I'm a bodybuilder who is 5'7 and weight 230lbs. I say this so you'll know how much wear & tear I put on my footwear. That said...........Every summer, starting in about May, I start wearing my cork/suede Arizona Birkenstocks daily. I live, eat and breathe in them. In fact, I wear them so often I typically go through a pair every other summer. I can testify that if what Clynt is saying about the EVAs not being as durable as the cork/leather version is true, then I would highly recommend going with the cork over the EVA versions. However, because of the price difference, I MAY try a pair of the EVAs just to see how they hold up under the abuse I put them through..
Im 280lb size 12 (45) footed big guy and got a summer out of the EVA version. I wore them daily and walked over beach rocks with sharp barnacle edges as well as everywhere else as daily footwear. Im hard on soles and wore them out in 5-6 months. Of all of the rubber sandals I ever owned the EVA Birkenstock were the best. Over the rocks the followed my feet and gave me good traction. On the sand the wide sole was a plus. In the water they wanted to slip off so care had to be taken as to not lose them to the sea. I bought mine from Ebay last year at a good price, under 40 bucks, but could not find any cheap Birkenstocks shoes, clogs, or sandals this year. When I see a cheap pair, even in the middle of winter, I’m going to grad them.
EVA is fine if you are gonna get it wet, since the cork don't really get along with water, but if you want longevity and you ain't gonna wear it in the rain or near a beach, the original ones are the way to go. If you want an alternative to the EVA for wet wear, and want more of a flip flop shape, island slippers are good. Made in hawaii and have decent arch support like Birks.
@@jonuiuc FYI arch support *isn't* a good thing. Your arch isn't supposed to be held up what you need is a shoe that cup the heel to hold your foot at the correct angle.
You can summarize like this EVA are the best choice when you go to the beach or the pool or places you know you'll end up getting wet and you have to dry after. Avoid long walking on warner days or you LL suffer from hard sweat. Other than that go for the regular model , it's great really comfy and durable
Clytn maybe it’s same material (Eva foam) but sole on cork footbed is denser pact with less air between. I just got some cork ones and sole stuck to cork feels very robust and doesn’t give much when you try to squash it.
When they say soft bed, that means they do not have to break them in as the original Birkenstock. I think that softbed is not as supportive to one's feet. Not sure about that. Also, as far as I know from experience, one has to break in Birkenstock slowly so that they foot can get used to it and create its own mold.
I have regular bed Myari, soft bed Florida and eva Arizona and I honestly can’t feel the difference between the regular bed and soft bed. I do prefer the cork ones as they mould to your feet and feels way more comfortable over time but the Eva ones are great for water sports.
I'm betting this depends heavily on the specific compound used, but most likely lol. I've been using a $6 pair of eva Walmart knockoffs for the past 2-3 years, and they're still going pretty strong. Only downside is the material is quite a bit softer and squishier than official Birk EVAs, which leaves the toe region kinda vulnerable to catching and folding under itself if you drag your feet and step clumsily. (Like when moving boxes and furniture.) They're starting to tear a bit where the toe meets the first strap after this happening 2-3 times.
The birko-floor model is the same as the soft-bed model, but without the soft-bed layer beneath the suede. The result is when that model moulds more to your feet it fits you better than the soft-bed model. It takes more time to break in, but it's worth it-or so I've seen in reviews by Birkenstock owners.
Good video, I also have a pair of each. But for lawn mowing you should really wear the steel-toed Birks for safety’s sake. The EVA was my first Birks...a gateway drug so to speak. Prefer the cork ones but they are 3X the price.
thanks for watching...ya the only bad thing about the corks is the price otherwise I would probably have more than one pair of them. The EVA's are definitely a gateway drug, I want more colors of them😂.
Birks EVA is best for summer, or tropical places. Easy to clean and comfortable to wear. As with cork, i think for more pressure, like heavier people or long-distance walking or hiking.
I found a new way to wear the eva birkenstock. That is to wear it as slipper in the house. I wear cork one outside just because it looks and feel nicer.
Ya I've heard people saying they wear the Eva's as house slippers...I've personally never worn them outside. I usually just throw them on because they're easy to wear.
The EVA ones are for the pool or beach and the leather one is the traditional hausschuh, slipper in the house. But there is no rule, whatever you like.
@@mikebegonia6134 I'm planning on buying one, but I'm not sure which one is more suited for me. I walk my dog in the park every morning. Would wet grass be an issue with the cork ones?
I actually own the black eva birks and can't be happier with them, i dont use to wear sandals that often but these changed that. Maybe in the future i would give the cork ones a try. You should make another video showing you using them and how you style them with your clothes.
@@Clytn That seems pretty often since you say you wear them most of the time 🤣 Which of the two do you prefer the most? And how do you cope with the smelly feet, assuming you have it? 😂, that's the bad thing about mine, i often have to wash them because of the odor my feet give to them
Idk if I could pick one because I like both of them and I wear each depending on the situation. I won't wear socks with the corks because the material will rub off onto my socks but I'll wear socks with the EVAs because the material is smooth. I've never had an issue with my feet or the birks smelling. If it's too hot outside I just wont wear them so my feet don't sweat in them.
Trying to decide which will be better for me right now, I’d eventually like to own both. I know I can’t get a knock off of the eva ones, but I’ve tried on different ones and they just don’t feel the same or have the same support as real birks. Eva price would be best for me now but I like the long lasting and versatility of the originals!
1:36 People, always mow grass in closed toe shoes! A friend of mine was backing up, pulling the operating lawnmower with him, he tripped up and fell backwards, the lawnmower went across his feet and cut off one of his big toes. Stay safe!
Leather Birkenstock’s probably more breathable on foot so one assumes healthier. Eva ones great for beach or gym as they can get wet and easy to wash them in soap and water. Glad you liked both pairs. I’m about to purchase my first pair 😊
The soles on either shoe isn’t to durable, especially if you wear them daily and are heavy. I weigh 350 and the soles that come with the sandals just don’t last as much. But after I wear them down I take it to my cobbler and they put some Vibram soles. Now the vibram soles you can get a 7 month use out of them with everyday use before you start getting into the cork.
Hey Nice video i ought the same two pairs just like you pretty much at the same time i have the olive green eva's No scuffs , i als wear them to the park and played with my dog ,running in feilds and no scuffs just wear on the sole i have the same wear as your has except i have also wear towards the ack of the foot
hey man, i wear a 9 in vans, an 8.5 in chuck 70s, and a 9.5 in most nike/jordan’s; any idea which size i should get in birkenstock’s? my gut tells me i’m a 7-7.5 but i also anticipate wearing them with socks if that makes any difference. i also don’t know how much empty space i’m supposed to leave on the shoe either
I got both the EVA and the leather ones in one size smaller than what I wear in Nike shoes...I've only worn the EVA ones with socks and it didn't make much of a difference.
Some reviewers say they are true to size. Some say they fit big. Be sure you're fitting them right. Birkenstock have an excellent video showing you how to fit them. Open the straps fully and pull them out of the way and stand into the sandal. You should have 1 cm space up front and 0.5 cm space at the rear, and don't tighten the straps too much. Watch the video. Good luck. There should be some space between your foot and the strap when it's on your foot.
Should someone size up or down at all? I’m looking to purchase online if possible. I’m looking into Birkenstock’s because I’ve heard you can replace the sole through a cobbler, and they last a while and I abuse my shoes (I’m heavy footed and I walk as primary transportation). Thanks for a great review man I appreciate it.
the suede on the cork absorbs moisture, but the EVA is just rubber and would become quite slippery. the cork won’t absorb a tonne of moisture, but would definitely beat the EVA big time for that
Same problem hyper hyperhyrodsis 😂 Did u find out ? Or have a solution ??! I. And we have like 6 months of monsoons so I guess Eva would be a better choice , pretty much a replacement to crocs right
well seeing this video one can easily assume the weird way of assuming thing that the conclusion is, eva are more comfortable thats why he wearing it more and it show on both shoes of which one are getting more attention
I had to two pairs of knockoff soft sole Birkenstock that you showed in second half of this video. I bought first pair in 2015 at Rue 21. They were a little too big on me so I broke them faster by wearing them a lot. My second pair I bought three years later from a shoe store in mall. They are Girl Madden brand. They are still good shoes but the tread on the bottom is starting to show major signs of damage from wear them a lot. I just bought my first pair of Birkenstock Eva shoes. They were $50 at DickSporting Goods. I got a size 36. Mine are in the color light purple, white and coral. I can’t wait to wear them a lot. I wore mine with socks after I first got them.
Man I got 4 pair of Birkenstock! #1 EVA in black #2 soft bed Arizona in black #3 soft bed Arizona in mocha #4 Milano in black leather and I love and wear all 4 pairs. My Milano's I wear those for special Gathering and parties , Family Vacation , and sometimes traveling. My other three pairs I use for everything and All Above. I love these because I have big very very wide feet sz15 6 EEEEEE with very fat wide toe that's equally straight across. I wish my toes were at a 45 degree angle then being equally straight across because both of my little toes hang off the footbed of the sandal but that's also because of me having very fat wide toes. My foot is 6 1/2 inches wide from my big toe to my little toe which makes it for a very very wide foot and I am able to fit them in a pair of Birkenstocks. There is no shoe , sock , or boot that wide enough to fit my foot. I can barely wear flip-flops because my foot is wider than the flip flop straps and on some flip-flops I had two toes instead of one hanging off the foot bed of flip flops. I also love the fact that because I can only wear sandals for Footwear I can always take my Birkenstocks back in and get them resole and never have to worry about finding a pair of sandals to fit my very very wide feet with very fat wide toes. Question? I see Those are a size 12 do you have wide feet and how are they holding up today.
I would say i have slightly wider feet because i cant wear some shoes. Mine have held up pretty well so far...I’ve had both of mine for over a year now so probably within the next few months i will buy some more pairs. In the summer they’re bascially the only shoes i wear.
@@PJBrunet you are welcome and I appreciate the video that you did. Okay you have wide too. I hope they not extremely wide is mine. I just recently picked up a new pair of Arizona about 2 weeks ago red , white , and black. I had to get a new pair I took my five boys on a vacation to an indoor water park and while we was there someone stole my Arizona's. Out of all the sandals that was around why did they have to steal mine there's not too many people walking around with a foot size 15 6 EEEEEE wide with very fat wide toes that are straight across. All five of my boys have wide feet too and they did not steal their Flip Flop. I had to walk around the park for the rest of the day barefooted 👣 because the park did not carry any sandals in my size. I don't mind being Barefooted 👣 because I'm Barefooted 👣 95% of the time anyway it's just the fact that I was on vacation , 200 miles away from home , and that was the only Footwear that I bought with me for the vacation trip. So i end up doing my 3 day vacation Barefooted 👣 but still had fun besides having by Arizona stolen from me.
@@mackjenkins7721 the bad news is, several people on Amazon reported the front strap tends to break off in a few months. So these are probably not good for wide feet (as I originally surmised) unless maybe you buy the original proven design.
I live in N.Mi. I have a pair of soft bed 2 thin straps Birkenstocks. They need a repair. Where can I send them....to a reputable cobbler?? Please and thank you.
I'm not too sure on that. All I know is the footbed has progressively gotten darker the more I've worn them. So it could be from sweat but I'm not entirely sure.
if you wear a 14 more then I'd go with a 13 but if you're normally a 13 more often I'd go with 13 or 12...The best would be finding a website with free returns so you can order multiple sizes and just return the ones that dont fit.
Looking forward to your next "apple to banana" comparison? ;) What a surprise result - the cheaper and more worn shoes held up slightly worse than the more expensive and less worn ones... I also have both the EVA and leather Arizonas.
@@r3nzki30 you don't want to get the cork ones wet cause the cork part could start to fall apart. Get the EVA ones if you want to wear if it's wet out.
Would you say that the eva is good for walking around in general? I heard they're actually only for poolsides and beaches, not meant for like walking around in general EDIT: I do have both of the eva and cork buuuuut I kinda wanted to use them in rotation
I know you stated the leather ones are the color iron, but yours look kind of brownish. I just bought the iron color and mine is a light grayish color. Lol
Warning!! THESE ARE NOT GOOD FOR FLAT FEET. I've had mine not even six months and I'm already down to the cork because they wear unevenly. The cork DOES NOT compress. It might mold to your foot, but if you've got flat feet and the shoe has a high arch support, the shoe curves up like a boat and wears SUPER QUICK. Good sandals, BUT NOT FOR FLAT FEET.
The foam ones are not good for a recommended for every day where specially in the city there for casual wearing on the beach in the park short trips not a marathon not for CITY walking for a long period of time on concrete - That’s called distressed leather are you going to have that look you don’t like just oil them…. Use their products from eating it
Could have condensed this into about 2 minutes if you didn’t repeat everything 5x. Could have done research and given the content more depth. The suede darkens from sweat not dirt. Might swap out my Adidas slides for the white Eva birks. The classic Arizona cork birks are essential
I appreciate the tips on how I can improve. I've also been thinking about getting a pair of white EVAs and cork birks are definitely essentials for sure.
