Customer Reviews Birkenstock Florida Soft Footbed - Birko-Flor™

I can't stress enough how much I love these shoes. They are much more like the "older" Birkenstocks in terms of comfort. Remember when they had the nice, soft cork footbed that over time would conform to your foot as you walked around and it warmed up? They were amazing. Then Papillio and the other "Birki" brands started coming out as the company expanded its line -- to the detriment of quality and comfort, I felt. Finally, about 5 years ago, I got new Birkenstock Floridas with the standard footbed the company had begun to use at that time. I spent a year trying to break those rock-hard sandals in...barefoot...with socks...without success. Nothing worked. I finally gave them away and had my older, more comfortable Birks re-soled instead. As a last ditch effort, two years ago I bought the Florida style soft footbed Birkenstock in a beautiful purple suede. If possible, the Florida was even more comfortable than the classic Birkenstock Arizonas I first fell in love with years ago. About the Floridas: the soft and supportive memory foam footbed feels great on my foot, even better with the Floridas three straps to go across the whole foot and keep the shoe in place when I walk. I find that with this style I don't have to grip the footbed with my toes to keep the shoe on, even if I'm hustling along or chasing after kids or dogs. For people who have and love their memory foam or Tempur-pedic mattresses, this is the equivalent for your feet. I don't know why more shoe companies don't use it. I now have four pair of the Birkenstock Soft Footbed sandals, three of them in the Florida style in a variety of colors. I live in the high desert and wear them as slippers in the summer, so they are basically on my feet 24/7 for months out of the year. In terms of special needs for my shoes: I have osteo-arthritis and have been through multiple knee surgeries. The fit and comfort of my shoes is critical, or I will end up limping with knee pain. These are perfection, and quite simply, some of the most comfortable shoes I've ever put on my feet. Note: I don't know why, but most foot surgeons and podiatrists bad mouth Birkenstocks so much, because everyone I know loves them. Maybe because people don't need $500 orthotics when they wear them? They won't win any fashion contests (though I feel the Florida style with it's bright colors is better than the older model Birks) but if comfort is your goal, these are a great choice. Even if you've tried regular or older-model Birkenstocks, the soft footbed on these sets them apart from the rest of the shoe line.

Ouch! I had a bad experience with these sandals. My first and last time with Birks. I am size 7½, slightly wide feet, slightly high arches, bunion. Ordered the 37 and 38, 37 fit well. 38 was way too big. I wore them around the house awhile and the fit seemed good. Then I wore them walking around on vacation for a few days. I was constantly aware of the sandals. At first they were stiff, then they started rubbing. After a few days of heavy walking my feet hurt so badly. I had cuts across the tops of my feet. The sides of my feet burned from rubbing. Luckily I also brought an old pair of Havaianas and some Nikes for the rest of the trip. I put the Birks in my suitcase and contacted Zappos when I got home. Zappos is the best! The nice person I chatted with was very understanding and apologetic about these painful shoes and said it was ok to return them. Thanks!

I have worn Birkenstocks since the late 70's/early 80's. They have come a long way since the "Fred Flintstone" style shoes. I especially love the styles with the soft foot bed, like the Florida. This is the first time that I've tried the Birko-Flor, instead of leather, upper. I'll admit that I was somewhat skeptical, but these straps are very comfortable. I haven't worn them enough to see how they will stretch in comparison to leather, but so far they are very comfortable right out of the box. The three straps are great so you can get the perfect fit for your foot. If you have a medium width foot, get a regular width Birkenstock. I made the mistake of ordering a narrow the first time because of the manufacturer's sizing remarks, and I had to return it for a regular. BIrkenstock shoes should have some room around the foot since the edges of the shoe rise. If you have a regular width foot, go with the regular width.

Perfect sandal. all three straps adjust. no horrible hook and loop closures, real buckles. sandal stays in place with every step. Love the soft footbed and the width of Birkenstocks is the very best, I tried so many other top brands and came back to my old friends. I had forgotton how wonderful they were. Why was I trying to make more expensive shoes work anyways? Birkenstocks are great quality and this shoe will walk with me thousands of miles. I'm a 7.5 or a 38 in Birkenstocks always with every style. no sizing up or down ever.

I tried many pairs of female Birkenstock sandals in the summer of 2018. I was determined to find a pair that was comfortable and fit properly. Most of the female styled sandals were only offered in the narrow width. I do not wear a wide in shoes but the narrow width had my little toe overhanging on the edge of both the left and right shoe. I tried going up a size but the shoe was too long and still not the correct fit. I ended up purchasing the Arizona style with the traditional sole in the narrow width on a great sale. The fit was okay but not perfect. While continuing my quest in 2019, I saw the new floral print pattern on the Florida style with the soft sole in both narrow and regular. I ordered my size in the regular width. The shoes came 2 days ago and I was able to wear them both days straight with no breaking in needed. I am pleased with the shoes and I received my complements on the floral pattern.

I absolutely love these shoes! Right out of the box, these shoes felt so right. They are very comfortable with the soft footbed. I hope to be back for more.

Oddly enough I had judged Birkenstocks as being a bit too crunchy/healthy for years, because they didn't look "cute" to me! Then my physical therapist pretty much insisted I get a pair, and we were having good results with learning to walk/stand differently to fix my back pain, so I bought a pair, just over a year ago. Pretty soon became my favorite pair to wear - even for exercise walks, instead of running shoes. Other than a tiny bit too narrow at the top for my next-to-pinky toe, unless I tighten the strap more (I have a really wide foot!), they are so comfortable and so easy to walk in! Yet still slip-on, which is what I'm used to. (I was wearing only Havianas flip flops for anything other than dress up for several years, even in our occasional California rain!) So I went to buy a back-up pair. As usual, I have worn the outside back corner down, and wanted to get either a lift or a new sole, before there was any impact on my back. The lovely owner of our local family-owned Cobbler Shop said I should NOT get another synthetic upper pair, as they wear out so fast - then she pointed out the beginning of a crack in the pair I was going to leave for the sole work. She said - return your new ones, since you haven't worn them, and get the leather straps. So that's what I did. There didn't seem to be that sort of info anywhere here. But if you want your shoes to last for *years* - get the leather, not the birko-flor. Enough people are still eating beef, that avoiding the leather byproduct is not helping any cows - it's just a sustainable practice, even if you are vegan.

Loved the shoe! Comfy and nice looking, I wanted something a little more feminine, in a Birkenstock. I liked buying from Zappos. Quick and easy. Thanks.

Absolutely love the cute floral pattern...they go with a lot. Comfortable right out of the box. I have foot issues as I’m getting older so the soft bed is perfect. I’ve worn Birkenstocks for over 20 years but as I developed foot issues I was afraid I would have to give them up. I ordered the soft bed with some skepticism but they are perfect. I put them on right out of the box wearing them ever since.

The Florida Soft Footbed has been my favorite since I discovered it years ago. The reason: the three adjustable straps offer just enough support but never cut into the top of my foot like the Granada style does. I have a high arch and the Florida allows for that with those three adjustable straps. The soft footbed is just what I need to prevent my planatar fasciitis from flaring up and becoming an issue. I found that I wear a 37 in this style but a 38 (or 7 1/2) in other brands. Still don't know why but at least I found a good fit, eventually. This style is very feminine and each spring they come out with a new color, or print that I can't resist. This style has a slightly green-ish outsole which doesn't really show in the photo but I like it!

I only wear Birkenstock shoes. Very comfortable. I have this same style in a different color. I noticed the shoe was slightly shorter than my previous pair. Will this be repeated in different styles? Also, would like to see more soft bed styles and also more prints.

I love these sandals. I am a 9 narrow and size 39 narrow fits perfectly. The soft footbed is comfy immediately and the flower pattern is very pretty.

I wear size 8 so I ordered the size 39 which states it’s for size 8-8 1/2. (I have long since worn the sizing information off of my Arizona Birkenstock’s) My heel fits comfortably but the shoe is about an inch too long. I have also found that additional adjustment in the center strap would make these more comfortable. I started wearing them hoping that some stretching in the straps would occur to allow my foot to slide further into the shoe but that has not occurred so far. Wish I would have returned for a smaller size originally.

I think these are so cute, but I returned them. The beige color was too light for my liking, so I purchased the green color elsewhere and like them a lot. Fit like other soft footbed Birks. I like the birko flor material since it doesn't stretch out like leather. I have other leather birks but the straps stretch out after a while and the sandal becomes floppy on my feet.

Getting a new pair of birks is like meeting an old friend again.

I love these Birks. They’re so comfortable, right out of the box. The fit is true to size. I wear women’s 11 and the 42 Regular fit perfectly. For unisex styles, like Arizonas I wear a 42 narrow.

The Florida style of Birkenstock sandals is my favorite because of the secure feeling of the 3 adjustable straps. The soft foot bed is wonderful. I'm wearing them every day to get them broken in and by the end of the day they feel like part of my feet! I love the heel cup, toe bar and arch support. I have no arches so this support is key. Wonderful style and wonderful shoes.

These are perfect! First time I've owned this particular style. I like the 3 narrow straps - they hold on better than the 2 wide strap style. As for fit, I stepped right into these and even with my very high arch and wider foot, they were perfect. I also love being able to have navy-blue.

This is the second pair of Birkenstocks I have ordered from Zappos. In comparison to the Mayari, the Soft-Footbed of the Florida style is considerably more comfortable and did not take any time to break-in. The footbed of the Mayari took quite some time to conform to my foot and give the level of comfort that the Softbed instantly provided. Comfort and color make this a great sandal.

I love these sandals! They are very comfortable! I also love the flowers on the sandals!

The Birkenstock Florida in the meadow flowers design is a really cute shoe. The color is a vanilla background with multicolor flower print. It is not overly bright and looks great with denim. I already have the same Florida sandal in the khaki.pale green flower pattern - the same superb fit and comfortable soft footbed. I wear a N in Birkenstocks and would like to see a leather/suede in the Florida in my size.

These are perhaps the most comfortable Birkenstocks I own! Comfortable right out of the box (which is unusual for Birkenstocks)! These do run more narrow than most Birkenstocks. I typically require a narrow width, but the medium width fits more like a narrow in this style. These run a size big like all other Birkenstocks I own. I wear an 8-8.5 in a normal shoe and a 7-7.5 in these. LOVE!!

The soft foot bed is the way to go, the regular foot bed is just so stiff and never gets comfortable. I also had the oiled leather Arizona’s, the leather is so difficult to break in and is still uncomfortable to wear after 1 year. Love the Birko-flor. The Florida 3-strap is also much more comfortable to walk in compared to Arizona’s.

I’m a Birkenstock girl and these did not disappoint! Comfy soft footbed and a cute print! What more could a girl want?!?