If you’re style-conscious, now’s the time to leave. Still with us? Good. Because if you can get past the weirdest looking shoes on planet earth, you might just discover a whole new level of comfort and health with something called the Z-Coil Shoe.
It’s important for people to stay active, especially as they get older. And that typically means plenty of walking. The thing is, all those concrete sidewalks can take a toll on your ankles, knees, and hips. Even if you’re strutting about in the latest athletic footwear.
Enter the Z-Coil shoe. The makers of Z-Coil shoes essentially take a shock absorber and place it under the heel of their shoe. The result is the strangest looking incredibly comfortable shoe you’ll ever wear. Let’s take a closer look.
What Are Z-Coil Shoes?
Z-Coil Shoes are an idea whose time has come. At least that’s what the company that makes them is hoping people will think. And while we commend them for addressing what is a legitimate issue (the toll that unforgiving surfaces like concrete, marble, hardwood and more take on the back, legs, and joints) we can’t help wondering if there isn’t a better way to do it.
But let’s back up a bit first. The company and the shoe was the brainchild of a shoe store owner and avid runner in New Mexico. Way back in the 80s he had a vision of a shock-absorbing shoe that would help people transcend the type of running injuries he himself was experiencing.
After a few fits and starts the Z-Coil brand was born and the rest, as they say, is history. Now, on with the Z-Coil Shoe review.
What Are The Different Types Of Shoes It Offers?
Z-Coil offers many different types of shoes from low-cut running shoes for men and women to hiking shoes, workboots, and loafers. Let’s take a quick look at the different shoes.
- Z-Coil Athletic Shoes – These are all-around sneaker-type shoes made for everyday use. They look a lot like your standard Nike, Reebok or other brand name sneaker until you see them from the side.
With that said, they do a good job absorbing everyday shocks and make
walking to the store or walking around the mall for a couple of hours a very easy thing to do. - Z-Coil Running Shoes – Truth be told there isn’t a lot of difference between the running shoes for men and those for women.
And as long as we’re being honest let’s state that, while the big coil spring under the heel does an admirable job absorbing shocks, it’s also fairly unstable and we wouldn’t recommend actually running in these shoes. On top of that, they’re very heavy. - Z-Coil Workboots – We found the Z-Coil workboots to be a much better and more practical set of footwear than the running shoes. While the workboots are still going to attract plenty of attention for their bizarro profile, if you can put up with that, you’re likely to finish a hard day on your feet feeling pretty good.
- Z-Coil Hiking Shoes – The hiking boots have the least bizarre profile and are reasonably comfortable when you lace them up. As far as their use on the trail goes, we’d rate them about a 5-6 out of 10. Simple because of their platform-like design. And the fact that the housing they’ve erected around the heel just isn’t going to hold up day after day on the unforgiving trail.
- Women’s Flats – You’re not going to wear these with your Versace evening gown. But for casual evenings out with friends and loved ones, the Z-Coil flats and sandals will serve you just fine. They allow you to forget about how much walking used to bother your hips and knees so you can focus instead on having a good time.
“The way you move is quite dictated by your shoes.” – Christian Louboutin
Benefits of Z-Coil Shoes
As bizarre and unpleasant as they look Z-Coil shoes nonetheless provide a range of benefits for the health-conscious man or woman. Those benefits include:
- Back and leg pain relief – There’s no denying that the Z-Coil athletic shoes, workboots and even some of their flats and sandals do an outstanding job absorbing shocks that would otherwise radiate up through your legs to your hips and back.
- They’ll help with a number of conditions – If you suffer from Achilles tendonitis, osteoarthritis, overpronation, degenerative disc disease, plantar fasciitis, capsulitis or dozens of other conditions Z-Coil shoes can help alleviate pain and return the joy to your daily routine.
- Helps preserve energy – Walking on hard, unforgiving surfaces is hard, so to speak. It can and does drain the energy from you. The energy you should have available for other things. Because Z-Coil shoes relieve pressure on your legs, joints, and back.
- Integrated orthotics – Z-Coil pioneered the concept of having orthotics built right into the shoe itself. This provides you with all-day comfort and all-important arch support from dawn to dusk. It’s just one more feature that helps ensure you’re still fresh and full of energy at the end of the day.
Who Is Recommended To Use The Z-Coil Shoe?
The Z-Coil Shoe is recommended for anyone who spends long hours on their feet, anyone who wants to minimize injuries and bodily wear and tear from running, people that work in warehouses and factories and to lesser extent hikers.
Likewise, if you suffer from any of the conditions that we laid out above, you will also likely benefit from wearing Z-Coil shoes. In addition, anyone recovering from knee or hip replacement will benefit from these shoes as they will take a lot of pressure off your newly reconstructed joints.
The people who won’t benefit from these shoes are those that do a lot of driving (the company may say otherwise, but the only kind of car that’s going to work with these shoes is a self-driving car). Also, as we said earlier, we don’t recommend running in these shoes. The elevated heel makes them unstable and forces you into an unnatural running motion.
Lastly, and this likely goes without saying, we wouldn’t recommend these for style-conscious individuals. We’re sorry, but no matter how long you spend around the Z-Coil shoes, they simply don’t get any better looking. Nor does their look grow on you the way some initially unattractive things sometimes can.
Conclusion
If you can set aside style considerations, Z-Coil shoes have a lot to offer. Granted, some of the company’s shoes – like the running shoes for instance – are effectively useless.
But several other models are actually quite practical, quite comfortable, and can help you deal with vexing muscular and skeletal conditions. They’re also very good for those recovering from knee surgery, hip replacement surgery and more.
Our bottom line is similar to that which you’ll find in other Z-Coil Shoe reviews. And that is that Z-Coil shoes were designed by a guy who owned a shoe store in New Mexico back in the 80s, and they look like it. So buy Z-Coil shoes for the comfort and health benefits and leave your taste and self-consciousness at the door. You’ll likely be very glad you did.
