I'm going to add my two cents here as I've been wearing all sorts of minimalist shoes for years now.
Vibrams were too stiff a sole. While mimicking the shape of the foot they inhibited true movement of the toes. They also start to smell bad quickly as most will not buy "toe socks" to wear with them. I gave mine away and would not recommend them.
I've had two pairs of Softstars. I had a mesh pair and a solid leather pair. Both were a good shoe with a nice wide toe box which allowed proper splaying of the toes. The mesh pair lasted a number of years but eventually wore out from abuse. The suede pair was used for work as they were much more presentable with a suit. These have just started to break along crease lines and were just replaced. I probably got 5-6 years of mixed use out of them. Note the soles on both, while "minimal", were still too thick for my liking as I got used to a thinner sole. Mine were 5mm I believe. They also had a minimal amount of tread so traction could be an issue.
I'm on my third pair of Sockwas now. I've had a pair of G2, a pair of playa, and now a pair of G4. These are the most minimal shoe I have used and became my go-to for most activities. They're a stretchy body (lycra, neoprene, something) with a very thin (2mm?) plastic sole with very good treading. The G2/G4 are low tops with a stretchy neck to hold it at the foot, the "playa" is a high top with a velcro wrap. These were my go-to shoes in spring/summer/fall and I've worn them across the country with no issues. Each pair has been tossed purely from extensive wear. The seam at the edge of the sole gives way after years of use. I love the shoes because it feels like you're wearing a martial arts slipper but have just a bit better protection on the sole. They're the most tactile feel of all shoes I have tried and the next best thing to going barefoot.
I just picked up a pair of Xeroshoes Hanas. So far so good with these. They're fairly tactile, about where the Softstars are, but look great for work and give me almost all of the benefits of the Sockwas. You have to take the insert out of these to get the right feel.
Winter time I have neoprene arctic dive boots. Water proof with a 5mm sole. My current pair are wearing through on the foot pad. I picked up a pair of minimalist combat boots last fall to try out over the winter and they're ok but not a true minimalist shoe like I was looking for. They're more zero drop with a moderate sole.
