Not perfect, but amazing 'bang for the buck'!
I'm a lifelong runner and hiker with experience with many different brands and models of shoes. I decided to try these to save some money over my usual Hoka, Altra, or Salomon heavily cushioned models, mainly for long city and road walks and easy slow-paced recovery jogs. My personal foot issues (in case any are important to some readers) are a D-width, low-volume foot with a painful Morton's Neuroma on the ball, a prominent heel bone spur, and a past history of plantar fasciitis. I've preferred mostly low- to zero-drop shoes for the past 15 years. First impressions after initial 4 mile city walk: The stack height is quite high (not specified by seller) and the foam is of the softer/bouncier variety, similar to the early-generation Hoka's. The heel to toe drop (also not mentioned by the seller) feels very high, at least 12 mm or more. It feels like wearing 'high-heeled shoes' to me. That large drop sacrifices the amount of cushion in the forefoot, where more of my foot issues are located. I wish they would get rid of a few mm of foam from the heel of the midsole and move it to the forefoot for better protection there. There are nice welded reinforcements on the upper around the toe and from the lace points down the sides to improve durability and structure. The weight was only 0.5 oz. heavier than my similar Hoka Bondi model. The toe box is very wide with plenty of room for toe splay, which I like. Those with narrower feet might find that sloppy, but I feel that a very wide toe box is almost a necessary safety feature for a shoe like this with such a tall stack height to stabilize it and reduce the risk of ankle rollover. They were very comfortable to walk in right out of the box, and the heel cup was nice and secure, without any slipping. No pressure on my heel spur either. I'm really surprised by the quality of the build and features, especially at this price point. While not perfect for my feet, I'm happy with them and give them 2 thumbs up! I'll update my review as I get more time using them, in case there are durability or performance issues that aren't apparent yet. Read more























