Karrimor Trail Run

hi, i was shopping the other day and noticed these

( http://www.sportsdirect.com/Products/SD/PID-Karrimor+Trail+Run+-180123.aspx )

at the bargain price of £25 . I am after some shoes that will cope with a little mud (over fields in winter) and although i realise these might not be state of the art i wondered if anyone had any experience of them? They seem very cheap!

Comments

  • Basically the owner of Sports Direct (Mike Ashley the guy ruining Newcastle United) has bought the name Karrimor and is using it to attach the name to a variety of sporting and hiking goods. None of these have the quality of classic Karrimor products. As an example a Karrimor backpack wouldn't tear inside after using it once as mine has done.

    Go into a Sports Direct and take a look at them, or if you don't have one a Streetwise Sport, Sneakers, etc. as they're all the same company. You'll find you cannot even take the liner inside out of the shoe (the sign of a cheap boot/shoe).

    Basically they're a cheap pair of trail shoes with a once reputable logo attached, I don't have any experience of owning a pair (i did look at the whole range in SD). Probably OK as a cheap pair of trail shoes but don't think that the Karrimor name is a sign of a quality product anymore (sadly).

    Also all the Karrimor stuff in Sports Direct is always massively reduced to this price, I doubt anyone has ever paid the RRP for them so don't think you're getting a bargain (I'm pretty sure its what they're worth)

    R

  • RB's right - Karrimor as a name is not the force it was before they went under and Mike Ashley bought them and turned them into a cheap brand but unfortunately too many people still are buying the name not the product as they don't know this......
  • Firstly not being able to take the liner out is NOT a sign of a cheap shoe. The manufacture quality of many Karrimor shoes is actually quite good when you compare them to other brands such as Nike and Assics, most of which are made in the same countries, Indonesia, China, Vietnam, Japan and North America (basically anywhere where there is cheap labour) and there is no great difference in quality.

    I have worn New Balance, Nike and Hitec but at the moment I am running in a pair of Karrimor Pace Trails SN33 and they are comfortable, the gel heal offers good shock absortion, they weren't expensive and so far they are holding up well it terms of durabilty. Oh, and the fact that the inner sole is not removable does not matter at all to me.

    Also, I have been wearing the same Karrimor fleece for 5 years now it still looks new when it comes out of the wash!!

  • The “discounts” on Karrimor products in Sports Direct are a total con.  They only sell these products at the alleged RRP at one store in Shirebrook, and not for much of the year.  It doesn’t matter if they never sell anything at this store, because they are only offered at this price to legitimise the claim that they are discounted across the rest of the country. 

  • First and I bet only post....

  • MillsyMillsy ✭✭✭
    He's too busy working in Sports Direct to come back on.
  • Sorry do dissapoint but I work in facilities management. The only time I visited Sports Direct was to purchase my current running shoes. I was working away and needed to buy a pair, I drove past Sports Direct and though why not. The sales person in there was a bit pushy and was trying hard to sell me some Nike shoes but I bought a pair of Karrimors against his advice. So far I am pleased with them and can honestly say they are as comfortable as my last New Balance shoes.

    The reason I came across this thread was because I was looking for opinions on Karrimor shoes because a lot of people have poor opinions of them.

     

    P.S I bought my Karrimor fleece from ebay because I'm a tight arse.

     

     

  • Where did you buy your Karrimor trainers from flob?

     

  • MillsyMillsy ✭✭✭
    Usually the staff give the hard sell on the Karrimor trainers rather than what they originally went in for.

    As Flob says, the false discounting practice is barely legal and very misleading.
  • Why would they hard sell the Karrimors, I noticed they were among the cheapest the one time I shopped there. Are you saying they are not in it for the money?

    And by the way, no sifting involved, I was just reading a similar thread and noticed that you mentioned you have worn Karrimor. I bet you're a Sports Direct regular.

     

     

     

  • MillsyMillsy ✭✭✭
    As Flob says, as it is their own brand product they make a much larger profit margin.

    I also shop there to pick up bargains but I don't think many of the staff know their stuff about running. Last time I was in there , after the bloke had tried the hard sell on the karrimors, I told him I needed the New Balance shoes for a 50k. He then asked me if that was as far as a marathon.



    If you know exactly what you want then the shop is fine. If you need proper advice then go to a proper running shop.
  • I found the shop assistant just got in the way. I only had 30 quid and he wanted to sell me some 60quid plus shoes. If my Karrimors fall apart any time soon I won't buy another pair and I'll go back to what I know but so far so good, my Karrimors are comfortable, the build/stitching/fabric is good and they seem to be holding up so far. I'm very upset about not being able to remove the insole though image

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