Customer Reviews Vivobarefoot Ra

Vivobare's Ra is intended to be a compromise item that allows people to wear barefoot-style shoes while maintaining an office-appropriate look. Unfortunately it's barely passable as a dress shoe. In the words of both my boss and my girlfriend they look like clown shoes. I think this is the first and only time my boss (a 60 year old government beurocrat) and my girlfriend (an edgy 20-something fine artist) have ever had overlapping fashion commentary. Technically, these will probably be accepted as officewear, but you'll also be the least stylish person in your office, even if you work amidst mid-level government drones. The soles are thin and tough and the lack of heel really lets toe-walkers enjoy their stride. The leather is very rigid and will cut severely into your heel, even with good socks. Be prepared for a few weeks of blisters.

I got the brown leather version, and they are literally my favorite shoes I have ever had in all my shoe wearing years. I normally wear a mens 13 or 14, depending on the shoe and/or brand. The 47 fits me perfectly. No shoe is more comfortable, and when not using the foam insert, these give a great barefoot feel. Plenty of room in the toebox. I wore them with very nice slacks, shirt, & tie and they were nice enough to go along with the outfit. They also look great just with jeans. These are the best ever, and now I want a pair in black, just for when brown won't do. Sizing note: I have another pair of Vivos, the Aqua, and while the sole is identical to this shoe, that one is just barely big enough for me; seems there is less thickness in the materials of the Ra, but the sole size is consistent.

These shoes look and feel great. I've received many compliments. I give them only two stars because within a week the red color of lining began to bleed onto the suede. This is still hidden under the panel with the eyelets. One of the eyelets however has come out. I'm hoping that this is a fluke and that the replacement pair will hold up. I will raise the number of stars if that is the case. Great design with questionable quality.

Zappos rocks, Vigo barefoot rocks. One of my insoles seemed to be too short for the shoe. Zappos agreed to return and refund but I called Vivo in New York and they returned my call in less than a day and sent me new insoles. They even sent a selection to make sure that I had a perfect fit. They provided fabulous customer service from both companies!

I've been looking at the minimalist shoes for awhile. I've got a pair of Vivobarefoot Aqua M's that I used for working out and general wear. They are fantastic and the Ra's are great as well, while giving me a shoe I can wear in a business casual environment.

It has been a very positive experience that of dealing with Zappos. We ordered the wrong size. Zappos immediately sent out another pair before I even had a chance to put the originals in the mail. We were very grateful for such consideration.

I walk a roundtrip of about 2½ miles on a given workday - from/to train station, from/to bustop. These shoes worked out great and I think will work out excellent in any business casual setting. I keep a pair of higher grade shoes in my desk for meetings. They are also great in the summer, surprisingly they breath really well.

These are nice, but I much prefer the Vivobarefoot Oaks in both style and comfort. These look very nice and are fairly comfortable except the heel rubs a bit. One thing - the red/brown is kind of chestnut in color and is much harder to match than a more traditional dark brown shoe. I am a size 10.5, and the 43 fit me perfectly.

Initially, I followed the advice of Vivobarefoot themselves and purchased these shoes a size larger than I normally wear. Fortunately, Zappos really stepped up and allowed me to return them, even though I had worn them twice. The first day I wore these to work, I got no fewer than five compliments on them! They are great if you work in a semi-casual environment. If Zappos starts carrying the black pebbled leather ones, I will probably buy them for more formal occasions. They are a bit on the pricey side, especially for a minimalist shoe (the only reason I gave them four instead of five stars), but they seem well constructed, and they are dead flat and very soft, so they really do mimic being barefoot while allowing you to look presentable in public or at work.

I really wanted to like these shoes because I like the styling, but they felt flimsy and the insole felt flimsy, especially for the price. Maybe that is what "barefoot" shoes are about, but they were not comfortable to me. The back of the shoe also cut into my heel a bit. With the insole out (as Vivobarefoot suggests), I could feel everything under my feet as I walked around the house. Seems that would be uncomfortable when walking outside on hard and uneven ground (I didn't try them outside since I planned on returning them). Maybe our ancestors did walk around barefoot, but they were walking on soft grass or mud, not concrete.

These seemed like great shoes until I wore them a few times. One of the insoles is too short and there is a 1/2 inch at the front where my toes hang over the insole.

Great shoe. Feels amazing and I can wear it all day. I wear a 11.5-12 and got a 45, fit great. It looks great too. Can hardly tell it's a minimalist/barefoot shoe. Wouldn't recommend it for a suit, but great with khakis, etc. And Zappos is great...ordered on Tuesday and had it by Friday. Great service, great company.

I love these! These are a great minimalist shoe for work. Looks great and feels great too.

This is more of an initial impression than a full review. I got the Vivobarefoot Ras in black, and unfortunately did not purchase it from this wonderful website (though I would have, had they been in stock in size 43!). I hope to drive more business here with this review to make up for it. These are really great minimalist shoes, whether for the office or for everyday wear. That said, they are painful to wear barefoot. These shoes' chafing inner demands socks unlike most minimalist footwear. However, I imagine that will change as the leather softens up. Initially, the leather was tight and pinched rather painfully right below the toes. It can be alleviated by sliding your heel all the way back into the heel cup, and tightening the top lace to keep your foot from sliding forward. After some initial discomfort, and a two mile hike, the leather has become more pliant. Once you soften up the leather, they are very comfortable. The heel is very snug, and comes up quite far which may feel strange at first. They are a full size smaller than marked, so order a size up. The toe box is wide and allows the feet to spread naturally. They are great shoes for people with wide feet. The sole is super-thin, flat and flexible, with no cushioning to hinder your natural walking style. You can feel the texture of whatever is under your feet, a feeling similar to walking barefoot. They are so light you barely notice having them on. They look quite formal, and would be appropriate for business settings, a rare quality in a minimal shoe. The soles appear to be stitched rather than glued, which should ensure durability in the long term. I received them as a gift, but considering how they perform now that they're broken in I would call them reasonably priced. I highly recommend this shoe.

They are bit higher in the back than I expected and pinch just a bit on the ankle. The forefoot is a bit wide looking but I can live with it. With a bit of polish, no one really says much about them being different. I will get a lot more wear out of them.

I wanted desperately to like these. But as others have reported I found the heel uncomfortable. This improved when I removed the insole, but even though I have been a minimalist runner for over nine months, wearing these around the house was just downright uncomfortable. They look OK, if maybe a bit plasticy. The leather is tough and unforgiving. I imagine you might be able to break these shoes in and soften them up a bit over time. I just do not want to go through that. Thanks, Zappos, for a great return policy. I will be looking for another solution!

If you're trying to retrain yourself to walk/run landing on your midfoot instead of your heel, these shoes may be worth the steep price and rather long wear-in period. If you're just looking for a pair of shoes, don't buy these shoes. I am the former -- and even still, it took a lot of dedication to make it through a few weeks of heel blisters and wear-in discomfort. The back of the shoe, as Zappos honestly warns, is very stiff and un-padded. It took wearing two pairs of socks and bandages, and walking many miles, to finally soften and stretch the heel to be comfortable. They are a sharp looking pair of shoes that let me train myself to walk differently (barefoot style) on a daily basis -- in relative comfort now that they're worn in.

Very comfortable barefoot shoe. I tried the Merrell brand of barefoot shoes also and these were much more comfortable. Wide toe box and flexible sole. I like then much better with the insole removed. Two concerns. The traction in wet conditions is very poor and the sole shows visible wear after less after only two weeks on daily use. As the small nubs on the sole wear down I expect the wet traction to get even worse. I think the sole will likely wear out within 6 months.

I'm a Terra Plans fan. I have a pair of the older aqua tennis shoes. I was looking for the same comfort-ability. The Ra deliver in those terms but the feel of the shoe is so cheap, it feels so cheaply made that putting it on and looking at it feels less than stellar. Close your eyes and walk (only short distances) and they're fine. But, really, the materials used in making this we way below expectations. Almost sent them back without trying them on.

I heard about these at a Structural Integration workshop. Finally got around to getting a pair, and I am TOTALLY AMAZED! These are easily the best shoes I have ever worn. Walking feels so light. It's a huge difference from all my other shoes. Toe box is slightly wide, but these are good looking man's shoes.

This is the most comfortable shoe I have ever worn. I have spent many years looking for shoes that actually fit my feet. I have tried many barefoot shoes, and while they all feel better than conventional shoes, they were not perfect...until now. The Vivo Ra has a wide toe box and a narrow heel. These are a great casual office shoe (they're not dress shoes). I do with the brown color was a little darker though. I will also be purchasing a black pair.

I was looking for a dressy shoe to wear in a business-casual environment. These seem to fit the bill. It's clear that these are not true dress shoes: the lack of a heel-block, the rounded (instead of pointed) front area, and the tiled sole with the red V on the bottom make them look different. That said, these attributes of dress shoes also make them quite non-barefoot, so there's only so much that Vivobarefoot can do to make these look like dress shoes. In a business-casual environment, they fit in just fine. I think they look quite nice. I wear these without the insoles, though with thin dress socks (because of the dress code, rather than need). The inside of the shoes fits and feels a lot like my Neo M of the same size, except that there were a lot of loose string tails inside the shoes that I had to cut. The leather was pretty stiff when I first got them - if I weren't wearing socks, I probably would have gotten blisters on my ankles. They broke in after a couple of weeks, and now are more comfortable, if still stiffer than I'd really like. The laces degraded pretty fast and now look pretty ratty. I'll replace them soon, after about 6 months of wear. The soles still squeak a bunch on the plastic tiles in the working areas in my office. In short, these are not Vivobarefoot's best shoes - I'd recommend other models for any purpose other than office wear - but they get five stars for their intended function. I had a barefoot shoe for casual wear, but still had foot pain after a day of standing at the office. The Ra finally allowed me to go a full day without discomfort, with a pretty stylish (if unconventional) look.

If you are familiar with Vivo athletic shoes (e.g., EVO): this shoe is stiffer and very slightly tighter and more padded. I ordered two pair; one was cut wrong and too tight in the heel. Minus one for quality control. But the product itself is "quality" in that materials feel premium, sticking appears solid and design is good. You could wear this shoe with almost any outfit and fit in. They are a barefoot shoe and demand more thought to be comfortable but also provide more flexibility so you can maximize your foot's potential. If you are not familiar with barefoot shoes, try an athletic one first. Size note: I always wear a 43 but in Vivo I wear a 42.

Let me first start by saying that I own 5 pairs of Vivobarefoot shoes and my wife an additional 4 herself. I have had the black leather Ra's for over a year now, and they are probably my favorite pair. First of all, these have a nice wide toe box. Not the largest in the Vivobarefoot line, that would be the Oaks, but certainly wider than the Offroads. They have a very flexible sole that allows for great proprioception. They leather is top notch. A little stiff on the part that touches your Achilles tendon initially, but breaks in quickly. The included foot bed is almost a must wear. Without it, your feet will likely over heat in hot weather and get very cold in winter. As for looks, well, they aren't gonna compare to your uncle's Allen Edmonds, but outside of the strictest board room should be more than adequate as dress shoes. They have held up well. My only complaint is that the slightest moisture causes the black dye to bleed onto your socks a little.

These shoes provide a true barefoot feeling. It is a shame that more people have not discovered how comfortable shoe like these are, and how you can rid yourself of knee and back pain. These shoes require the foot to be activated all day long. I can stand comfortably for extended times more now at 39 than I could when I was 16. The icing on the cake is that these are a good-looking, well-made pair of shoes. By the way, these have no support at all, which is a very good thing!