Customer Reviews Birkenstock Arizona Soft Footbed - Oiled Leather (Unisex)

Promising comfort for feet hard to make happy - Before purchasing my first pair of Birkenstock soft beds, I carefully read all the reviews because a have very wide feet with very short boxy toes that make it very hard to find a comfortable shoe. First, let me reiterate the point may reviewers have made previously; the regular Birkenstock width is truly a very wide shoe. My usual EE to EEE feet fit just fine in the regular width using the tightest holes on the strap! There is even an extra fraction of an inch of space in the foot bed so that the sides of my feet don't dig into the sides of the shoe. Other reviewers have mentioned that the straps need to be adjusted rather loosely so that the straps won't cause discomfort or blisters. Again, I find this to be true. So far, I cannot make them give me blisters and I've walked at least a 5 mile day breaking them in. Unlike other reviewers, however, I was a little disappointed that the soft beds didn't feel instantly comfortable. In fact, they made my arches hurt for a solid week. But after a week, they started to feel more and more comfortable. I must say that they force you to walk differently. I felt a lot of stretching in my leg muscles. My joints also creaked continuously from ankle to knee to hip for the first couple of days I wore them. I actually think it's for the better because after a few weeks of wear my other worn in shoes are starting to feel uncomfortable in comparison. My heels do not hurt as much as they did if I wear them exclusively. I also think for long continuous walks that I'd prefer the Milano with the ankle strap, so I will be trying that next. So in short, don't worry about them being wide enough if you have wide feet and don't expect them to instantly fulfill your quest for the perfectly comfortable shoe. But in time, I think my Birkies might turn into just that. I'm not sending them back.

Moderately comfortable - I do like wearing these sandals because of their simplicity. But I do have to tighten my foot grip as I walk because my feet slide in the sandal while I wear them. I wonder about the accuracy of the size recommendations. I wear an 8 shoe; the recommendation for that was 41, which apparently is an 8, 8-1/2. But it still seems slightly loose for my feet; I'm managing. I might poke another hole in the top strap to see if tightening helps the slipping.

The buckle cut into my toe and was painful. The buckle should be a little further back. Oh well good try!

they felt too stiff even though they are "soft bed" I didn't want to have to "break them in"

These shoes are very high quality. I will say that the brand recommends sizing up for half sizes, but sizing down was a better fit for me. However, I could tell they'd been worn a bit and there was a slight stain, so I returned them.

Too narrow. They rubbed my heel bad just from trying them on. Too bad, they are very stylish and look like they’d last forever

My feet slid around and were now at all comfortable.

Y’all sent me gray instead of black

this is my 4th pair of birds.. same style.. but this pair is unusually wide.. to the point I had to have another hole punched just to be able to walk well.. I will be more discerning in the future, as to the width.

Lovely shoes however there was a chunk of the footbed missing. Sending back. Got some locally.

I keep wanting to love Birkenstocks, but just can't seem to find the right fit. These the arch was way too high for me, to the point my heel didn't touch the shoe. They were an "ok," but since I didn't LOVE them - I sent them back. :(

The leather is very stiff. I'm not sure how this will work out.

I really liked these and the soft foot bed was MUCH more comfortable than the original style sole. But I could not make it any tighter and it was still slipping off my foot. Just not a good fit for me

Painful sandals that will take a while before they feel comfortable.

Unfortunately, these did not work for me. I have a high arch and the straps caused blisters on the top of my feet.

I have a narrow foot and was hoping these would fit. As a friend said there isn’t a narrow in this brand. Description says soft foot bed. But I sure wouldn’t call it soft.

Sandals did not fit properly on foot. Uncomfortable.

While they're comfortable, I've found the shade of grey to be inconsistent. I ordered one pair and they were a darker grey but the staining was variable between left and ride sandal. So I ordered a second pair and, while the staining this time was consistent, they were a much lighter grey! Neither pair appear like the stain in the photo (a nice charcoal grey). Not even close. I will send the lighter grey back and keep the darker grey, even with inconsistent staining. Ugh.

Not as comfy as I thought it would be given that this has a soft footbed. They said it needs a break in period. I will give it a try. Also the straps were too long, I needed to use the last hole, and even then it is slightly loose so I may need to poke an extra hole. The shoe box arrived damage.

I really wanted to love these, but even with a narrow footbed, my long narrow feet wanted to slide forward beyond the front of the shoes. If I tightened the straps, they irritated my toes. Great shoes, just not for my feet.

Stiff out of the box. It was pretty soft and comfortable leather, though the limits of a belt style clasps is clear in limiting the fit and the sole was so stiff that I decided to return it.

I returned these. I don't know how long you must wait for these to "mold to your foot" and become "the most comfortable thing you've ever worn", but it was taking too long for me. At this price point I need to know whether a shoe will truly meet my urban hiking needs and I need to know quickly.

I love the look of these shoes, the quality of their construction, but after trying three different sizes, I’ve finally excepted that I cannot wear them. The Birkenstock insole hits the underside of a prominent bone just above my arch on both feet causing pain with each step. I’m so disappointed.