Customer Reviews Vivobarefoot Gobi II M Leather

These are great! I have been wearing some suede Gobi 1s for about a year and loved them, but I wanted something more suitable for outdoor work so I went for the Gobi 2 Hopewell leather. One reviewer said the Gobi 2 toebox is narrower but I have not noticed a difference. These fit just the same as my old ones. The sole rubber seems very slightly firmer but that is compared to my old ones which have been worn hard for over a year, which may have softened them up a bit. I love this Hopewell leather. It seems to be a great balance between strength and comfort. It looks beautiful, too. I applied some beeswax-based waterproofing because I intend to use these outdoors in winter conditions, and the leather took it well. Overall these are fantastic boots, just as the Gobi 1 was.

Brilliant! Absolutely bloody brilliant. I've only had these shoes for 3 days now and I'm already extremely pleased with them. They feel like socks; stylish, leather socks with puncture resistant soles! I don't wear socks with mine so I purposely ordered the 44 (US 10.5) when I would morally wear an 11 or even 11.5. They are nice and wide too. Since I've only had them for 3 days, I cannot speak for the overall construction (in regards to how long they'll last).

Shoes are awesome. Comfortable and like walking barefoot. Vivo barefoot were my first experience with shoes that have little to no heels or cushioning, what people call barefoot shoes. There are do many names people use. The thing about the Vivo brand is that they make non slip shoes for work in areas that require them due to dangers at work which may cause a fall. It took me a while to find these shoes but they are so much better than using regular cushioned shoes for work. People at work say I'm wearing slippers and laugh. But they look great. One person at work said they must be comfortable, like walking barefoot and getting a massage. I said yep. People just laugh because they like to poke fun, they enjoy it, nothing really wrong with my awesome comfortable magical shoes. Awesome.

Wow. This is my second pair of Vivos in as many weeks. Once I wore the first pair I purchased, I realized there was no going back to elevated heel shoes or thick soles again. I've now gotten rid of everything else, including two pairs of my beloved Birkenstocks, which felt positively imprisoning after these. These Gobis are the most comfortable shoe I've ever worn, and they are more attractive than the images convey. Not dorky like so many non-mainstream shoes tend to be - I think the designers got the shape of the toebox just right so that it allows plenty of room for my foot to feel natural, and yet doesn't scream "I'm a fringe hippie shoe!". They are quite elegant, actually. Beautiful leather. Worth every dollar. After many years of struggling with footwear that just didn't quite feel OK, I can finally rest and walk naturally. It really is revolutionary - my gate has changed and I don't know how else to say it, but my walk feels *calmer*. I don't know that everyone will enjoy this close to the ground experience, but I'll bet there are many folks who would. Very highly recommended.

I'm into running, more specifically natural running, and I do believe that flexible, zero drop shoes that keep you "close to the ground" are good for the health of your feet. The dress code at work us business casual, so the Gobi seemed the right way to go. First of all, those shoes are incredibly comfortable. They are as close as you will get to a barefoot feeling in something that goes with business casual. You can really feel the ground, and they are incredibly flexible. The toe box is wide enough for your toes to spread around, without being constrained by the shoe. Now here is the only problem I have with them - my previous shoes had thicker soles, and all my dress pants are now too long to wear with these shoes. Having said that, they are so comfortable that it never crossed my mind to return them. I highly recommend them.

These barefoot shoes feel great, and the leather helps keep my feet dry.

These are some of my favorite "barefoot" shoes. I own 3 pairs in this style alone. Viva barefoot!

I've had these boots for a couple of weeks and have been very pleased with the fit, comfort and style. These are my second Vivos - I had the Freud IIs for two or three years. Given this style only has three eyelets, they are a little harder to adjust for fit than the Freuds. Took a few days of regular wear to break in. As others have said, the boot initially felt too snug above the toes, but this issue resolved itself as the leather softened. The toe box seems narrower than the Freuds, but this does not impact the comfort or allowance for the toes to splay. I had also ordered the Ra II and Lems NinetoFive for comparison, but returned them and kept the Gobis.

Nice, wide toe box and comfortable shoe. It seemed a touch short when I first tried them on but as they broke in, they fit perfectly. I wish there a bit more cushioning in the heel but they're ok for day-to-day. Note, the leather spots very easily. Overall though, they're a good purchase. I'll likely be exploring more Vivobarefoot products.

Great feel - similar to other barefoot shoes. Lightweight, yet durable (as of one month). There is some outside stitching that seems to come off, but it doesn't affect anything but the look (very unnoticeable). Same thing happened with the VivoB Freuds without a real problem. Decent styling; doesn't blow your mind, but it gets compliments and it works well with different types of pants - semi-casual to semi-formal - definitely a good shoe for inside work, traveling, and hitting the town.

You REALLY need to like barefoot style shoes to enjoy this. I have a few pairs of minimalist running shoes but walking (as opposed to running ) changes things. They looked great out of the box but the leather creases a bit when walking and has a bunch of places (probably my fault) that show scratches in the dyed leather. Still look nice and get compliments regularly. I also have wide feet but these fit perfect.

I have other shoes by vivobarefoot but these feel a tad larger than those even though the size is the same (41). So these were the only pair of vivobarefoots where I kept the insoles in. But I still wear them all the time.

They are not the prettiest shoes to look at on the foot, but they are super comfortable. They have put up well with daily use and I wear them to work with a shirt and tie. They do well with a thin sock. I prefer the fit of their Freud style as I have tarsal-metatarsal arthritis and I can lace the shoe so that it does not bother me as much.

The shoes are quite comfortable. There are a few things I don't like, which are that for being a 3 hole lace the shoe lace ends up being too long and you have excess lace, and also that the leather scratches a bit easily. Other then the previous complaints the shoes do their job. I can walk all day on them.

I wear a women's size 9. As I have a wider foot I decided to try the men's 7.5. It was too long in the length for me. The heel was far too sloppy, while the toe was too narrow for me. I'm very sad as if these had fit properly, from the feel of them they would have broken in to a beautiful customized fit. Foe anyone not familiar, these are definitely a minimalist shoe. Very flat, very flexible. I just didn't feel like my toes had any room.

Great concept that almost succeeds. Biggest flaws are the too-shallow, too-low-profile toe area that doesn't let the toes flex upward as they naturally tend to and should with each step. This design counteracts its "barefoot" intent. Other flaw if we'll call it that is the semi ugly design; hopefully intentional, otherwise how could it be explained? You won't look classy in this shoe and might not even look normal in it. T'would be nice if this shoe performed its function without calling attention to itself--the clown shape and barely-there floppiness. Another gripe is the paper-adhesive stickers haphazardly stuck onto the cork insoles, each which requires intensive rubbing, 5-minutes+ for full removal. Good night and good luck.

I'm so sad. I purchased the first generation Gobi shoes from Vivobarefoot and I wore them every single day, working eight hours at a high-demand, physical, movement-intensive job. When I wore them my feet didn't hurt at the end of the day and I had tried boots, sneakers and everything in between. They also looked really nice. Not freakish and loud like a lot of the barefoot shoes. These were subtle and refined. When it was time for new Gobis I was looking forward to the improvements to be found in the Gobi II. Unfortunately, the improvements are anything but an improvement. When I hold the Gobi II up to the original Gobis you can see instantly that the toe box is significantly narrower. Just walking around my house for a few minutes told me that my feet were going to hurt as there was stiff pressure on the knuckle of my big toe. My toes were not able to splay naturally as they should be able to in a pair of barefoot shoes. Instead the outer edges of the toe box pressed in on my pinkie toes and caused my whole foot to tilt inward, smashing my arches into the ground. Perhaps Vivobarefoot is trying for a more sleek, fashionable look with the narrower toe box, but unfortunately doing so negates all the lovely benefits of barefoot shoes. I'm returning these shoes and hoping someday some company will make another barefoot shoe that is not ugly and stays true to barefoot principals. Until then I'll keep gluing my old Gobis back together.

This was my latest attempt at finding a minimalist shoe that accommodates my wide fore AND mid foot (apparently the latter is an unusual problem). The good news is that the shape of this shoe fits my foot better than others I have tried. The bad news is that the quality does not fit the bill. I did not receive a shoe that looks like the picture. This shoe looks and smells like it was made from an old tire. Other than Vivobarefoot's current monopoly on wide minimalist shoes, there is no reason that the Gobi should cost $150--although I would gladly pay that, and more, if the quality was good.

Vivobarefoot made the GOBI II more narrow than the original GOBI. As a result, there is not enough room for the toes to spread. The wide toe box is what made Vivobarefoot so great. It was such a bad idea to make the new last more narrow. I hope you improve this Vivo.

In order to appreciate this shoe you really need to love minimalist shoes and the wide toe box. They are very light and allow toe splay, but the area where the toe flexes is a bit constricting. The taper from the top of the shoe to the toe is almost flat, so the shoe is resting on the joints which can be uncomfortable for some. People with higher insteps might find this shoe to be uncomfortable. I ordered the brown and found that both shoes were two different shades of brown and in addition one shoe felt smoother than the other. The quality of the shoe does not seem to merit the price tag, so unfortunately these will be going back.

I'm a bit disappointed for how much I paid. I would expect amazing quality, but after like a month of wear they are already looking beat up and worn out and having Discoloration. They are definitely the best looking barefoot shoes out there. Sucks that they're so expensive and the quality is mediocre.

This company is garbage. If you want to throw away plenty of money on shoes that are made with little to no quality standards then go ahead. I bought a pair that fell apart on me after only a couple times wearing them and vivobarefoot wouldn't do anything about it. They lost my business.

Do not purchase these shoes if you expect a quality shoe---The left and right shoe were so inconsistently sized that I could not wear them. I could hardly get my foot into one shoe and the other was too large. NO quality control whatsoever!

They look great but after two defective pairs I've decided to go a different direction with my shoe needs. I was so excited too! Luckily the folks at Zappos exchanged the first pair pretty quickly and they haven't given me any trouble on this exchange for the second pair.

I owned a pair of these in suede and they were the most comfortable shoes I've ever owned. I was excited to see the leather style, as they're even better looking than the suede, however the leather is too stiff. I tried to gradually break them in, but they are breaking my feet instead. The toe crease presses down on my joints with every step and causes pain and swelling. Terrible. I don't see any way to soften the leather without hurting my feet. Very sad to have wasted money on what I thought was a sure bet.