VionicMen's Tide 544MTIDE

I've recently moved into a new apartment with hardwood floors, and as a runner with his fair share of foot issues (historically plantar fasciitis, and lately some Achilles tendinitis) hardwood floors just don't mix with my problematic feet. Finally, I decided I've had enough and sought out some supportive (i.e., orthopedic or orthotic) sandals to wear indoors. After surveying my options, I settled on four sandals from Amazon, representing the major brands in the space:* New Balance, with their PureAlign flipflop ($35)* Vionic (Orthaheel), with their Tide sandal ($65)* Spenco, with their Yumi flipflop (I bought cork & black) (~$45-50)* Neat, with their Zori sandal ($40)What is an orthopedic sandal? These are sandals for folks who tend to be overpronators—folks with low or flexible arches that collapse, allowing your foot to roll inwards. For these people, the typical flat sandal does not offer sufficient support and may actually injure one's foot. So, orthopedic sandals tend to be built for stability with a more substantial and rigid outsole, built with a deeper heel cup (to better align your foot tissue under your heel), and of course, built with a substantial arch hump to better support your foot's arch. People that find relief when using insoles or orthotics in their shoes will find themselves right at home with sandals like these.So in each category, I'll rank the relative place of each sandal, from first (best), to the worst. For a control, I'm also comparing the sandals with my Crocs "Prepair" slide, which was marketed as a "recovery" sandal, but is pretty flat and has little to no arch support whatsoever. Okay, onto the evaluation!----PRICE1) New Balance PureAlign2) Neat Zori3) Spenco Yumi4) Vionic TideNot much to say here, other than that the New Balance is the clear winner on price.MATERIALS/BUILD QUALITY1) Vionic Tide2) Spenco Yumi3) Neat Zori4) New Balance PureAlignThe build quality of the sandals pretty much fell in line with their price. The Vionic Tide featured a nice leather strap, with a soft comfortable liner. At the other end of the spectrum, the New Balance PureAlign isn't shabby, but it feels closer to a typical flipflop you might buy at a local convenience store. The strap, while not uncomfortable, is the most stiff of all the straps—clearly made with not as premium materials. And the footbed is not as soft as the other sandals. Also of note: I bought the "cork" and regular version of the Spenco Yumis, thinking the cork version was made with a similar material to Birkenstocks. Unfortunately, as far as I can tell, it's simply EVA form with a cork pattern/design on it.WEIGHT (weights are for a single mens size 11 sandal)1) Spenco Yumi (174g)2) Vionic Tide (239g) *tied*2) New Balance PureAlign (239g) *tied*4) Neat Zori (244g)I weighed each of these sandals (one foot only) on my scale. Here, the Spenco Yumis really shine. They are featherweights compared to the other sandals, and they really disappear on your feet. The Neat Zoris feel quiet substantial and when pulling the sandals out of their boxes, they definitely felt like they would be the heaviest.ARCH SUPPORT1) Vionic Tide2) New Balance PureAlign3) Neat Zori4) Spenco YumiThe arch support is really the key feature in orthopedic sandals like these, and there was surprising variation. Of course, personal preference varies as to how much "support", or "intrusion" one wants in a shoe, and it's also a matter of acclimation, as many may find an arch that pushes back into their foot to be uncomfortable at first. The Vionic Tides had tremendous arch support, with very little give. You will notice the arch pushing back on your foot. I'm used to rigid insoles in my running shoes, but even then it took me wearing the Vionic Tides for a bit to acclimate to their unyielding support. Once I did though, they felt fantastic and really prevented my foot from rolling in.The surprise contender was the New Balance PureAlign which also offered impressive arch support, though there was more "give" to the arch. Someone looking for good support, but dislikes the intensity of the Vionic Tides may find themselves right at home with New Balance. The Neat Zoris offered reasonable arch support, but the arch design of the sandal means that there can be a lot of flexing of the sandals' arch, so it definitely gives way a bit under weight. The Spencos were rather disappointing here. I would say that they offer more support than the archless Crocs, but not by much. In addition, the arch support is rather flexible, and gives way under foot rolling.COMFORT AND OVERALL RANKING1) Vionic Tide2) New Balance PureAlign3) Spenco Yumi4) Neat ZoriThe Vionic Tide is the most expensive sandal here, and for me, it ends up taking the crown. If you're looking for and can tolerate outstanding arch support, this sandal is comfortable with standout materials. My only complaint is that the straps on the Tide are quite loose, and the sandals can easily slide off my feet (I almost tripped once). There are other Vionic sandals with an identical sole but adjustable strap, and they are already on their way to me. If the adjustable strap solves things, then those will be the sandals I stick with.The honorable mention goes to the New Balance PureAlign. They are the cheapest sandal here, and though it shows from the build quality, the New Balances have them where it counts: great arch support. And again, though the materials are not as nice as its competitors, they are still a comfortable sandal. Those looking for a recovery sandal with great arch support on a budget will love the New Balances. These are a great value..The Spenco Yumis were a frustrating pick. I really wanted to like them, and I had expected that they would be the ones for me. They have really nice build quality, and even though the cork model isn't real cork, they are still a very, very comfortable sandal. I loved how light and invisible the sandals felt. The only problem is the mediocre arch support. Folks looking for a nice recovery sandal and don't need a huge amount of support may be a home here, but I ultimately couldn't choose these for my needs. Also of note: the Spencos are the only sandal with a metatarsal hump/pad, so if you need that in a sandal, check these out!Finally, the Neat Zoris come in dead last. These sandals just really didn't do it for me. First, they are heavy clunkers, and even though they aren't that much heavier than some of the others, the outsole is thick and not really flexible, lending a feeling of greater weight... which gets me to the fact that they were weirdly flexible in other ways. Walking in them, my feet felt like they were fighting the movements and shapes of the Neat Zoris with every step. The toe area is quite dramatically curved up, and so with each step, I felt my toes flexing the toe area. Moreover, the arch had a bit of flex/give to it that was noticeable with every step. Some people on Amazon seem to love the Neat Zoris, but for whatever reason, they just really didn't work for me at all.

This is my second pair of Vionics and the fit is slightly different. As many users have suggested, these do fit a little small, especially compared to some other brands. Don't expect there to be a half inch of rubber in front of your toes. I have a narrow foot and was surprised by how snug they fit the top and sides of my feet. If you have a wide or particularly tall foot, these may not work for you unless there is a wide option. I contemplated returning mine for the next size up. That said, I'm glad I stuck with my usual size. These are excellent sandals for me. My foot does not slide around in them, and I do not find myself tripping over the end of the sandal. My previous economy sandals caused me to overstretch my arches when I would long stride, and on 2-3 occasions I got a minor tear of my plantar fascia. That does not seem to be a problem with these sandals.

Overview: HOLY CRAP! these are so awesome, i contemplated keeping a pair that didnt fit me properly just so i wouldnt have to wait to for the refund and reshipping time. although a bit pricey, I highly recommend them if you have arch, heel, or foot issues!Pros-Arch support - I have high arches, and wearing my flat leather flops in the summer was making my arches a little tight and sore. as soon as i put these on, i exclaimed out loud "ooooh thats nice!" finally i can wear and walk around in flip flops for hours. they cause no arch pain. they have now become my all day flops i wear around my condo, which has concrete floors.-Design - Vionic has a number of nice looking footwear that do not scream "I'M WEARING ORTHOTICS!" now no one can visually identify my only weakness in public.Cons-Size - not a true con, but for me, it fit larger than expected. I ordered my normal flip flop size and they were too big, specifically the strap. So i had to return, order down a full size, and now they fit great. The strap is still a little loose on me, but the sole is the right size.-Price - hard to swallow paying this much for flip flops, but the comfort is there, and the support is there. I may try to write these off as medical assistance devices on my next tax return since it helps with my arch pain.

I had to return mine. They were so loose they would slip off my feet, yet some how my foot is quite a bit wider than the sandal so I can't even get one size smaller. I could barely feel the arch support. While standing, there was still about 3/16" between support and my arch (hard to tell in pic, sorry for ugly foot). Apparently I have even higher arches than i thought given the other reviews. Ive tried a lot of sandals, and so far the Reef Cushion are by far my favorite. The insole on the Vionics is almost hard as a rock, so even though the form to my feel incredibly well, my feet feel bruised/slightly broken after wearing them. The cushion is the only thing that relieves pain for me. I did want to like these, but they dont work for me. FYI my wife couldnt believe how high the arch was when she put them on, so I'm sure very few people would share my complaints.

Amazing toe post sandals, really comfortable and supportive due to the raised arch support. Really fast delivery to Spain with no problems.

Das ist nun schon die zweite Sandale von Vionic die ich gekauft habe, da sie ein sehr gutes Fußbett hat und sich angenehm tragen.Mir hilft es die Knie zu schonen, im Gegensatz zu einem flachen Fußbett, dass die meisten FlipFlops haben.

Perfectly fit for the purpose and comfortable for continuous use.

Good quality

They seemed odd to wear for the first few days but they are awesome!