28 Oct 2011 by Damien Tougas

A Review of the Stem Primal Origins - Man's Perspective

I am a sucker for a good story. Being an engineer at heart, I really enjoy the stories of product inventors and company founders. Especially the geeky ones where some guy encounters a problem, passionately solves it, then creates a livelihood out of the solution. I think that almost every company that exists probably has a good story tucked away somewhere. The problem with big companies is that while they may have been founded on a good story, many are not connected to it any longer. Small companies on the other hand are often in the middle of living it.

Andrew Rademacher - founder of Stem Footwear - is one of those guys who happens to be in the middle of a good story. As a high school and college athlete, he discovered the hard way that modern footwear sometimes hurts more than it helps. Rather than regurgitate his story, I highly recommend you go read it on the Stem Footwear site here - I found it both fascinating, and unsurprising. Unsurprising because Andrew isn't the only one with a story of footwear related athletic injuries, and fascinating because he endeavored to do something about it; not only for himself, but for others as well: He founded a shoe company.

Looking over the Stem Footwear website, one thing becomes quickly apparent; Stem gets minimalist footwear. With more pages dedicated to providing information than products, they do a superb job of educating and supporting the consumer. Because this thorough understanding has existed since the inception of the company, it is at the foundation of their product design. This becomes immediately apparent the moment you put a pair of Stems on your feet...

The Origins Series

Stem kicked off their product line with the Origins series: a sporty shoe with heavy leanings towards the casual side. That doesn't mean they don't work well for physical activity, but that they are equally at home in the gym, on the pavement, or at the office. They come in five models (three for men, two for women), the only difference between models is the color. The pair I have are called the Primal Origins which is a really nice gray color, the other two colors available being dark brown (Survival Origins) and a green/gray combo (Natural Origins). The first thing my wife said when I took them out of the box was "wow, those are nice... minimalist shoes have really come a long way". The Stem design is really eye-catching.

Not only did Stem do well on the styling, but they hit all of the minimalist footwear requirements almost perfectly dead-on. Zero drop? Check! Foot-shaped anatomic last? Check! Breathable upper? Check! Flexible upper? Check! Flexible sole? Check! Usable sockless? Check! Often, different shoe models will excel at that list to varying degrees, but it is a rarity to find a shoe that does them all so well. Kudos to Stem's designers!

The Primal Origins are a great shoe for walking and everyday use. The colors and styling makes them perfectly suited for the office and around town. The fit, fabrics, and construction also makes them equally suited for fitness pursuits such as weight training and road running. I think they are less suited for rough trail conditions; the uppers look like they haven't been designed to take the abuse of a rugged environment.

What I like

These shoes have some of the softest, most flexible and comfortable uppers I have ever tried. Constructed out of a combination of lightweight mesh and a synthetic suede (100% vegan) fabrics, they feel better than my slippers.
They are very light-weight. At 200g (7.3oz) for my size 43, I hardly notice they are there.
The outsole has both thickness and flexibility. This is a combination I really like because it gives protection and flexibility at the same time - usually it is one or the other. A testament to their air-infused outsole design.
The toebox is excellent, one of the best I have seen (on par with Altra). The rest of the last is excellent as well, making for a good anatomic foot shape.
They look really good. The colors and styling are good for both casual and sport use.
The shoes are machine washable.

What I don't like

The dye stained my socks. Not a huge issue, but something worth noting.
While the uppers are soft, flexible, and dry quickly, they don't have a lot of stretch. If I were to change one thing, it would be to add a little stretch to better accomodate the expansion of feet expand under load.

Related Articles
Comments (12)

A Review of the Stem Primal Origins - Woman's Perspective - I have been waiting and watching all of this year to see what the minimal shoe scene would be like ...

Trail Shoe Showdown - The VIVOBAREFOOT Breatho Trail vs. the Inov-8 Trailroc 235 - 2012 was a good year for minimalist trail shoes. Two of my personal favorites were the VIVOBAREFOOT Breatho Trail and ...

An Interview with Andrew Rademacher from Lems Shoes - Andrew Rademacher is the CEO and chief product developer for Lems, a new barefoot/minimalist footwear company that released their first ...

Standards - So, thinking about the directory, what kind of standards should we have regarding what goes in there? This is a ...

New Balance Minimus Zero: First Impressions - After hearing the rumors and catching a glimpse this past summer at Outdoor Retailer, I have finally managed to get ...

Introducing a Young Minimalist Company-STEM Footwear - My name is Andrew. I started STEM Footwear over a year ago when I discovered my solution to my many ...

Phocion Timon 1

Nov. 1, 2011, 12:43 p.m.

For three years I have searched for a truly minimalist shoe. I have built huaraches, used cheap sneakers, bought minimalist shoes recently on the market, and even tried modifying flip-flops. All to no avail.

Toe-shoes are okay but their quality control is less than perfect and I cannot stand the individual toe sockets. The cheap sneakers, from Walmart, were pretty good but they really weren't wide enough. The huaraches and flip-flops get back to the problem of something between my toes. I tried running barefooted but my right foot has two small deformities due to repeated gout attacks over the years and I need a small amount of something between me and the ground.

Enter Stem Footwear. Hallelujiah! The Gods of Running have smiled upon humanity. The shoes are VERY flexible, have a VERY wide toe box, and the sole is just enough protection to allow running without pain in my right foot, even over very rough ground.

Two aspects I really, really like are 1) the shoes are lace-up and 2) the flexibility. The laces allow me to get the snugness just right and thanks to the light stretchiness and flexibility of the entire shoe I can leave the laces permanently tied, slipping them on and off, knowing they will be a perfect fit every time I put them back on my feet.

I have the grays and the browns. I emailed Stem about adding black shoes to their line and the responder said they were working on that very thing and the shoes would maybe show up in March 2012.

I have one fear: Stem will "improve" the shoes in the future and, as so often happens, ruin a perfectly good product.

Phocion Timon Midland, Texas

Shoes are for suckers 4

Nov. 2, 2011, 6:43 a.m.

Nice review - and thanks for the coupon Andrew, I just ordered my second pair of Stems. Very excited to hear they are going to make some in black. Will be perfect for work.

density 2

Nov. 6, 2011, 10:49 p.m.

I got the edict from my wife: Order a pair of Stems as soon as you get home from work.

We both tried some on this weekend, and they are some extremely comfortable shoes. I just hope I can keep the stink out of them, which was the big killer of my merrell tough gloves. But these should be much more breathable.

Thanks for the review, I've been excited about these shoes since I first read about them. The coupon is icing!

Boomer 4

Nov. 8, 2011, 7:53 a.m.

Initially, I had something of a dilemma with the Primal Origins: they were so comfortable to wear as casual shoes that I was disinclined use them as runners. Eventually I took the plunge and went running in them on some of the local trails (mostly sand & gravel); they were brilliant. The fit, the wide toe-box and the ground feel through the outsoles have given me what I was looking for in running shoes. Time will tell how many miles the shoes can give me. Note, my running gait and the time I've spent going barefoot have enabled an easy transition to the Origins. I followed the sizing information on the Stem webpage and ordered a size larger than I normally wear.

Have had to buy a pair for my wife, and will have to think about a pair for my casual wear.

StemFootwear-Andrew 17

Nov. 8, 2011, 12:26 p.m.

Hi, it's Andrew the creator of Stem Footwear. Thanks for the awesomely positive comments. We have worked hard for two years to start our small shoe company and now it is all worth it to see that people our loving our shoes.

A few answers to the above questions: 1) All Black will be available 3/1/2012 2) To battle funky smell, Stem Footwear is machine washable with gentle cycle, let air-dry in front of a fan 3) To get the $15 OFF coupon code, become a toe-salad member, it expires 12/31/2011

Please comment to ask me a question. I'll check back on this thread in a few days.

MJP 35

Nov. 9, 2011, 9:13 a.m.

Hi Andrew - thanks for taking the time to comment here.

I would like to ask whether you have any plans to make your shoes in kids sizes. My daughter is almost 3, and I am having such a hard time finding good minimalist options for her. So far it seems Vivobarefoots and SoftStars are the only ones out there, adn I don't always like their styling. I don't think you need a completely new kids line - just make the ones you have smaller! (Is that possible?)

Also, and this is a bit of a taller order - have you considered trying to do dressy shoes? A shoe like yours - even in all black - cannot really be worn with skirts and suits. So far Vivobarefoot Kalis are the only suitable (no pun intended) option I have found, but, again, a little competition in that arena would be a good thing.

Congrats on your shoes so far though - it's great to see more options coming on the market. I will definitely consider Stem next time I need a new pair.

StemFootwear-Andrew 17

Nov. 9, 2011, 9:52 a.m.

MJP,

Yes we have plans to come out with kids sizes for our Origins Series. Right now the smallest size we have is a Womens 6-6.5, which is exactly equivalent to a Kids 4-4.5. So boys or girls can wear the Womens Earth Brown without a problem. In 2013 we plan to extend our sizing down by adding Kids 1-1.5, 2-2.5, and 3-3.5. Does that sound good?

As for dress shoes, in 2013 we will introduce Mens and Womens dress shoes appropriate for suits and dresses.

If you have anymore requests please post them on this thread. Thanks.

MJP 35

Nov. 10, 2011, 3:42 p.m.

Thanks for taking the time to reply. I eagerly await both developments. :o)

My daughter is still down in the toddler sizes, but in a few years it will be great to have your Kids sizes ready for her!

Best of luck with all your efforts.

solennial 2

Dec. 31, 2011, 11:23 a.m.

I would like the 15 off coupon. I've became a member - and I don't understand how to get it. I know that it is 12/31 - but I tried to become a member a few days ago and it was just approved. Really would like to try these shoes out. How do I get the coupon?

Damien Tougas 953

Dec. 31, 2011, 2:42 p.m.

The coupon is available at this linke here: http://www.toesalad.com/stem-footwear-coupon

Elisabeth

March 24, 2013, 10:33 a.m.

Damien,

I have been looking at minimalist shoes and am very interested in these shoes. I am new to this but have been reading a lot about it. You wrote in your review that one of the things you didn't like about the shoe is that it wasn't stretchy. I wonder if this issue would be corrected by replacing the laces with elastic laces of some kind. Do you think that would solve the problem of the shoe not expanding under weight load?

Elisabeth

Damien Tougas 953

March 24, 2013, 4:52 p.m.

Hi Elisabeth, I recently received the updated version of this shoe (version 2), and find it to be even more comfortable than the previous version. It isn't stretchy, but it is more padded in the tongue and around the ankle which maybe makes it a little more adaptable to foot shape under varying load conditions. I haven't had them long enough to give a full review yet, but they are definitely better. I haven't experimented with stretchy laces, but that might help too. Maybe you coul buy a pair of the laces and experiment a bit with some shoes you already have to see if they have potential?

Reviews