Customer Reviews Birkenstock Arizona - Oiled Leather (Unisex)

I know many people have questions about sizing and soft vs regular footbed so here are my thoughts. The regular will mold to feel like a part of your foot. i feel that it is lighter, more natural feeling and more minimalist. Arch is more pronounced as well. The soft is squishy and more comfortable initially but to me feel more stiff and bulky. Once they are broken in, I prefer the regular. The way the feel out of the box is not how they will feel after months of wear. They require a trust and commitment. I personally recommend adding 30 to your normal womens size rather than 31 which is sometimes advised. I also found that for me regular width is fine. I wear a 6-6.5 in sandals and am a 36 reg width. I do not have wide feet. I CAN wear the 36 narrow but they dont allow my toes to spread out like they should. Many women prefer narrow because they are accustomed to cramming their feet into fashion shoes and the narrow is more familiar feeling. Please choose reg and keep your pinky toe IN the shoe where it belongs and not on the ridge unless you truly do have narrow feet. I suppose if I was buying strictly for looks I might pick narrow, but definitely regular if buying for comfort and proper fit. You can always punch an extra hole if straps are too loose which is a common issue. Also, suede is more comfortable but the oiled leather are perfectly fine as long as you dont over tighten them during break in. I also feel that the leather straps are more durable and less flimsy. Good luck with your shoe purchase! And if at first you don't succeed, zappos always comes through and makes it right!

Birkenstock sandals come in 3 versions. The version here is from the original design with a cork footbed (no memory foam). It's best to break in your new sandals in the Summer when temperatures are warmer...the foot bed forms to your foot perfectly over time. I've read the reviews and sizing seems to be a concern in some of the comments. Having owned several pairs over the last 20 years I recently discovered that I've been getting the wrong size. The size chart is accurate; however, out of the box they may feel slightly big. You need to have an 1/2" behind your heel (thumb width) and 1/4" in the front. This is a family owned company has been producing sandals over 235 years...you'd think they've figured out a thing or two over that time frame.

If you are a woman with medium width feet; consider buying narrow width unisex Arizonas. I have extremely average size 8½ feet. I have never bought narrow width shoes in my entire life. That being said; I basically wasted this money on my first pair of Arizonas. I think the unisex Birks might be wider than the Birk sandals designed strictly for women. I took a size 39 M in the Mayari sandal and they fit perfectly. In the Arizona, the 39 M unisex ended up fitting like snow shoes. By the end of the weekend my feet hurt from gripping the soles with my toes - and that was with the straps on the smallest hole. Last week I bought the Arizona 39 N and it has been smooth sailing ever since. The M (regular) width Arizona unisex were just way too wide. Now that I have the right width, they are my favorite sandals ever.

I ordered these Birkenstock’s for my granddaughters birthday and received a pair of very obviously well worn, scratched and returned shoes. This is disgusting and unacceptable. I placed a new order through Birkenstock’. I will never buy from Zappos again.

I’m happy that I ordered a size down. Normally I’m a size 8 but I went with the 7/7.5 and they fit perfectly. I love love love the color and that worn in look from the oiled leather.

I normally wear size 7 and these Arizonas in narrow size 36 for 5-5&1/2 fit me perfectly!!! I’m glad that I read many of the reviews and some YouTube videos on sizing. Love them!

I debated and debated about what size to get and read almost every review. I decided to go with some of the reviews and I sized down. I’m typically a 8.5 and I ordered the 38. It was a big mistake! I sent them back and ordered the 39 barrow from Zappos and it’s a perfect fit. I couldn’t be happier. I have normal width feet and the narrows are perfect. I also love the tabacco color. I got the regular foot bed and I’ve found them pretty comfy right from the start so I can only imagine how great they’ll feel once I break them in.

Love the shoe but beware of the color difference. I was sent a pair without the box and thought I was sent the wrong color. So Zappos resent them but I got the same color. So I sent a picture to Birkenstock’s to confirm color and they are right. Birkenstock’s said they’ll darken with use but they are A LOT lighter than the picture. Great shoes but wish this was noted somewhere, “Tobacco Brown can also be light khaki or taupe.”

Very pleased with my new Birks!! I haven’t had a new pair of leather Birks since about the year 2000. The last pair of Arizona’s that I owned were the suede ones. I am very pleased with the oiled leather!!! The structure seems much more sturdy than the suede and they look really nice also. Slightly distressed but not beat up looking. As far as comfort, sure there is a small break in period, (like 2-3 days) but after that short time these are my new favorite shoes. I have owned several pairs of Birkenstocks in my life and I have fallen in love all over again! LOL. I always run a 7.5 in regular shoes and have worn a Birkenstock 38. Perfect fit as always! Attached photos show 1.5 weeks of wear (LOVE) ???

As always, Birkenstock shoes are extremely supportive and well crafted. The only issue I have with these shoes is that they didn't come in the mail as it was advertised. The bottom strap was more worn in than the top strap and the color was significantly darker than the image (i ordered the Tobacco color and they arrived closer to the Habana color) which is a little frustrating. But, I will still keep them as they are very comfortable I just wish they arrived as they were advertised/pictured.

The Arizona sandal is a Birkenstock classic, providing great comfort and support AFTER a few weeks for your feet to adapt to the very firm arch support. I wear a men's 10D medium width shoe and the Arizona provides a good fit for my bare feet in the 43 narrow width. For my thick winter socks I wear the 43 regular width (which is wider than a medium). Most women need the narrow width Arizona as the narrow width is actually an average/medium width for most women. For women, your Birk's size is your American size plus 31 (a women's 10 medium is a Birk's 41 narrow) and men add 33 (a men's 10 medium is a Birk's 43 regular width). If you don't wear Birk's regularly, your feet need a few weeks to adjust to the Birk's high and firm arch support. Start with wearing two hours a day and add hours week by week. Wearing socks adds comfort until the straps soften and conform to your feet. By week three your feet, ankles and knees will feel great at the end of the day and you won't want to take them off. Your Arizona's will last years with care. Avoid water and extreme heat (don't leave in parked cars or on sun baked patios. If wet, dry in a cool location. Coat the cork with cork sealer every month or so to preserve the shiny water resistant coating. Wipe the straps with conditioner or mink oil when dried out or dirty. Replace the soles before the cork layer is exposed. Most local shoe repair shops can resole the Arizona and the Birkenstock's website has links to Birk's repair shops across the nation.

I ordered these shoes for my husband after many years of his complaining about needing something to slip his foot with an arch support while at home. With my history of plantar fasciitis, hard tile flooring, and recommendations for Birkenstocks by an orthopedic surgeon, my husband listened to my recommendation and now agrees these shoes provide much needed arch support, which in turn provides much more alignment throughout the entire body. Great shoe but please give it time to mold to your foot because it does feel so hard at first.

I live in my Mayaris and Gizehs and finally decided to buy myself a pair of Arizonas. I am SO glad I did! These are by far my favorite pair. I wear a 7-7.5 and purchased these in a 37 (women's 6-6.5) narrow. In no way, shape, or form do I have a narrow foot, but read that these seem a little bit wider due to the unisex offering. I'm glad I purchased the narrow, as I think the fit is perfect. It's definitely worth the money to buy the oiled leather version. Other reviewers mentioned theirs being "floppy" and not being able to slide their feet right in. Mine are not floppy and hold their shape perfectly.

I love the Birkenstock Arizona sandal. I've worn them for many years and the quality has never changed. Well made and extremely comfortable. Just ordered my third pair. I still have the first pair that I bought 6 or 7 years ago. I still wear them when working in the yard. Though the rubber soles have worn down and the foot bed has worn shiny, they're still holding up and look great. I bought a small container of the Birkenstock cork sealer years ago and I keep the cork sealed at least once a year. This will keep your Birkenstocks in great condition for many years. I normally wear a 43 regular in shoes (9-9 1/2) but in Birkenstock I wear a size 41 regular. The foot bed conforms to your foot and is the most comfortable sandal you'll ever wear. Though a bit pricey for sandals, these are well worth the price.

I don't know what's going on at Birkenstock these last couple of years... I've been wearing birks for over 30 years and over the last 2 years the sizes have changed. I wear a 38 regular (non-colored in foot) width. The last 3 or 4 pairs I've purchased in that size in Arizonas are not the same-- I hold them up to pairs that are 3 or 4 years old and they are about 3mm shorter and about 3mm more narrow. I've done a thorough comparison of my pairs to these new ones and they do not align. I am an American living in Australia and these regular width Arizonas in oiled leather have been out of stock in Australia for over a year-- so I ordered these from Zappos (who I love and has great service but sadly does not ship internationally) to my in-laws house as my husband was making a trip to America and could bring these back for me-- well he brought them home and they don't fit! I'm so disappointed and now have no way to return them from Australia at a reasonable price. If Birkenstock has changed their sizing they should let people know- because this makes no sense. I'm attaching a photo of 2 shoes from different pairs that are supposed to be the same size-- the shoe in the back is the identical oiled leather regular width size 38 but clearly they are not the same at all! You can clearly see the older ones are taller and wider. Very aggravating- a waste of time and money. Guess these are going on ebay for sale, but at least I'll warn people they fit smaller than they used too in my description.

ON SIZE: I read a ton of previous reviews and as a result ordered a size smaller for my daughter, who is normally an 8. I also ordered the narrow sandals, also due to the reviews (even though she has a pretty normal foot: not particularly narrow, but definitely not wide). Well, the narrow was a good call, but the smaller size was not. The 38 was way too small, and even the 39, which would be her usual size, was a bit small (her heel touched the back rim and her big toe touched the front rim). So we actually sized UP. Crazy, I know, given all the reviews stating the exact opposite. But at the end of the day, a size bigger in the narrow worked best for her. ON COLOR: Another thing to keep in mind: Because we ended up having to try three different sizes, we had three different pairs come through our house. And although they were technically the same color, they were each quite different. In the Tobacco finish, the first pair looked like the picture, the second was a bit darker, and the third was very dark. My daughter would have preferred the shade of one of the first two, but we ended up keeping the third pair because the size finally worked for her and she just wanted to finally wear them. I'm sure the shade will change again as the leather is broken in. But just keep in mind that there is a LOT of variation in the color from one pair to the next.

These shoes are great and so worth the order. However, don't let anyone tell you that you don't have to break them in before they are comfortable. Out of the box, they felt a little clunky and awkward, but definitely had a lot of support. Then I started walking and I realized they were rubbing so badly. I googled "breaking in birkenstocks" and realized I was certainly not alone. I've had them for almost 2 weeks now and I've worn them almost everyday (for better or worse) and they finally fit like a glove. Definitely do some breaking in research and stick with them and you will not be disappointed.

Excellent buy; excellent service. Life long Birkenstock customers; know the product. One of few products actually using quality leather on the footbeds; don't you miss that?

I ordered some sandals from an online shoe source not believing that they could be shipped to me in less than 10 days. To my great surprise they were delivered to me the very next day! I love Zappos.com and recommend them to anybody out there who's reading this. I had to look up and see if they were located across town because my shipment got here so fast. I found out that they were in Kentucky and those guys must have stayed up all night to get my shipment out that fast. I'm an ex-mail carrier so I know how long it takes to get a package through the mail, too.

I have tried several pairs of Birkenstock shoes, but I've came to the realization that these are absolutely not for flat feet. If you have flat feet, I would highly recommend trying something else. The very pronounced Arch makes this sandal extremely uncomfortable for those with flat feet.In addition to this, my toes tilt inward a little bit, which causes my toes to land on the ridge which would normally go between your big toe and the rest of your toes. So, in short, unless you have very average and completely normal feet, Birkenstocks may not be for you. Other than that, the sandals are very well made and I enjoy the styling.

These were too large and very masculine. The straps were very wide. Looked like Fred Flintstone. I feel like they were men’s shoes. Lighter in color than on computer and did not seem to be “oiled” They had glue on the strap of one of them and fraying. Scratched up. I was not impressed. Then I noticed the misspelled words on the card that was included. They were returned the next day.

Have owned two pairs of the Tobacco Birkenstock's, purchased my third and they are definitely not the correct color. To be honest, I don't even know that this is a color Birkenstock offers so I am super confused, although the box states Tobacco Brown it is not. As you can see in the photo the colors are extremely different, and mine had even darkened significantly over time. I am returning for the correct color so hopefully I get them.

My first pair of Birekenstocks and I LOVE THEM!!! I am a solid 8.5, regular width. I first ordered the 39 narrow and they were way too big (long). So, I went to a couple of different stores and tried different sizes and widths to see what I really needed. I found that my perfect fit and preference is the 38 regular. While the 38 narrows did fit me, I prefer the regular width in these. I like that my foot is completely completely flat and toes have all the room to spread out. Will also leave room for socks in the colder months. I personally think the regular width looks cuter and more natural, despite what most other females seem to like. That’s just my opinion, and what makes me comfortable. No break in period required for me- so comfortable as soon as I slid my feet in!! My heel is cupped perfectly in the back end of the shoe and my toe area has plenty of room and my feet do not slide around. There is info on how to fit Birkenstocks properly, which helped me tremendously. Zappos was awesome with the exchange if the first pie and it was fast and easy!!! Perfect shoes!