Birkenstock

Gizeh - Birko-Flor™ & Birkibuc™

Women's

These shoes are by far the best sandals you can get for your feet! I have worn Birkenstocks since high school, so 15 years now, and I worked for a Birkenstock store for a year. Often, customers would come in requesting that I fit them in their first pair of Birkenstocks, at the order of their podiatrist. These are orthopedic so they support your feet in the proper way and these are the shoes that most every podiatrist agrees people should wear. For those of you getting a pair of Birkenstocks for the first time, there are a few things to be aware of. Sizing is little different since you are in a European size. I am a solid 8 in US sizing, but when I wear the Arizona style Birkenstock I have to get a size 38 (European 7) and when wearing the Gizeh with the toe piece I size up one size in order for it to fit properly, so I wear a 39 in the Gizeh. Also, it does take time to adjust to the toe piece but it should not be painful as some reviews have mentioned. If you are in the correct size, this should not bother you that much, especially if you are used to flip-flops. Another thing to note is that there are three different footbeds to choose from. Papillio Sandals have the smallest amount of arch support, Birkenstocks have medium arch support and Tatamis have the highest arch support, so one footbed might work better for you than another. I can wear the Papillio and the Birkenstock, where as Tatami is slightly too high for me, but people with an extremely high arch love Tatamis. After some time the footbed actually forms and molds to your foot. This is a very cool process because it goes from a completely flat shoe that anyone can wear to one that over time only you can wear because it takes on the shape of your individual foot and another person would not be comfortable in it. And lastly, in order to keep the cork shiny, looking new and protected, you can get cork life from the Birkenstock website. You would use this every few months depending on how often you wear your sandals. Just as any Birkenstocks last forever! But, if you ever need your sandals repaired, a Birkenstock store in your area may have trained staff who can replace any part of the sandal, including the footbed, toepiece, sole, and leather lining. So I do hope this helps any of you new to Birkenstock on sizing and keeping your Birkenstocks nice and new looking for years to come! The one and only complaint I have for the Gizeh is that I wish it could be worn in winter, but unfortunately, in Indiana that just is not possible!

This was the second pair of size 41 that I bought, as every one fits just a little bit differently. Fantastically comfortable if you like the arch support. However, 10 months later, the cork cole has completely cracked on the each side of my foot where the shoe bends as I walk. I would expect this from an inexpensive piece of footwear, but not Birkenstock, which is traditionally known for it's durability as a sandal. The rise in trend for this shoe makes me wonder if there is a weakness in manufacturing to keep up with demand. Overall disappointed because the shoe is so comfortable. I wonder if others have had similar issues...

Why the plastic thong? I like the birkenstock footbed, but found the hard plastic "thong" uncomfortable. Mephisto uses leather, not hard plastic, I can't understand why the birks folks don't do the same.

LOVED the style, but the strap that goes between my toe is was to long in the silver for some reason.

I've had his shoe for a year and it's been amazing - except that the sole is cracking by the ball of the foot on both shoes! Usually Birkenstocks are long lasting, but these are kind of disappointing! The fit has otherwise been really good, just the quality seems to be lacking