I'm writing this because I don't feel these shoes have a rating that do them justice.
They are indeed very minimal and the quality is what you would expect for the price (45 dollars or so, sometimes you can get them cheaper).
I'm on my second pair. I am in absolute love with them. I've used them for road running, casual wear, and showering.
I'm in the military so they work very well for me, for example, I can go into work, do a 5-10k run/workout, grab my uniform, and hop into the shower with them still on my feet. Their versatility was worth it alone.
Keep in mind their life expectancy is shorter than a regular shoe. I had mine for a year, but probably kept them a little too long before I switched to a new pair. That is with heavy road miles on however. I'd like to think I run very efficiently with a midfoot strike and no dragging. They lasted probably a lot longer than your average runner would expect for a shoe below the 70 dollar price point.
Some things to point out:
They are a very soft material. If you drag your feet when you walk you will eat through them in no time. That being said, I've seen service members who walk in a dragged foot pattern eat through 300 dollar boots in less than a year.
The foam will compress. On the underside of the shoe the hex lugs will flatten into a foot pattern where you strike and put the most pressure. The shoe doesn't really rely on the pattern for grip, more so the material. They have excellent grip on flat concrete which increases with heat. Think of them like racing tires more than tires with dedicated tread. They will perform relatively poorly in slick conditions or on gravel, but on a flat warm surface your grip may actually be improved over some others.
Traction inside the shoe isn't a problem. I've seen reviews in several places that say you have to wear socks because you'll slide everywhere. I've never worn socks in mine and I think they look ridiculous with socks on. The effect I've felt is that my feet sweat, but the ventilation actually helps the evaporation a good bit. Also as the foam warms up with my feet in contact my skin tends to stick to the foam. They'll make audible noise when running and your feet are sweaty, but you don't buy these shoes if you're worried about being noticed anyway.
The lace system is superb. I generally hate quick lock laces because i feel like they distribute pressure weird, but the lacing system on this has always been quite comfortable with a light pull.
I never planned on wearing them as casual shoes, but I wore my white pair for a long car drive at some point because they're extremely comfortable and breathable. Got a compliment on them within a couple minutes of stepping out of my car. From that point on I figured they were fine for casual wear. Part of it being that I'd never worn them except in running shorts. With jeans on they actually look pretty passable.
As a final comparison I've have a pair of Merrel vapors and bare access. I love the access because they are an excellent long distance, durable shoe in the 2.0 version. The vapor fits into the category I would lump these shoes in. Overall I find the ultra to be more protective against rocks surprisingly, a better fit, more comfortable. Probably less durable due to the vibram sole, but it doesn't absorb any impact, the ultra is slightly forgiving, which is exactly in my comfort zone.
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What I can say is that they start out fantastic! They feel good, the toe box is plenty big for your toes to do their thing when walking or running. I almost always wore these barefoot.
The "lazy string" lacing system is a waste of time and effort. I stopped bothering with tightening it after day one. I rarely ran in them, but even when I did, they didn't need to be much tighter. This system needs to just be abandoned altogether.
They wear incredibly fast! At first it's great because thorns don't get through the bottom and pointy rocks aren't too bad. But as you wear them just as an everyday walking around shoe, things change. I've had these for about 15 months. I got cancer last year and spent a lot of time in bed in general, so I wasn't walking around everyday with these. They quickly went from protective soles, to absolutely useless. I get thorns through the bottom way too much. The outside of the sole doesn't look that worn (except where there are holes lol), but they have definitely lost their integrity. I was walking the other night and stepped on a small rock, right on my heel. It was definitely damaged from that, because for about a week and a half afterwards, that heel would get "pins and needles" when walking up stairs.
They have been fantastic sandal substitutes, since I live in Arizona and am one of those guys that doesn't like wearing more than a light t-shirt and sport shorts.
These are fantastic if you're barefoot in them and need something that breathes well. They are NOT fantastic if they get wet like in their ads. Your foot will slide all over in there even with the strings tight. They'll squeek like crazy with every step, so that can be irritating.
The sizing I would have to say is all over the place. I think it's just with the ultra pure's, but I don't know. They're in european sizes, and I had to get 2 sizes smaller than my foot actually measured out. (should need a 44 but had to wear a 42)
I wore crocs before these as an everyday lazy shoe, and these were a fantastic upgrade. I don't know how people would like them for standing around in, as I have a longer torso and my back always gets tired from standing around (much faster than my feet).
If you are looking for a minimalist running shoe equivalent to crocs, these might be right up your alley. Just keep in mind, if you are running in them regularly, I wouldn't expect more than a couple months of use out of them. That may not be a bad thing since it will force you to get new shoes, but for the price, it's probably a waste of money.
The company, judging simply from the sizing of the shoes, is a bit like that friend you had growing up, that wasn't really mentally challenged, but you always kinda wondered. The best news about these shoes is that amazon has a very relaxed return policy, so you can wear them a bit before deciding if you need to return them. Keep in mind the cosmetic look of the soles on these shoes damage incredibly fast! You walk outside on the street or a little gravel and they probably won't look brand new anymore.
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I own 9 pair of Vivobarefoot shoes including casual and dress shoes, as well as sports models. I have nothing but the highest regard for the company and their barefoot footwear in every respect.
Honest reviews on Vivobarefoot Men's Ultra Pure Shoe
I only wish I had paid better attention and ordered the Ultra, which my wife has and loves the only difference between the Ultra and Ultra Pure is the sock liner option (which is easily removed for times you don't want to use it, but super nice for those times you do). My wife has had hers for several months now and they are holding up great. We do a lot of running in our family, and we were concerned the Ultra shoes wouldn't hold up like our other Vivobarefoot soles based on reviews but thought, for the great price on Amazon, we would give them a try anyway, and we haven't been sorry. We are very into barefoot running, and have practiced running with proper form and we think this has a great deal to do with the fact that both our Ultras are still going strong even though we live in the very extreme hot desert in the Southwest and run on black trails in the heat a lot (we love the heat and often run late morning and even afternoon even in the summer months) and we have yet to have our soles wear out as others have mentioned. Overall we are both very happy with our purchases, we both own several pairs of Vivobarefoot shoes as well as Vibriams and the Vivobarefoot are both our favorites in every type of shoe whether running, casual, hiking, or dressy.
Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Vivobarefoot Men's Ultra Pure Shoe
This is my third pair I think. The are so comfortable to walk in and to train in. Sensational for walking in the rain. I have even worn a pair when I was dressed in tailored trousers and jacket. The white ones. These last me about four months before the sole gets a hole in them. Comfortable, colourful, and extremely practical.
