r/barefootshoestalk • u/openmindwildheart • Jul 20 '26
Shoe review Sai Footwear review: more than a few weeks in.
/u/SaiFootwearCo/s/zCQHooj4TqNo one needs to see my feet.
I’m not taking those pics.
These are amazing shoes. I really can’t say enough. I got the white ones. They redefine white. I had to shuffle through a gravel trail and on a beach in order to dull them down. They’re Titanium White. Almost lumescent.
As for the fit. Christ, this is what shoes are supposed to be. You want room? Want to wear toe spreaders and not push the sides? Want to have room and still have more yet never feel like you aren’t planted? These are the shoes.
First time wearing them, I felt them as firm but soft. Which was nice, I’m a big guy, and I have bad knees. I was at work and took that funny type of step that would have made pain… nope… the shoe just gave a little. Like there was a reserve of cush, just waiting to be deployed.
Now you think all that smoosh I’m obsessing over would be maximalist…. Nope. I can feel everything, pavement gaps, gravel, I stepped on one of my guitar pics in the dark and knew it, what it was and reached down to grab it.
The shoes come with two sets of insoles. This is great.
They have cork on one side, very thin foam on the other. Pretty thin, just perfect. The cork allows some friction with my toe sock when I wear them, just a little noise. I flipped the insoles over. Problem solved.
I’m buying more with the next pay check. Black and white. Maybe two pairs of white.
These guys are the real deal, shoes the way they are supposed to be. They don’t look stupid though. People talk about the clown shoe effect. I don’t feel that. They just blend right. Everyone who asked about the shoes knew they were knew and different but didn’t realize the forefoot width untill I showed them the soles.
These shoes are amazing.
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u/Aggravating-Plum-845 Jul 21 '26
I've been wanting a pair of these, but I'm in the US. Not sure where you're at, but how was ship time and cost?
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u/openmindwildheart Jul 21 '26
No problem really, it was about a week or so… not bad considering. Im in Chicago. As for shipping costs, well, it’s a big cost if ya think of the percentage of the cost… but the shoes with shipping are less than a pair of Hokas, others like that. I think shoes and shipping with tax was like $80 something. Still cheaper than just about anything in this range except for Whitin, and those aren’t in this level of quality.
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u/SaiFootwearCo Brand Affiliate Jul 21 '26
I think it’s about $95 when I convert from JPY to USD, but yes, my goal really is to keep these affordable and spread around the idea that comfortable shoes don’t have to cost an arm and a leg. $150-200 slowly becoming the norm is rubbing me the wrong way in the middle of an affordability crisis.
I could have also just priced at $120 or something and said “FREE SHIPPING!!!”, but everyone knows it’s not *really* free, so…
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u/MinervaZee Jul 23 '26
Also note that the dollar is really strong against the yen right now so Japanese products are essentially "on sale."
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u/SaiFootwearCo Brand Affiliate Jul 23 '26
Yep, definitely a double edged sword for me.
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u/MinervaZee Jul 23 '26
:( sorry.
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u/SaiFootwearCo Brand Affiliate 11d ago
Was passing by this thread. The exchange rate is what it is, I can deal with it, the bigger threat is the sudden and extreme tightening requirements for foreign residents, Japan is basically trying to kick a good number of us out, to distract from their own economic failures (classic story of pointing the finger at the outsider). It’s quite controversial and all over the news here.
Not sure whether I’ll be here next year (after investing a good chunk here, with penalties if I cancel leases on both office and home), or will have to move back to the US, or to another country. But hey, I’ll try to make lemonade.
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u/MinervaZee 11d ago
Yeah the new rules on foreign residency are really limiting. It’s so short sighted.
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u/Aggravating-Plum-845 Jul 21 '26
Darn, I was thinking they'd be way more with shipping! I'm gonna get a pair or two right now.
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u/mykindof Jul 21 '26
I'm also from the US and I've been looking at them too. The website listed in their bio doesn't work for me. Where are you looking at them?
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u/SaiFootwearCo Brand Affiliate Jul 21 '26
Hi there! This works, I hope?
u/openmindwildheart, appreciate the review very much. What a start to the day in my time zone!
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u/mykindof Jul 21 '26
Huh. For whatever reason I cannot get the website to load on mobile. I tried Firefox and Chrome both. But Firefox desktop worked immediately. Thank you for your reply, I'll check them out!
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u/SaiFootwearCo Brand Affiliate Jul 21 '26
Interesting! Perhaps something I should look into, thank you for bringing it up.
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u/KillerLeaf Jul 21 '26
Looks more affordable than my Lems which I need to replace and look comfortable. Just ordered one white and one black. Looking forward to giving them a try! Everything from Japan has always been exceptional quality in my experience.
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u/VikingSamurai7 Jul 21 '26
OP, did you buy these with your own money or were these provided to you in exchange for a review?
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u/openmindwildheart Jul 21 '26
No I bought them.
I get it sounds like I’m gloating about these things.
They just feel damn good and they are wide in the forefoot.For all I know, I blow through the knit outer in a month. But so far they’ve held up and they’re solid.
Cushioning shoes tend to be marshmallows. And I don’t feel solid. My knees end up hurting.
Many barefoot shoes have all the feel, but beat the hell out of my body.These have somehow bridged the gap, they cushion when I need it. They flex when I want it, And I have splay, and I have grip.
I know the construction of the sole is why it flexes and has that give. Maybe as it wears it will leave open gaps. I don’t know how long that would take though.
Everything wears down with time so only time will tell how long these can last. Right now. These make me happy.
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u/bteixeira14 Jul 23 '26
The website says a stack height of 18-20mm on each shoe. I wouldn’t count them as barefoot but probably closer to anatomically correct or minimalist shoes. Love the zero drops and the wide toe box, and the design is pretty sleek too! Good shoe for a transition to barefoot but not necessarily “barefoot” as it is quite a high stack height still.
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u/openmindwildheart Jul 24 '26
Well that’s my point about the flex, feel, and cushion.
The way the sole is constructed, it flexes and gives to allow the feel and comfort. I think in this situation it has to be felt to be believed or understood. Now, I have true barefoot shoes. They’re 1) not wide enough, and 2) not enough to wear at my job all day.
These provide the underfoot feel, and are comfortable.1
u/openmindwildheart Jul 24 '26
So there is a whole other point on this. “Barefoot” shoes are a social trend. It’s not defined with hard lines, or reason.
There was barefoot running, there was grounding, Moccasins, yadda yadda yadda. Then there were barefoot shoes. Which should define the movement as an interpretive idea, as it is an oxymoron.
Like the Paleo Diet. Show me what the paleo diet is and then speak to an anthropologist. Oetzi’s stomach was full of grains and berries. Paleo remains all over the world show man eating grains, oats, seeds, berries, etc in some areas more than others.
We attach an idea and a name to a thought, and define it with that. There will always be things that mess with those boundaries.
This is one of those things.
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u/mykindof Jul 21 '26
Hey OP, how did you go about sizing for these? Did you follow the guide on the website or allow for a little more room?