I tend to be a bit of both a curmudgeon and a luddite when it comes to fashion, and refuse to pay more than, say, $50 for any one article of clothing. In fact, the price was a huge factor driving my then-deep love for Vans slip-ons … until the Allbirds Facebook ads with glowing Tree Loungers reviews started taking over my feed in early 2021.
It wasn't long after that, and upon hearing some testimonials from coworkers around the Insider Reviews office, that I finally broke my own price rule and dropped a cool $100 on a pair of sneakers for the first time.
Frankly, I'm so grateful I broke that rule, because I'll never buy another brand's shoes for as long as Allbirds sticks around. Both varieties of its slip-on shoes – the Tree and Wool Loungers – are well worth the steep asking price.
They have this incredible, what I call 'invisible', fit in that I often forget they're on my feet while working. The mesh material made from eucalyptus trees does wonders for my awfully sweaty feet.
Joe Osborne/Insider
However, I will say they don't do that much better than the usual shoe for odor, as I'm a guilty offender in that department. They also don't hold up well to bacon grease stains, much like any shoe, so don't wash dishes while wearing them.
All told, the fit is incredible here, and they don't feel as if they're going to fly off my feet at any moment yet they're loose enough to make me often forget I'm wearing them.
Allbirds Wool Loungers
Joe Osborne/Insider
More recently, I ordered a pair of Allbirds Wool Loungers for the winter months, in a gray similar to what I'm used to wearing already – again for $100.
Made from Merino wool, this take on my new favorite is considerably stiffer in its make than the all-mesh Tree Loungers, but they're also so much warmer.
Joe Osborne/Insider
These definitely take a little while for the wear to set in and feel more natural on your feet, but they're worth it for those runs to and from the car on winter errands or – from personal experience – just lounging around drafty spots in an older home.
The bottom line
All told, I love Allbirds shoes far more than any slip-on I've ever tried. They sure aren't cheap shoes, but considering my first pair held up so well after a year, I'd say they're well worth the price.
I should also mention that Allbirds started selling $50 slides at some point without me noticing, and now I know what my next Allbirds purchase will be.
Joe was a Senior Tech Editor for Insider Reviews with more than a decade of experience in games and tech media. His work has appeared in TechRadar, PC Magazine, Laptop Magazine, Tom's Guide, AOL's Games.com, and more. Joe has also appeared as a tech expert on programs such as Cheddar from the floor of the New York Stock Exchange as well as on panels of experts for events such as CES. His specialties include computing as well as gaming products using a variety of operating systems and interfaces, not to mention extensive benchmarking experience.Learn more about how our team of experts tests and reviews products at Insider here.Learn more about how we test tech and electronics.
Joe Osborne/Insider
