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If you’ve purposely sought this review out, then I’m assuming you’re like me and you love both barefoot and high-top shoes. Combine them into one AND make them budget-friendly, and chef’s kiss, you’ve got yourself the WHITIN High-Top Barefoot Shoe.
I’ve reviewed WHITIN Barefoot Shoes before, and since buying my first pair a few years ago, I’ve been happy with them. WHITIN is a brand that you’ll primarily find on Amazon with shoes typically costing $40-60, much like AIRHAS. These lower price points are starkly lower than competitors like Xero Shoes and Vivobarefoot.
You might be wondering, why does WHITIN cost so much less than its peers? Well, for starters, there’s not much to these shoes. For example, the High-Top shoe has relatively no frills with its upper and it utilizes a fairly standard rubber on its outsole.
I personally ove this. It keeps these shoes neutral and easy to invest in when you’re a beginner to barefoot shoes or want a shoe to beat up with no guilt. In the contexts of daily wear and training, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the WHITIN High-Top shoes, they’ve delivered for what I’ve asked, but that’s not without finding a few quirks along the way.
WHITIN Hi-Top Barefoot Shoe
$57.99
Pros
- Great value for price
- Good for beginners
- Works well in gym and casually
Cons
- Tongue lacks a gusset
- Sizing can be finicky
- Upper can run a bit warm
Best For
- Strength Training
- Casual Wear/Walking
- Light/Mod Cross-Training
- Barefoot Shoe Beginners
Specs
| Heel-to-Toe Drop | 0mm |
| Weight | 9.3 oz (size 10) |
| Width | Wide |
| Lifting Threshold | ~500 lbs |
| Run Distance Threshold | N/A |
Who Should Buy the WHITIN Hi-Top Shoes?
- Barefoot Shoe Beginners: This shoe has a thicker outsole compared to other more “premium” barefoot shoes and it comes with a foam insole. If you’re new to barefoot shoes, this can be a great option to explore that gives you a little more cushion.
- Ankle Support Lovers: There are very few high-top barefoot shoes on the market. This shoe will be great for anyone who likes that proprioceptive feeling of more materials hugging the ankles. If you’ve a Converse lover, peep the Tolos Canvas High.
- Daily Wear and Training Needs: The thing that I’ve come to love with this shoe is that it’s surprisingly awesome in the gym. Its flexibility and lightweight upper make it easy to wear for most training sessions, and it works great for casual use as well.
Who Shouldn’t Buy the WHITIN Hi-Top Shoes?
- Barefoot Purists: If you want as little stack height as possible, think ~5-8mm, then you’ll want to look elsewhere. For training, the Notorious Lift Radix can be a great option, and for casual wear, look into the Tolos Archetype 2.0.
- Narrower Feet: If you have narrow and low-volume feet, you’ll probably want to pass on this shoe. It’s great for thicker and wider feet, but if you’re on the opposing end of the spectrum, I think you’ll struggle feeling secure in this shoe and you might find yourself sliding around the toe box a bit.
- You Wear Your Shoes Loose: This is wicked specific and I only write this because I fall into this camp at times, but if you’re like me and love wearing your shoes loose so you can slide them on and off — you may not love this shoe’s tongue. There isn’t a gusset in this model so the tongue is going to be sliding around quite a bit.
Sizing & Fit Suggestions
About My Feet: I have a normal arch/instep and my feet come in at an E/EE width. The length of my left and right foot are consistent with one another, and I size as a true US 10 for most companies’ sizing charts.
Fit Width Breakdown:
- Narrow (<D) feet: True to size.
- Medium (D) width: True to size.
- E and 2E: True to size for most, for extra toe box room, size up.
- 3E+: Size up.
For sizing the WHITIN High-Top, you’ll want to pay attention a bit before you buy. There sizes are pretty limited, I believe they do this to save on overall costs — so it’s both a good and bad thing for us consumers.
For medium to slightly wider feet (E/EE), you should be okay going true to size in this shoe. If you’re in doubt, size up, and I don’t think sizing up is a bad call. I find this model to run a smidge short from what I’m used to, but in a true US 10 for my foot anatomy, it’s passable, especially if I rock thinner socks.
My friends who have 2E+ foot widths, you may want to default to sizing up. For example, let’s say you generally size in a US 12 and have a 3E foot width, for you, I’d go with the 13 and hedge your bets. A little extra room beats a short length every day of the week. If you’re in between sizes, go up.
Performance Assessment
Lifting: 8/10
For lifting, I’d give the WHITIN High-Top shoes a strong B performance. The good that comes with these shoes includes their grip, upper flexibility, and simplicity. If you’re lifting on wooden platforms, rubber gym floors, turf, or machines, you shouldn’t have slip issues at all in this shoe. The lugged tread has a good degree of bite to it and it tends to last a while, so I don’t think you’ll be slipping around mid-deadlifts and squats.
For me, the no-frills upper is another win with this shoe for lifting. It moves fairly well with the feet and you can rock these loose or tight without losing much range of motion in them. This is a good thing for most powerlifters who want to use these for squats, but if you’re a powerlifter after more ankle support, grab the AVANCUS High-Top shoes.
In some high-top shoes with thicker uppers, you can get a little restricted when squatting and tightening them, but that’s never really an issue with these. That said, they’re not going to have the heaviest boot materials like a Vans Sk8-Hi or Converse.
The lighter upper and the flexibility of the sole can be great, especially for lunges and split squats. I can’t stress it enough, for beginners getting into barefoot shoes in the gym, the slightly higher stack height in these can be great and they won’t break the bank. You can also use these for cross-training to some degree, which gives them a versatile edge over other high-top barefoot shoes like the Tolos Canvas High.
Daily Wear and Walking: 8.2/10
From a comfort standpoint, the WHITIN High-Top delivers. They’re plenty wide with a lack of arch so your toes and arch can do their thing. When walking and standing all day, I’ve enjoyed how these feel and never hit that point where I feel like I need to slip my feet out of my shoes. Their upper warmth is so-so, and will run on the warmer side.
The thicker rubber and higher stack height are also contributors to this shoe’s daily wear comfort. They give you a bit more protection, which is great for anyone wanting to acclimate to barefoot shoes and get used to wearing them for longer periods. A few members from my community have told me they enjoy wearing these for their retail and medical jobs, where they’re walking around all day, accumulating 10k+ steps.
My only knocks on this shoe for casual wear is its appearance and the tongue. Some colorways are better than others, but let’s not beat around the bush, these puppies aren’t the prettiest barefoot shoes on the market. The canvas/knit in some of the colorways can just look very “blah”. The tongue movement is also annoying if you’re a bit OCD like myself. If I wear them loose, I try to wear my thicker crew socks to mitigate some of this.
Final Remarks: Would I Buy Again?
I would.
Are they the prettiest shoes on the market? No. Do they have the “best” materials in the game? No. Do they have quirks to them like a tongue that moves often? Yep.
However, these shoes have done everything that I’ve asked from them and I only spent $45 for my pair, so I’d grab another pair in a heartbeat.
For high-top shoe fans and those not trying to take out a second mortgage for a pair of barefoot shoes, the WHITIN Hi-Top gets my stamp of approval for training and casual wear.
If you have additional questions on the WHITIN High-Top barefoot shoes, such as sizing concerns, hit me in the comments below!
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