REVIEW: Groundies Carolina BF+ vs. XERO Phoenix
I have been looking for a while for shoes for work. For the past year I wore grey Xero Phoenix and I absolutely love them. I didn't like their solid black ballet flats in comparison so I tried a few others. Spent too much in Customs and shipping (I'm in Canada) so I hope this will help others.
(Left: Groundies Carolina BF+ - Right Xero Phoenix Knit)
My feet are wide, medium to high volume. Right foot is 24.6 cm long and 9.6 cm in width. Left is 25 cm and 10 cm, both with bunions (see picture for foot shape).
I really wanted the regular groundies ballet flats to fit but they were too narrow. I tried both size 39 and 40. The Groundies Carolina Barefoot+ size 39 fit well with the width but because of my bunion and sloped shape of the shoe, my big toe hits the edge of the shoe. It fits well however when I put in a single toe separator between the big toe and second toe.
(Left: Groundies Carolina BF+ - Right Xero Phoenix Knit)
Size 40 of the Groundies Carolina Barefoot+ was too large. If the regular style of flats fit me I would have kept size 40 (ie size down for the BF+ ballet flats). Overall I think the Xero Phoenix ballet flat fits my foot better but I'm happy that I found another shoe that works.
Revi T is a Canadian mother of two, and suffered from foot pain her whole life while wearing special, super restrictive shoes as a kid and orthotics in adolescence and adulthood. Her pain only resolved once she discovered the barefoot movement and barefoot shoes 1 year ago. She now has an obsession with barefoot shoes! She works in an office environment and struggles to find enough dressy barefoot shoes for work, especially for her wide feet.
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