Thursday, September 13, 2007

A crock of...

When you read the title, depending on whether you are a half full/half empty glass sort of person, you probably thought of a couple of words, either shiny metal (at the end of the rainbow) or less pleasant stuff that no amount of polishing will improve.

The word Crock is frequently heard referring to those rather strange chunky foam shoes with the holes in. (More accurately known as "Crocs"). When I first saw them I thought they were jelly shoes for those in their second childhood, however, over time, I have become a fan of them. Why do they appeal? Because they are extremely comfortable, especially for people like me who suffer from occasional swollen feet and have to take extra care not to damage the nails or toes. They are soft, don't have pressure points and have a bumpy insole to aid circulation. They are well vented, lightweight and give excellent foot support.

So why do some people hate them? Probably because they are fashionable (if not actually a fashion item) and they do look rather big and clunky. Of course Doc Martens "Bovver Boots" are the latter and have been the former over the years.

I'm now on my second pair, the first were bought in Batley and they are a brown colour with lime green adjustable heel pads. Once I decided that I liked them I bought a second pair, Black RX Clouds suitable for diabetics. (I didn't go for the Silver Cloud version as my feet don't hum enough to warrant it).

It now occurs to me that I haven't worn an ordinary pair of shoes since I got my first Crocs, I even went to a Wedding wearing them!

Is there a downside? Well, yes. I occasionally find that my right sock ends up by the toes due to some strange creeping action that only affects one foot. Also, whilst I was on holiday in Spain, I was taking extra care to apply a moisturiser cream regularly. (I'm prescribed some stuff called Epaderm which is paraffin wax based and looks rather like goose grease!) Some of it must have collected in my shoes, because the day we went to PortAventura to do the water rides, on Tutuki Splash we encountered a mini-tsunami that washed over the bows of the boat and drenched our feet. As I came off the ride I was bemused to find that my shoes were frothing with wax oozing out of the holes. I then found that I was slipping backwards and forwards in the shoes as I walked so had to use paper towels later on to clean out the shoes and make my feet less slippy! (Plodging in the sea in my Crocs on other days didn't have the same effect so it may have been some chemical additive).

4 comments:

jmb said...

I am one of those people who hate Crocs. No, I have never tried them and I know everyone who wears them thinks they are great.
I think I hate the horrible bright colours and think they look like things only children should wear.
You are so eloquent about them I might have to change my mind!
regards
jmb

Shades said...

They now have an unfeasibly large range of styles available. Many are indeed hideous...

richinvan said...

There is more than one great foam shoe on the market. and they are not all created equal!


Check out the company Holey Soles for an innovation that addresses the slippery sole of foam shoes. The new patent pending slip resisitant feature is called Sole-tek thermo rubber which increases stability, durability and long life. Holey Soles has been around since 2002 and is gaining in popularity with this innovative technology that is making the light weight foam clog a safer and longer lasting product.

Visit the website and you will see this improvement on the new products available. Coming soon this fall the explorer2 with Sole-tek.

The new Thermo Rubber (TR) sole is fused with state of the art technology, using a 15 step application process. The resulting bond is even stronger than the foam itself so there is no chance that the TR & the foam will separate. This new hard rubber sole application provides improved grip and protection against rocks and sharp objects.

Shades said...

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