I am a woman but I bought these shoes for myself since they ran out of cool colors in my size.  I usually wear a women's 7.5 and ordered these in a 5.5 youth size.  They were a little big so I exchanged them for a 5 and they fit great.  There is still just a tiny bit of room but doesn't affect the fit or my run.  I own the Nike Free's and I would say this is an inexpensive and lighter version of the Free's.  I just got these yesterday and went for a 3 mile run, no blisters like I got when I ran with the Free's for the first time so in my opinion there is no break in period.  These feel a little cushier but just a little less stable than the Free's since the outsoles are not as wide.  I like these a lot and would recommend to anyone looking for an inexpensive pair of running shoes.  I have wide feet too and these don't bother them in any spot.  Because the mesh fabric stretches to any foot shape, you really can't go wrong with these babies.