There are 5 of us in the house wearing full barefoot shoes, and only 1 brand extends to all of us: Freet Footwear. They keep to a pretty neutral color range, but they meet all our barefoot shoes needs again, and again, and again. This review covers my husband’s Pace model, which are his first well-worn closed-toed, fully flat barefoot shoes. He has had Freet Citee longer, but since he’s been working from home for 1.5 years now, they’ve not had much opportunity for wear.
If you’ve heard of Freet already, it’s probably the Mudee, which we’ve reviewed here, and we also have a review for the Junior Flex model as well.
Disclaimer: Freet sent these for review but all thoughts are his/mine. If you would like your own pair of Freet directly from them, you can save 10% with the affiliate code WY-10 on their website. Some Freet models are available in the US through the retailer Pedterra, and you can save 10% there as well with the code OWBSHOES.
For EU purchases,use this link. The sameWY-10 code works there too!
Sections
Technical specifications
- Upper: CoffeeFlyMesh (SCafe) upper made from 100% recycled coffee grounds
- Insole: 6mm, removable
- Sole: MultiGrip performance outsole for pavement and trail use
- 2 Color Options – Black (reviewed) and Grey
- Insole can be replaced with different options (extra charge)
- Stack height: 10 mm
- Vegan
Company
Freet is a UK company with a deep love for doing functional, healthy footwear the right way. They look at what people do and try to give us the best shoes for the job, with a range of upper materials and soles (a new luggy one is about to release!) for different needs. Read all about the company here.
Appearance
Reviewing shoes is more my thing than his, and he has no desire to pose for the kinds of pictures I put in my reviews. I did get a couple of two-in-one pictures of him with our youngest, who is wearing Junior Flex.
Know that they are understated black shoes with a FlyKnit Upper (mesh-like cloth) made of 100% Coffee Grounds. They aren’t flashy trainers/sneakers but a bit of a cross-over between athletic and casual shoes for everyday wear or sports.
The color is a deep black with grey edging at the opening, black laces, and a black sole. If you like a lighter option, you can also get them in a medium grey.
Fit
The fit is generous in Pace. He has very high and very wide feet, and his correct size fit him in volume everywhere but right at the ball, so he is sized up by 1 just to get more volume in this area. If you are moderately high volume you will get a great fit, and the soft upper will easily close down for less volume as well, but remain quite wide for toes. If you are low volume you may have some extra space above the toes.
The laces are normal tied ones, but could easily be changed out for Lock Laces like we did on our 4-year old’s Junior Flex and our oldest’s Prios.
Sizing
Freet includes insole lengths and widths under the Sizing & Fitting tab on every product page. These are the ‘flat’ lengths and actual available space in both length and width is greater than what is shown, by about 1/2 a cm on average, in our experience with the brand. At first glance, you’re definitely going to look at the lengths and think you may go up as much as 2 sizes to get the right length, but with the extra space inside you’ll probably want to drop back down to only one size higher. My exception to that rule is something with a very thick upper, like Mudee, where there’s less ‘extra’ volume inside.
Always, always measure and compare. If you’ve not measured your feet before but instead go off the size chart and look for True to Size advice, I’d recommend you check out this page for some measuring options and this page for a look at how much extra space you need in your shoes.
How do they feel?
They have a 10 mm stack height, making them a good option for those needing more cushion, and this is precisely why this was the best pick for him to move out of his transitional tennis shoes and go fully barefoot (his personal preference would be to even have a little more). If you’ve been barefoot for a long time, this may be cushier than you want and you can check out other Freet options with 6-7 mm stack heights (or just remove the insole, but that gets you a lot more volume).
They of course meet the sole flexibility desires we all want and need:
And the upper is soft and comfortable for extended wear, with no rough spots or break-in needed. He jumped right in with them, and while he very much wants a pair of white tennis shoes again, he’s striking out repeatedly on that front because nothing is comparing favorably to his Freets in the comfort, toe freedom, and upper that feels great to wear.
Note that the laces have a tendency to come untied, so he double knots them.
Just for kicks, here is a gallery of comparison I did with the ‘transitional’ New Balance Minimus he was wearing before these. They have a very thick, inflexible sole, somewhat pointed toe box, and 4 mm drop.
Cleaning and Care
Do not machine wash or dry these, or be especially rough on the upper. Sole debris can generally be removed by letting it dry and then brushing it off, banging the shoes together, or just wearing them, since flexible barefoot shoes easily shake off grass and other nuisances. For deeper stains, a damp cloth or gentle hand washing should do the trick. Always dry shoes away from direct heat, like a radiator, and remove the insoles for father drying.
Purchasing and Returns
Depending on your location, Freet will either send you to their main UK store (US customers will go here too) or the EU version. My affiliate code WY-10 works on both to save you 10%. Freet has a centralized EU website to handle continental shipping and hope to eventually do the same for the US. In the meantime, they have gotten shipping down to about $20, which is right in line with most EU companies, and cheaper than some.
They do accept returns but the shipping cost is the responsibility of the buyer. Policies here.
It also pays for US customers to check out Pedterra. At the time of writing, they don’t have Pace, but stock changes and they carry several other Freet options. You can save 10% there too with my affiliate code OWBSHOES and they have free shipping and returns, making it a great place to try a new EU brand without worrying about international returns.
Final thoughts
My husband has never been as enthusiastic about barefoot shoes as I am, but he’s seen the benefits and come along for the ride. He’s not an enthusiastic person by nature anyway, but he genuinely likes his Freets and his only desire for change is to see them bring out a light/white color option in the future.
My thoughts on the style is that this is a great option to expressly not stand out. It’s not flashy in any way, but feels great, does the job, does not impede your feet, and will go with anything, even a dress. Men, women, and kids can all enjoy these shoes.
Want more reviews?
Check outAll the Barefoot Shoe Reviewsfor more in-depth looks.
Love color or need a specific type of shoe?
Check out the BIG listshere.
