Karrimor Running Shoes

Grendel3Grendel3 ✭✭✭

Has anyone had any experience with running in Karrimor running shoes - I need a new pair of trainers and money is a bit of an issue at the moment and SportsDirect have these for approx £24 reduced from £39.

Thanks

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Comments

  • Nick LNick L ✭✭✭

    Personally I wouldnt touch them. Karrimor USED to be a great brand, quality products, but since Sports Direct bought them several years ago the quality has nose-dived.

    If you want some inexpensive shoes, then have a look at sportsshoes.com - I bought my nephew a pair of saucony trail shoes recently for £25. At the moment (until May 18th I think) there is a 10% extra off and free delivery....I dont have the code to hand, but you might be able to call them and say you are aware of it?!

    I bought a pair of Sucony guide for myself over the weekend that will cost me £31.50.....bargain.

  • Grendel3Grendel3 ✭✭✭

    Thanks Nick - am off to sportsshoes.com

  • Grendel3Grendel3 ✭✭✭

    Thanks - have just found a pair - years since I have used Sportsshoes.com 

  • Yes, Karrimor shoes are now pretty poor, and suffer from Sports Direct's policy of lying about everything in the store being reduced.



    All of the R&D money seems to go into making them look good: the materials used are generally atrocious. Most of them have a footbed that is literally made of cardboard - you'd be better with Regatta or Hi-Tec.



    Which is not to bash Karrimor's other products. I have some technical tops, tights and a rucksack that have all been really very good for the prices I paid for them. There's no real link between any of the Karrimor branded stuff: it's just bought from different Chinese factories and then the name is slapped on it.
  • Grendel3Grendel3 ✭✭✭

    Thanks for the feedback as money is a bit tight dont want to make a mistake!!!!

  • I've had a few bits of Karrimor stuff, and generally been happy on the price/quality point, then got a long sleeve top last week - first time I've had nip trouble, and not sure if I want to give it another go - that's not a nice pain...

  • Grendel3Grendel3 ✭✭✭

    I have got shorts which lets face it you can't go far wrong with - although a short version of nip pain doesn't bear thinking about,  and some ordinary walking shoes - not porper walking stuff like in the lake district - but just around tesco etc type walking stuff - but based on copmments here I elected not to buy their trainers and have gone for a pair of saucony cheap from sportshoes.com

  • Hi,

      Being a tight arse myself all my running kit has ended up as Karrimor and I am well pleased. Just bought some trail running shoes off Amazon for like 20quid and honestly hand on heart are the best shoes I've ever run in. I've spent upto 120£ in the past on all sorts but the Karrimor trails are so much more comfortable. I use Karrimor leggings and again I've never had a problem and I've done some miles in them and they get washed a couple of times a week and are like new.

    I agree Karrimor kit back in the day was very sturdy stuff but if you pick right some of the stuff isn't all that bad. I also agree Sportsdirect are telling a few porkies with the prices as I wouldnt have dreamed of spending 80quid on my shoes but 20 quid defo!

  • Karrimor Kit has been fine so far.

    Interesting re shoes.

  • Grendel3Grendel3 ✭✭✭

    Thanks everyone for the feedback - being a tight arse I lost my bottle and ordered a pair of Saucanoy something or other - Hopefully they will be OK - my New Balance ones are now looking worse for wear!!

  • Agree that the clothing is pretty good value - although it does make me laugh that it is "discounted"!! Just looked at their trainers and one pair is using D3O which is a new British smart material that has phenomenal shock absorbency!! Kit-wise I'm now a big fan of Aldi!!
  • I have some Karrimor kit (not shoes) and I'm pleased enough with it. No complaints and it's cheap. Aldi stuff is also great value for money though their sizing isn't the best - women's stuff is 8-10 then 12-14 so if you're in between like me it's not always possible to get stuff that's a good fit. Also their sleeves are a bit short for me. I often buy the mens size small in running and cycling jackets and find that to be a better fit than the womens' sizes.

    Sorry, off on a bit of a tangent... image

  • Just bought a pair of Karrimor running shoes from Sports direct £35.99 then saw them

    on Karrimor website at £28.00.   Has anyone tried these ladies running shoes .Karrimor Pace Dual Black/Pink . Please help before its too late and I cant take them back.

    Thanks.

  • I tried on a pair of the very cheapest running shoes they had in, purely out of curiosity (I'd just bought a pair of Vomero) - even notwithstanding the cushioning I'm used to, it was like putting a pair of clogs on.

    Sports Direct are sound for cheap bits, but I've corrected overheard conversations with staff several times, as some of the "advice" they've given is hopeless. They'll start trying to flog a pair of Gel Cumulus, and then if the customer turns their nose up at the price, they'll point them to a pair of £30 Karrimor bricks. Worst though was a girl in looking for a pair of spikes specifically for cross country, and they tried to point her to a pair of Superfly, which are a specialist sprint shoe.

  • I used Salomon trail shoes but after about 200 miles they went a bit dodgy on anything other than hard trail so I tried the Karrimor trail shoes, I found them fine with really good grip, and picked them up cheapest at Sports direct, around £35

  • Hello, as someone who has experience with working at sport direct i can not say this any clearer, DO NOT BUY KARRIMOR RUNNING SHOES! whatever your style of running and price range you will find far superiour shoes in other brands like asics, nike, new balance and saucony. 

  • CliveSCliveS ✭✭✭

    I have a few Karrimor running tops/jackets which are not that bad. However, when I started running again (about a year ago), I bought some Karrimor shoes - never again. Sore feet, lasted about 6 weeks.

    Your feet are important when doing fitness stuff - treat them. I use Brroks and Inov-8 now. Feet are much better, running longer and faster.

  • There's a fundamental point with brands like this that people don't quite grasp.

    If Sports Direct are making a running T, they just need to cut 5 pieces of fabric and arrange them into a shape where people can put their head through a hole in the bottom and emerge through a hole in the top, and two more to fit an arm on each side. If the shape and size is approximately right and the material's correct, it's a functional product that requires no testing.

    When you're talking about putting a shoe on your foot, a whole new world of biomechanical variables come into play. It's not just a matter of apeing a shoe shape, cutting the bits out, glueing them together and assuming everything will be rosy.

    My suspicion is that they've created a running shoe "look", but have done zero research and testing in terms of stability, feel, ride, cushioning, response, and everything that's important to someone that's going to go out and run in them.

  • I really wish I'd found this 2 weeks ago. I've always worn Nike running shoes, but with money a bit tight at the moment, I decided to get a pair of Karrimor. They are the most uncomfortable trainers I've ever had. I agree with some of the comments above about the running shoes being the most important part of your kit and will certainly be going back to Nike. As for other kit, I've never used Karrimor, always used Nike for tops, shorts etc...

  • the reason I came on this thread was

    I was in sports direct on the weekend and the karimor running trainers are now more expensive than the usual's like nike adidas ascics etc etc. when speaking to the sales rep in the shop about them he recently told me that the top ascics running shoe designer recently moved over to karimor and is now designing running shoes for them. does anyone know if this is true?

  • ryan kitson wrote (see)

    the reason I came on this thread was

    I was in sports direct on the weekend and the karimor running trainers are now more expensive than the usual's like nike adidas ascics etc etc. when speaking to the sales rep in the shop about them he recently told me that the top ascics running shoe designer recently moved over to karimor and is now designing running shoes for them. does anyone know if this is true?

    If it came out of the mouth of one of the sports direct staff, I'd like to wager that it's horseshit. 

    But then, maybe I'm being unfair.

  • I can't believe that Karrimor shoes would be anything other than crap these days, judging by the quality of their other running gear.  SD screws things up, catering for the cheap/chav end of the market.

  • If Karrimor get their prices any lower, then their running shoes might have potential as fuel for power stations. 

    People who work for Sports Direct or Field and Trek, refer to the brand as crapimor.

    That should not inspire confidence. 

  • The D30 running shoes are utter cr~p.

     

    They will destroy the soles of your feet (with a myriad of little blisters matching up exactly with the holes in the removable sole of the shoes).

     

    They do not support you ankle/heel and will leave you in a good deal of joint pain.

     

    Do yourself a favour and DO NOT BUY KARRIMOR! Sports Direct own the brand now and you know what to expect from that 'shop'.

     

    I've attempted to return the running shoes to their Irvine branch and i've been messed around from start to finish and they will not accept the return (even their head office are a nightmare to deal with and are no help whatsoever).

     

    REPEAT - DO NOT BUY KARRIMOR - DO NOT BUY FROM SPORTS DIRECT.

     

    SPORTS DIRECT ARE A DISGRACE

  • So you not think they would suit an over pronator ? 

  • duncan21 wrote (see)

     

    REPEAT - DO NOT BUY KARRIMOR - DO NOT BUY FROM SPORTS DIRECT.

     

    SPORTS DIRECT ARE A DISGRACE

     

    Back when I was employed by Sports Direct, after they bought out Field and Trek, one of their managers got a Sports Direct logo tattoo to raise money for charity!

  • Actually I run in karrimor socks most if the time 

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