Customer Reviews Vivobarefoot Ra

Love these shoes, I wear them to work everyday. The roomy toebox is great. I had a pair of Merrell barefoot-style shoes that now seem too tight in the toe area compared to the Ras. I made one modification: I used some Filson "tin cloth" wax to turn these into waxed cotton. Two coats of the wax on all outside material, one coat on the laces, let it soak in overnight setting near the woodstove. A little sticky for the first couple days but now (one month later) smooth and starting to get shiny. Water beads up if I walk through dewy grass. These shoes are great!

Vivobarefoot shoes are truly minimalist shoes, unlike many other brands. That being said there is a slight raised section in the arch area but more like a soft bandaid than actual structure. The soles are soft and pliable. Really an amazing experience to find these shoes as they are the most comfortable I have every had.

A great barefoot shoe that can be worn at work were the company is fussy about style. The heel is narrower than on the Merrell and more comfortable for me.

Does an excellent job of simulating the barefoot experience and they are passable as a pair of dress shoes for work. The relative wideness of the shoe might take some getting used to aesthetically speaking. If you are looking for a dress shoe that does not have a heel or arch support, this might be your only option however.

I had been looking for about a year for zero-drop minimalist shoes I could wear to work. I already have a pair of Dharmas, which work OK, but it was time to upgrade. I took the insoles out right away, and I love feeling the ground (but not hurting the soles of my feet). They're comfortable and they work for work. Great find!

This shoe does exactly what it promises, in that there is really no cushioning between you and the ground you walk on. As a barefoot enthusiast, I love it. It's helped my feet stay in running condition, while I'm standing all day at work. Aesthetically speaking, it does look a little odd in the heel section. My dress pants all fit a little differently with these on, in that the cuff of my pants may or may not get caught under my heel periodically. But I love these shoes!

A little over a year ago I began wearing minimalist athletic shoes (New Balance Minimus). I liked them so much that I began to search for shoes of a similar design that were appropriate for other settings and activities. My first pair of Vivobarefoot shoes were Dharma slip-ons. They are comfortable, though a bit stiff, and suitable for casual wear. Since I also needed a pair of shoes for more business-like settings, I purchased a pair of Ra's in black. I am very satisfied. they are very comfortable and fit well, they are much more flexible than the Dharma's, and they pass pretty well as traditional pain toed oxfords. After I received my Ra's and wore them for one day, I gave away five pair of conventional dress and casual shoes. I will likely buy another Ra's in brown, and I may consider Vivobarefoot for my next pair of athletic shoes.

As advertised, these are great minimalist shoes that look sufficiently normal as to not result in your having the same conversation every 5 minutes when you are at a party. They feel a lot like the Asics Onitsuka Tiger Tai Chi slipper to me: Zero drop, very flexible, thin sole, no arch support, very little cushion. However, they have a couple other advantages over the Asics. The toe box is a lot roomier on these, and they also don't have the annoying little tab that sticks up on the back of the heel. The other nice thing about them is that the rubber sole has a bit of a cup shape to it, which helps keep water out if it has just rained and the ground is wet. Of course being suede, these are by no means shoes that you will want to wear in really wet conditions, or on other than firm surfaces. Like some other reviewers, I was surprised by how flimsy they feel. I have only been wearing mine for about a month, so I can't say for sure, but I have some doubts about how well they will hold up in the long run. I expect to get at least 2-3 years of wear out of a "daily driver" pair of shoes.

Not a bad shoe overall. I bought them for casual use. A half size would have been nice as I had to go a little small and hope for some stretch. Color is good and the shoe is light, toe box roomy.

I love these shoes. I love them so much that I wore them a size too large because I did not have time to return them for a smaller size before my honeymoon. They are great for travel and leisure, and I have even taken them casual to work. I will likely plan to order a smaller size next summer for a better fit. Be warned, these shoes feel like you are actually barefoot - just like the name says. If you do not like walking barefoot, do not buy these shoes.

First off, obviously if you're looking at a barefoot shoe you're looking for no arch support. This is a good thing. I usually wear Nike Free 3.0 with the insoles removed (I call it Nike 2.5). This review is for others moving from that shoe. I wear an 11.5 in the Free. I got an 11.5 in these and they were far too big. Sent 'em back (love Zappos!) and had a 10.5 sent to me and they fit just fine. Vibrambarefoot has a shoe brand conversion thingie that you can use to figure out the conversion if you're on another size/brand. Zappos will still be a better place to get the order filled though, of course. :) These shoes are way lower to the ground than the Nike Free and the heel in particular is down further. This is a much more barefoot feel. And looks kinda dressy too. Much to love. Only ding is that the shape goes a bit wide at the toe box--good for barefoot feel, might be borderline clown shoe, you decide. I decided they weren't too clown shoe but it's the only reservation I have about them. They feel great.

I walk a few miles a day as part of my commute and was looking for a new walking experience. It takes some getting used to (don't break into a jog in a minimalist shoe right away), but I like the barefoot feel to the extent that I removed the thin insole. The heel was a bit tight for the first week, but fine after broken in. The toe box looks a bit wide compared to the heel, and I think they can make them just a bit narrower and "normal" looking. With pants draped over the shoe/hiding the ankle, the odd styling is not as noticeable. I do find my feet get quite chilly in them on colder days.

The Ra is light, comfortable, and flexible, as should be expected for a "barefoot"/minimalist shoe. The leather upper is very smooth, but will need to be conditioned or waterproofed to minimize staining and increase its useful life. I wear mine 3-4 times a week to walk to work (one mile round-trip), and they are very comfortable for the walk and to wear all day. The styling of the toebox is a little funky, but they really blend well with my normal business casual attire.

I love my Ras. They are a great shoe and very comfortable. At first they feel "plasticky" but they wear in. Plenty of room for your toes as well, though mine may be a size too large but I don't mind. For wearing barefoot shoes in an office environment, these are perfect.

When I was looking for shoes I could wear with dress slacks and not have a heel or wear Vibram 5 Fingers this is exactly what I was looking for. They fit true to size. Shoes are meant for walking not standing, so if you do a lot of standing these may not be what you are looking for. If you can walk around they are fantastic. It is nice to get sensory feedback from a dressier shoe.

Ordered these looking for for a dress shoe replacement. Short story, comfortable but hideous. The brown leather looks cheap up close. They felt great on my feet, but at this price they need to look great too. I am returning them and pondering getting them in black. If you value comfort much more highly then style, and/or are looking to not meet women or been seen in public with women you already know, then these are the shoes for you.

In one word: uncomfortable. I don't recommend it. Was hugely disappointed when I slipped these puppies on and wore them to work and gladly tore them off at the end of the day. I have worn the Dharma, Gobi, Scott, Bretho and more recently the Synth Hiker and have become a big fan of Vivo and can't believe how uncomfortable these are on my feet and ankles.

Love the fit, ground feel, etc. similar to what other commentators have already written. But for a shoe of this cost - manufacturing quality is not up to what I would have expected. Leather feels cheap and somewhat rubber-like. Less than a few months into ownership (wearing an average 1-2x/week) one shoe is already starting to show much more wrinkling and creases on the upper...would be okay except the other one isn't, so they look completely different (up close, admittedly). Also starting to see some separation of the upper from the sole at around the ball of the foot - again only on 1 of the two shoes. Love the comfort and style, but can't give this over 2 stars overall because of the quality issues. This is my first pair of Vivobarefoots - Since I do find them very comfortable and a great option for barefoot style shoes that are office-appropriate, I might give them 1 more shot, see if the quality issues might have been isolated to my first pair.

Hmmm let's take out the support, the structure of the foot bed, the cushion, and charge more! Sounds like a great idea for profit. Why can't they just charge less because it is cheaper to make them?

I was really looking forward to trying the RA. I own the Dharma, Scott, Breatho Trail and a several others. Boy was I disappointed! The RA is just not comfortable. I have a number of Vivobarefoot shoes and love most of them, as does my wife. I have found that this shoe is unwearable. With most VBF there is no break-in period: put them on and they are like being barefoot. I found that this shoe was uncomfortable from the start and despite at least a dozen wearings I can not wear it. To me this one feels more like a heavy brogue shoe with a thick leather sole, at least in terms of comfort. Sad thing was that I contacted VBF and expressed my disappointment, perhaps hoping for an even exchange but no such luck. Will be tossing these in the trash. If you can find them, go for the Dharma. It fits like a slipper.

I love Vivobarefoot. Unfortunately, I do not like these. Unlike most barefoot shoes (and I have a bunch of them) these require a break-in period and I find them so uncomfortable I can't wear them for more than 15 minutes. They even hurt sitting in the car. I was hoping these would work. I love my trusty Dharma, Breatho Trail and have never worn a more comfortable boot in my life than the amazing Scott Boot. Wish I could send this puppy back but I wore it outside.