Vivobarefoot Primus Lite Knit

The barefoot shoes thingy caught my attention and I decided to try it out. My initial assumption, intuition and motivation was that barefoot shoes must be healthier for your feet as they are closer to our natural feet posture than regular shoes.

I bought my first barefoot shoes in August 2024 and went for the ‘Vivobarefoot’ Primus Lite Knit Mens (Bright White)’ model.

The million dollar question is: Are barefoot shoes better for your feet than regular shoes?

Are barefoot shoes better for your feet than regular shoes?

To make a long story short, YES … I believe barefoot shoes are better for your feet health than regular shoes. However, there are other important factors than just the shoe.

1 . Surface

The surface on which you walk or run will be determinant and as important as the shoe itself. My Vivobarefoot Primus Lite Knit Mens are not comfortable when the surface is too hard such as street pavements. However, when I go to the gym or if i walk on natural grounds, Vivobarefoot Primus Lite Knit shoes are great.

To conclude: in a natural environment, barefoot shoot are great. In a rural environment, you will need to carefully select the barefoot shoe that fits the concrete making sure that the sole is large and comfortable enough. The bigger the sole, the less barefoot feeling you get.

2. Cultural factor

Let me take two extreme cases to explain the cultural factor.

The chances are high that walking with barefoot shoes may feel weird or discomfortable if you’ve been walking with tight shoes all your life. Let me take the example of Japanese geisha who have shoes that are smaller than their feet.

On the other hand, people who have been walking barefoot all their lives like African tribesmen for instance, would prefer barefoot shoes to very tight shoes.

3. Wrong advise

My initial intention was to try the Vivobarefoot shoes as a day-to-day city shoe; however they forgot to mention this important information in the shop when I bought the shoe: the Vivobarefoot Primus Lite Knit shoe is more of a sport shoe than a city shoe. I didn’t know but I found out the hard way. The first few days I used it as a regular city shoe but it wasn’t comfortable as the sole of the Vivobarefoot Primus Lite Knit is even thinner than the sole of a regular Vivobarefoot shoes. Anyway, i’ve been using my Vivobarefoot Primus Lite Knit as sport shoes since then.

Vivobarefoot quality

First problem

Vivobarefoot shoes ar every expensive so you expect them to be of very good quality. I bought my Vivobaerfoot primus lite knit pair for €132 but it was a discounted price. The initial price was about €170. That’s very expensive for me.

It came a bit as a surprise when I discovered that the shoe started to break down after a month of usage. I didn’t even use them intensively. I brought them back to the Vibobarefoot shop in Brussels on the Avenue Louise. The sales person was nice and professional. They took the shoes and sent it back for reparation. I got the shoes back after two days.

To be honest, I was a bit disappointed. I would have expected to get a new pair. You can’t charge 170 € for a pair of shoe and just repair the shoe.

Second Problem (Mid November 2024)

Well, the same problem happened again mid-November but to the other shoe. I dropped the shoe in the Shop at Avenue Louise. This time the customer service was not as efficient: I dropped the shoe but had no news for a couple of day. I had to call them to find out the shoe had be sent for repair and that I could collect it within one or two days.

Conclusion

I’m happy to have bought my Vivobarefoot shoes. They’re very comfortable and practical. I use them exclusively at the gym.

Yes to barefoot shoes, but my enthusiasm for Vivo barefoot is a bit limited as they do not assume the quality of their shoes.

UPDATE since second quality problem.

Both shoes had to be returned to the shops for the same problem but not at the same time … so I had to go physically to the shop twice just to have them repaired… what a hassle. In addition, I was left without shoes for a couple of days (shoe one) and for a week (shoe 2). Not happy about this.