Birkenstock Men's Classic Madrid Birko-Flor Sandal

I really love Birkenstocks. I had them from when I was a child, but during my career starting days, I always shied away from buying them as they are quite expensive.However, after I had to replace my last house shoes that I'd bought at Primark 8 years earlier - they really came apart at the seams, like literally - I went to Debenhams and bought some there for £17. The felt nice and fluffy at first, but quickly turned out to be torture instruments. As soon as the soft padding was worn down a little, about a week or so, the lack of a supportive footbed underneath became apparent. At first I hoped that the shoe would mould a little to my feet, but no such luck. It became worse and worse, and after a month of wearing them, I would even wake up with foot-pain. I documented this on the Debenhams website as well, but they informed me that bad reviews of their products "don't meet their reviewing standards" - just in case you ever thought of buying something there based on reviews.So, I decided that I'd had enough. As I work from home, having comfy shoes here is really quite essential, and even if I didn't, who wants to torture themselves at home? So I went for the full set, a pair of winter and a pair of summer house shoes (these obviously being the summer version), slipped into them the day they arrived, and, ah... bliss. Not looking too closely at my account afterwards, though. But then, I just blew £17 on absolute torture instruments that went straight to the bin, right? Here at least I got good shoes in return.I've worn both pairs several times since then - winter ones a bit more, obviously - and find them just as comfy as I remember.I sometimes see people complaining that Birkenstocks don't have padding. I'm not sure what you need it for? These, after a couple of days, literally mould themselves to your feet, thanks to the cork-leather combination they are using (or Birkflor, whatever that is...?). What more can you want?In these particularly, I like the off-silver colour, though possibly some people could consider it a bit tacky. But who cares?I have ordered a size six and they fit perfectly, I usually wear either 5.5 or 6 in terms of size, so that's about right. They stay well on the feet, as well, and are easy to slip into at the same time.I also like the fact that they have a repair service, so if ever the sole got too thin, or the upper strap wears out, you send them in, have them repaired, and your custom-moulded shoes return to you like new. This is also a plus if you are, like my husband, into the whole avoiding-landfill thing.

These were purchased for my wife, as she owned a pair of 'Birkenstock Madrid style' sandals a couple of years ago and loved how comfortable they felt upon her feet, compared to leather toe post sandals or flip flops, as she's never been a fan of feeling the post between her toes.Having suddenly remembered just how kind they were to her feet, recalling how her feet lived in them pretty much 24/7, both indoors and out during summer months, she asked for another similar pair to be ordered but insisted that the white leather strap had to be white.Upon reading the reviews of cheaper alternatives, in addition to observing customer images that showed how some of those cheaper options had apart soon after purchase, I opted for the probably the best single strap sandal that money can buy.After taking receipt, two days after purchase, she's absolutely ecstatic (women and shoes). Possessing a high instep and fairly broad forefoot, she often struggles to find footwear that accommodate her feet without rubbing and pinching.As such, I ordered a pair of Madrids in a size 9, to ensure that her feet had plenty of room for manoeuvre inside the lipped foot bed. Although an EU 42 (UK size 8) was received, upon sliding her feet into them, she was relieved to find the her feet sat comfortably inside the lip running all the way around, with a little room to spare. Most importantly, more than enough space (5mm) exists between the tips of her big toes and the lip of the foot bed at the front, with a little more room to spare between the back of her heels and lip at the rear.The prominence of the contoured foot bed, particularly in the arch, simply adds to the level of comfort felt when they're worn (her words, not mine).

First pair of Birkenstocks, just for slinking around the house. Great quality and comfort as break them in. I followed the advice of several reviewers who said Birkenstock sizes run large, so I ordered a size below my usual. That was a mistake. They fit, but just.

I ordered these as the Amazon pictures showed they were a slim/narrow fit (sole picture on the shoe was coloured in) but when I received them they were the normal width (sole picture on the shoe wasn't coloured in) I didn't think they would fit me because I generally have a very narrow foot but they fitted on the width perfectly (as long as I did them up on the smallest hole) I had ordered a 4.5 as I'm normally a size 5 but when they arrived they were a size 37 which in my mind is a size 4, this being the case they were a tiny bit on the short side, 4.5 would have been perfect, having said that my foot did still just about fit on so I've decided the keep them as compared to a lot of Birkenstock these were very cheap! I have worn them loads since getting them and love them, think they will be on my feet permanently during the summer. I got the Toffee colour and they are a lovely rich brown.

This birkenstock fit my left foot prefect but not my right foot due to a damage instep. Otherwise it was comfortable on the left but painful on the right instep. Nothing to do with the product it my foot is the problem that's why I'm giving it all stars.

I would say that the sole of the sandal is slightly on the large side, the strap with the buckle is tight I have it buckled on the last hole on the strap. I usually ware wide fitting shoes. The sandal is well made, has side supports to hold your foot in place, with raised areas to support your arch and back of your toes

Love these shoes! I've had lots of comments about the blue sole people love how different they are. They fit as expected and are really comfy. they were my first pair of birkenstocks but I love them! I shall be buying more for the summer! price was good as well (paid less than going to the shops)