Xero is the worst Barefoot company. The quality is crap. Also when they made a mistake in the no size, the denied to send me the right size, saying it's no longer on discount. Never going to buy them again, and also I am taking to all my friends to avoid them.

I think part of the issue is that it's difficult to make a durable pair of barefoot shoes, because for them to have all the characteristics you want in a barefoot shoe (thin, flexible, lightweight, etc.), there's simply not going to be enough thick, durable material to make them last. It's a trade-off. The more durable the shoe, the thicker, stiffer, and heavier they become. At a certain point, it will end up defeating the purpose. That's why I wear minimal barefoot shoes for most daily activities but wear something with a little more substance when backpacking, either a barefoot boot like the Lems Boulder Boot or the Altra Lone Peak. Neither are quite "barefoot", but they're more durable and are still zero drop with a wide toe box.

xero shoes are also made in china LOL!

I looked at the video, because I am considering buy a pair of barefoot shoes. I had a pair a decade ago. Loved them in the gym, but my ankles swole when wearing on concrete. Thanks for the review. I looked at the other comments, and it seems like a lot of folks have multiple pairs of shoes. That definitely would play a part in how long they lasted.

Sounds like the exhaust needs work😕 who stuck a harmonica in the tailpipe?

Lewis Gary Hernandez Brian Perez Steven

I've had a pair of Whitins for about a year now and they still look new and I wear them every day. Xero is WAY overpriced. They're selling a name.

I've had lots of different things from xero but this model is definitely not durable I've had good luck with the prio model but yeah the teraflex are trash

42$ is a normal price for a simple minimalist shoe. 100-150$ for one is insane.

Have had 6 pairs of xeros. No problems other than waiting for my size.

Xero shoes are made in China too-unfortunately

Xero shoes are comfortable but they don't last long.

I am in the same boat now that you were in. How was the ground feel difference between the terraflex and the whitins? I was looking at the terraflex because they say the sole is a bit thicker compared to the mesa trail which would be preferable as I'm going to be hiking in rocky colorado terrain. I used my vivobarefoot primus trails on my last colorado trip and had a few times where a rock poked my foot pretty bad. Do you feel like the whitins or terraflex provide decent protection from sharp rocks? Thanks.

This is not true. Their built quality is excellent.

I’ve loved my Xeros for hiking the Colorado Trail. With all brands, there are cycles of manufacturing with different suppliers and materials that aren’t consistent. But I also have just bought another pair of Whitins, not because my current pair is failing but because I want another pair as a backup in case the company goes away. Three years and going strong.

dont sleep on the whitins

I appreciate this review. Thanks for sharing your experience.

Except for the toes not being separated, they look just like a typical pair of Vibram Five Fingers.

Xero really needs to sew their soles onto their uppers instead of just cementing them together.

I have seven pairs of their shoes and 3 of the sandals. The Teraflex 2 is the only dud in the bunch. They feel a size smaller than all of the others in the same size and the lugs are so pronounced and spaced that they become uncomfortable. Thanks for the review!

Its very important to have negative reviews like that. No sugarcoating. You had bad experience, you tell that. Thank you.

I’ve had similar experiences with both brands. I only walk and run in them, no trail running. The Xeros started delaminating after a couple months of daily wear. I gorilla glued them to try to make do but then other parts of the shoe would delaminate. I then bought a Wittin in a similar style and have had zero problems for almost a year of wear. I bought a different style from them a few months later with similarly great results. The only bummer with Wittin is that there aren’t many styles or colors, but I’m not planning to go back to Xero.

So wait, you gave the Xero a 9/10 rating and a "never again". The other shoe was obviously a Communist Chinese dumping product and you raved and gave it a seven and a half? I have about 1000 miles on my Xeros with no visible wear. I normally wear heavy on the outside backside of the heel and have seen little tears on the many other shoes (Brooks, Asics, Altra) but no wear, tear or delamination in the uppers. Skip the "never again" thought as every company has an issue, some big, some small that people can reject a company. Toyota knew they had an unintended acceleration problem but sheeple still buy their Toyota and Lexus branded cars, although that company deserves "never again" for a number of reasons.

Whitins are heavy, ugly and rough on construction. Grip is exceptional.

You should give their Sandles a shot. I have had great luck with mine. Watch for sales and you can get them pretty cheap😊

love my whitin shoes, first pair of barefoot shoes ive bought. spend 170 on the xero xcursion waterproof boots for them to fall apart, break and leak within hours of my first use walking through wet grass

love xero shoes, but ive had this exact issue. the shoes are insanely comfortable. the soles on my first pair of prios from several years ago are still fine. the uppers on everything but the water shoes have also held up (i went on multiple long hikes with the water shoes because they were so comfortable and they got chewed up by twigs ... still use them for yard work). overall, they nailed the uppers and lowers. its just keeping them together thats the issue!

I noticed actually not a lot of real reviews on Zero shoes. They're all sponsored, aka ads disguised as reviews. Yours seems to be one of the few actual owner reviews.

Unfortunately I also have bad experience with their quality. Also very inconsistent sizing. They feel kinda cheaply made. They are mass produced in China...

I love mine!!! AND I bought the boots! They have definitely helped me maintain balance, increase my ankle strength! Love them!

Thank you bro

This was my expeience with 2 pairs of Xero shoes back in 2018. The are simple not constructed with high quality materials. I loved the fit and look compared to other brands but the they fell apart quickly.

No one had a single shoe in stock??? What? Like I randomly buy 5 fingers off the sale page once or twice a year…. That’s just one other minimalist zero drop shoe…. I get everyone under the sun hates one the finger toe thing, but I have a feeling they were not out of stock.

I've just bought my 6th pair of Xero shoes and plan on buying another soon. No problems at all. Have had issues with other brands though, that made me return some that were new and sell some that were used. Xero are the best barefoot shoe company and they're always improving design and durability with new models.

The review seems fair. Xero 9/10, despite failing your trip twice and ~$100; WINTIN 7.5/10 1/2 cheaper but does seem to do good job

I’ve had 3 pits that fell apart and two of them wore through the sole. Their customer service was great and replaced them… but horrible quality and not worth the hassle.

you can get those shoes for about 10-15 dollars direct from china. Might have to try out at least once.

I do like xero shoes, but I have to echo what you and many others are saying. They are not very durable. I had a pair of Whitin shoes also though, and didn't find them to be as comfortable. They are a Chinese company also, so their labor costs are also far less (and probably far less ethical as well).

I started on the zero drop train about 2 years ago. I've only had Lems and the Whitten brand you mentioned. I just want to attest to the durability of the Whitten brand. Granted there are about 4 or 5 brands on Amazon that use that same sole but I wore them about a year everyday and used them to summit Humphreys peak in Arizona still in great shape. The lems "9-5" shoe is a durable comfortable shoe if you work in an office.

I have a pair called the "prio suede" I think, Maybe they've upped their quality control since you made this video but I used them all winter, and our winters are DESTRUCTIVE on footwear with all the salt and ice, slush, etc... Held up fine and I've been using them on trails, concrete, while driving, everywhere except work where they make us wear steel toes...

I have two pairs of xero shoes, neither one lasted a year. Falling apart. I had to glue multiple parts back into place. That's what you get from China.

I've been thinking about making a change from altra to xero but I think I might look into other brands including the whitton Thanks

Super Interesting! I wear Terra Flex for golf, and I play A LOT, and they're fine. BUT I do have the PRIO all-day waterproof ones too, that I wear for wet golf, quite a lot less, and the soles on one are coming away. Didn't think about it before...

Hilariously the ad before the video was for Xero shoes.

How do they size in comparison. Liek if im an 11 in zero shoes ami in whiten?

You're sharing your direct experience; that's honest and fair.. and good fellow-hiker support :~) I wonder how the Whitins have held up? After studying and considering for a few months I bought the Vivobarefoot Forest ESC boots for wet/mud/snow-capable property/field chores and hiking. I chose them 'cuz they're leather and have luggy, stitched-on soles. I treated them with Sno-Seal (an old favorite natural beeswax waterproofing) before winter; I've been able to use them in every condition I wanted them for and appreciate them more every time I use them.

Thanks. Good Review.

Just bought a pair for my dad. Giving them to him tomorrow. They didn't have the ones I wanted again so maybe I future. But after watching this, I'm starting to 2nd guess. Gonna have my dad test b4 I purchased my pair now.

I love my Whitins! I’ve been using the reagular and trail runners for 4 years and they are great. Luckily I don’t care how they look fashion wise lol. I want to get some Xero Alpines for winter though. Anyone have any experience with them?

Love my Whitin shoes!