The laces are a lie. These covert hands-free shoes fool everyone
I discovered Kiziks hands-free shoes out of necessity, but now I never want to stoop over to tie my shoes again
Six months ago, my back did something deeply unpleasant that made it very difficult to bend over, kneel down or honestly do anything. It slipped a disk. I wrote about some of the back-saving gadgets that helped me get through recovery, from lap desks to trekking poles, but one has stayed with me even after healing: the Kizik Lima 2 slip-on shoes. Their hands-free design was a godsend during my recovery, but you don’t have to be in agony to appreciate a pair.
While I have always been concerned more with comfort than style when it comes to shoes, I draw the line at some of the typical hands-free options. The Kiziks don’t look like the slippers my grandad wore around the house, nor like the hideous Croc clogs favored by hospital staff (it’s funny how you notice a person’s shoes when you are lying face down as they inject painful things into your spine). Kiziks look just like normal shoes. With its mesh knit upper and low profile, you could easily confuse the Lima 2 for Allbirds’ trendy Tree Runners.
Kizik Lima 2
They do have laces, but you never need to touch them. To put Kiziks on, you just step into them and the back pops up around your heel as if it were spring loaded. It is, in a way: a stiff plastic lattice inside the heel bends under your heel, then snaps back into its original shape. Elastic straps beneath the tongue lock your foot in. It feels rather odd the first time you do it, but it quickly becomes second nature. Slip, pop and you’re off.
The easy-on design doesn’t detract from their fit. I can’t attest to their performance for marathons, but my dog and I have put a good few miles on them as I worked on my recovery – and they don’t slip or move when I am walking. Plus, when I get home after overexerting myself, I don’t have to strain and bend down to take them off: I can push them off with the other foot shortly before I collapse into a groaning pile.
Unlike a clog, the sole has a grippy non-slip texture, which was especially important to me when I started walking again after my back injury. My sense of balance was screwed, and even a slight movement could cause a sudden pain that instinctively made me shift. The Kiziks gave me a solid, supportive foundation.
More than that, they made me feel normal. The laces may be vestigial, but they gave me one less thing to stress about during a trying recovery. I used to wear them because I had to, now I wear them because I love them.
If the Lima 2 aren’t your speed, Kizik makes dozens of other models, from running shoes to leather sneakers, water-resistant golf shoes and even hiking boots, all in men’s and women’s styles. I haven’t tested them all, but they all sport the same hands-free design I’m enamored with.
Kizik Freedom Run Shoes
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Kizik Men’s Freedom Hike Waterproof Boots
For me, Kiziks are the perfect trifecta: easy to wear, comfortable and stylish. And who knows? I might even replace the laces with something more colorful if I am feeling especially fancy.
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Other pieces you might enjoy from the Filter, the Guardian’s guide to buying fewer, better things:
You need to sit down for this – the best seat cushions in the US to relieve your back
Seven essential gadgets to live with when you have back pain, from grabbers to lap desks