Customer Reviews Vivobarefoot Ra II

I like these shoes, but i can't recommend them. After less than a year, the shoes started to come apart at stress points. I took them to a shoe repair shop to get them glued back together, but they couldn't or wouldn't fix them. I used gorilla glue to reseal them and it seems to have helped. For the price, I would expect shoes to last longer than a year (I didn't even wear them daily).

These shoes were rather expensive, but they are also of rather "cheap" quality in manufacture, etc. Disappointing!

These are my new favorite shoes. I don't like the weird little details Vivobarefoot puts on many of their ladies' styles, and I thought these were great and simply styled, so I gave them a try. The women's Ra is just not my style--it has strange little details on it. Unfortunately, they don't make men's in my size -- 39 -- so I thought I'd try a 40. They actually work great and appear to be the same length as my Birkenstock London shoes in 39. Highly recommended shoes.

I have used Vivobarefoot shoes for over a decade now so I am a bit biased. They are really like being barefoot, I love that you get a great deal of feedback from your walk - so they can be intense if going barefoot on different types of surfaces is not familiar. The RA to me fits snugly - and the leather gives for a great fit. I prefer slightly wider models like the old more casual dharma. The Ra is a bit more dressy and I have no issues - and like the classy look and the way the shoes connect with my foot. If you need/want a narrow model my experience has been that athletic/sports models seem a bit narrower than the dressy or casual shoes. Hope this helps. Good luck and Vivobarefoot!

I Love these shoes. I have been wearing them pretty much daily since I bought them over a year ago. These are barefoot shoes. Don't expect arch support or very comfortable sole. They make it feel like you are walking directly on whatever surface you are on. Like someone else said on here, they give you direct feedback to your walking style and pressures, which to me is good. If you are new to these shoes I recommend easing into them by wearing them a few times a week and not on big walking days then slowly increase usage. Once you get used to them they are awesome!! I truly believe that my lower back pain has went away by switching to a no-drop barefoot shoe. Some people talk about the poor quality, I have two pairs, one that I have worn close to 85% of days for more than a year, they are still holding up fantastically! I do agree they are a little overpriced. in the 80-100 dollar range would be much more reasonable which is why I haven't forked up for a new pair yet, although I am due!

Minimalist, unpretentious and earthy shoes that don't look sloppy. I love the finish on these shoes; they'll patina nicely with age. Right out of the box, they felt great. The leather tongue will have to soften up with use as it presses up against the top of ankle. It's a blaring 104 degree summer with no precipitation; these shoes will be fine when you need more coverage than sandals. But no, I probably won't wear these out on a rainy day. I wear Merrell barefoot street runners for work every day. These Vivos have a thicker sole, but you can still feel the ground beneath you. I'm marking No Arch Support, but that's the nature of zero drop barefoot style shoes. Not a slam. Toe box looks a little large. Not Keen large, just on the verge of it. But again that's the nature of barefoot shoes allowing for toe splay.

"No arch support." Duh, I think that's the point! It is a barefoot shoe. It took my feet awhile to develop the muscles to be able to wear VIVOs but now I do not wear anything else. I first began wearing VIVOs due to Achilles tendon issues. (Normal shoes, with heels, do not let your Achilles tendons operate as designed.) Once your feet "learn" to be barefoot again, you will love these shoes. You will have to take shorter strides and learn to put the weight on the balls of your feet, rather than your heels. Your feet have become lazy by using modern shoes. They need to be retrained. I have four different VIVO styles for different purposes, and all are excellent. They are expensive, but worth it. My only complaint: The Ras seem to be completely waterproof out of the box but, as the sole side edges become bent due to use/flexing (behind the toes) water will get in. They stay waterproof almost a year, so not much to complain about. I am buying my third pair of Ras just because the last pairs are beat up. The soles are still good!

Great zero-rise shoe! They look professional and my husband says that the toe box is wide enough to be very comfortable for work. His only complaints are that they are slippery in icy weather and the laces are cheap. Overall, they were a perfect gift for a man who would rather be barefoot!

These are cheaply made. I have tried to purchase Vivobarefoot shoes over and over. This is the 4th or 5th attempt at purchasing them. I recently purchased 2 pairs directly from the company and they had the exact same problem as the pair purchased from Zappos, the insoles were too large for the shoe so they buckle and don't lay flat. For a $140+ shoe, this is outrageous. Vivobarefoot even sent me a pair of used shoes with something brown stuck in the tread of the sole and white paint on the toe. The shoes were scuffed on top and on the sole. They expected me to pay full price for used shoes. I could go on and on about the customer service. I have lost faith in this company. Too bad because the shoes look good. I want to like them, but 4 strikes and you are out!

These shoes are great for giving your feet the room they need to move naturally allowing for full flexibility and use of muscles that aren't triggered in non-barefoot shoes. I wear them to work year round and wish they were available in more colors and styles without a contrasting sole color. They're not warm enough for long walks in freezing weather, but otherwise a go-to shoe for me.

The design is great. Quality not so much. The problem is the construction. After only two months, the glue between the sole and body started to wear our, leaving gaps at the flex points. The canvas also started to rip at one of the glued seams. I advise against this.

Great fit!

Incredibly true to size. The softness/flexibility makes these comfortable right out of the box. Throw on some socks to make them slightly more business looking or ditch the socks and keep it casual.t

Great shoes! These are my second pair of Vivobarefoots and they do not disappoint. I wear them with socks and did not go a size down like I have read elsewhere. They feel true to size to me.

I have gone almost entirely minimal with my shoes in the last two years, but I hadn't found a pair of minimal dress shoes until I bought these. Super happy with these shoes. Note - I wear a US men's 11 medium width and the size 44 fit perfect (despite the conversion saying they are a 10.5).

I love them. I think the laces are a little ugly, but that's easily fixed. Very comfortable, the only thing that's slightly annoying is that the soles squeak sometimes.

Tight across the instep. These shoes required some stretching before they were as comfortable as my old Ra model ones. I broke out the old Florsheim shoe stretchers and went to town. Now the RA II's feel much better. They seem well constructed, and are far more waterproof than the original Ra.

Love the update of these shoes for work & walking everywhere back home in NewZealand & travelling in US & UK. 2nd pair & still wearing my 1st, which I have thrashed & still going strong. Help me retain barefoot foot shape & technique at work so I can go barefoot whenever possible on weekends or wearing barefoot gym or running shoes. Prior to these I had discomfort reverting to narrow toe & heeled work shoes, then changing back to barefoot technique & shoes outside of work.

Very nice shoe, comfortable and designed to properly fit your foot - wide enough in the toe box to allow for adequate toe splay.

This is my second pair of Vivobarefoot shoes. The first pair, my first foray into minimalist shoes, became too small after wearing them a few months; my foot expanded after having been liberated from regular shoes. The thing about minimalist footwear is: you can't go back once you get used to them. I tried on numerous occasions because I prefer the aesthetics of regular shoes. I like shoes, in general, and I have found them hard to give up. It's the pain that brought me back to Vivobarefoot. I am not into the scene which often accompanies the barefoot lifestyle; I am not paleo or a crossfitter or any of that nonsense. But I think there's really something to minimalist footwear. My life-long back pain diminished (actually disappeared); my legs feel stronger, and my foot pain has mostly gone away. To me, this is a revelation, and makes the expense of these shoes, which I think is ridiculous, more palatable. Alas, there are many companies now that make minimalist shoes, but in my humble opinion these are by far the best. They look ALMOST like normal shoes, but that's only an added benefit; they actually fit and function better than the others I have tried on, too. The engineering and thought that went into Vivobarefoot is unrivaled. I purchased the canvas Ra 2, and I unequivocally love it. It's extremely comfortable, and the navy canvas is attractive. The shoe goes with about any kind of casual outfit, making it an ideal every day shoe which is also perfect for the office (if the office is not suit and tie). I walk a few miles a day in my Vivo's too, and I find them to be extremely comfortable (and I don't own any of the athletic varieties because I think they're ugly). The Ra is truly a great all-purpose shoe. If you have back and/or foot pain, I especially recommend trying these shoes.

I have found my new shoe of choice!! I started on the "barefoot" adventure with Vibram Five Fingers, but even the more "conservative" models still look weird for daily use, especially in a "work casual" ensemble. I've tried the Merrell Trail Gloves as well, and while I like them, they are slippery in the wet and, like the VFFs...stink like crazy, despite the AF treatment. These, on the other hand, are amazingly non-smelly, even when worn without socks! Not sure if it's the specific model or the canvas, but I love these things all around! Definitely going to be trying other models in the Vivobarefoot lineup!

This is my first purchase of a Vivobarefoot shoe. I was looking for something that was as much like not wearing a shoe that I could wear that the office. The leather is nice and does look better than the help based shoe I was wearing previously. The soles are thin, with a thin insert you can remove. I've been trying it with the insert for now. You do get a lot of feedback, which I like. Others have indicated no arch support, but this style of shoe is supposed to be like being barefoot, and you only need arch support if other shoes have damaged your feet or a medical reason (which this would be a bad choice for). My only complaint is the shoelaces included with the product are a type that do not like to stay tied. I keep the shoes very loose so they're easy to kick off and my feet stay cool, but these laces loosen under that condition (will have to replace them). I won't know how they hold up over time, so I can't say if the cost was worth it. It was a barrier to entry for a while, but so far I am pleased. I've had them about one month. I'd rather be barefoot, but when I need shoes, these are nice and comfortable compromise for me.

Seems a bit more snug than the original "Ra" - but still a truly great shoe. I have a chronic condition predisposing me to all manner of inflammation - but especially in my lower back/ Over the years, I have tried so many different types of shoes and soles and insoles, etc., but never has any shoe been as helpful as my Vivobarefoots. I now have 4 different pairs, and while I still have plenty of back pain, I can say that at the very least, these shoes do not exacerbate the problem - and at best, they help relieve it. Highly recommended, but be careful of the Euro sizing. These are on the smallish side.

Super comfortable but go down a size - they stretch out to become like slippers complete with floppy heel. Perfect, but I wouldn't run in them unless it was for the bus or train. Great color. Not as 'hot' as other minimals. As usual Zappos delivered them before the bank finalized the transaction.