Ever since Merrell discontinued the original Tough Glove I've been looking for a replacement barefoot shoe for work. Thankfully I found out about the Nine2Five; better fit & finish, better looking, a little less ground feel (which to me makes them a bit more comfortable). Lem's couldn't have designed a more perfect shoe.

Appearance: 10/10 - very dress shoe without looking too casual, easy to keep shined. Durability: 10/10 - Haven't a scuff yet I wasn't able to shine out. Used more roughly than most would in a dress shoe, but no signs of glue separation, sole barely has visible wear thus far. I predict a very above-average life cycle for this shoe. Proprioception: 9/10 - very good, near-barefoot, utilizes/engages most foot & toe muscles. Impressive for a leather-upper shoe. Foot shape: 8/10 - Needless to say, making a factory-produced (non-custom) shoe to fit all shapes & lengths of feet is an impossible task. I was born with triangle-shaped duck feet which, when barefoot & allowed to splay naturally have an almost exact 5 inch measurement from the outside of the big toe to the outside of the pinkie toe. I bought the Nine2Fives along with Correct Toes but have been disappointed since, ironically, while individually both have helped my foot health tremendously I cannot use them together. Separately, I have enjoyed all the true-to-life advertised benefits of both the Nine2Fives and the Correct Toes. However, I cannot wear my Correct Toes in my Nine2Fives without pushing my big and little toes up and over the insole edges (and yes, I am wearing the correct size Correct Toes, and even a size bigger of the Nine2Fives than the Lems sizing chart recommends- which are, I believe, and absolute perfect fit - a 45). I have tried wearing thin or no socks, removing the insole, stretching the toebox leather with professional toe stretchers, all the while holding off writing this review in hopes that constant wear of the shoes with the Correct Toes would break in and create a perfect fit. Instead, my honest and pleading feedback, Lems, is to please consider an extra wide toebox addition to your line, that allows for even a 1/4 if not 1/2 more splay. I seem to be able to wear them without the Correct toes although failing the Lems liner test & the 15% expansion upon impact test, even without the Correct Toes. Serious question- I am aware that different upper materials effect shoe fit. Were I to make my next Lems purchase, say, a pair of Primals, could I perhaps expect a more forgiving fit than the leather upper of the Nine2Fives? Should I go up a size? A 45 still leaves me with a solid inch from the tip of my big toe to the inside of the shoe at the front. Any information would be welcome and I look forward to wearing each of your styles! Thank you, Joseph

Although they are comfortable, I'm not particularly happy with the snub nosed style. It makes me stand out at the office when everyone else has the pointed toe look. Also the sizes aren't accurate as far as I can tell and had to return the first pair to get a pair 2 sizes larger. LEMS made me pay to ship back the smaller pair, unlike Amazon and zappos which back up their products.

I'm a Captain at Delta Air Lines and love my 9 to 5s. When I get to my hotel room after a long day, I don't have the feeling I have to get my shoes off for relief. In fact I don't even feel the shoes. They are also very professional looking with my uniform.

Great shoes - very professional looking, especially with the leather! They're a bit heavier than the Primal 2, but they fit so nicely into a 9-5 business environment. And most importantly, they're comfortable on my feet. Thank you for making normal looking barefoot shoes in everyday colors (black, brown). I hope you keep making your shoes for many years to come.

I am a firefighter and EMT. I was using a pair of boots for work and I was getting knee and back pain because I am constantly getting on and off the truck, and going up and down the stairs. I was looking for a pair of shoes that helped my body move more naturally. I love, love these shoes very much! These shoes are well made. I'v had them for 6 months and believe me they can take a beating. I would totally recommend these shoes.

I love my 2 pairs of Primals and was hoping for a leather version of it. I returned the 9-5's because the sole was a lot stiffer. I wish you made these with the same softer sole of the primals... It just seemed too stiff for what I was looking for. (I have removed the insoles in my Primals)

These are even better than I hoped. The quality seems great. The toe box is quite wide, there is zero heel slip, they are flexible, and have good ground feel with a little protection.

The 9 to 5 aren't available in sizes smaller than 40, and this doesn't make sense to me because the other styles marketed for women start at size 36 and up. I would normally be a 39, tried a 40 because I'm desperate for a minimalist business/work shoe and wanted to see how it would fit. Unfortunately much too big and the toe box is much larger than the rest of the shoe, giving it a vaguely clown like look.

I got them 2 sizes too big so I could be comfortable wearing them with correct toes and thick socks in the winter and I love them. There is plenty of room for my toes, they are light and so comfortable! Best shoes for the office and formal occasions. The laces were the only problem at first, too short and stiff, so the knot would become undone within a half hour. I replaced them with lock laces and it's been perfect since then.

Now that I have the correct size, I'm very pleased with the shoes. They are exactly what I was looking for.

I love these LEMs. I wanted a professional-looking yet comfortable work shoe that I can wear especially when my company has its annual meeting in Washington, DC, where we walk a lot all over the Hill. These will be perfect. I also wanted a shoe to wear for walking around in Europe that fits in and doesn't scream tourist. These are comfy, classy, and classic. I can wear them with suits, long skirts, or jeans. I can walk for hours in comfort. Thank you LEMs!

i received the nine2fives and love both the black and mocha. the fit is great and handles the shape of my foot. they look nice that I can wear them for work or play... very happy with my purchase.

These are the most comfortable shoes that I've ever had. Your toes just spread out and feel like you're not wearing shoes at all. Why aren't all shoes like this?

I really like these shoes. They are very comfortable. I am on my feet for 12 hours a day at work and I found that I needed a little more cushion so I added a thicker insole and that took care of the problem. I will buy these again when this pair ware out.

I'm torn regarding this review because I don't want to 'bash' the Nine2five. I do wish to point out some things that I hope Lems addresses in a version 2 (assuming there will be a version 2). First and foremost - I am a minimalist shoe lover and own quite a few pairs of VFFs as well as another brand of casual/dress minimalist shoe, two pairs of Skoras, and a few pairs of Merrell Tough Gloves. When I first received the Nine2five - I admit that they were heavier and larger than I expected for them to be (as compared to the other minimalist shoes I wear) and upon putting them on - quite stiff too. I know that leather oriented shoes take time to get worn/broken in so I was fine with a break-in period with these shoes. At first - they were not flexible enough and were too heavy for my liking (those first few weeks were rough!) but eventually the leather softened up a bit and become much more tolerable. Even with the flexible design of the sole and midsole - I wish the upper had some flex points built in to help with toe-off movements. All-in-all I do like the shoes and may order a second pair now that I know what to expect. I just wish that for version 2 Lems would lighten up the shoe as a whole (possibly by reducing the height of the midsole) and make the upper a tad more flexible. If they make those design changes - this shoe would be a certified winner among minimalist casual shoes!

I love the wide toe box and the zero drop platform! I have moved to this format for my running shoes and my casual shoes as well. Lems comes into play for me with these Nine2Fives - they allow me to HAVE a zero drop/wide toe box/foot shaped shoe at the office with a shirt and tie - or a suit and tie. They don't take a polish as well as I'd like...but at least they do shine enough to be respectable for a dress shoe. I don't really care for the lack of depth the shoe has, but I make do. I removed the insole for the first week or two until the leather stretched. I'm 6'4, 265, and wear the biggest shoe Lems makes....but it's my high volume foot that is probably the problem....and as I said...the leather does stretch and I am now able to wear the insole. This is a good thing...because they are VERY thin soles. The pad of my feet hurt for a good while after I started wearing these daily to work. All my other Zero drop/wide toe box shoes are moderate (street running/general wear) or highly cushioned (trail running) so I think I'm not a true minimalist and really don't want to be. I like my cushioning, but I will NEVER return to heels or narrow toe box shoes - let those toes splay wide! lol. Wear seems good - I take them off immediately after the work day and let them air out with cedar bag inserts....and I buff/shine/polish them every weekend and it lasts (almost) thru the week. Overall, I'm pretty darn pleased to have found these shoes for my work. They aren't a TRUE dress shoe...but I make them work and my office and clients haven't rebelled yet. haha.

These shoes were my third attempt at finding a zero-drop, minimalist shoe with a wide toe box for work. Mission accomplished! These shoes are so comfortable that I forget I'm in them even after a long day. Significantly better than everything else out there. Strong buy rating from me.

My 13yr old son has very broad feet. He had expensive school shoes that were supposed to accommodate his problem. His big toes and little toes constantly had skin rubbed off and both were turning inwards from pressure. Bought these online and my son freaked because of the square toe and he said they looked like clown shoes and that he would get teased. Bribed him to wear them, came home after first day and said they were unreal and nobody noticed any different. No more blisters and he said he can wiggle his toes. Great purchase for my son's future foot health.

I recently transitioned to minimalist shoes, and have experimented with many styles (barefoot, sandals, minimal). I have tried dress shoes from another brand, and while I love them, and they are truly barefoot shoes, they can get a bit uncomfortable after a long day of work. The Nine2Fives I bought are by far the most comfortable minimalist shoe I have tried so far. They are shaped like my feet with a roomy toe box, and they let my foot move naturally, but they have enough substance to be comfortable all day long. I wish I hadn't bought black shoes from that other company so I could get another pair of Lems in black, but that will have to wait for budgetary reasons. Simply put, I love these shoes and I can't wait to try other Lems Shoes.