Vivobarefoot Men's Ra Lace-up Shoe Reviews

Customer Ratings:

I have a pair of athletic-style vivos, and the same thing I wrote about them applies to these leather shoes. I love them!

I'm not an athlete. I wear these shoes everyday. I have better balance. My joints no longer hurt. No back pain. I can be standing in my living room and feel the difference.

I love these shoes!

I recommend you buy a pair and wear them for a week or so. Just wear them, and see what you think.

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I own a pair of their athletic shoes and love them. I bought these because I wanted to have a barefoot option for work. They took a few wearings to break in since the heel is so stiff but after that they felt great. Anyways after about 12 wearings I noticed the sole started to separate from the leather upper. I should also point out that my job is a desk job and I drive to work so it's not like they see a lot of walking/wear and tear. I've contacted the company twice and received no response back. I wouldn't buy these again, but I'm happy with their running shoes.

Update: I did end up getting a small refund to cover repairs. It took 2 months after initially contacting them. I have upgraded the rating to 4 stars from 1.

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THE GOOD

Comfortable "barefoot" shoe. It used to be that comfort would be enough for me, but now there are so many options out there I thought I'd say a little of why this particular shoe disappoints me...

THE BAD

It squeaks. I bought this as a work shoe and there are two main problems: it squeaks on the floors at work (varnished cement) terribly, to the point where I am embarrassed to walk down the hall. The squeak hasn't gone away after months of wearing. Secondly, these just look dorky. The way the shoe is fat and rounded in front makes it look 'professional' only in the sense of 'professional clown.'

I don't normally order shoes on Amazon. The whole 'look and feel aspect' is impossible to judge. I had seen these shoes briefly in a shoe store, and I should've given them a better test there. I hope my feedback helps others trying to judge this shoe.

Honest reviews on Vivobarefoot Men's Ra Lace-up Shoe

I was sick of how uncomfortable and overly stiff most work shoes were. My foot would feel overly "splinted" and I hated it. I decided to give these a try after researching a bit on more minimalist approaches to business attire.

The GOOD:

* Super comfortable after being broken in for a couple weeks. Initially the heel was stiff and dug into my heel causing some irritation. They softened up nicely and are now incredibly comfortable.

* Very flexible with a wide toe box. Some people think it makes them look silly, but I think they look fine and so does everyone else I work with that I've showed them to.

The BAD:

* Kind of pricey for such a basic shoe really, but worth it for the comfort and feeling of being barefoot.

* With all of the flexing and bending that these shoes allow your feet to do, the leather starts to get noticeable flex lines in them as well as some separation of the rubberized sole from the leather upper in the forefoot area where your foot naturally flexes the most while walking. Not very noticeable, but something someone may notice. If Vivobarefoot could fix this issue, these would get 5 stars from me.

CONCLUSION:

Definitely worth buying. Incredibly comfortable for those who can't stand rigid shoes that feel like a splint on your foot. Sizing can be tricky but I lucked out with my first stab at it. I'm normally a size US 13 in all the other shoes I own. I went with the size EU 47m in these. They are maybe just a tad on the big side, but I prefer having the slightly extra wiggle room. With thick work socks they fit perfectly.

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When I first wore these shoes they ripped the holy hell our of my heels. I still have heel scabs from them. After a week or two, however, my heels grew strong, powerful and I was able to wear these very attractive shoes without pain. They are very wide and give my feet the appearance of flippers, which I find both humorous and alluring. I like to wear them while I dance. The barefootness of them is elegantly done; they will not take away from the experience of almost walking without shoes, however they will protect your soles from sharp rocks, broken glass, rusty razor blades and scorpion attacks. I give them two thumbs up.