Thanks for the link Spar. Have you used these in the past? I currently am using some flat sole Nikes that are similar to Chuck's. I'm thinking about getting a pair to help squat and power cleans.
I'm using the same kind of shoes, and was advised to get "real" heeled lifting shoes.
I haven’t used these, but I’ve heard that they are decent and a good budget choice as a first lifting shoe.
Personally, I hate Chucks for lifting. A lot of people do OK with them, and they claim the soles are hard enough, but I can feel the give in the soles, and the canvas upper is the opposite of rigid. There is no substitute for the stability a real lifting shoe provides, IMO. And these are not all that much more expensive than Chucks.
Flat shoes can work. It really depends on the person. I've seen guy raw sqautting over 800 (closer stance) in flat shoes like chucks. I find that the weightlifting shoes do help out my squat. I can get a little deeper, so I prefer to wear them. I deadlift in socks or slippers. Weightlifting shoes don't work well for my deadlift.
If you are getting good depth with the flat shoes, you should be ok for now. If you are parallel or a little high, maybe the weightlifting shoes will help out a little.
If you’re already using a flat-soled shoe, I’d assume that another brand of flat-soled shoe isn’t going to do much more for you.
WL shoes help a lot with both squats and power cleans. If you’re squatting with very wide stance and vertical shins, geared powerlifter-style, then flat-soled shoes are probably better. For Rip’s style, a bit of a heel improves the squat.
I think there is much more to lifting shoes than getting depth. But opinions vary. The only way to know is to try for yourself and compare.
I DL in WL shoes because I do Oly. lifting. And also because DLing in slippers was giving me arch pain lately, and the WL shoes fixed that problem. But I DLed for years in slippers or wrestling shoes. Maybe the arch thing is age-related or something.