First, about my running habits:

- I don't run because I like it. I run because I have to for health reasons. I suffer from diabetes and running+diet are a 100% effective treatment for me.
- I started running seriously about 4 years ago.
- I've been barefoot-running for most of that time.
- My goal was to be able to run 5 kilometers, or about 3 miles. I can and do this on a regular basis, but my goal when I start running is 2 miles (I go more or less depending on conditions).
- I try to run every day, but realistically I get to go 5 days a week.
- I usually run on fairly harsh asphalt, but also do trails and indoor rubberised track.
- I run anywhere from 95 degrees/super humid to 15 degrees to dry or rain or snow. Indoor track when it gets really horrible out.

I've tried many barefoot shoes over the past few years. One thing I've learned is I can't run literally barefoot - I tried it on an indoor track and after 5 minutes the pain is unbearable. So I do need SOME cushioning. I've tried some shoes that did NOT have enough. New Balance shoes, as a rule, tend to be fine on that count, and these shoes are no exception.

My previous running shoes were New Balance MT00, which I also loved but wore out REALLY fast.

The MT20v2 are very light shoes. The upper is almost all very breathable mesh. I love this, but I miss the absolute airiness of the MT00 a bit. When you wear the MT00 you can actually see your toes.

The soles on the MT00 are permeable. If you step in a puddle, your foot will get wet. They will absorb water through the soles. In contrast, the MV20v2 have fully solid soles, and some wrapping around the sides. I purposefully ran through some puddles with them and my feet stayed absolutely dry. Now there are pros and cons to both of those, so it's really a matter of personal preference.

The MT20v2 also have... laces. I know this sounds silly, but it's the 21st century, we shouldn't have to use laces anymore. The only barefoot running shoes I've seen that are consistently laceless are the Vibram 5-fnger shoes, and those, ironically, hurt my toes. I've had other barefoot running shoes with TERRIBLE laces, but the ones on New Balance shoes tend to work fine. My main concern with laces (based on Merrel's barefoot runners) is that it was impossible to get both shoes to "feel" the same, and they CONSTANTLY came undone while running. Never had those problems with the MT00 or MT20v2.

Also, they look pretty cool. I got the red ones.

Now... if you take ONE piece of advice from this review, let it be this.

I'm a normal person and I normally don't have shoe/foot odour problems, and I kind of hate to bring this up but I think I should specifically because of that. If you're new to barefoot running you might not be aware of this. These shoes are designed to be used without socks. Even if you only wear them for 30-60 minutes a day and only run half that time, they'll end up smelling, and if you don't tackle that from day 1 you'll eventually get overwhelmed. So if you buy these (or any barefoot running shoes) get a REALLY GOOD shoe deodorizer and start spraying the hell out of them the SECOND you take them off, the very first time you use them. None of the All Natural ones worked for me. Tectron makes a good one, if you can find it.