Karrimor Running Shoes

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Comments

  • Ok, I agree that the SD ethic is somewhat underhand, but it's comparable with many other retail outlets selling anything from clothing to furniture to electrical goods.



    I think that my natural cynicism tends to cut through the bull and I probably would never think of spending more than ??30 on a pair of Karrimors (P.S. does anyone know how to make a pound sign come out as anything other than two questions marks).



    One observation that I would make though is that you have to try on a pair of running shoes to know what they are like, it's no good buying something online that someone else has recommended as they may be completely wrong for your individual circumstance (see my previous comments). For many people they have little choice but to go to places like SD to do this, and once you are in a shop (any shop) they try to keep you there until you have bought whatever it is that either gets them the highest profit or meets their latest sales target. This is unfortunately a fact of life.
  • As another first time poster I know I'll be viewed with suspicion, but I'm a real person with absolutely no connection to SD or Karrimor who has had a similar experience to Kev1204.

    After a 12 year break from running I decided to try a return in April 2014. Unsure whether it would be just a short fad or something that would last I decided to start with a cheap set of new kit bought in my local SD, spending just over £40 including £22.99 for a pair of Karrimor trainers.

    To cut a long story short I've thoroughly enjoyed my return to the sport and it's gone far better than I expected. Those cheap trainers have served me very well indeed. I've stayed completely free of injury and they are still in good condition over 10 months later. I've replaced them today, though only as a precaution because they have worn down quite a bit on the heels only. According to Runkeeper they've covered 835 miles.

    I stumbled across this thread on my smartphone while in SD looking for a new pair today. Despite all the negativity I've decided to stick with the brand. I appreciate that I'm only a low-mileage recreational runner, but my experience of Karrimor has been positive.

    My Runkeeper profile; http://runkeeper.com/user/GaryQQQ/profile

    My Karrimor trainers after 835 trouble-free miles;

    http://tinypic.com/r/2yuedxh/8

     

     

  • VDOT52VDOT52 ✭✭✭
    Again, at ??23, non one can knock the shoes, it is the false claims of huge discounts that SD make that makes people hate the brand. Also being told that the Karrimor stuff is much better than whatever it is you actually want to buy, well that doesn't help either, especially when you are being told it by someone wearing Nike Free.
  • MillsyMillsy ✭✭✭
    Spot on Gideon. It's the sales tactics that are a disgrace.
  • I got myself a pair of the D30 Excel's, I paid £59.99 for them.

     

    35km in and they have practically disintegrated, avoid.

  • MillsyMillsy ✭✭✭
    Have you tried to take them back?
  • No, don't have the receipt anymore (disorganised fool that I am). I'm just going to run them until they're just a sole (another 5/6k maybe?), then go back to pt1000's.

  • MillsyMillsy ✭✭✭
    That's a shame. Hopefully your experience will act as a good warning to others.
  • VDOT52VDOT52 ✭✭✭
    Apparently D30 is a good shock absorber/energy return material. Then again if it is put in the wrong hands for production then it wouldn't matter if it were D30 or even flubber, the product would still be poor quality.
  • I've tried several of the Karrimor shoes on the treadmill and I can honestly say that they're terrible.

  • D30 Trail took them out on first run, material on uppers tore just running through heather so not very impressed. Would not buy these again.

     

  • I tend to gear-watch at runs and races, and an awful lot of people do run in Karrimor shoes. I think that does show that there is a place for them in the market - people are shelling out and getting out there with these things on their feet. It's snobbery and denial to suggest otherwise. Certainly there are plenty of Parkrunners creaming me in these shoes whenever I go along.



    I just wish they were being marketed properly though for what they are - a budget equivalent to the bigger brands. There's no shame in that, and armed with that knowledge people will happily shell out ??30 knowing it probably won't be as good as a ??60 shoe.



    It's when it's so aggressively pushed as the NO-BRAINER purchase, EXACTLY as good as the competition and IT'S BEWILDERING why it's so cheap, and (I've actually heard this in a branch of Sports Direct) TO BE HONEST I HAVE NO IDEA WHY WE STILL STOCK NIKE AND ASICS BECAUSE THESE ARE BOTH BETTER AND CHEAPER.



    You can probably leave one of Mike Ashley's stores with ??60-worth of kit and shoes that will all be perfectly suitable for running. And that's fine. In fact, that's great.



    But why bend the truth? It's cheaply made, cheaply sold gear. Nobody has a problem with that if they're armed with that knowledge and able to make their buying decisions accordingly. Many will still buy it - it all certainly looks alright.



    The tactics leave me utterly cold though, and being told a pair of shoes is the best thing in the shop when they're on your feet and almost feel like the shoe box they're packaged in does nothing for the brand's reputation.



    If you run in Karrimor shoes and are happy doing so and content to look no further, congrats, frankly. But they're not for me and both Sports Direct and Sweatshop are last-resort destinations nowadays.
  • I wore my Karrimor d30 tempo trail shoes on a SERIOUSLY tough cross country yesterday and they were great. They're caked in mud now, but no damage. They are hard wearing. This is my second pair. No idea how someone damaged them running through heather! I can definitely recommend them.

    /members/images/797841/Gallery/DSC00718.JPG

     

     

     And here's the race (yes, they set me off a minute ahead of the field as I have a GoPro):

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBmzKOcbIpE

    And, no, I don't work for Karrimor, etc. etc.

    Buy Nike and Asics if you want - you're just boosting their outrageous profit margins on shoes made in Asia (how much do they cost to make? £5? £10? £2?), money going directly to Cristiano Ronaldo's "add my name for a million quid" slush fund or some glossy advertising campaign. £120 for a pair of shoes? Do me a favour!

  • I think a lot of novices are probably being put off running, because Sports Direct push these shoes on them as a "quality product", and they assume that the problems that result from them are inevitable.  

  • I probably wouldn't have them for my main trainers, for mileage, but those d30 are sure hard wearing.

    It just feels like some people just have too much money. There's no need to buy expensive brand shoes. They're ALL cheap plastic construction costing a few dollars max.

    You think that money you're spending is going into the construction of those Nike shoes you just bought? No, it's going into advertising and sponsorship. Ronaldo's back pocket.

    /members/images/797841/Gallery/cristiano-ronaldo-300x199.jpg

     

  • So why pay the extortionate mark ups in Kike, Asics, Mizzuno etc?

    Simply because the shoe that works best for you is probably going to be this sort of brand, and this sort of price range (the probably covers me against liability). 

    If you are remotely serious about your running, then getting a cheaper shoe should be very low on your list of priorities, if anywhere. 

    When you factor in your investment in race fees, accommodation, transport, and more importantly time spent training, it doesn't make sense to introduce a weak link into the system to save a few quid. 

    I am not saying that you have to spend £120, it might end up being £60, or the shoe might be in the sale, or you might even get a good deal from the 30 day return box.  

    Basically find the shoe that works best for you, and pay whatever you have to, in order to get it.  

  • VDOT52VDOT52 ✭✭✭
    Interesting I was in spurtsdetest yesterday and did not have any hard sell at all but I did see a woman who was after some nike free getting talked into saving some money by buying some Karrimor Duma, which are basically the same thing just cheaper, apparently.



    I tried to make eye contact do I could mention that I they are paid to push karrimor but she looked at me and turned away as soon as I caught get eye so I thought I'd leave her to it.



    One interesting thing was the new krappimore foot scanner for foot type analysis. I don't buy into the alleged science behind it but it is another devious way of pushing the brand, which of course new balance and others have used for years.



    Apparently I have a low arch. Which I found funny as I have s medium to high arch. It was obviously confused by my extra wide feet and assumed that yhe band of outer foot that was on the ground must have been sll of my foot.



    One other thing that struck me was related to the fact that MPs want to 'grill' Mike Ashley over the use of zero hours contracts. Personally, if people are willing to blatantly lie to customers sbout products just because they are getting minimum wage then I do not care what contract they are on. The fact that they are there at all disappoints me.
  • this is a tough cross country

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCQRJdOCEMs

    didn't see any Karrimor

     

  • is that relevant? Have you tried the shoes? Can you see which shoes they are wearing? Do you just post videos to races you haven't done?

    That's a perfect example of an anti-karrimor post.  It's like the guy who damaged them by "running through heather", apparently. There's nothing like jumping on a bandwagon.

    As I said, they are fine for a tough cross country. See photo I posted above. It's called proof.

    as to Sports Direct's selling tactics, that's a different matter.  All I can say is that I've never been hassled in their Swansea branch. In fact, it's hard to find anyone to serve you.

  • Now why do you think I didn't take part in that race? image

    2 of my friends have karrimor trainers and think they are fine, I won't buy them as my recent Karrimor purchases have fallen apart with little use.

    I didn't see any Karrimor shod feet on the day.
  • Stilts or flippers might have been better
  • Andrew Thomas 34 wrote (see)

    is that relevant? Have you tried the shoes? Can you see which shoes they are wearing? Do you just post videos to races you haven't done?

    That's a perfect example of an anti-karrimor post.  It's like the guy who damaged them by "running through heather", apparently. There's nothing like jumping on a bandwagon.

    As I said, they are fine for a tough cross country. See photo I posted above. It's called proof.

    as to Sports Direct's selling tactics, that's a different matter.  All I can say is that I've never been hassled in their Swansea branch. In fact, it's hard to find anyone to serve you.


    There was no apparently about it and Im not jumping on the bandwagon at all. I have worn Karrimor gear for many many years and have been happy with the quality. I am just not impressed by the D30 quality ripping in heather. so get your facts right before you judge.

  • Fair enough. Yours tore. Sorry.

    I've got those shoes as well and found them to be extremely hardwearing. I am judging on the basis of my personal experience. No way heather would tear them. It would need a thorn. It just seems like some of the stories I read here about Karrimor stretch credibility. "I had some Karrimor and they fell apart in the box!"

    Post photos of the damage, people!!

  • Working in retail, you learn that the quality of a given brand is not always consistent. 

    You will have a brand that is fine for years, then suddenly quality goes down the toilet, and you are getting them back day after day.  

    This usually occurs, not after production is moved to a new factory, but after the client company stops monitoring production. 

    Karrimor had not yet moved into the running shoe market in my day, but I sold their walking shoes and boots.

    Quality wasn't great, but it was perhaps in line with what you would expect for a budget brand.  

  • I cant fault Karrimor cloths. Indeed i look like a mobile advert for them whilst running .I have had a running jacket for 10 years and its still going strong However, I tried a new one last week in store and the zip got stuck immediately I had to revert to a contortionist to get it off.

    And yes Heather can rip material the stems are very tough and wood like especially where it has been cut or burnt but I am going no further with that conversation.

  • I brought a pair of karrimor d30's last year and can honestly say it was the biggest mistake i have made when it comes to run gear, the sale assistant at sd make a big point of saying that Karrimor had poached the top guy from asics and the karrimors were now of an equal quality.

    The reality was after 2 weeks I started to suffer badly with shin pain, i persevered for a month with these shoes but after every run i needed 2 to 3 days to recover as the pain was almost unbearable and i was only doing 2-3 miles twice a week

    had my gait done and brought some asics and the pain cleared overnight and was able to up my distance, now run in Brooks which are a totally different gravy.

    As others have said get your gait done so you know your style of running and buy shoes to compliment this.

    will not personally buy karrimor shoes again due to that bad experience, but have found their clothing to be good value for money.

  • VDOT52VDOT52 ✭✭✭
    As long as you accept and understand that the price you pay is exactly the price point that the items were designed to be sold at then you are armed with the info you need to decide if it is a bargain or not. Spiders direct does not anything clar regarding whT the fake discounts are meant to relate to. Hopefully trading standards will be embarrassed into shutting stores down for lack of compliance.
  • Never used their shoes, have only used products I'm confident in by either using them recommendation or repeat purchases.  I do use their socks die to the rate I go through socks when running and gyming they seem to fit well and good value.

    I have a couple of their shirts and shorts which I have picked up as extra cheap options when I have needed some desperatly, they are okay for the price you pay, the shorts arent the most comfortable the mesh isnt the softest.

    Just comes down you get what you pay for.  SD fake discounts do get me cross too and although many people know they are fake there are some suckers out there getting sucked in.

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