Best Barefoot Shoes For Beginners | Vivo Vs Whitin 

This guy's mustache is magnificent

My whole life I've hated shoes. When I was about 10 I got my first barefoot shoes and absolutely loved them, which was weird since I always hated shoes. I'll definitely have to give these a try. I personally don't really care about heat transfer, as I will go barefoot on asphalt in mid summer. So I'm sure these would be just fine Update: I did in fact get these exact whiting shoes and I love them. Super comfortable and lightweight. I currently use them as my nice shoes for events and stuff since they're black and don't look like normal tennis shoes. I also got another pair for when I go places and they're great too. Overall for the price they're amazing.

I started with Whitin, later I bought a few pairs of Xeros. The Whitins have been my dailies for almost 3 years and I use the Xeros for exercise, running, lifting, Crossfit, etc

I bought a pair a whitins and walk everywhere, no car no transit. It's been a year and I am impressed with how well they have held up. There is some tread wear by the ball of the foot and heel but nothing unexpected. The seams have held up very well. Don't use tue provided insole though. Either re0lace it with a $1thin insole from Walmart of go without. The one they provide has arch support and raises the heel, defeating the whole purpose of a barefoot shoe.

I have been wearing that exact same pair of Whitins daily at work for a year now, in wide. They were the only shoes I could stuff my swollen foot in after bunion surgery! I think they've held up well and I can wear some toe spreaders on my feet while wearing these shoes. I've only just noticed some wear on the tread. Completely agree that the outer edge curves in a little more than I would like. For $40, I think they're five out of five stars.

I’ve been wearing Vivobarefoot shoes for over a decade and really love them.

I bought Vivo (Addis Men) for the first time a few months ago, and all I can say, they are fantastic! The most comfortable shoe I have owned. True, I am not crazy about the grip on this particular model, so will be looking for a model with more robust soles. But they are great for walking (at least if you are not on wet inclines). And on top of the feel and fit, they are so well made! For grins, a few days ago I ordered a pair of Whitens, with the same size as the Vivos. I mean, for $42 it was worth a try. They came today, I popped them on, and did a walk of a few miles. I mean, I hardly could tell I was wearing shoes. This is heaven, for me. I've always hated shoes, and used to go barefoot everywhere until society forced me to grow up. Sure, they will not hold up like the Vivos, but to me, they're great, and so cheap.

I absolutely Love Vivo! If they ever stop making them, I’m just going to give up on shoes altogether.

I've been wearing Whitins for a couple of years. I have two pairs and alternate between the two depending on if they are wet or muddy. So far have enjoyed them very well and I even purchased a pair for my son.

I bought some Whitins because of the price and I was buying about 4-5 different barefoot shoes/styles at the time. I have been very impressed with them, but I did take the insert out for even more ground feel. Overall, I have really loved them and use them for my causal walking shoes.

One thing that I don't see anyone talk about with Vivobarefoot is that they will repair your shoes too

I have some whitin trail inspired versions. The toe box is plenty wide. And I have 2 pairs of Xero HFS models I bought when they had their fall sale. The Xero pairs together had a total of around 120ish which is what the original price of one pair is. Whitins we're around 45 bucks. I have no issue with either brand. If you want the brand but don't want to pay, Whitin is a solid option. Or you can wait for sales and get a solid deal on more reputable brands like Xero, Merrell, Vivo, etc.

My all time fav is the Whitin trail. I have 2 other styles of Whitins. For boots I go with Bellville minimalist military boot. I wear the Whitins on my bike with traction spikes and they don't show any wear! It has taken me 6 months of daily use to even show any detectable wear on my trail shoes. Best buy ever!

I have those same whitin's. I wear them daily. I cook for a living and wear them in the kitchen every day, all day. They have been phenomenal. I've had them for about 18 months. When they get gnarly, I throw them in the washing machine and let them air dry. I have the gray color way with the gum bottoms and will buy more pairs for sure. I love them so much and get compliments on them all the time. I will say, my recommendation is to measure your feet when you're looking at sizes. I ordered my regular shoe size and they are just a touch long (nothing crazy) but I like to wear them without socks during the warmer months. I really want to give splay athletics a try also.

I have the Whitin's and I'm not disappointed. They are actually a little bit too big across the top of my foot but they are comfortable. I'm able to wear thicker socks on cold days and I can't do that with my Xero's.

Been wearing these Whitins for everyday use for the last 4ish years. They have actually lasted the whole time, it’s getting close to another pair. Their trail runners are great too, got a couple years on my pair, holding up great, get the ones with elastic top to keep all the rocks/sticks out, no need for gaiters. I do really want to try the new Magna Lite WR for the wet Houston area trails I just wish they weren’t so damn expensive 😂

Thanks for the review mate! I just bought a pair of WITHINS to try the whole barefoot thing out and staying on the budget side of things. I'm excited to see how it goes

I started with Whitin due to price, I agree that they are a great shoe at that price point. I also have Xero's and Vivo's. I find Xero shoes are a solid middle tier shoe, but Vivo's a the GOAT. If Vivo ever lowers their prices, nothing will stop them from taking over the Barefoot shoe world!

Thank you for the solid information here. This was a good introduction into barefoot shoes for me. Thanks

I have the exact same pair of whitins and i love love them, i wear then all day everyday, at work, on hikes, biking , everything. They absolutely crush it. I will def try vivos , but these will be my go to for a while. Ive been in barefoot shoes for over a year now, and you csnt beat the price!!

Dunno if you can get Geweo shoes in amazon US but if you do, give them a try. I have tried everything, from vivos, saguaro, lems, xero, 5 fingers, groundies, feelgrounds, merrell vapor gloves, ballop, etc... and the very best are the Geweo. They only have one model in several colors, very plain and boring, but blend in fine, last as long as most, after a couple of week use they get as soft as 5finger kso, and best of all, they fit all types of feet (greek, roman, egyptian, etc). In most models, especially vivos, my pinky gets squished and my ring toe bumps the edge of the shoe. On the geweo they all wiggle free. Seriously recommend for a budget shoe.

I love my whitin best shoe ever. No more foot pain. So comfortable. They’re very flexible wide toe box and light. I love them.

I really like my new Vivo Primus Lite 3s I can’t even wear regular shoes anymore and it’s only been 2 weeks

Nice, thorough, clear review & comparison! One other consideration is between the two companies; Whitin is an Amazon company and everything that goes along with that. Vivobarefoot is its own company dedicated to their product and with a mission of minimizing what winds up in landfills, and ethical production and sourcing of materials. I think cost-wise, they're probably less per mile because of longevity (and made to be refurbish-able). But I can understand and support anyone who needs a lower purchase amount. As Supple Savage said, it's worth them getting into a foot-healthy shoe :~)

Love your talking points and review. But did you say Library as Liberry?

Nice review. I'm curious to see your opinion of Wildling shoes.

bro you can't be growing a mustache like that... stepping into my territory HAHA jkjk - great video

I just got a new pair of the Whitins, and the stack is way thicker than it used to be, mostly soft foam in the footbed (without the insole in both cases). Might help with the heat transfer issue, but makes it a less minimalist shoe, unfortunately.

I jumped straight into Vibrams (have a pair of runners, trainers, water shoes, and just got their ballet flats) and am now looking for other non-toe brands to cover the waterproof boot and formalwear portions of my shoe wardrobe. Never looking back.

Love the Whitens. I have them in a few styles. Wish they would make a chelsea boot and a slip on for dressier occassions.

I didn’t know stalin reviewed shoes as his side hustle 💪

Thank you for this video. I am waiting for my pair of Whitins to arrive. I suffer from flat feet and I would like to try barefoot shoes to see if they help my condition. This video was very informative. Thank you again!

The Whitins are a great transition shoe, especially, if you are not used to zero drop without a structured insole or a very thin sole. I have the wide width which is wide enough to accommodate my big knobby bunions. The only other barefoot shoes I have tried are Xero and Unshoes. I have not tried Vivo or many other options because of price point and also, I can't tell if they will be wide enough. Xero shoes are no longer made wide enough although, they used to be.

I have been wearing my whiten shoes for the past two years while lifting. I have the white with tan gum soles and I absolutely love them. I have the same pair, only wear them in the gym and at my original price of $30, well worth it. I have even turned a few converse and vans people onto the whitens.

Splay has the largest toe box I’ve seen yet and they’re stylish too, between price on the Vivo and Whitins

I've got a pair of Altra trail shoes and I love 'em except they're too squishy! Too much padding. I'm used to 5-Toe Vibrams so it was a surprise... They've got lots of space for the toes though which feels great. Gonna try the Vivo Magna FG's for hiking and trails, and the Whitins for general use. Thx for the comparison review.

The whitin shoes are also my everyday shoes Love them Have them in many colors

I’ve always wanted to go this route, but I have a “medium” arch and had a lot of pain after wearing flip flops for a week on vacation a few years ago, I was told it was because my arch “fell”…..

Hykes Escapes for me, love the barefoot lifestyle, best decision ever.

This is great info! Big fan of barefoot shoes and wish I got into them sooner!

I have a mix of Whitin and Xero brand. If Lems and Tadeevo ever add Klarna or a split payment method, I'd love to get a couple pairs. They gave some dress/casual styles I like. And Xero makes an exceptional slip-resistant shoe for kitchens.

I have *many* pairs of Vibram Five Fingers. I can't recommend the V Trail 2.0 and V Alpha strongly enough for all around daily wear; there are two models you should avoid, though - the original VTrek model and the running models (unless you are going to use them only in a race, they have a serious lack of lateral stability but are ultralight). The VTrek is great (I've worn out 4 pairs over 3 years) but has a soft vinyl patch in the arch that was superseded by the Vtrail's outsole which has a small hard plastic plate where you'd normally find the "shank" reinforcement in the arch (now it's literally perfect). The arch is continuous on the VAlpha (no hole in the outsole), but the outsole is thinner and I use those for lighter hiking where I'll be in less rocky areas or in dirt/sand/silt. Vibram also makes Furoshiki style zero drop foot wraps as well as a *lot* of women's models that have ankle straps or are even close to ballet slippers (if ballet slippers had individual toe boxes). Yes, they seem expensive for being made of almost no materials but they have frequent sales/deals and they wear like you'd expect a Vibram product to wear - like iron. That's why I kept getting them, they were outlasting my other shoes by far in all aspects.

Great production , didn't expect the channel to be so small. I see helmets in the background, something that puts me off trying barefoot is that I spent most of my time in bike gear and worry I won't be able to wear barefoot shoes enough to make a difference when I'm wearing my bike boots most of the time. Any thoughts?

Just got my first pair of barefoot shoes, Vivo trail lite all weather .

I just got the hiking boots fg the bottom is actually pretty solid the whole boot is pretty solid really plenty of foot room for sure

Bro I would like to buy vivos however I would never ever pay that much money for shoes. Plus whitins are great. I average 9,000 steps a day and Iam in to these a year and a couple months. #TeamWhitin

My go to is the Xero prio had Vivo found the quality of the upper poor,wore a hole in the first month

Wow this just opened up a cheaper alternatives for me….. Vivo plus international shipping is crazy expensive for me 😂

Very helpful video. I stated wearing barefoots in Europe from Merrell. Far too narrow for my pancakes (or should I say "crepes).

8:21 I can’t remember what model my Vivo’s are, but they came with a thermal insole (pretty thin, uses a reflective layer) - I’ve only really judged it in moderate cold, for which it’s pretty good, not sure about hot ground.

I got a pair of the Whitin’s 4 months ago. I do not recommend. They are ok for casual wear but put a little pressure on my pinky toe area. They also stretch too much for any athletic movement.

I've had those exact Vivos for years and thrashed them all over Europe. Two issues for me: I think you were generous giving a 4 on grip. Especially if you dontuse them for a while (I.e. winter) they gloss up really bad and lose a lot of grip. The style isn't quite flexible enough for me. I can't get away with them in an office (I frequently wear Adidas Stan Smiths to the office, so it's not exactly strict)

The grip is really good

I think I’m gonna get the vivo after all, the 100 day policy makes it a near risk free choice

That mustache is glorious

I currently train on Luna Leadville Trail. They fit perfectly for walking and running forward but struggle badly with lateral movements. I really want to try the Primus Lite since my feet are wide at toes but narrow at heels like a fan.

Never ever Vivobarefoot again! I bought the Primus Trail Ötillö, which is advertised with the Swedish Swim & Run Marathon, because I was looking for shoes for wet terrain. They were so slippery, it was really dangerous. I never got an answer from Vivo to my mail - hence no Vivo for me again. The older Merrell were good (but forget the new ones), now I'm using Saguaro from Amazon. Very good, some models have a really good grip, durability could be better, but they are quite inexpensive. Haven't tried the Whitins yet, but they are already on my wishlist 🙂

We don't have whitin here (UK) but we have Hobibear which are very similar but reportedly wider in the toebox than whitin. I cant fit into vivos, too narrow but I have the freet flex and to be honest I prefer the hobibears I have in several ways. I have several different pairs which I rotate so I think they're going to last a long time.

Thanks for the information. I live in a very hot city in Mexico where the streets are made of stone. Are any of the barefoot brands going to work for that amount of heat?. If I put my foot down with no shoes my foot would literally burn.. Any suggestions?

My every days are the Splays freestyle. They are more attractive and better made than the whittins. The vivos are hard to beat if you can afford them.

I’m choosing to try barefoot shoes because 3 surgeries failed my feet, one of which will most likely be broken for the rest of my life-non union broken hardware. Conditioning to run again

Hey! the discount code doesn't work =(

I find whitin pretty narrow in their normal size. They do offer a wide version in some sizes that was pretty good.

Came for the review, stayed for the word "libarry"

I am intrigued but why don’t any good world class track or road athletes wear barefoot shoes? Like not one :-/

May I ask how you got your stash to look like that? Any tips and tricks, perhaps?

I'm buying withins today and vivo later.

what do you say about Lems? Since I hate wasting money (in terms of how long will a shoe last, as in is cheap actually cheap or is expensive the actual cheap option) I think I’ll go with vivo in this comparison.

Today, Ima op for $5-$10 water shoes from walmart. Im not the barefoot expert, but I think they fit the criteria. Few millimeter thick sole, no cushion, wide build, mesh upper so super breathable, comfortable, flexible as paper, and plus they're cheap. is there really an upside for buying $100+ vivos?

Great review and comparison

Liberry? 😅 I love my Whitin shoes.

Did you try Vivo's online sizing chart, and if so, was it accurate? Same question to anyone in the comments.

If you get a chance, would you look at Birchberry, believe that is correct. They say they have a good box but I'm not quite convinced. A category for me, I'm not training, is what is safe in winter snow and ice (not slip, heat transfer).

I noticed the hockey sticks in the background. Are you playing ice hockey? Have any issues with skate sizing because of the foot changes that come with barefoot shoes?

This moustache 👌🔥

I’ve had 6 pairs of various Vivo barefoot shoes and not one pair has lasted a year before soles came unstuck and various other faults occurred. A shame as I love the shoes but the build quality is rubbish. I will be trying a cheaper make like the Hobibear. Can’t seem to get Whitins in the UK. I walk a minimum 5 miles every day. The latest Vivos lasted less than 900 miles.

I just got into the barefoot world. Then realized my 4 year old grandson has overlapping toes. So what to do? Why buy him barefoot shoes. I got them on Amazon because I wan't sure if he would like them. Well he loves them and tells me that he can run faster in them. I'm thinking that toe will calm down on it's own if he continues to wear them.

Why do barefoot shoe content creators have handle bar mustaches? It's crazy does the shoe attract those with handlebar mustaches. I'm bugging out because I myself have barefoot shoes and also have a handlebar mustache. WHAT IS GOING ON HERE

Vivo offers a shoe repair program.

I tried nike free which is super comfortable and I didn't know that's called barefoot style at that time. I just bought Vivo yesterday and can't wait to have a try, really want to know the difference between them.😀

Hey man would you like to try our FLOW barefoot trainers? Looks good, priced right, sustainably made!

Great video might be buying a pair just a curious with your life. I would also like to see a video and comparison between the video barefoot scooter, but 180 for the trail models down to zero shoes which is probably about 100 but I’m sure in the end the Barefoots would be an investment that would last probably longer. I seen videos of within with 1000k and the person says in there still a great guy I don’t believe so thanks for real video

Would you also be able to review a pair of SOM Footwear, i have a feeling they arent really barefoot shoes but i dont know why barefoot would be better than this brand in particular, ive heard alot about just making sure a shoe has 0 heel drop and good toe space and this brand seems to check those boxes and it looks much more durable.

im jealous of your mustache holy cow is it cool! thanks for the vid, its really helped me make a good choice. which is whitin, solely due to the price! *ba dum tsk*

Help me make a decision today on barefoot shoes for walking on concrete floors 8hr/ day , 40 hrs/ week....

Great video bro

i ride motorcycles everyday ..is it safe to wear barefoot shoes? that’s my only concern

This is funny, because I've never worn a pair of Vivos that ACTUALLY had a wide toe-box. Whitin has always been wider.

🔴 I am a happy man: I was born (in 1959) without the pleasure of walking in shoes. So ... my bare feet were offered to me for free. Cheap and good ! Sincerely, Dinu, barefoot hiker from Romania : 🦶🏼🦶🏼 ☺~ 💚 Thank you my God (or Nature) 🙏🏻

Does within have a cushion as well? Meaning I have some ligament issues in my knees, will they be soft enough for the concrete to not hurt me?

I’ve never seen a better mustache than yours

clicked for the moustache

What version is your whitins?

Whitin have size limitations. Can’t find size 15

Are there socks made specifically for wide toebox shoes? What kind of socks should we wear with them because wearing regular sock would defeat the purpose!

I'm a little skeptical about how the WHITINs will last. Seems like just another Chinese company making cheap junk. I'm currently wearing Xero Shoes and have been happy with them so far. US based company and great customer service.

was the size on both true to size?

Liberry?

I know you don’t want to hear it because it destroys your business model, but I’ve been wearing the same pair of crocs for over 20 years that cost me under $25.

Who clicked for mustache!