Soul kayaks, like the entire legacy of Corran Addison's designs, are a wild mix of undeniable brilliance, combined with unadulterated gimmickry, often both executed in a rather slapdash manner, and the Hammer is in the eye of the storm of this reality. The Hammer is not a bad boat. But it is unrefined. Other companies would have perhaps spent an extra few months on refining the design to have something with legacy to sit in the catalogue for the next decade. After all, a good boat is a good boat, and as we are all told, the cost of the mold is the big expense that needs to be recouped in kayak manufacturing. This logic goes out the window with Corran, who seems with the Hammer to have abandoned the design in the Alpha stage, quickly moving on to other designs. That doesn't make this a bad boat. I think with the years of experience Corran has, he could fart out a half-way good boat in his sleep. But the Hammer is not a great boat, and it could have been, with just a little more effort and refinement. Its concept is for sure good. I enjoy paddling...

i have had my KSO's since they came out. i got them early, and in the states so i got them cheap. about 50 usd. i have since watched their popularity rise. their price also rose significantly. sizing is important. sizing is not on shoe-size, but on foot length. you need to measure your feet (both of them) then refer to a sizing chart on the fivefingers website. once you get them, putting them on and wearing them feels strange. everything about them is strange. throw away any expectations when you get them and just go with the flow. first-off i have mad grip in these. i can run up walls with them, do scissor climbs in my appartment hallway. oh, the soles are very marking, so your landlord may not be impressed. you walk and run differently in them. if you can walk and run correctly, you will enjoy these. if you do not, you will learn or you will hurt. leading with a heel-strike hurts, and is not anatomically good for your body. lead with the ball of your foot for comfort and good feedback. if you get this you will find a good...