Customer Reviews inov-8 Bare-XF 210 V2

I am age 68 and a 55 year runner. For the past 5 years, 80% of my running has been in Inov-8 shoes, both trail and road. We all seek to find a shoe brand that works well with our particular feet. Inov-8 is that shoe for me. I needed to replace my F-Lite 192's but they are not made any longer. Chose these and have found them to be more of a minimalist shoe than the F-Lite 192's but still sturdy enough to provide good support overall. The heel cup is particularly stable and I have not run into any situation where I felt like there was "not enough shoe" (as with VFF's). The soles are sticky and fairly soft so I don't expect the long life from them that I experienced with the F-Lite 192's. Overall, I am well satisfied. I did notice that the sizing is different. In every other pair of Inov-8's I was a size US 10. I had to return these for a size US 10.5 so be aware of that fact. I rated the shoes 4 Stars overall because, for me at least, a 5 Star shoe has not existed since my Nike Waffle Trainers from the 70's. I marked the style as 3 Stars because I preferred the former style of Inov-8 shoes over what they are producing now.

Great shoe. I use this primarily for CrossFit. Zero drop and minimalist sole is important to me; I’m a barefoot runner and want as little as possible between me and the ground. Shoe feels light and sole feels sticky (not gummy, just secure footing). My previous pair (BARE-XF 210) is no longer made, and I’m quite loyal, so even though this is the successor I was hesitant to change. However, shoes wear out, and I needed a new pair. Very happy. I see comments about “Moderate Arch Support” - precisely, this shoe is made to give you very little structural protection, just foot penetration protection. Looking for a light shoe that is reasonably wide? Look no further.

Perfect shoe for the gym if you want the "barefoot feel." One of the best functional advantages has been for deadlifting, as there are only a few millimeters between your feet and the ground, and the sole does not compress much at all. I typically remove my shoes for deadlifting, but these shoes do me one better by adding grip while still preserving all the advantages of a barefoot deadlift.

I really dig the look and hand feel of these shoes. Unfortunately, they are not very wide, like most minimalist shoes I’ve tried. Which sucks, because I got really excited to see them come up when I had searched for 6E wide shoes. I couldn’t even get my foot all the way into the shoe, and I got a pair two full sizes too long. These are 2E at best, really more like standard width shoes. Maybe wide in the toe box, but certainly shouldn’t pop up if you are searching for 6E shoes.

Ordered my size, but had to return it and reorder a size bigger, washed it and made a terrible small after the wash, inside padding keeps pulling back and not sticking properly on the left side shoe. Overall not bad quality, ordered another style to give one more chance.

Gorgeous, if you want to make an easy transition to zero drop shoes these are the ones. I love my Inov8 235s for Crossfit, but these are my everyday shoes. Great choice.

The fit was slightly snug the first few hours, then relaxed. I had been looking for a pair of shoes without a heel, mostly to practice martial arts outside. However, I like them so much that other than flip-flops (which I never used to wear before the pandemic), they are pretty much all I wear. I'm not a runner, but after two months they are showing almost no wear on the sole. I will probably get another pair to rotate.

Was pleasantly surprised by these. I've only worn them once, so I can't vouch for how they will break in, but I forgot about them as soon as I put them on -- which is about as high of a compliment you can give to new shoes. My feet tend to the wide side and these fit great, so maybe take that into consideration. Very minimal shoe, as promised.

I usually wear a US 10.5 and was concerned that the size I ordered (UK 10.5/US 11.5) would be too large. They actually fit perfectly. These perform as advertised with a denser-than-normal heel (actually clicks as you walk on hard flooring). I feel more stability during squats and other ground-based strength training. Plus I think they look pretty cool.

After reading the reviews i ordered a half size bigger and they fit perfect. Love the feel and look of these. Will try them later today for a run and see how they compare to my vapor gloves which are my current favorites.

This is my first pair of barefoot style shoes. I tried on many brands that were entirely too narrow. I took a gamble on these and they fit great. I purposely chose these for the very thin sole that lets me feel through. I’m not a runner, but these are helping in my exercise and efforts to strengthen myself.

Overall excellent shoes that have held up awesome over about a year of consistent use. The reason for 4 instead of 5 stars is because the soles are quite slippery on some surfaces. So when I'm really trying to dig in for grip they're prone to sliding rather than providing great traction. This also reduces confidence during things like jumps depending on the surface. This is really quite relegated to indoor gym use as most outdoor surfaces have a bit more natural grip. All that being said these are a great option if you want no heel drop shoes for working out.

I'm regularly an 11.5 in these but the toe box was too narrow. I've been doing a ton of foot work and my toes have probably gotten wider but these definitely crammed the outside toes.

The shoe was advertised as fitting wider than normal, but when I put them on, it felt like they were choking my foot.

I bought these before and they fit ok; but the footbox on the new pair is too small and squeezes my little toe. The XF 221 i bought also but they're no longer offered and they fit great because they don't have the rigid rubber around the toebox so there was some wriggle room. Ha.

Amazing! Almost like weightlifting barefoot. Great stability while squatting.

First pair of unsupported running shoes, and I was surprised how comfortable they are to run in. Would recommend.

Fits like a very trim glove with no wasted material. Arch support feels right for a shoe meant for running or walking.

this is fluorescent orange, the color on the pix is misleading. If you like fluorescent you'll like it. This is not what I was looking for. I love this brand and the show size, just not this specific color.

This is a feedback from my son. Given as a gift.

Best work out experience. Great shoes

Perfect for leg day routine when you want a zero rise but don't want to just work out in socks or barefoot. These grip the floor REALLY well - makes me feel far more secure when doing a heavy deadlift. Do not wear out on the streets if you can avoid it - every single pebble will hurt.

Just received these yesterday and so far, I like them. They're a little snug with thin athletic socks, which is my preference, but I probably won't exchange them as I figure once they're broken in, they'll be fine. So currently, "Comfort" is a 3/5. No arch support that I can detect, but I have flat feet, so that's also my preference. The sole feels thin enough to allow me to "feel" the ground, but feels sturdier and seems to provide more protection than my Merrell Vapor Gloves.

I find the toe box to be a bit odd shaped, more space on the inside of the big toe than required, compared to the X-Talon 212 which is my favorite hiking shoe. The fit appears to be identical to the 212 which fits my long narrow feet very well, actually the best thing about the 212 and XF 210 are the fit and grip. My taste in not flashy so the 210 gets a five, had the toe been the same shape as the X-Talon 212 I would have rated five across the board. Depending of wear I might purchase these again or chance the F-Lite 260 for fit and wear. I will save my 212's for the rough stuff.

Perfect but they have a tear in the mesh