Table of Contents
In general
Groundies are ideal for medium wide, not very high volume feet. I wear 40 (261/96 mm) for my 250-252/94 mm, explicitly low volume feet.
While their models are listed separately for men and women, the size chart and the photos show them as identical.
They come with either of the following soles:
- the super flexible ’old sole’, GO1, providing outstanding ground feel (3.3 mm base + 3 mm tread)
- the ’new sole’, GS1, very fashionable looking but somewhat less flexible and a bit thicker, lining the toe box a bit rigidly from the outside (3 mm base + 3.9 mm tread; it gives the impression of being really thick but that’s just an optical trick)
The old sole works perfectly for me & I love it, while the new one feels a bit too restrictive and stiff, and I miss out on the ground feel.
All Groundies are stylish, feather light and with a 3-year guarantee on the sole. These 5 are made of leather, but Groundies have just started coming out with some vegan options, as well. They tend to have generous sales with discounts between 20-50 % worth watching out for, but note that these shoes are very popular and by waiting you may risk missing your size.
Highlights
Ibiza
- metallic shiny colour, super cool, drawing compliments
- casual elegance at its best
- super-duper soft
- perfect without socks
- a bit vulnerable, I take great care of them
- white laces get dirty very fast
- they accommodate toespacers
Toronto
- very soft
- lighter than you would believe boots can be
- ideal for mild winter weather
- very versatile (I wore them for hiking as well as a wedding when I had only this one pair of warm barefoot shoes)
- after impregnation, they are ok in light rain in town, and they kept me dry at a muddy hike, but they soaked when I walked in wet grass
- they accommodate toespacers
Berlin
- both zip & laces = adjustable yet easy to dress
- comfy alternative to combat boots
- ideal for autumn/spring, not waterproof but light rain is OK
- comes in several versions (old or new sole, shiny or plain, with or without a zip)
- timeless design
- they pinch at my toes with toespacers
Orlando all-black
- much more gorge than in the official photos J
- they strike me more lady-like than Universe
- soft & cosy
- pretty-while-sporty
- I wear them with thin insoles to raise them above my low ankle bone
- I exchanged the original laces with the neon green ending to all-black elasticated ones for ease of dressing and more versatile styling
- they pinch at my toes with toespacers
Universe all-black
- a bit more male-looking
- quite elegant, can pass on some occasions as a dress shoe
- a bit more stiff at the sides and in the sole than the other 4
- a bit deeper and narrower
- giving less ground feel
- too narrow for toespacers
All in all, Universe is not a fav of mine but my dad happily took them and lives in them ever since 🙂
Sum-up
Goundies are a well-established, reliable firm offering a wide range of styles for all seasons, for town use. First class design, high quality shoes, German precision and consequent sizing for average width feet make them one of the most well-known barefoot manufacturers.