Skora Core Shoe Review

I've been running in Vibrams for about 4 years.  I'm used to getting the weird looks from other runners looking at my "monkey feet shoes".  So when I first brought out the Skora Core shoes to a group run I had found out I turned heads for another reason. Everyone thought they were some nice looking shoe!  So are the shoes deserving of all the compliments? Let's take a look at them shall we?

Here's what the Skora website had to say about the Skora Core:

"Engineered around the foot from the inside–out, CORE has an asymmetrical design with an integrated tongue and features a perforated Pittards® Armor-Tan® Goatskin leather upper. The combination liner features seamless Agion antimicrobial mesh with a Pittards WR100X Sheepskin leather collar lining for ultimate comfort and performance. With a revolutionary unibody IBR outsole, CORE offers incredible road–feel, and superior anatomical fit. Zero-drop, 11mm stack height.

CORE is built on our revolutionary IBR (Injection Blown Rubber) platform. R02 pushes the boundaries of material technology. IBR offers better abrasion resistance, grip and compression-set than injected EVA with lower density and weight than rubber. This provides a runner with incredible ground feel and running comfort in an amazingly durable, flexible and lightweight complete package."

Now that you know about the technology and engineering behind the Skora let me tell you what I think about it all. 

UPPER

I do like the design of the shoe. It's got a futuristic/cycling/running shoe kind of thing going on. The goat leather does bring a high quality feel to the shoe and while it hasn't been too hot over here I never felt that my feet were over heating in them. The shoelaces are asymmetrically set to give you a more personalized fit.

They used a interesting design where the tongue of the shoe would be. To achieve the "no-tongue" style they used a sort of flap so the only edge is on the left side and it does give a more of a wrap around feeling when on. 

REFLECTIVITY

The Skora Core has a nice reflective design to it. They look great during the day but they look even better at night. You will be seen in these shoes at night!

INNER

The shoe is lined with a Agion™ Antimicrobial mesh lining which is only around the midfoot and forefoot area of the shoe. This should help with some of the stink that most minimalist shoes have. The heel is left without lining so your foot is cradled by the same goat skin leather as uppers.

The 3mm insole is also made of antimicrobial material and is removable for those who want more of a ground feel. I weighed the insole at about 0.9 oz. 

THE SOLES

Well first of all lets get the "does it roll up into a little ball test?" out of the way. 

Yes it does!! So we know that the shoe is flexible and will be able give you some of that ground feel that minimalist runners love. The sole is made out of a Injection Blown Rubber platform that helps with that flexibility. At first look at the shoe I wasn't sure of the grip of the shoe but I had no problems with slippage on the run even on a rainy day. 

ON THE RUN: HOW THE SHOE FIT AND FEEL

I got the shoe in a size 12 and I noticed that they fit perfectly with the insole on and without the insoles the shoes were a little loose. So definitely try on the shoes and decide whether or not you want to run with insoles or not. They do offer free exchanges with no cost to you as long as there is no wear so TRY ON THE SHOE and make sure you like it. Another issue that I was worried about was the toe box because it looked a little tight at first glance but when running with them I had no issues. The shoe had a good feel to it and I had no issue with my feet feeling too hot because of the goat skin. Of course my testing was in the Texas "winter" so we will have to see how they work in the summer. 

I liked the look of the shoe and got many compliments from my group when I first wore them out. I think the reflective taping was a big hit with everyone.

Cost: The shoes retails for $155 on the Skora website

PROS:

• High-Quality look
• Nicely Styled shoe
• Great Reflectivity
• Comfortable Shoe
• Great customer service

CONS: 

• High price of the shoe. 

OVERALL: I'd say if you are looking for nice looking minimalist shoe that will turn heads and you have the money to spend, the Skora Core would be a great shoe for you.

You can find Skora Running on:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/SkoraRunning
Twitter: www.twitter.com/SkoraRunning
Instagram: www.instagram.com/SkoraRunning

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