“Although I haven't worn yet, apart from around the house, these are one if not, the comfiest sandals I've ever worn, and just love the look of them. They will get christened in Cyprus next month 10/10”
Aloha Glen,
Thank you for taking the time to review the OluKai Men's Ulele sandals. We are sorry to hear that you had some issues with your order. We would love to resolve this for you and ensure you are fully satisfied with your purchase. Feel free to email us at info@olukai.com and we would be happy to discuss some options with you.
“Note: I'm giving this shoe five stars because there are no half-stars, but it's really a 4.5 with the possibilty of slipping down or up to 4 or 5 as they break in.
Title: Ulele vs. Ohana
TLDR: If you like the appearance of these sandals better than Ohanas, then I would go ahead and get them. (If you've never owned either, do yourself a favor and buy a pair today!)
Olukai Ohanas have probably been 50% of my footwear wear-time since 2008, when a friend introduced me to them. I get 3+ years of wear out of each pair before demoting it to gym shower duty and buying a fresh pair. I've stuck to the black + dark shadow color scheme, except for once, when I decided to go with one of the browns. That turned out to be a 4-star shoe, as the brown footbed wore out more quickly than the blacks (it could have been a one-off).
Ulele really isn't that functionally different from Ohana, from what I can tell so far. The black Ulele has a fresh look. The footbed has a slightly different, softer feel, which I like. When new, it almost is slightly "fuzzy," although this isn't the right word. It still resists getting slippery from sweat in hot weather, and it gives me the impression that it may be more durable, albeit the "soft" or "fuzzy" top layer will certainly wear away over time. It may have *slightly* more support and a *slightly* higher arch than the Ohana, although it is hard to tell what to attribute to variations in individual pairs.
I read some other reviews on Olukai and Amazon where the Ulele is criticized for having less comfortable straps or toe-bars than Ohana. That made me wary. For the first week I wore them only around the house, thinking that they might indeed be more uncomfortable and that I might have to return them. I did experience a tiny bit of irritation due to the stitching under one strap. But when I looked carefully, it was the loose end of a thread, and I was able to snip it away. That seems to have solved the problem. I also have the vague impression that the straps are a tiny bit tighter on my foot than Ohana. But that might just be because they will stretch a little as they break in. I'm comparing the wear experience to a 3-year veteran pair of sandals, after all. I would still say that my overall impression of strap comfort is a tiny bit more shaky than I remember having with brand new Ohanas. I'm optimistic that the Ulele will prove to seem just as comfortable within a month or two of wearing them every day, now that the weather is warming up.
The one plus I will note, apart from the immediate aesthetic difference between the straps and outsole of the Ohana vs Ulele, is that I like the verticle striped texturing on the Ulele better. Ohana's were prone to more visible scuffs on the smooth surface of their outsole. This can still happen with Ulele, but the verticle texturing makes it more likely to be invisible.
Lastly, the soles. I don't notice much of a difference between the feel of these soles vs Ohana soles. They have less texturing in favor of a flatter pattern. They are supposed to offer better wet grip based, as I understand it, on the texture of the sole rather than the material. Sure. Walking on slippery boat decks isn't part of my life, but I'm willing to believe it until I learn otherwise. I'm very curious, however, whether the soles have the same thickness of harder rubber. For a long-term wearer, like myself, hot spots on the sole eventually wear very thin, or even through--typically on one back corner of the heel, due to my gait. Since the sole of the Ohana partly cups out onto the outsole, it gives the impression of being thicker. This, one would think, means it would last longer. But there is really no way of knowing this for sure until I've worn them for over a year. I am hoping these will be just as durable, but only time will tell.
All in all, as I said at the top, get these without hesitation if you are debating between them and Ohana, but like the look of these more (and don't mind paying a little bit more). I can definitely recommend them, based on the first month and a half, and I'm expecting them to only get more comfortable as time goes on.”
“Great pool sandals, best I’ve ever owned! I already have a pair leather OluKai sandals and wanted a pair for the pool. Best decision ever! 5-Stars for sure!”
