– Disclaimer: We received the shoes and socks from Brubeck Hungary, big thank you in the name of the Barefoot community. In the following test we share our own and honest experiences.
Brubeck Barefoot Merino Shoes and Socks Test from Barefooters’ point of view – on different feet
Table of Contents
Review by Andrea Lőrincz
There’s a short Unboxing and Test video on our YouTube channel. I refer to it in this article when writing about features shown in the video. You can watch it here.
About the manufacturer – Where do Brubeck come from into the Barefoot scene?
Brubeck has been manufacturing high quality sportswear, workwear and comfort clothing for 18 years. Their clothes and shoes are made in Poland, EU. They use top quality fine merino wool strings combined with hi-tech synthetic strings to enhance the well-known advantages of wool and to eliminate its just as well-known disadvantages. The company takes environmental responsibility seriously. Thanks to their seamless knitting technology, there’s no fabric waste. They use eco-friendly dyes, they purify waste water before releasing it from the factory area, and they even reuse the waste heat of the steam in the dyeing mill.
I had the chance to see and touch some of their clothing products. They feel super soft, ultra-stretchy, comfortable and durable. I think supersensitive people might find these clothes a true relief. They don’t have sewn-in labels, neither printed text inside that can be sticky on the skin. All information is knitted into the fabric itself.
The history of Brubeck shoes – New kids on the block?
Brubeck has vast experience with merino wool blend and double-layered seamless knitting technology. The same is true for business and customer care. Shoes, however, are a relatively new territory for them. Last year they released the first collection of their Barefoot Merino Shoes, which acquired unexpected popularity. Based on the customer feedback, they developed the concept further, and now here we have the second edition.
Brubeck Barefoot Merino Shoes – the material
Every component of the shoes is developed and manufactured in Poland. The upper is made of soft touch microfiber and the lining of undyed merino blend. The entire inner and outer material is knitted in one piece (video). The fabric blend is antibacterial and quick-dry, not waterproof, featuring moisture and odour control.
The laces are non-elastic thin strings that provide suitable hold on an otherwise elastic upper (video). The cord locks are duly discreet and small. They’re big enough to fulfil their role, but do not catch the eye (video). There is a Brubeck logo even on these tiny plastic pieces. This company pays attention even to the smallest details!
The is no stitching, except on the sole, the material of which is thermoactive rubber. The rubber has been tested against mechanical damage. The shoes are machine washable (see detailed care instructions on the manufacturer’s website).
Brubeck Barefoot Merino Shoes – shape and size
The size chart of the manufacturer is accurate, I measured the same values. But as we know, these measurements don’t reveal every aspect, so let’s see our experiences.
The usual barefoot upsizing doesn’t really work here due to the shape of the shoes. The sizes seem to be consistent with the general standard. The stiff sole, its edge and the reinforced heel counter (video) together form a pre-set shape that your foot either fits into or not. I got my test shoes with my regular extra space, i.e. one size up, and I feel that my feet are displaced in them. One size down (my former standard size), I fit into the pre-defined shape of the shoes, but my feet fill the space up completely, with my toes touching the front.
Mens’ and womens’ models are different, both in sizing as well as in design and shape. The colour differences are visible in the photos, unlike the form of the sole.
The mens’ model is suitable for slightly wider heels. The toe box is suitable for slope shaped feet (with the big toe being the longest one, and the rest get shorter and shorter). If you have a different foot shape, the edge of the sole might squish your outer or middle toes.
The womens’ model is somewhat more welcoming, fitting both slope and plateau shaped feet. (Plateau: the 1st three fingers are of approx. the same length, the outer toes are shorter).
The toe box offers more space vertically than anticipated on the basis of the webshop illustrations.
Feet: 25.2 cm x 9.8 cm, medium volume, middle toe is longest
Mens’ shoes size 41 (26.5 cm x 9.7 cm): the forefoot presses on the outer side of the upper (see photo). The pinkies got painful after just a few minutes. The middle toes had enough space thanks to the upsizing.
Feet: 25.7 cm x 10 cm, medium volume, plateau shape
Mens’ shoes size 41 (26.5 cm x 9.7 cm): they seem to fit nicely, my feet are in the “right place” in them. No pushing out on the sides, although my feet measure wider than the previous tester’s. While walking, I can feel the edge of the sole with my three outer toes. This bothers me in the long run. The instep is a bit tight for me. I feel like loosening the laces that I never tightened in the first place.
Feet: 25.7 cm x 10 cm, medium volume, plateau shape
Women’s shoes size 41 (26.7 cm x 8.7 cm): although they are only 2 mm longer by measure, my feet feel displaced in them (like described above). The pictures show how much more space I have in front of my toes compared to the mens’ model. The instep is still too tight, but a little bit more allowing than on the mens’ model. Perhaps because while the mens’ model supposedly a good fit for me, the womens’ model is too big as per the manufacturer’s sizing concept explained above. You can see in the pictures how the womens’ model is narrower than my feet. My feet push the upper out on both sides.
Feet: 25.2 cm x 9.4 cm, extremely low volume, slope shape
Mens’ shoes size 41 (26.5 cm x 9.7 cm): see detailed review at the end of the article
Brubeck Barefoot Merino Shoes – the sole
The line of the sole strongly reminded me of Leguano’s, and Brubeck webshop photos feature the iconic Leguano twist. Therefore I took special interest in the flexibility of this new product. Well, the marketing photos do not lie, I was able to do the same twist (video). While doing so, I noticed that the front of the sole was more flexible than the back (video). This experience helped me spot the same feature in the pictures, too. The upper part is showing the same tendency, hence I guess this is intentional.
Those in our test group with more sensitive feet could feel right away that the inner sole of the shoe was not completely even. Looking into it we could see that although there are no stitches inside, there is a transition between the different knitting patterns under the ball of the foot. The sensitive testers tried adding two different insoles, neither of which eliminated the feeling of a ‘hole’ under their feet. While this unevenness doesn’t bother me personally, I can also feel it.
Brubeck advertises these shoes as zero-drop, but we feel like there might be a minimal heel drop in them. This feeling could perhaps come from the combined effect of the aforementioned reinforcement in the back of the shoes, and the knitting pattern transition.
All in all, the sole feels stiffer than what I expected based on the photos. My feet started hurting slightly after standing in the shoes for a couple of minutes. (For reference: Saltic soles are a bit too hard for me without a Saltic insole. Other than that, I wear all my barefoot shoes without extra insoles.)
Brubeck Barefoot Merino Shoes in action
Despite the conscious design, the relative stiffness and the tightness, the shoes don’t hold my feet safely. Although I fill them in completely, I do slip in them when walking on an uneven surface (video) or when moving dynamically. I tried them with several different socks as well as without, but the slipping stayed.
Summary
We are delighted to welcome such a professional and dedicated manufacturer as well as the merino wool blend on the barefoot stage. It is visible from the Brubeck history and from the product that the company is rooted in the traditions of sports shoes.
Brubeck wool sneakers can be a huge relief for those who have only worn ‘traditional’ shoes so far. Their successful introduction to the shoe market proves as much. There is feedback reporting back pain relief after switching over to these from high heels or from traditional drop shoes.
It is definitely good news that the development does not stop here. The manufacturer welcomes all feedback and ideas, so please feel free to share your experiences with them!
The socks
The socks deliver exactly what is promised. Fine and nice material (video), pleasant wear, no sweat and odour, and no slipping thanks to the silicone stripes in the heel.
As for the sizing and cut, they follow the same pattern as the shoes: narrow toe box, traditional sizing. Perhaps even smaller than traditional, as my feet are size EU 40 in store shoes, and I found the 41-43 socks just enough (actually, squishing my toes a bit). So these can be a good fit if you have narrow feet. If you are on the border between two sizes, I definitely recommend to size up.
Review by Gabriella Milkovic
Feet: 25,2 cm * 9,4 cm, extremely low volume, slope shaped
Andi wrote her review in great detail, I will only add my own experience in short. As we know, human feet as well as their need vary a lot.
Design, toe box
My first impression about these shoes in the photos was that they were beautiful. The toe box seemed quite tapered though, especially on the female model. Unlike in standard barefoot webshops, there was no pic available from above, giving a clear view of the toe box. Interestingly, my live experience turned it all around. The professional photos made the shoes look somewhat more special than IRL. The toe box turned out to be better than expected: the looks as well as the feeling is quite straight where the big toe is.
Width & volume
Several manufacturers, including Brubeck, do it so that their female models are narrower. I think this is practical. It is true that wide footed people are overrepresented within the barefoot society. However, it can be a real pain for low-volume folks to find well-fitting barefoot shoes, believe me.
As far as the Brubeck volume goes, it is far too much for me. Even if I pull the laces tightest possible and add an extra insole, these shoes are still too spacious. They don’t sit securely on me. I could not wear either the male or the female version with my feet relaxed, even though the latter is narrower. You probably have guessed that I am on the right side of the pictures below 😀
While testing Brubeck, I realised more and more what a heroic effort it must take to create a last for making uppers that will fit a relatively wide range of feet comfortably and securely.
The sole
Another great challenge is to develop a sole that is thin, flexible, gives a good ground feel, and yet provides good shock absorbance for soft landing. This is where I definitely see some room for improvement with Brubeck’s barefoot sneakers, especially if they wish to aim at more sensitive customers. This may not be the case as they have already made a huge investment, and their product is very popular with the general public.
For my feet though, as I wear premium barefoot shoes only, this sole is, unfortunately, uncomfortable. I will not test these shoes in the street as I refuse to walk in anything but what is best for me. I would like to highlight two related factors:
- The sole under the toe box is explicitly uneven. It bothers me even while standing. When I pushed my feet forward, killing the 1 cm extra space, this feeling diminished. However, that position does not allow for a free functioning of the feet, so it is a no-go.
- The material of the sole has a hard feel to it, making me reluctant to step down. For somebody as sensitive as me, soft landing is key. The airy feel of the Leguano sole or the thin, yet friendly Saltic thrills me, making my feet feel free and happy. The Froddo sole is much thinner and more flexible than that of a standard shoe. However, it does not give me the feeling of luxury that premium barefoot brands do. I would never choose it for a long hike. The Brubeck sole is so hard that I cannot walk in these shoes at all. (It is a strong tendency that my feet prefer soles of premium barefoot brands, although there can be exceptions. Vivobarefoot soles, for instance, are not my thing.)
Sum up
All in all, it is really exciting to see a new barefoot manufacturer coming in, and easy availability within Hungary is nice to have, too.
Brubeck barefoot sneakers tick all the barefoot boxes: they are relatively wide, their sole is zero drop, thin and flexible, and they give a decent ground feel. Their price is quite friendly within the barefoot range (around 40.000 HUF in spring 2023 ).
The male model is wider than the female one, yet it may not be enough for a voluminous foot of average width. The overall volume is way too much for a low-volume foot, I can’t tighten them enough, yet on a high instep they may not suffice.
The sole is fully barefoot, but not comfy enough for my feet. Should Brubeck decide to develop the sole material, I would be super excited to try it!
Thank you, Brubeck, for making this review possible.
(A short note about the socks: I put them on, and immediately pulled them off. For someone whose feet are used to full freedom, even the slightest compression on the toes can be a problem. These socks are traditionally proportioned, i.e. too narrow in the front. I really look forward to possibly seeing a foot shaped sock in addition to the barefoot sneaker in the future. Quality wool barefoot socks are in short supply indeed!)
Rating
| Barefoot rate | ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ | |
| Comfort rate | ⭐️ ⭐️ | |
| Style rate | ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ | |
| Quality rate | ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ | |
| Fit for my feet | ⭐️ |
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