REVIEW: Sainsbury’s Adult Barefoot Trainers: How Good Are These £30 Supermarket Shoes?
After the release of their kids’ barefoot range, Sainsbury’s have made a bold move to stock adult barefoot shoes IN-STORE! Read the review below to see how they perform.
Note that this review is for the model available in the Men’s section. The equivalent model in the women’s section in some stores has quite a tapered, narrow toe box for a barefoot shoe.
A very rare adult in-store option for UK shoppers. At £30 these are on par with some of the cheapest Amazon options in price and probably slightly better quality for a low cost synthetic barefoot shoe. The pros: nice chunky looking design and wide toebox. The cons: not the lightest and most flexible.
First Impressions
First off, these are HARD to find on the website currently. Sainsbury’s have utterly dropped the ball: there is no mention of barefoot on the product description page at all (at the time of writing this review).
In store they feature a clear label with barefoot printed on it, so it’s just a website issue. Searching the term “barefoot” on their website only brings up kids’ shoes as these are merely “Tan Suede Trainers” in the men’s section.
Anyway, imagine my shock seeing actual adult barefoot shoes in a UK shop, ready to buy right off the shelf for £30! They come in a brown and navy colour and are available in the men’s section of Tu Clothing.
Their bulky, chunky look makes them look like ‘normal’ shoes, but the toe-shaped front gives them away as barefoot. My initial thoughts are these are too bulky for my preference for light shoes, but I give them a chance anyway.
Fit & Sizing
Not unexpectedly for a big brand new to the barefoot game, the size chart is lacking. The only detail given is the UK and EU sizes, which for this model I tested, were UK 9 / EU 43. According to the Plus12 internal shoe measurement, the shoe is approximately 28.9cm at its longest point. That’s quite big for a UK 9, but men’s shoes are often still slightly longer than women’s in the “same size”.
Surprisingly they don’t feel particularly big on my 27cm foot – the bulk and slightly stiffness of the shoe means they aren’t at all floppy feeling, so the extra room doesn’t feel like it’s there.
The toe box is a great shape, particularly considering the more tapered toe box shape on their kids’ barefoot offering. For my Egyptian toe profile, there is plenty of room and it would accommodate most toe shapes as it’s quite spacious.
The flexibility is adequate, but they don’t bend easily. Rolling them isn’t possible, but they flex easy enough at the toes. This is probably their main weakness, along with them being fairly substantial and ‘heavy’ for a barefoot trainer. They don’t feel as light on the foot as many other barefoot shoes. For comparison, the Vivobarefoot Gobi III leather trainer is 322g, around 60g lighter per shoe.
Design & Construction
These are fully synthetic faux-suede. Materials are on point for a £30 shoe, as is the build quality. I did notice a slight imperfection where there is a piece of black material stitched under the front section of the toe on the right hand shoe. I would return these if I was more bothered, but I can live with it for £30 or attempt to fix it myself. You can see it on the image above.
The texture offered by the panelling detail works nicely without making them look too busy. The ankle cushioning makes them fairly bulky, adding to the chunky look, but making them look more like a typical men’s shoe. Otherwise the design is very versatile aesthetically and passes as unisex. The colour looks slightly different in differing lights, as you can see in the photos, but it’s a lovely caramel camel brown.
The sole looks quite substantial, but isn’t as chunky as it looks. Like a lot of barefoot shoes, the sole wraps around the upper to create the illusion of a less-barefoot shoe. Stack height isn’t advertised, but it isn’t huge – it’s certainly more than I prefer as it is impacting ground-feel and flexibility, but it’s workable. The sole has some shallow lugs; for fashion trainers the grip is acceptable, but these are not for hiking or slippery conditions.
The insole is firmly glued in and isn’t removeable. It’s just a relatively thin foam one, so removing it would probably not change much about the flexibility or weight.
Usage & Final Thoughts
These are a really brilliant ‘starter shoe’ if you’re new to barefoot. I can’t fault them except for being on the less flexible/lightweight side.
Purists that want maximal ground feel and less feeling of wearing a shoe might want to skip these, but then again, they’re £30 and look great.
They’re a synthetic fashion trainer, so not the most breathable or weather-proof. Time will tell to see how they hold up to the elements.
They’re staying in my collection and I’ve already gone back for the Navy option!
These in brown and navy are the only option for adults currently, but they have more kids’ options. Check out the review here, which contains links to the kids’ range.
Are Sainsbury’s adult barefoot trainers zero drop?
I honestly can’t be 100% sure without cutting them in half. They don’t appear to have a drop, and as they are advertised as ‘barefoot’ I certainly would expect them to be zero drop.
Are Sainsbury’s adult barefoot trainers suitable for wide feet?
Yes – they are fairly wide throughout the shoe and have a nice broad toe-box. Unless you have an exceptionally wide splay or a very squared off toe profile, these should give plenty of space.
How do Sainsbury’s barefoot shoes compare to specialist barefoot brands?
Toe-box wise they are on par. They are perhaps a little bit heavier and less flexible than most, but many exclusively barefoot brands do produce hefty ‘barefoot’ shoes too. These are much more affordable than most established barefoot brands, and as a result, the materials are not genuine leather or made in Europe. Quality is equivalent to Sainsbury’s other cheaper shoes.
