Impressions after buying Vivo Primus Flows on ReVivo
I recently bought a pair of Primus Flows from ReVivo and I thought I would do a quick review of the process and the shoes.
Buying shoes from ReVivo
I bought a pair of the Primus Flows with the Good condition. The 4 conditions are explained on ReVivo’s website as follows:
We offer four conditions of footwear on ReVivo, and our prices reflect the level of wear and repair the products show. Never Worn is like new, while Excellent will show very minimal, if any, signs of wear. Great will show some signs of wear and repair, while Good have noticeable signs of wear and repair such as marks, scuffs and/or patches. No matter its condition, all our refurbished footwear is thoroughly cleaned and fully functional.
I was slightly concerned about the Good condition shoes, but I figured that going on a couple of runs would make even new shoes eventually look similar, so I decided to take the plunge. The Primus Flows currently retail for 170 EUR on Vivo’s website, while a pair of the Good condition on ReVivo is 87 EUR (a 49% discount), so it seemed like a pretty good deal. I live in the EU, and the standard shipping from the UK came out to be 11 EUR, making my total 98 EUR.
I placed the order on 2025-09-09, and it was shipped by ReVivo on 2025-09-11. I then received the shoes on 2025-09-15.
The shoes came in a single ReVivo-labeled box, and they were not wrapped or packaged in anything else, which was fine for me.
When inspecting the condition of the shoes, Vivo’s description of “noticeable signs of wear and repair such as marks, scuffs and/or patches” seemed to be pretty accurate. There were some signs that the shoes had been worn in the past, especially in the insole-less insides and the outsoles of the shoes. But that seems to be more than worth the 49% discount, so I don’t mind the aesthetic blemishes at all.
Overall, I’m pretty satisfied with my first purchase on ReVivo, and I will keep my eyes on the site to see if I can buy some of the Vivo models I’m looking at in the future.
Initial impressions of Primus Flow
My all-time favorite hobby is trail running, for which I have been using the Primus Trail Knit FGs. The shoes have gotten me through some epic trail runs, including a 50K trail race and 63K solo trail run. But I recently moved to a country in the EU without any mountains, so I am unfortunately now relegated to pounding pavement for running, which I don’t find to be as enjoyable.
I had been using the Vivo Primus Knit without the insoles as my daily shoe and road running shoe, which I have really enjoyed. But now that I’m training for my 4th road marathon, I am starting to increase my road mileage, and I have started to need a bit more protection for my joints plus a dedicated road running shoe. I was debating between the Primus Lite 3.5s and the Primus Flows, and I settled on the lightweight shoes designed specifically for road running.
For sizing: I wear size 43 on my Primus Trail Knit, Primus Lite All Weather, but size 42 on my Primus Lite Knit without the insoles. I went with size 43 on the Primus Flows, and they fit great.
I’ve taken them out on 4 runs (1 speed interval and 3 recovery runs) so far, and I like them so far as road runners, but I won’t be using them as my everyday walking shoes.
The pros of the shoes:
- Extremely lightweight at 159g for size 42
- The midsole provides some protection, so I’m not afraid to use them for long runs
- Great heel lock that helps the foot stay in place while running
The cons of the shoes:
- The outsole is not really flexible and doesn’t have as much ground feel due to the midsole, making it not so great for everyday walking shoes
- The insides of the heel are made up of leather-like material, which helps heel lock, but it catches your socks when taking the shoes off. These are the only pair of shoes where I have to tie and untie the shoelaces each time I take them on/off.
- The uppers are not as breathable as my knit shoes (regular Primus Knit and Primus Trail Knit), despite being almost see-through
If I had to get a single shoe, I would stick with either the regular Primus for weight (225g) or the Primus Knit for comfort (246g). But since I’m doing a fair bit of road running, I’m happy to have a dedicated shoe for road running, and the Primus Flows seem to work well for that purpose.
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Nice review, thanks for the information. These seem to be pretty popular. Feels like half the time that I notice someone is wearing barefoot shoes, they have either the Primus Flow or Primus Lite.