall and all of my research has pointed me to vibram but I didn't know how good it really was. This review was great...think I'll get some of the cleats and a cheaper vibram shoe
Or omni-grip and ice cleats
I wear the ice cleats when it's really icy, but the arctic grip soles are usually good enough for most winter days days when there's just the odd icy patch.
Okay thank you! One more question...I'm not sure how rough your winters are but would you say that high winter boots are a must or can I get away with a lower boot all winter long?
That really depends where you live. Our winters are really rough and these won't be tall enough for the worst days. Last year there were days that the snow was up almost to my knee when I was walking to work before the snow was cleared. That's only a few days a year, so I figured I'd just deal with it since I couldn't find tall boots in my size that had all the features I wanted.
Yeah that's my problem. I don't want to get a super tall boot when I will only need it like 5 or 10 days in the winter. But again,because its my first winter, I won't really know. So far it seems like they're really good at clearing the snow so I think I'll go for a shorter boot with the vibram...my main thing is not slipping anyways.
Good review actually one of the better Absolutely real honest elevated ice covered driveway reviews and the two Costco purchases tells me you one who likes bulk low cost save for having to buy the money Grab membership purchases. And the best traction is the cheapest Costco wholesale price ice grip traction slip ons. $10 Buck's well spent, $60 Buck's at Work wearhouse now known stupidly only as Canadian Tire takeover #arks.
Only lasts for about 10 miles and goes completely slippery afterwards, used Merrell with vibram not a good one.
You Want The Best Get Stabilicers Maxx
Better than all of these are ICEBUGS with BUGRIP. available on Amazon, Moosejaw, Backcountry, or on Icebug's own website us-shop.icebug.com. Icebugs are perfect.. They have tiny metal studs in the soles, and do not slip or slide at all. You can also drive in them, unlike Yaktrax. They are in the soles permanently, you don't take them on and off.
Thanks for the suggestion!
"Veebram" is how it's pronounced.
Vibram soles are absolute crap. Do not buy them unless you replace them yearly.
They are deliberately designed to degrade rapidly and I've had several soles from different brand uppers that simply snap in half.
Soul destroying.
So it's a scam
You have the advantage of a lot of weight to help you also. I use the LL Bean specified shoes. My SUV weighs about 6,000 lbs. I would guess that you and I weigh about the same in human terms. The LL Bean Arctic are far better controlled than my tactical shoes for normal summer time special op's. In the winter, every ounce of traction gives you an advantage especially in a moment of fast and precise engagement. If I were you, order thing to be delivered to your house and never go out. You don't need to go out for several months of the year. If you do, you can surely put the best all seasons on your SUV and park inside your office building or store.
Vibram are a con I had continental much better material and lasted me 9 years.
Hahaha they're rubbish
Very good review. Thank you!
Excellent review, thanks!