Birkenstock Professional Unisex Profi Birki Slip

I am a cook and work long hours. I havebwide feet and high arches- these feel like a dream. Super supoortive. This is my second pair. The first I left behind in the last city I worked in. I had those for three years and after that amount of time working 50 hours or more a week, the tread which showed the most wear hadn't even been worn down flat. Still had great grip. The insoles are removable, so I can run the rest of the shoe through the dish machine at the end of the shift, so they're very sanitary. They're super tough. However if you're looking for something soft and squishy this isn't the shoe for you. Also if you walk long stretches at a time they can get uncomfortable. But for long stretches of standing and walking around the kitchen they're perfect. I don't wear them outside of the kitchen anyway. The insoles mold to fit your feet like normal birks as well. So happy to have another pair again. Like I said they're not cushioney, but somehow they're more comfortable for me than squishy shoes. Also the wider gap between treads maintains non-slip function even with food debris buildup. The kitchen shoes with narrow gaps between treads will get slippery if food crud gets caked inside. For me they also do not need 'breaking in'.

I have worn this same brand for nearly 20 years in a kitchen. I highly recommend. Breaking in a solid rubber shoe sucks, but give it 2 weeks and they’re great. They typically run pretty big for their size. I normally wear 10.5-11 shoe size, but in the past I’ve Ordered 9’s and had them stretch to a perfect fit. I ordered 10’s this go around and they for fairly loose, as they should for a clog, but I guess the fit is something you just have to be used to. I suggest scuffing them up a bit on the bottom some of using for non slip purposes, because brand new they will still slip. Otherwise it’s such a great shoe, and are very comfortable (once broken in) and last for several years in my experiences. I’ve owned probably 8 pair in that 20 year span, and I don’t see myself ever switching to another shoe.

Sizing is a hassle to get right. Arch support is minimal. The upper part of the shoe cracked on me within the first four months. When I reached out to Birkenstock to see about their warranty policies they told me they don’t have an Amazon store so they would not honor any warranty or return policy. When I reached out to Amazon about their defect I never received a response. So I spent a lot of money on an uncomfortable pair of work shoes that I barely wore and had to throw away.

I've worn Birkenstocks for years and I've been working in professional kitchens for over a decade. I kick myself (with my Birkis) for not switching to these way sooner than a couple years ago. I've owned New Balance nonslip professional shoes that fell to pieces in under a year (for $40 more no less). I've tried Klogs, which stank to high heaven and rubbed my heel raw. I've tried Danskos, which are ugly as sin and have an obnoxiously thick sole. These are perfect in almost every way. They have the trademark Birkenstock footbed with great support, are super easy to clean (I hose them off every night when we clean the floors), they never stink, and they are waaaaaaaaay more durable than any other brand. I'd average 9-12 months in most brands before they were unusable. These last 3+ years easy, and there are replacement insoles available, too. They're pretty roomy, which helps them breathe. Sometimes stuff gets kicked up into them, but whatever. The tread is pretty deep too, which can get filled with the detritus of a commercial kitchen floor (depending on how messy your coworkers are), and that can affect the nonslip of the sole, but all in all these are amazing shoes, and at least half the chefs and cooks I've worked with wear them exclusively. Highly recommended.

This is my first pair of Birkenstocks and I don't own any type of similar shoe. So take what I say with that in mind. I bought these for a job I just got working in a commercial kitchen. I needed something slip resistant, water resistant, and comfortable enough for a 12 hour shift on my feet and these were frequently recommended in reviews by people who work in kitchens.Slip/water resistance - I haven't started my job yet but my own kitchen floor can get pretty messy between spilled water from the pet bowls and random grease splatter on the floor. I can attest that these shoes do not slip on my porcelain tile when it is both wet and oily. And I tried to slip in them. I also wear these in my yard when watering my plants and I do not slip when walking on my wood floors either when my shoes are wet. The shoes are rubber.Comfort - I have yet to wear these for more than a few hours around the house but they feel very comfortable. I have no desire to kick these off when I'm just lounging around. I can't even say that about my bedroom slippers. I will come back and update this once I start my job and spend 8+ hours on my feet while wearing them.Fit - Now this was the tricky part for me and I posted several pics to explain. I wear a women's 5 1/2. I'd say the width is on the wide side of normal. I don't wear wide sizes but shoes typically feel a little tight on my feet until they are broken in and some never feel good. A 6 will always be too big and I can wear a 5 if the cut is right and I don't plan on wearing socks. I got these in a 36 which is what the size guide recommends. Let me say that these shoes are HUGE on my feet but I think they fit exactly how they are supposed to fit. The footbed fits my foot perfectly. It's the shoe itself that feels voluminous. I have been wearing these around the house without socks and they always feel like they are going to fall off my feet, but they haven't. If I kick my foot, the shoe will fly off. But when I wear a medium weight sock, the shoe feels completely different. It still feels big on my foot but I can kick my foot and the shoe slides on my foot a little but doesn't feel like it's going to come off at all. When walking, my heel slides out of the back but I think that's what it's supposed to do. I could be wrong because again, this is the first pair of Birkenstocks that I've worn, but it doesn't feel wrong on my foot and doesn't affect my gait. I can't run in them, but I can certainly walk at a brisk pace without taking extra precaution to not walk out of my shoes.I would definitely recommend them. I only gave 4 stars because I'm waiting to see how the comfort pans out.