I've been wearing pretty much nothing else than Vivos for about 15 years since evolving from Birkenstock & Trippens, & am a heavy duty user (meaning they're mostly worn outdoors, in yards & all weathers etc). I'm a real fan of "foot shaped shoes" rather than the idiocy or shoes that want to make feet shoe shaped. It should be against the law, the harm the latter cause to people's feet! On my 2nd pair of Gobis now. Never had a sole puncture even though I've stood on nails in wood, & walked on glass etc as they have a puncture resistant layer. The only downside I found in the first pair was that Vivo don't supply the original laces & it was hard to find equivalents! They changed the design to include eyelets in the lace holes to stop them breaking laces (eventually). I'd suggest adding them if your don't. Vivo did change the design & material at some point which I found disappointing. The old style were stiffer, & more formal. Didn't have a stitched tongue, & had a narrow throat (distance across the laces). It made them more like an office shoe. I find the new ones are more like leather socks, i.e. a softer leather. In some countries, Vivo now offer a repair service to replace soles which, like you, took me about 3 or 4 years of constant use to wear thru. Health, enviro- & ethics aside, very good money's worth really. Folks, if you have tried foot shaped shoes (your big toe is supposed to be straight, not pointing 20° inwards), you really need to give them a try & heal your feet. You have no idea how much damage you are causing by wearing pointy shoes just for the sake of looks. (I believe the style goes back to horse riders in antiquity designing a boot that would easily fit into a stirrup, & has nothing to do with walking!). I remember when, after a year or so of wearing a foot shaped shoes, I had to wear a pair of vintage Doc Martin work shoes I had to go into town. Shoes that in the old days would have considered a wide or health shoe. I ended up having to take them off, throw them in a waste bin, & buy a pair of old army boots just to get back home again, they were so uncomfortable. These were shoes I'd worn for years before. You toes will straighten out, & foot expand in order to grip & balance well. I could not go back now. I can't believe shoe makers, especially sports shoe makers, are still making shoes with pointy toes. It's insane. Last comment; get two pairs & alternate, it will make both last much longer being able to dry out, & feed the leather with conditioner.
Great review! Been looking into barefoot shoes recently as had 5 weeks off work and not really worn shoes. I've noticed how weird it feels to walk in shoes which I wasn't expecting! Hoping to get a pair of Vivos this Sunday.
You've made a great choice! I love mine and will keep wearing them till I need a new pair! They seem to last 3 or 4 years with daily use though so won't be for a while yet :)
I think a lot of offices would consider them too casual. I can wear them at my office now, mainly because since covid, they have made the dress code more casual unless you are in a meeting with externals, which is pretty rare nowadays. Carets makes a proper Oxford, and I think currently similar in price to Vivobarefoot.
Honest question, why? Is it simply the lack of a 'wing-tip' style sole? Or it is the round toe? I got away with it in a formal situation by standing/sitting really close to the boss's desk so he couldn't see my feet!
@@dharmapunk777 With regards to the round toe, we need to change the culture towards that. It's ridiculous that what is deemed acceptable is unhealthy or unfoot shaped (I experience that about 35 years ago when first wearing "earth shoes", as they were called, & I guess it's not changed then). I also agree that the Gobi IIs, in particularly, have also become even sloppier in that department due to the adoption of a softer leather. I described them as being more like a "leather sock" in a complaint to the company. But, I still wear them. Things only change is someone persists. Trippen make a more formal Oxford type shoes that are wearable, but with a heavier, cleated sole. Birkenstocks are even more hippy in design. Does anyone else make any alternative?
@@jonahwhale9047 the point on pointy shoes isnt meant for your foot to fit in. If its properly designed and made of the right materials it should not cause any squishing of toes. Clarets make a decently proper Oxford. It looks like a wedge heel, but is false. Still zero drop.
Дополняю после покупки. Купил Addis и Gobi. Внезапно и правда мечта.👍У меня есть беговые трейловые Merell,но мне сложно бегать в одной обуви,а ходить в другой. Получается диссонанс и нервной системе сложно перестраиваться каждый день. Но опыт уже был,поэтому просто одел и пошел. Заказывал две модели на выбор,но не смог выбрать и взял обе. Они стоят своих денег,хотя бы потому,что вне кокуреции. Жаль только наши обувщики далеки от разработки или хотя бы копирования такой обуви. Это помогло бы снизить цену.
These are my daily work shoes. I switched to barefoot shoes a bit over a year and I was happy to find them. Some looked too sporty or just odd. These are fine. There is a another European brand called Be Lenka that has some nice workplace barefoot shoes I use.
Check out Lems Boulder boot leather. I’ve tried Vivo, Xeros, and Lems. The Lems are my go to for causal or office and have had many compliments. The more I wear them the more comfy they get.
I own a pair of Vivobarefoot Primus Lite Knit and my feet ache after standing / walking on concrete or hard floors throughout the day. I do have flat feet, so its possible this is contributing to this but i do feel like the lack of cushioning in these shoes can be difficult for me.
I use mine only at the gym, but thinking of getting the Gobi for everyday wear. Do you not think it looks wear with the extra large & rounded front of the shoe? Almost like water shoes
They're not your standard dress shoe, but I've found them reasonable for everyday use in a professional medical environment. Not too weird once you get used to looking down at them. And the comfort and functionality well and truely make up for and aesthetic failings.
I'm assuming that living in Australia, you would be wearing these in hot weather? Are they uncomfortable in the heat? I live in Greece and it gets *hot* in summer. As I need a more dressy shoe, I've been eyeing these, but fear my feet will boil. (I don't like the shorter version, I'm hooked on the look of the Gobi). Ta!
I've had a couple pair of LEMS Primal 2s for a couple years and have loved them... Taking advantage of their Labor Day Sale of 30%, I bought another pair of Primal 2, a pair of Chillum and a pair of Nine2Five... The Chillum and Nine2Five are ever so slightly narrower in the toe box than the Primal 2s, but still offer good and comfortable room for all day wear (I'm a CNA)... The Nine2Five look quite smart and are used primarily (for me) for formal affair, date nights, and any other "dress up" events... I have recently transitioned from my Altra shoes to the LEMS Chillum, and have had no regrets (was nervous because I have 50lbs/22kg of weight to lose!)
Mostly. If you have a lot of inversion you may need some more support, but if the ankle and mid foot are holding well you should be fine for gentle day to day activity. It's likely a good thing to assist in building intrinsic foot strength and improving proprioception.
They may wear well, but they do not pass the test of time. The soles dry out, crack, and start falling apart after a few years. Pretty sad for such an expensive shoe. Never had that problem even with much less expensive brands of shoes. My other minimalist shoes (Xero, Lems) so far have not had the issues Vivo has with this particular sole.
Thanks for the feedback @spikedpunk. Thankfully I have not experienced this. I'm now 3 years into this particular pair and still no issues. 3 years into a pair of primus lites as well without the cracking issue.. Maybe it's dependent on heat/humidity or other environmental factors? Are they your daily wear?
@@trevorknoll422 regardless, on the Vivo's, the fact is the soles dried and cracked on them, rendering them useless, a shame compared to my Doc Martin boots, even down to some off-brand skateboard shoes, older, quite worn out, and still usable.
@@trevorknoll422 ok, my last reply. Please re-read my statement. The soles CRACKED long before they wore out, rendering them no good. I am a fan of the concept, but not of the quality for what I paid for them. Understand?
Vivo do do a pretty good range of vegan alternatives, e.g. they do/did Gobis in hemp, but I'm not sure vegan leathers are quite ready for the mainstream yet. I think, what with new, more natural materials like some of the mycelium ones we are almost there; but I'm not sure the synthetic ones can breathe or last yet. I've always been really disappointed by vegan shoe manufacturers using pointy toe lasts to make their shoes. I'm not sure Vivo's leather is quite as ethical as Ryan says, e.g. from animals that died naturally. I do know though that they are from wild living animals in Africa rather than factor farming by-products in the West. It's a pretty good compromise point. Traditionally, in India, they used to sell "brahmin leather" which was from cows who had died naturally. Not sure if that still goes on. I've struggled with the ethics because clearly running an oil industry, & building vast plastics industries, also has its own cost on animals & the environment. I suspect, if you balance things out, such a naturally recycled leather, for the sake of need alone, would be the "more vegan" option. Even if it sounds counter-intuitive. I've looked at some of the vegan "pleathers", like the Teijin, & they are still very plasticky. Vivo, on the other hand, does do woven recycle PET bottle sports shoes that probably breath just fine. Never tried them.
Nothing worse than fake plastic leather , it is bad in so many ways , and not as durable as leather . Even the manufacturing process is not sustainable and bad for the environment. I don't understand why the bearfoot community is vegan .
I've been wearing pretty much nothing else than Vivos for about 15 years since evolving from Birkenstock & Trippens, & am a heavy duty user (meaning they're mostly worn outdoors, in yards & all weathers etc). I'm a real fan of "foot shaped shoes" rather than the idiocy or shoes that want to make feet shoe shaped. It should be against the law, the harm the latter cause to people's feet! On my 2nd pair of Gobis now. Never had a sole puncture even though I've stood on nails in wood, & walked on glass etc as they have a puncture resistant layer. The only downside I found in the first pair was that Vivo don't supply the original laces & it was hard to find equivalents! They changed the design to include eyelets in the lace holes to stop them breaking laces (eventually). I'd suggest adding them if your don't.
Vivo did change the design & material at some point which I found disappointing. The old style were stiffer, & more formal. Didn't have a stitched tongue, & had a narrow throat (distance across the laces). It made them more like an office shoe. I find the new ones are more like leather socks, i.e. a softer leather. In some countries, Vivo now offer a repair service to replace soles which, like you, took me about 3 or 4 years of constant use to wear thru. Health, enviro- & ethics aside, very good money's worth really.
Folks, if you have tried foot shaped shoes (your big toe is supposed to be straight, not pointing 20° inwards), you really need to give them a try & heal your feet. You have no idea how much damage you are causing by wearing pointy shoes just for the sake of looks. (I believe the style goes back to horse riders in antiquity designing a boot that would easily fit into a stirrup, & has nothing to do with walking!).
I remember when, after a year or so of wearing a foot shaped shoes, I had to wear a pair of vintage Doc Martin work shoes I had to go into town. Shoes that in the old days would have considered a wide or health shoe. I ended up having to take them off, throw them in a waste bin, & buy a pair of old army boots just to get back home again, they were so uncomfortable. These were shoes I'd worn for years before.
You toes will straighten out, & foot expand in order to grip & balance well. I could not go back now. I can't believe shoe makers, especially sports shoe makers, are still making shoes with pointy toes. It's insane.
Last comment; get two pairs & alternate, it will make both last much longer being able to dry out, & feed the leather with conditioner.
thanks for such a detailed comment 🙂
Great review! Been looking into barefoot shoes recently as had 5 weeks off work and not really worn shoes. I've noticed how weird it feels to walk in shoes which I wasn't expecting! Hoping to get a pair of Vivos this Sunday.
You've made a great choice! I love mine and will keep wearing them till I need a new pair! They seem to last 3 or 4 years with daily use though so won't be for a while yet :)
Good honest straightforward review will certainly look at the brand
Thanks for the feedback Mark ☺️
I think a lot of offices would consider them too casual. I can wear them at my office now, mainly because since covid, they have made the dress code more casual unless you are in a meeting with externals, which is pretty rare nowadays. Carets makes a proper Oxford, and I think currently similar in price to Vivobarefoot.
Nice, I'll have to check them out too. Yes, I agree, I think in a more formal office setting you'd need to level up :)
Honest question, why? Is it simply the lack of a 'wing-tip' style sole? Or it is the round toe? I got away with it in a formal situation by standing/sitting really close to the boss's desk so he couldn't see my feet!
@@jonahwhale9047 rounded toe, yes but also the toebox doesn't hold its shape it just looks like a slipper. Kinda sloppy and gets scuffed easy.
@@dharmapunk777 With regards to the round toe, we need to change the culture towards that. It's ridiculous that what is deemed acceptable is unhealthy or unfoot shaped (I experience that about 35 years ago when first wearing "earth shoes", as they were called, & I guess it's not changed then).
I also agree that the Gobi IIs, in particularly, have also become even sloppier in that department due to the adoption of a softer leather. I described them as being more like a "leather sock" in a complaint to the company.
But, I still wear them. Things only change is someone persists. Trippen make a more formal Oxford type shoes that are wearable, but with a heavier, cleated sole. Birkenstocks are even more hippy in design.
Does anyone else make any alternative?
@@jonahwhale9047 the point on pointy shoes isnt meant for your foot to fit in. If its properly designed and made of the right materials it should not cause any squishing of toes. Clarets make a decently proper Oxford. It looks like a wedge heel, but is false. Still zero drop.
Ботинки из падали. Просто мечта.🧐
thanks!
Дополняю после покупки. Купил Addis и Gobi. Внезапно и правда мечта.👍У меня есть беговые трейловые Merell,но мне сложно бегать в одной обуви,а ходить в другой. Получается диссонанс и нервной системе сложно перестраиваться каждый день. Но опыт уже был,поэтому просто одел и пошел. Заказывал две модели на выбор,но не смог выбрать и взял обе. Они стоят своих денег,хотя бы потому,что вне кокуреции. Жаль только наши обувщики далеки от разработки или хотя бы копирования такой обуви. Это помогло бы снизить цену.
These are my daily work shoes. I switched to barefoot shoes a bit over a year and I was happy to find them. Some looked too sporty or just odd. These are fine. There is a another European brand called Be Lenka that has some nice workplace barefoot shoes I use.
nice, I'll have to check them out!
Check out Lems Boulder boot leather. I’ve tried Vivo, Xeros, and Lems. The Lems are my go to for causal or office and have had many compliments. The more I wear them the more comfy they get.
Great review! Love those shoes. Please keep making such videos.
Thanks Angel, My wife has a pair of hiking shoes which I might review. Thanks for the encouragement
Pretty much all the Vivo barefoot shoes I want are out of stock for my size...very annoying. Hopefully they get more in soon!
Yeh they sell out quickly! Got to keep an eye on the website.. I found the same thing. Hopefully you find some soon.
I own a pair of Vivobarefoot Primus Lite Knit and my feet ache after standing / walking on concrete or hard floors throughout the day. I do have flat feet, so its possible this is contributing to this but i do feel like the lack of cushioning in these shoes can be difficult for me.
could be, they definately took me a while to build up strength in my feet.
I use mine only at the gym, but thinking of getting the Gobi for everyday wear. Do you not think it looks wear with the extra large & rounded front of the shoe? Almost like water shoes
They're not your standard dress shoe, but I've found them reasonable for everyday use in a professional medical environment. Not too weird once you get used to looking down at them. And the comfort and functionality well and truely make up for and aesthetic failings.
That’s normal. If it was pointy and narrow, it would look/be painful, dangerous, and buniony
Try Birchbury. Minimalist shoes, but look much more like regular business shoes, imho
Thanks for the advice , i'll be sure to check it out
I have to say, they are really comfortable shoes
I love them too!
Why this model is no more available at their shop?? I really like the look of them.
They may currently be out of stock, but you can still get them here: amzn.to/3P4n2U8
Sorry.. this is the leather version: amzn.to/386pwRu
I'm assuming that living in Australia, you would be wearing these in hot weather? Are they uncomfortable in the heat? I live in Greece and it gets *hot* in summer. As I need a more dressy shoe, I've been eyeing these, but fear my feet will boil. (I don't like the shorter version, I'm hooked on the look of the Gobi). Ta!
I'm inside for work so temperature hasn't been an issue for me :) I'd reconsider if you were outside all day though.
i stepped onto a staple in my office and it punctured right through the vivo prime lite iii sole and i could feel it scratching my toe.......
ouch! Was the sole thinned out? I've accidently stepped on nails, glass, stables, pins etc and havn't had a problem. Sorry to hear that!
Shoe is a gimmick, won't last, they are out of stock because it's going south fast
@@marcz9482 not really man. Where do you get your info from? They're selling out fast because people are buying them just as fast.
@@marcz9482 Er...no.
Would you say the Gobi or the RA is more formal looking?
What is the RA?
Have you tried the LEMS Nine2Five? ❤️
No, what are they like? Recommend them?
I've had a couple pair of LEMS Primal 2s for a couple years and have loved them... Taking advantage of their Labor Day Sale of 30%, I bought another pair of Primal 2, a pair of Chillum and a pair of Nine2Five... The Chillum and Nine2Five are ever so slightly narrower in the toe box than the Primal 2s, but still offer good and comfortable room for all day wear (I'm a CNA)... The Nine2Five look quite smart and are used primarily (for me) for formal affair, date nights, and any other "dress up" events...
I have recently transitioned from my Altra shoes to the LEMS Chillum, and have had no regrets (was nervous because I have 50lbs/22kg of weight to lose!)
Would you recommend barefoot shoes for people with flat feet ?
Mostly. If you have a lot of inversion you may need some more support, but if the ankle and mid foot are holding well you should be fine for gentle day to day activity. It's likely a good thing to assist in building intrinsic foot strength and improving proprioception.
I must know, do you wear socks with these shoes or barefoot in general?
Yeh I will wear socks 99% of the time.
They may wear well, but they do not pass the test of time. The soles dry out, crack, and start falling apart after a few years. Pretty sad for such an expensive shoe. Never had that problem even with much less expensive brands of shoes. My other minimalist shoes (Xero, Lems) so far have not had the issues Vivo has with this particular sole.
Thanks for the feedback @spikedpunk. Thankfully I have not experienced this. I'm now 3 years into this particular pair and still no issues. 3 years into a pair of primus lites as well without the cracking issue.. Maybe it's dependent on heat/humidity or other environmental factors? Are they your daily wear?
A few years is plenty of life for a pair of shoes.
@@trevorknoll422 regardless, on the Vivo's, the fact is the soles dried and cracked on them, rendering them useless, a shame compared to my Doc Martin boots, even down to some off-brand skateboard shoes, older, quite worn out, and still usable.
@@SammyVista1972 I would assume a Doc Martin would last longer. There’s 20mm more rubber under it. This is no comparison
@@trevorknoll422 ok, my last reply. Please re-read my statement. The soles CRACKED long before they wore out, rendering them no good. I am a fan of the concept, but not of the quality for what I paid for them. Understand?
Waterproof?
I'd say water resistent... can't go swimming in them, but no worries walking to and from the car with a few puddles and rain.
I wish they had used vegan leather!
(˘･_･˘)
Vivo do do a pretty good range of vegan alternatives, e.g. they do/did Gobis in hemp, but I'm not sure vegan leathers are quite ready for the mainstream yet. I think, what with new, more natural materials like some of the mycelium ones we are almost there; but I'm not sure the synthetic ones can breathe or last yet. I've always been really disappointed by vegan shoe manufacturers using pointy toe lasts to make their shoes. I'm not sure Vivo's leather is quite as ethical as Ryan says, e.g. from animals that died naturally. I do know though that they are from wild living animals in Africa rather than factor farming by-products in the West. It's a pretty good compromise point.
Traditionally, in India, they used to sell "brahmin leather" which was from cows who had died naturally. Not sure if that still goes on. I've struggled with the ethics because clearly running an oil industry, & building vast plastics industries, also has its own cost on animals & the environment. I suspect, if you balance things out, such a naturally recycled leather, for the sake of need alone, would be the "more vegan" option. Even if it sounds counter-intuitive.
I've looked at some of the vegan "pleathers", like the Teijin, & they are still very plasticky. Vivo, on the other hand, does do woven recycle PET bottle sports shoes that probably breath just fine. Never tried them.
yes, I don't think they have a vegan leather, but they do have vegan options.
What a contradiction in terms
Nothing worse than fake plastic leather , it is bad in so many ways , and not as durable as leather . Even the manufacturing process is not sustainable and bad for the environment. I don't understand why the bearfoot community is vegan .
I would probably get fired if I turned up to work in a pair of those 😂
Lucky I work for myself haha
The problem with all barefoot shoes is that they are butt ugly. The Gobi ll is fine for everyday wear but the unstructured look is sloppy.
yeh, not as refined as a dress shoe
Comfortable but kind of ugly.
Yeh depends on your style for sure!