Oveckarna wool slippers look fully barefoot at first glance, and merino wool is a great material. As they come at a really friendly price (400 CZK in autumn, 2022), I was happy to try these. I purchased them here: Oveckarna wool slippers, having great expectations.
I don’t wear slippers at home during the warmer months any more, but usually go around barefooted. Or, once it gets cooler, in socks. In winter, however, I do need something more substantial on my feet, with the floor being cold in my apartment.
I returned the Oveckarna slippers primarily due to sizing problems. They very small both for me and for my daughter, whose feet are 1 cm shorter than mine. The real issue, however, may lie with the pattern.
Table of Contents
My foot
| Length: 250 / 252 mm | Width: 94 mm | Volumen: low |
| Instep: explicitly low | (150 mm from ground to ground) | |
| Foot shape: sloped = Egyptian | (my big toe is the longest) |
Introduction
Oveckarna is a Czech firm. I shopped on their website in Hungarian, for Hungarian Forints (400 CZK = 6.500 HUF in autumn, 2022). They offered an inland shipping price, and 30-day free returns on unused items. Their prices are generally acceptable and their design is simple but nice. While the descriptions are not super great, one does get the main point.
The majority of their products are made of merino wool. There is quite a choice, especially in terms of clothing and home textiles.
Sizing and shape
Insole length
In traditional shoes, my feet used to be size 39. In barefoot shoes, I most often wear size 40, although the range is quite wide across different manufacturers, and I do own size 42 shoes, too. According to their size chart, the insole length of Oveckarna slippers size 39-40 is supposed to be 25.5 cm. This wouldn’t be enough for me in shoes, but with soft slip-ons, 26.5 cm for size 41-42 seemed too much. Well, I proved to be very wrong on that one.
Once on my feet, the slippers felt really small, pressing strongly on my toes. My daughter also tried them onto her 24.3 cm feet, but surprisingly, they were short even for her. I checked the insole length, which corresponded to the sizing chart. To be quite honest, I don’t entirely understand how comes these slippers feel so short. Anyway, below I am listing everything that comes to mind in this respect.
Width
As far as width is concerned, Ocevkarna seem to tick the barefoot box, fitting my feet amply. It may be that a really wide foot would not fit in all that well, though. Also, there was no excess room left over my explicitly low volume instep.
Volumen and toe box
I guess this may be the key to the sizing anomaly. In the side view, one can see how small the overall volume of these slippers is. However soft they may be, there simply isn’t enough material for them to be able to mould to your feet. An idea: perhaps if they were more voluminous at the front, they wouldn’t feel this short. Alternatively, the problem could be that their longest point is in the middle of the toe box, not in front of the big toe. In any case, they are far too short even as I stand up in them, let alone when I walk.
Maybe average people used to too tight shoes don’t even notice the lack of space in these slippers. They are much softer than most people’s regular, narrow leather shoes. But this pressure was definitely killing me, and as soon as I put them on, I wanted out.
/Update in March 2023: I wrote to them about it when returning the slippers, but there was no reaction. Now however they have come out with a few barefoot shoe models, so the barefoot movement has reached them!/
I also have the feeling that the longest point of these slippers is in the middle of the toe box, not in front of the big toe, where most people would need extra space. Looking from above, they look pointy, which is not ideal for the toes.
The sole
The sole of the Oveckarna slippers is made of split leather. It is soft, flat and flexible, in line with the barefoot concept. It looks a bit narrow but, should there be enough volume in the upper, this by itself might not be a problem, not even for wider feet.
It is a question how long these soles would hold up for. They are fully covered in fur, but in my experience, such fur is prone to flattening out fast, which would result in a loss of softness as well as insulating capacity. Should I have kept the slippers, I would have most probably glued thin (2 mm) rubber soles on them, for protection from water in the bathroom, as well as for added heat insulation.
The description claims that the leather sole is non-slip. I must admit that I had my doubts, but I tried, and YES, IT IS! It has a good grip both on lacquered wood floor and tiles, no danger of slipping whatsoever.
Quality
In real life, the slippers look a bit uncombed compared to the pictures. Also, their shape is less rounded and harmonious. All in all, I prefer the look in the pics, the reality is somewhat less elegant.
They are losing wool: while making the photos, although I was hardly touching them, there were tiny little patches of wool falling out of them. I am no expert, and cannot tell whether this is OK, but it certainly isn’t very practical with indoor shoes, considering cleaning up.
The sole is cut really neatly and the seams look strong.
The labels as well as the wrapping in which they were shipped are very well designed. I am sad to admit that the packing impressed me more than the slippers themselves.
Ballerinas
Honestly, I don’t quite get why these slipper are called ballerinas. It may not be misleading in Czech, but I think it is in English, and it certainly doesn’t make it easier for potential customers to find them. (I saw the photo in a Facebook ad.) Have you ever searched for slippers with the key word ‘ballerinas’? It might perhaps be worth considering to change this name.
Returns
Now that’s a big plus.
In case you are not entirely happy with their size, shape or anything else, you can return the slippers for free within 30 days (from the Hungarian shop), which is very friendly. All you need to do is fill in the return form: https://www.bariholmik.hu/betoltesi-sorrend/returns/ The explanations are not always very clear in Hungarian, but it is relatively easy to figure things out.
The customer service is kind and responsive, but it may take 1 or 2 days before they answer, so please have some patience.
Oveckarna wool insoles
As my feet are small volume and also rather sensitive to cold, I am quite a collector of barefoot insoles, and I have used the opportunity to try the Oveckarna ones as winter is coming. First impressions (with the Peerko wool insert in the pic for comparison):
- the shape is not barefoot so I bought a huge size and will cut it to form
- they are covered in soft and thick wool (the Peerko ones are pressed, much less spectacular but possibly even warmer as pressed wool might insulate more efficiently, and definitely more sturdy, also, the thick and soft layer of unpressed wool hinders the ground feel and makes my ankles feel unsure)
- they also loose wool in small fluffs, just like the slippers
- the foam base onto which the wool is glued is a good 4 mm thick (as opposed to the hardly 3 mm base on the Peerko insoles)
- the heat reflecting layer is covered in small bubbles, which also hinders the ground feel, but is probably very good for insulation – the question is how long these bubbles can hold the air (the Peerko heat reflecting base seems solid and stable)
- all in all, the construction strikes me as less elaborate and heavy-duty as Peerko’s
- I will test their warmth and sturdiness during winter
Rating
| Barefoot rate | ⭐️ ⭐️ | |
| Comfort rate | ⭐️ ⭐️ | |
| Style rate | ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ | |
| Quality rate | ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ | |
| Fit for my feet | ⭐️ |
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