Shoe Review: Vivobarefoot Primus Lite 3 Minimalist Vegan Sport and Cross Training Shoe

Detailed review:

“Train hard while treading lightly on the planet. The Primus Lite III is our hero trainer and its minimalist design lets your feet move in the most natural way possible. Building strength for every run, walk, and workout.”

Materials:

• Upper segments: no information on uppers but “Made from recycled materials, reusing post-consumer plastic waste, helping to reduce our waste to landfill.”
• The Active Sole offers the most sensory underfoot experience, providing ultimate grip and durability on hard surfaces in urban environments. The signature 4mm thin sole puts the minimum material between your feet and the ground.
• The Ortholite Performance Insole comprised of recycled PU foam, reducing waste and the use of virgin plastics.

I’m a big fan of Vivo because they make minimalist shoes with a wide toebox that look like normal shoes. They tend to have all-black, they look simple, and they look premium. These were made to be thin, while still giving feedback and offering more durability than previous models.

Performance:

For training, this shoe is great. It allows feedback for heavy lifting and stability without cushioning to let our feet do what they’re made to do when training. As with all of their road soles, they only really have grip in smooth, dry conditions. They don’t have much grip on wet or coarse surfaces. I would rather be barefoot, or choose other shoes instead of taking this hiking as I’d be more prone to injury from slipping. These are also great for running in dry conditions. I don’t think they have enough grip for heavy sprinting and still don’t have enough grip for sled pushes and similar movements.

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How It Feels:

They felt a bit stiff when new and took some getting used to, but were broken in with about 1 week of regular use. No issues; as mentioned multiple times…it’s the cost of having a more durable shoe.

Durability & Protection:

I’ve only had these shoes for 8 months but they’re holding up very well, and better than the original Primus Lites that I’ve reviewed. Apart from a couple of loose threads, they look almost new when I wash them. Because of the change in material, they do keep a crease, unlike previous models which tended to rip at the toe crease.

I wear these to train 6-7 days a week in the gym and also for casual jaunts around the city when I’m not wearing jeans. In light water/walking around after it rains,  it does keep my feet dry  as the materials are thicker than previous models (including the mesh); but these are by no means water-resistant. These are dry-weather shoes, for sure.

Fit & Sizing:

Vivo’s sizing seems to have changed as I’m a 42 in most of their shoes, but had to send this one back for a 41 as I had way too much space in the 42. And I’m glad that I did, because the 41 is perfect for me. I’ll try my next shoe in a 41 but this hasn’t happened enough for me to recommend sizing down from now on. Toe box is as wide as it can be, and one of the best options for that, in my opinion.

Cleaning and Care:

The new versions of the Primus Lites look much better after a wipe with just water than previous models. My Primus Lites faded much more when left to dry in the sun, and I don’t have this issue. This retains its colours a lot better as previous models would have different shades of faded black. I haven’t needed to wash these yet (and it isn’t recommended; but I eventually do wash training shoes when they get really bad).

Conclusion:

In short, I’d recommend these shoes. My only gripe with this shoe is only that the shoe could be tighter around the ankle area and that they aren’t great for sled pushes with how little grip there is.

Specs

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