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16mm EVA #2

A project log for Super sandals

Hacked sandals for running fast & long.

lion-mclionheadlion mclionhead 05/29/2021 at 19:550 Comments

The 16mm soles proved a decent compromise between speed & durability over 6 months. 

Right paw compression was down to 6mm while the 12mm sandals compressed to maybe 1-2mm so the compression in both cases was 10-11mm.

Left paw compression of the 16mm was down to 3mm, so the 12mm sandals may be a case of the foam compressing all the way down to a solid, with still more compression to go.

Original 12mm compression.

 Despite having more cushioning, the soles still wore out fast.  They might have worn out faster because of the cushioning.  They might have gone 500 miles per pair.

More proper clamping joined the next EVA sheets.  Because wood clamps are so nose bleed expensive & the pressures on foam aren't very high, there's motivation for 3D printing a jig for gluing the pieces.  Gluing sandals is just a very rare operation for such an investment in gear.  

The 10mm foam was actually cuttable with ordinary scissors.  Making holes in the full 16mm requires an exacto.

The 1st investment in cord locks in years.  The orange ones look a lot better, but only fit around the toe straps.

Square plastic bits appeared to wear away the soles faster, so the they were rounded again.  Extra glue was applied to keep them oriented.

The soles got a more aggressive clamping.  Another 10 clamps are still required to do it right.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08RXW32H4

These are quite good.

The clamping led to the best edges so far.  

Black soling ran out with the shortages in 2021.  Extra patches will be glued to the worn areas as they wear out.

The laces swell over time, making the cord locks tighter.  They're too loose when they're new.

The last set underwent a lot of patching on the soles to worn areas.  They retained a lot more cushioning than 12mm.  They have a few more miles left before being discarded.

Wear varied greatly, depending on the lacing variations & paw position.  Right paws are getting beaten up more than left paws.

What's desperately needed are semi permanent adjustments for the rear & outside of the ankle strap.  They don't have to be adjustable in the field like the existing adjustment points.  Lions continue to dream of a 3D printed cord lock to fuse the 2 existing ones into 1.

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