I had two brand new Primus Lites delaminate within a week near the heels on the inside. I returned the first, then the second delaminated in a week as well. They refunded me but told me not to bother sending them back a second time so I appreciated the refund. I didn't want to just throw them out so I bought some shoe glue on Amazon and repaired them. Had a little more delimitation on the right toe but the glue took care of it. Shouldn't have to do that, but just know that it's actually a good fix, and has held up thus for for the last several months.
SG stands for soft ground so it is amazing that they do so well on gravel and harder terrain. I am looking forward to wearing mine on more earthy terrain. Thanks for the review.
Great review, man. I got myself a pair of Primus Asana recently and it's been a bomb walking experience. I like the feeling of the ground under my feet. I'm looking for something for harsher terrain and colder weather though, so thanks for covering this pair.
Thanks for the kind words! My good friend has a pair of the trackers he uses for pretty much every outdoor adventure and swears by them. We’ve done several full rain adventures and his feet have stayed dry (he has the leather version). Have fun shopping and hope you find something that works for you!!
Quick follow-up on this. I found the Tracker Decon FG2 boots on Revivo in my size and bought them. They've got sole stitching, so I'm hoping that sole stays attached better than with these Magna Lite SGs. I had a walk in the forest through shin and ankle height snow and my feet stayed dry and warm (wool socks). I'm very happy with them! Thanks for the tip.
Thanks for the follow up. I hope they work for you! I really like wearing their shoes but frustrated with the delaminating. Vivo offered to replace/refund me under their 6 month manufacturer warranty. I am considering sending the back. In the meantime I ordered the leather magna shoe to see how that holds up. Would def like to try one of the stitched shoes at some point. Cheers!
A few extra thoughts that I’ve had since making the video that I forgot to mention. - Don’t tighten the shoe laces too much otherwise they will dig into the top of your foot on the tongue of the shoe because it is so thin (not padded) - Sometimes you can feel specific knobs on the tread of the shoe that can be uncomfortable. Not something that happens super frequently and haven’t been able to find out a way to recreate what causes it but something to consider
I've only got a sample size of one shoe to test so it's hard to say if this issue is pervasive or not across the model but I know where you're coming from. I will say that they did give me a full refund after over three months of using the shoe which is really nice. I believe they have a 6 month garuntee. I'm currently testing the Magna FG shoe and have been much more impressed with it that the Magna Lite SG but I have only been wearing them for about a month so still more testing to put them through.
Get the charcoal, for whatever reason, they are cheaper. I took a leap of faith...& slowly doing the transition. I've bought them to go walking in the park on softer ground first. These are my first ' barefoot ' shoes.
I think it depends what you're looking for in a shoe. I returned these and am testing out two different shoes at the moment. I really want to like Vivobarefoot so I'm trying out the standard Magna FG shoe in the Dress Blue colorway and have been enjoying it so far. Because the shoe is much more rigid than the Magna Lite SG I suspect that the sole will stay connected for much longer but I've only been wearing them for a few weeks so haven't put them through their paces. The second shoe I am enjoying is the Lem's Chillum for more casual occasions. It's more of a hybrid between a barefoot shoe and a normal shoe but I enjoy it a lot. It reminds me of wearing Vans that have a wider toe box. If you're looking for something in a similar vein to the Magna Lite SG I'd maybe consider the Mesa from Lems. I haven't tried it out but I have a good feeling about them. The Coastal colorway looks nice IMO.
@@fern3400 how have you found the standard magna sg’s? I’m also looking at the black taro leather version of this shoe, but can’t seem to find many reviews covering them
I’m much more satisfied with them than the SG version that I reviewed in this video. I’m currently living in rural China right now where it can go from sunny to pouring rain so it’s really nice to have a bit of waterproofing. The build quality seems to be more sturdy as well - I’m guessing the delamination is not as big of a problem because it is more of a rigid shoe. They also are reasonably breathable and I don’t mind wearing them too much when it’s hot out. The only downside I’d say is that the tread can be very slick on wet tile so you need to be careful when walking on those sorts of surfaces not to slip and fall. If a more in depth review would be helpful I could see about making one soon
They are true to size in the sense that the fit matches the sizing template that you can print out on their website. Follow the instructions to measure your foot size and add margin as suggested. The size I measured using their template and method was, however, different from my street size by 1/2 a size (12 vs street 11.5) so from that perspective they run small. As long as you measure using their tool you should get the proper size though! Hope that’s clear
For sure! I'm enjoying the use of barefoot shoes but for me personally there are places and activities where I think they are not the best option from a comfort and performance perspective regardless of how adapted you are to them. The Magna Lite SG, in particular, is very minimally constructed which gives you a very grounded feel but also comes with the downside that there really isn't much protecting you like there might be if you chose something like the Magna FG or the Tracker. Especially in places with lots of sharp rocks I found the Magna Lite SG to require serious consideration of foot placement. I suppose that comes with the territory of being a barefoot shoe with a SG sole, however!
Haha - for sure. My comment was aimed at those who were trying to use this as their go to shoe for serious hiking. Last trip to the Sierra Nevada I brought these and a pair of hiking shoes and was glad I had my hiking boots on when a pretty good sized boulder came down on my ankle. Of course, these shoes are tailored to a different environment than where I took them so maybe not a fair criticism but I think that the everyday person switching to barefoot shoes should be aware that there are significant downsides to wearing barefoot shoes in certain situations and that it's not (in my opinion) always the best idea despite me enjoying wearing them.
I had two brand new Primus Lites delaminate within a week near the heels on the inside. I returned the first, then the second delaminated in a week as well. They refunded me but told me not to bother sending them back a second time so I appreciated the refund. I didn't want to just throw them out so I bought some shoe glue on Amazon and repaired them. Had a little more delimitation on the right toe but the glue took care of it. Shouldn't have to do that, but just know that it's actually a good fix, and has held up thus for for the last several months.
SG stands for soft ground so it is amazing that they do so well on gravel and harder terrain. I am looking forward to wearing mine on more earthy terrain. Thanks for the review.
hey this is the best review I could find on this shoe thanks man
Thanks for kind words! Glad it was helpful!
Great review, man. I got myself a pair of Primus Asana recently and it's been a bomb walking experience. I like the feeling of the ground under my feet. I'm looking for something for harsher terrain and colder weather though, so thanks for covering this pair.
Thanks for the kind words! My good friend has a pair of the trackers he uses for pretty much every outdoor adventure and swears by them. We’ve done several full rain adventures and his feet have stayed dry (he has the leather version). Have fun shopping and hope you find something that works for you!!
@@fern3400 Tracker boots looking pretty dope. Would probably hold up better in winter than these. I'll keep an eye out for a good deal.
Quick follow-up on this. I found the Tracker Decon FG2 boots on Revivo in my size and bought them. They've got sole stitching, so I'm hoping that sole stays attached better than with these Magna Lite SGs. I had a walk in the forest through shin and ankle height snow and my feet stayed dry and warm (wool socks). I'm very happy with them! Thanks for the tip.
Thanks for the follow up. I hope they work for you! I really like wearing their shoes but frustrated with the delaminating. Vivo offered to replace/refund me under their 6 month manufacturer warranty. I am considering sending the back.
In the meantime I ordered the leather magna shoe to see how that holds up. Would def like to try one of the stitched shoes at some point.
Cheers!
A few extra thoughts that I’ve had since making the video that I forgot to mention.
- Don’t tighten the shoe laces too much otherwise they will dig into the top of your foot on the tongue of the shoe because it is so thin (not padded)
- Sometimes you can feel specific knobs on the tread of the shoe that can be uncomfortable. Not something that happens super frequently and haven’t been able to find out a way to recreate what causes it but something to consider
They're not cheap; it would be a 'leap of faith', to purchase them.
I've only got a sample size of one shoe to test so it's hard to say if this issue is pervasive or not across the model but I know where you're coming from.
I will say that they did give me a full refund after over three months of using the shoe which is really nice. I believe they have a 6 month garuntee.
I'm currently testing the Magna FG shoe and have been much more impressed with it that the Magna Lite SG but I have only been wearing them for about a month so still more testing to put them through.
Get the charcoal, for whatever reason, they are cheaper. I took a leap of faith...& slowly doing the transition.
I've bought them to go walking in the park on softer ground first.
These are my first ' barefoot ' shoes.
Thanks bro! Shame about the wear after just 3 months - that's probably a game changer for me. Recommendations for alternatives?
I think it depends what you're looking for in a shoe. I returned these and am testing out two different shoes at the moment.
I really want to like Vivobarefoot so I'm trying out the standard Magna FG shoe in the Dress Blue colorway and have been enjoying it so far. Because the shoe is much more rigid than the Magna Lite SG I suspect that the sole will stay connected for much longer but I've only been wearing them for a few weeks so haven't put them through their paces.
The second shoe I am enjoying is the Lem's Chillum for more casual occasions. It's more of a hybrid between a barefoot shoe and a normal shoe but I enjoy it a lot. It reminds me of wearing Vans that have a wider toe box.
If you're looking for something in a similar vein to the Magna Lite SG I'd maybe consider the Mesa from Lems. I haven't tried it out but I have a good feeling about them. The Coastal colorway looks nice IMO.
@@fern3400 how have you found the standard magna sg’s? I’m also looking at the black taro leather version of this shoe, but can’t seem to find many reviews covering them
I’m much more satisfied with them than the SG version that I reviewed in this video. I’m currently living in rural China right now where it can go from sunny to pouring rain so it’s really nice to have a bit of waterproofing. The build quality seems to be more sturdy as well - I’m guessing the delamination is not as big of a problem because it is more of a rigid shoe. They also are reasonably breathable and I don’t mind wearing them too much when it’s hot out. The only downside I’d say is that the tread can be very slick on wet tile so you need to be careful when walking on those sorts of surfaces not to slip and fall. If a more in depth review would be helpful I could see about making one soon
@@fern3400 thanks so much! I might give them a crack, then. I think they nailed the design at the very least
@@justsnowy2413 Good luck, hope they work out for you. Vivo has a good return policy so if they don't work out it shouldn't be too big of a deal!
Hate how easy vivo shoes break down with the sole coming apart by glue breaking down. You pay a premium price for a mediocre build
I got the primus lite knit and the trail knit last February and have done hundreds of miles and lots of gym in both and they are still like new.
Never had that problem. I own 5 pairs of Vivo’s and build quality in all have been excellent
How is the sizeing on these? True to size or they run big or small?
They are true to size in the sense that the fit matches the sizing template that you can print out on their website. Follow the instructions to measure your foot size and add margin as suggested.
The size I measured using their template and method was, however, different from my street size by 1/2 a size (12 vs street 11.5) so from that perspective they run small.
As long as you measure using their tool you should get the proper size though!
Hope that’s clear
the bleedthrough to my socks really pissed me off and ruined 4 different pairs of socks.
Do you have problems with laces or are they solid? I mean do they tear or is it ok?
Laces were okay but I sent them back due to the delamination after this video was posted. My Magnus FG are working great though!
These are a barefoot shoe. If you're using them without understanding the premise behind them then of course they're gonna seem too light or thin.
For sure! I'm enjoying the use of barefoot shoes but for me personally there are places and activities where I think they are not the best option from a comfort and performance perspective regardless of how adapted you are to them.
The Magna Lite SG, in particular, is very minimally constructed which gives you a very grounded feel but also comes with the downside that there really isn't much protecting you like there might be if you chose something like the Magna FG or the Tracker.
Especially in places with lots of sharp rocks I found the Magna Lite SG to require serious consideration of foot placement. I suppose that comes with the territory of being a barefoot shoe with a SG sole, however!
not having support is kinda the idea behind barefoot shoes 😉
Haha - for sure.
My comment was aimed at those who were trying to use this as their go to shoe for serious hiking.
Last trip to the Sierra Nevada I brought these and a pair of hiking shoes and was glad I had my hiking boots on when a pretty good sized boulder came down on my ankle.
Of course, these shoes are tailored to a different environment than where I took them so maybe not a fair criticism but I think that the everyday person switching to barefoot shoes should be aware that there are significant downsides to wearing barefoot shoes in certain situations and that it's not (in my opinion) always the best idea despite me enjoying wearing them.