3 Months With Vivobarefoot Motus Strength/JJF Shoes: Are They Worth It?

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I’m going to tell you what it’s been like to use the Vivobarefoot Motus Strengths or JJF shoes for three months.

Questions like: Do they hold up well, do the materials of the shoe fall apart, has the shoe lost its grip? And anything else worth knowing before you decide to hit the buy button.

The reason is that this model is slightly more expensive than other shoes in this range, so I figured you’re gonna wanna know how they hold up after being used for a decent amount of time. 

(This article is a transcript of the review video below)

Motus Strength 3 Month Update: The Main Points

• The Vivobarefoot Motus Strength shoes provide a comfortable barefoot experience during workouts
• There are potential material and stitching weaknesses, but the overall durability of the shoe is positive
• The grip and sole continue to perform well, especially for activities that do not involve rough terrain

So if you watched my initial review of this shoe, I was impressed by how the shoe felt. The materials and construction when holding the shoe in your hand do feel like a good shoe.

But a lot of people I spoke to about Vivobarefoot shoes and also some of the commenters on the video said that Vivobarefoot shoes don’t always last long. 

Some said to me that they may look good at the start like pretty much all shoes do, but they degrade pretty fast, making you question the amount of money you initially paid for them. 

SO of course I thought I’d pay extra attention to how these shoes fared over time.

The cost of these shoes has been a sticking point for a few people as well so I thought why not share my experience and findings of what they’ve been like, it will maybe help someone who’s out there deciding on a good pair of barefoot shoes for working out, which is the reason why I bought these.

I will say as well, that Vivobarefoot hasn’t sponsored this video at all. These shoes are my shoes bought with my own money.

Another thing worth mentioning as many have said already is that yes, Vivobarefoot does have a good returns policy if something were to go wrong with their shoes, but it’s still an inconvenience to have to go through returning your shoes because they started to fall apart before they reasonably should. 

I prefer to buy something with the confidence and assurance that it will hold up well.

So with all that aside, I’ve been using these Motus Strengths for about 3 -4 months now and I’ve been using them as my main workout shoe.

Squatting, deadlifting, running, jumping rope, all sorts of stuff. 

I won’t go too deep into what it’s like wearing these barefoot shoes to workout in, but I will say the barefoot experience is very much like you would assume it to be, a more natural feeling with no padding, or support that you get from a traditional shoe. 

You feel very close to the ground, which makes them special.

These are also wide shoes. I prefer wearing a wider fitting shoe especially when I lift because my feet being able to splay out gives me better balance and it feels far more comfortable.

Do They Feel the Same or Worse Since I Bought Them – What’s Different?

And that leads me to what they’ve felt like during this time, have they maintained the same feeling as when I first put them on? 

I would say that they have. Let me explain a little more. 

Some shoes, like leather shoes, will, of course, mould to your feet over time, and some shoes just don’t, even if you’ve worn them for ages.

The good thing with these is that they already feel moulded. When I put my foot in them for the first time, it isn’t just a simple flat sole. The sole feels like it has slight indentations that go slightly deeper and line up with the heel and balls of your feel a little better.

This gave me more of the feeling I was wearing a shoe that I’ve had for a long time from day one.

I don’t think that every Vivobarefoot shoe has this type of sole. The Primus Lites didn’t give me this feeling at all.

Material and Stitching Failures?

The way the material and stitching held up is where I spent most of my focus. 

My initial feeling was that this shoe feels and looks more robust than some of the other shoes in the vivo range, so I expected to have no issues. 

Namely the area at the front which comes over and protects the toe a little bit and the side sections too. It gives your foot a more protected feeling and also feels strong when you feel it. 

I think these did a great job at making you feel like your foot is a little bit more protected than in other barefoot shoes for working out, but I was keeping a close eye on the stitching for any breaks or areas where any glue or material may be showing signs of weakness or failure.

After running in them especially, something which can really give shoes like this a tough time. I regularly hold the shoe in my hand and bend it a little just to see if any weaknesses are forming in any areas of the stitching and then the material becoming weaker anywhere.

I have to report, there has been one area on the shoe where I think there’s a weakness forming and the glue isn’t holding as it should.

This section on the heel is what I’m talking about. It’s slightly concerning, it’s showing some of the glue holding the sock-like innards to the sole starting to come apart. 

A slight gap has formed and I am keeping a close eye on it to see if it’s gonna get any bigger over time. I only noticed it two days ago.

Also, inside the shoe, in the heel area there’s a section of softer material, that kind of feels like a soft suede.

This material is degrading a little bit and is starting to feel a little more fragile. I get the feeling it might become thinner in a few months the more my heel rubs against this section.

I understand this is probably due to my heel rubbing as I walk or run in the shoes. I would expect this to happen if I didn’t wear socks with these shoes, but I do, so I am a little concerned about whether the material in this area will degrade over a longer time. But this is another thing I will be keeping a close eye on.

How Has the Sole and Grip Held Up?

Lastly the grip or the treads on the sole. Have they degraded considerably?

I will say that probably, 70% of my training over the last 3 months has been in an indoor gym. 

I haven’t done much outdoor running on tough terrain in these.

The sole looks in good condition. I wouldn’t say that it’s worn down considerably at all. 

But the treads on these are quite shallow. But then again, they’re not actually advertised as a trail running shoe so that’s fine. 

There are plenty of shoes in the Vivo range that are more suited to trail running and have much better and thicker soles than these do. 

But as I said, I haven’t really been on rough terrain with them. They still maintain a good grip too.

The sole has worn a little as you can see. I would guess that within maybe a year of use if I continue running in these this sole is going to really wear down considerably. But so far they’ve been great.

Conclusion

Overall there are a few things to keep an eye on if you buy these shoes. 

As I mentioned, Vivobarefoot does have a really good returns policy if your shoes start falling apart after you buy them, but my opinion is that that shouldn’t really be something you rely on and expect to use when you buy a shoe.

Hopefully, I’ve given you some stuff to think about to help you decide before you part with your hard-earned money on these shoes!