Introduction
Let me start by saying that I am not a fast man. I am also not in very good shape at all. Let's just say that I am an average Joe. That is going to change quickly and I invite you to come along with me and see my progress as I get back in shape and eventually beat a 5 minute mile, which has been my lifetime goal since I injured my right knee my Senior year in High School by heel-striking. I was running a 5:12 mile at the time.One thing that I do have going for me however, is that I now know almost everything there is to know about barefoot/minimalist running and I now run with the right form. I've worn the VFFs casually since 2010 (running occasionally in them but mostly using them at work, swimming and walking) and I have worked at 2 sporting goods stores in Nevada that both sell minimalist shoes. JADDE Sports in Mesquite and Barefoot Don in Las Vegas. I worked at JADDE Sports from September of 2010 to September of 2011, moved to Hawaii for 8 months, came back in May of 2012 to Nevada and am currently employed as Manager of Barefoot Don, a store that specializes in minimalist running.
The New Balance Minimus Amp MT1010 or WT1010
First Impression and Toe-Box
My first impression with the shoe when I opened the box was that the color scheme was really weird. It was a limited edition orange/blue/yellow though so I was happy about having a color not many people would have! I also noticed that the toe-box was shaped like all of the other New Balance Minimus toe-boxes. That was a disappointment to me because they're too long at the big-toe and too short at the pinky-toe. It just isn't shaped like a foot! Here is an album of the photos below comparing toe-boxes in higher resolution.
This is a picture of the shape of my foot. I have a pretty normal foot. It is outlined in blue.
This is a picture of the shape of the New Balance toe-box. It is outlined in red. Can you see how my outer toes touch the edge when my big toe has plenty of room?
This is a picture of the shape of an ideal toe-box. It is outlined in purple. Altra and Vivobarefoot are the first companies that come to mind with a toe-box like this. They give room to all 5 toes. Not just one.
Sure enough when I slipped them on I could feel a lot of room at the big-toe but my pinky-toe was touching the inner wall of the shoe. Not the side of the shoe mind you, but the front. I don't have a wide foot and the shoes weren't too narrow. If I had gotten a half-size bigger they would have been too long. If I had gotten a size wider that would have fixed the toe-box problem, but they would have been too wide and loose on the rest of the foot.
Specs
The New Balance Amp 1010 features a 4mm drop from heel to toe with 14mm thickness in the back and 10mm thickness in the front. It isn't as barefoot as I usually like my shoes, but it is a trail shoe that was designed to protect from sticks/thorns/sharp rocks etc., so it's acceptable in my opinion. It also features a plastic rock plate (yellow) in the thinner forefoot area of the sole that gives that solid protection from anything sharp on the trails. Always keep in mind however that the more protection provided, the less flexible the shoe will be.
The Vibram rubber bottom of the shoe is the best part about it. From your midfoot to your toes it has a forward gripping jagged pattern that looks like it will grip anything and everything that you are trying to climb up whether it is sandstone, mud, rock, concrete or wet surfaces. From the midfoot to your heel it has a backward gripping jagged pattern that looks like it will not slip while going downhill even if it's raining. The
rubber is also separated at the ball of the foot and at the toes to provide a little more flexibility. The Vibram rubber also comes up over the big-toe to create a "shield" that prevents any snagging, tearing or ripping while you are on the trails. 
The upper of the shoe is a very tough, breathable micro-mesh, reinforced by a more loosely woven pattern that's interwoven into the micro-mesh. The tongue is very thin. Just two layers of mesh is all that is needed to protect your instep from any rubbing from the laces. The sides and the lace area of the shoes are also reinforced by what seems to be lines of thermoplastic polyurethane to provide a snug fit and more protection from ripping and wear. All around, this shoe is a VERY durable shoe.
Now let's talk about the inside of the shoe. There is no removable insole which is usually great, but there is also no layer of material that protects your feet from the exposed (especially in the toe area) stitching and seams. The built-in sole is made of a rough fabric that provides traction and grip on the inside of the shoe, but it might be a bit much if you are going sock-less.Expected rating from examination: 8.0/10
The Run
So excited to try the shoe out and post my first review, I wake up at 7am on September 26th to go for a 1.5 mile run (I'm out of shape remember?). I've mapped it out so about half of the run will be on flat asphalt and half of the run will be in the dirt/rocks/brush. I went out wearing my all time favorite Injinji No Show Lightweight Coolmax toe socks which are extremely thin. While I was running down the asphalt I really was enjoying the shoe. It was extremely easy to forefoot strike in and it was a lot more flexible than I had imagined. I kept noticing however that I had to keep slightly twisting my feet inward to keep my outer toes from rubbing or hitting the inner wall of the toe-box, but it wasn't that big of a hassle so I didn't make a big deal about it.
When I started running off road, the toe-box really became an issue fast. I couldn't run straight anymore and I was changing directions left and right (literally) to avoid big bushes and rocks. Every time I'd change directions, my outer two toes would slam against the inner-wall of the shoe. I noticed that the inner-wall was very stiff and gave very little to my toes. It was enough of a problem that I couldn't concentrate on where I was going so I ended up stepping on a medium-sized rock wrong, twisted my ankle and fell forward into a somersault in the rocks (don't worry, I just scuffed up my leg a little bit. I wasn't hurt.). I quickly got out of the dirt and rocks and back onto the pavement where everything was simple and flat again.
The rest of the run was just like the beginning. Very easy and enjoyable. When I got home I noticed that my 3 outer toes on each foot were sore from rubbing against the seam and stitching of the sewn-in insole. Wearing a thicker sock would fix that problem though so maybe next time I'll try going out in my Injinji Original Weight toe socks or my Fit Socks and see how that goes. I'd also like to try a 2E in the shoe to see if that fixes the toe-box problem even though I imagine the rest of the shoe will be too wide.
Final Review
Fit: 0.5/2
The toe-box was too big an issue for me and I knew it as soon as I opened the box. The rubber and TPU reinforced walls of the toe box made the experience even worse because it had no forgiveness at all for my outer toes. If you have a very pointy foot this shoe may just fit you perfectly. If they just fixed that toe box they'd get a 2/2. My big toe was extremely happy with the shoe though!
Flexibility: 1.5/2
Most shoes either have a 1.5 in Flexibility and a 2 in Versatility or the other way around. This is because trail shoes are the most versatile shoes. You can take them on the trail, road, treadmill or track, but they are usually heavier duty and less flexible. Road shoes are more flexible but they are not as versatile because they suffer on the trails.
Minimalism: 1.5/2
I would have given the NB Minimus 1010's a 1 out of 2 but, being a trail shoe, it is expected to be a little thicker under the foot. 4mm in my opinion is the borderline of minimalist shoes because if there is a steeper heel to toe drop it becomes unnatural to midfoot or forefoot strike as the heel of the shoe gets in the way.
Durability: 2/2
The NB Minimus 1010's are an extremely well built shoe. Very reinforced and very protective. Almost too protective. Now because they have the Revlite EVA foam in the sole of the shoe it is recommended to have an alternative pair of shoes you can use to alternate between the two shoes because any EVA foam compresses during a run and takes about 48 hours to fully expand back to where it should be. If you only run 2-3 times a week though, you will not have any problems with this. I'd give you 300-400 miles in this shoe if you treat it right.
Goat heads are no match to these shoes!
(photo by mr_slice @ reddit.com)
Versatility: 2/2
Being a trail shoe, you can take it anywhere. It's designed to withstand
the roughest conditions so running on a road/track/treadmill is a
breeze for this shoe. It also is water ready as you can see in the video below so feel free to run up a
stream on your way to the top of a mountain.
Overall rating: 7.5/10 Good
Now does the New Balance 1010 have a place in my closet? Yes it does. For me it makes a great shoe to wear to work, wear around town or go on runs that don't include a lot of sudden change of direction. They'd be great on the track or long dirt trails.
Should they have a place in your closet? Everybody's foot is different. If it fits your foot it is a must have. I'd imagine that if you have a naturally wide foot you won't have a problem with the toe box. If you like shoes to be about an inch longer than your longest toe (like my dad) or have shorter outer toes, this shoe is for you.
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