So the economies of scale refers to the cost advantage as a result of increased production. It doesn’t necessary account for brand value, or other variables like how well they market, or how reliable that perceived to be (eg Toyota). So the sneaker market as a whole would have become cheaper, but Nike may not necessarily have done the same. Similarly, barefoot footwear will likely become cheaper as a whole, but Vivobarefoot - with its great marketing and brand recognition - may stay expensive or even get more expensive. Hope that helped clarify things a bit 👍

I’m glad you enjoyed it, thanks for the feedback! 🙏

I’m glad you found it helpful!

Thanks I appreciate you! I have had a busy month or so but I’m hoping to get cracking with videos again. I have the ideas I mentioned in the video but I also moved to a house in the Swedish forest so I’m sure there has got to be something interesting there 😅

Really well said, love it! You might like my next video that I will be recording today then! 🤘

Thanks I really appreciate that, I’m glad you liked it!

I didn’t think about that but you’re right, the perfect suitcase shoe 😂

I’m really glad to hear that, thanks for the feedback! If you start strengthening your dorsiflexion, you will be well prepped for a shoe like this! :)

You have made my day so thank you, I really appreciate it! I definitely had to record many times in order to not appear so nervous butI am glad that I cam across as calm! 😅 Thank you for the kind feedback, I hope you have an amazing day!

@@theNamesPhillip i echo what they said. you should have more subs. work harder at youtube mate :)

Thanks I’m really glad you enjoyed the video! It does seem that a lot of people experience these issues, I was surprised because I didn’t hear many people talking about these issues when I bought the shoe. I don’t think I can give a great recommendation on any shoe at the moment (as my racer knits that I mentioned in the video have already started breaking down!) but I do look optimistically towards vivobarefoot and their ability to iterate quickly! I would love to hear about what you end up going with! No matter what shoes you choose, you always have the luxury of walking on a beach on the Isle of Wight 😅 A grounding may is awesome I’ve heard good stuff about them! I will likely end up getting one for more reliable data if I am to run a solid experiment on it. I have just been going through a move up into a Swedish forest and have now settled in enough to start with the videos again. This earthing one will be up as soon as possible! Thanks for the support 🙏

Thanks for the feedback! I will keep trying to be as honest and realistic as possible in my next videos! 🙌

Thank you I really appreciate your kind words 🙏 I am actually in the process of making a new video now that everything has settled down a little! I have a pair of the Primus trail knit FG’s for trail running and I think they are very good. My mini review is that it is much more fitted around the ankles with fewer rocks getting in (although still a little issue). The trail knits feel a little more plastic in my opinion and not a pair of shoes I would like to wear for longer periods of time (like I do with the Primus lites) but they are great shoes. I would also check Wilding shoes and Xero. And also go out without shoes wherever possible, it feels great once you get used to it!

Thank you 🙏 I can’t say anything about Marks shoes as I have never tried them but I think it is definitely good to experiment. I think for every day use, the Vivobarefoots may be a little more suitable but that is purely personal opinion. I believe in the benefits of minimal footwear and would love to get others to wear them (for their benefit and to get the price down a little for my benefit). I personally think it is less of a leap to convince others to move first to Vivo. Let me know what you end up going for though, it would be interesting!

I think that while it will definitely help to wear hi-tops, there is a certain level of protection one would expect from a pair of €150 shoes that these shoes don’t meet. The sock material in the racer knits are much better here.

Good choice, they are a great looking pair of shoes! I do think the knit material is just that little bit stronger 💪

Thanks for that, I’ll give it a try!

Thanks for the feedback I’m glad you found it helpful! Yes starting with cheaper shoes is definitely a good option. In my last video I brought up a common muscular issue that people experience when switching to barefoot shoes and one of my solutions was to have an intermediary zero-drop shoe such as the Altra Escalante 3’s. That way you can develop the adequate muscle strength with less chance of injury. That’s definitely what I would do if I were to start my barefoot journey again!

Thanks for that, I had tried it but It didn't help all that much because of the material! They're newer knit shoes are much better though and I am currently using Lomobarefoot which are so much better!

Heya Brian! I am not too sure about the issue you’re having as I am not able to replicate it. I would suggest trying the website on your phone to see if it still isn’t working. It could possibly be that your browser is preventing you from granting permission to the camera so is not giving you the option to scan. If it helps, my size in most shoes is EU44 (U.S 11) but for Vivobarefoot, im an EU43 (U.S 10)

Thanks for the suggestion, I have never heard of Freet but their products look really decent! I do love Vivobarefoot despite the issues but I would definitely agree that the price and toebox issues are a deterrent for sure! Thanks for the comment!!

Hiya 👋 I’m glad you found it helpful and as for the women’s version, there doesn’t seem to be a difference in the ankle. My girlfriend has the Primus Lite 3’s and they have the same problem.

​@theNamesPhillip thanks for posting about this, hadn't heard it in any other reviews

Interesting, maybe it is something that is dependent on specific walking styles, thanks for the input! 🙏 what do you use for running? I’m going to be making a video at some point soon on this topic and in my last video I recommended the Altra Escalante 3’s because they share a lot of barefoot shoe qualities(zero drop, wide toe-box) but have lots of cushioning.

@@theNamesPhillip I am more of a heel to mid foot striker. I have typical daily trainers like Novablast 3, Speed 3, my race shoe has a slightly lower drop in the NB SC Elite v3. I tried the Altra Torin 6 (0 drop) which I found comfortable but too hot, might try some Topos next.

Thanks for the comment! I do think the knit material holds up better so that is a definite advantage. In relation to the toe box area becoming frayed, I’m actually planning out a video that will go through the muscular deficiencies that lead to this issue being so prevalent in barefoot shoes. It is partially a problem with the shoe design but partially a flaw in the way “normal shoes” have conditioned us to walk.

@@theNamesPhillip interesting, hadn't considered the muscular aspect! Look forward to your video on it. Still, this does seem to be a more persistent issue with VB shoes than others, even the cheapo ones off Amazon. Do you know whether VB's knit material holds up better?

Yes I have the VB racer knits and the material is way better!

So I think there will be some advantages there but I haven’t tried them so I can’t say. There seems to be a different material and more padding around the angles which would say to me they will likely be more effective and stopping unwanted materials. The toebox is the same material so I expect the holes to be a problem unless you have adequate dorsiflexion and toe alignment. They have the same sole as my Primus trail knits which are great for trails but in my opinion aren’t quite as comfortable as the Primus lites. Overall I would say they are different and serve different purposes but to some degree they would be and improvement. If you do purchase them let me know how they are 😁

@@theNamesPhillip First of all, thanks for the review! I'm also looking into buying the All Weather instead but just wanted to say that they do not have the same material as the Primus Lite. Or I should say the structure is different where Primus Lite has larger ventilation holes in mesh but the All Weather do not look like a mesh. So, I assume they will hold up better but I'm still skeptical after watching your video. I'm new to barefoot shoes and it will be my first one.

I am not sure to be honest. It is probably a video I should make but I did the past winter in Vivobarefoot Primus trails and they were ok, especially with winter insoles

So I will probably make a video about it as I have written it in a few comments but the likely reason for the hole in the toe box is too much big toe involvement in your gait due to poor dorsiflexion muscles. Modern shoes tend to take away the work from us that would actually be beneficial to us. The cobbler is an interesting route, I would love to know if they can do anything! And then in the mean time you can work on dorsiflexion! 🤘 there is an instagram channel called “gait happens”, I’m not affiliated with them or anything but they have amazing information on this stuff!

It is my biggest gripe and is the main thing stopping me from confidently recommending these shoes to first time buyers! Maybe they have fixed it in the newer Primus models but I haven’t tried yet :)

@@theNamesPhillip the new expensive ones sure look like they have the plastic covering the mesh further where the toe is.

Heya, it’s in the works! I’m just finishing up the editing. 😁

So when beginning to go barefoot, you’re starting from a point of wearing normal shoes. These normal shoes tend to push your toes together in order to conform to the shape of the shoe design. Vivo have tried to address this with a different material on the inner side of the toe box but it isn’t very effective in my experience. When beginning to wear barefoot shoes, two things need to change: 1. You need to teach your toes to separate and get them used to splaying. I would recommend toega (toe yoga 😅) for that and buying some toe separators to wear intermittently throughout the day. 2. Your big toe is likely lifting too much when walking because wearing normal shoes have made it less necessary to activate all the appropriate muscles involved in walking. As a result, you are likely lacking strength in the muscles that control ‘dorsiflexion’. Look for exercises to strengthen those muscles. There are plenty on KZfaq and the instagram account ‘gaithappens’ is amazing for this. Sorry for such a long reply but I hope this information helps you out. Good luck in your barefoot journey and remember to take it easy, we are playing the long game 💪

@@theNamesPhillip thank you for your detailed answer 😁

The shoes were probably a bit too small for you if your toes burst through the top of them.

@@Monaleenian no it broke where there is this small circle of mesh without protection in top of the big toe. It's just my big toe always going up when I walk.

​@@mrcookie3724your feet are probably hypermobile. Like me. My big toes can go up at a 90 degree angle. Because I gave hEDS. All of my joints di that.

🤣

Yep I know, it doesn’t help all too much due to the actual material the edge is made from. It is also a feature that has a specific purpose and shouldn’t be necessary :)

@@theNamesPhillip Oh I see well in my particular case it did help me to stabilize my ankle when I tighten that specific hole it made my heavy compounds way more stable than before obviously I wear my shoes with five fingers socks but I understand your point.

They have served me well, I’m still using them, and I still really like wearing them. As long as you are aware of the issues and can justify the price, I would say yes. However the newer models of the Primus lite may have addressed the issues I mentioned in the video

I definitely agree that they are expensive, especially right now. I think when it comes to products like this that are going against the grain, it generally requires more R&D and that is a very expensive part of the process. When they price the shoes, those costs and others like it are also going to be factored in so that they can continue making solid products. Granted they are more expensive than many other barefoot shoes but I hope to see that change as more competition enters the market.

They are a great looking pair of shoes as well and the vibram soles are supposed to be really good. I haven’t actually tried them but I really should!

What a weird take. I bought the shoe, one that lots of people touted to be a great day-to-day shoe. I’m using them in a completely reasonable way. Either way thanks for the insightful comment, you seem like a bastion of knowledge.