****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
I started using these shoes on June 11, 2019. At the time of this writing, that's almost 6 weeks. I'd suggest when you are reading these reviews you keep in mind how long the reviewer has been trying out the shoes; it can take several weeks to fully get used to a new shoe and reviewers who give hasty reviews (either good or bad) are not giving you the real picture.____________________In a nutshell, I got these shoes so I didn't have to spend a bunch of money on running shoes AND gym shoes. Nor clutter up my closet with too many pairs of shoes. After using them for over a month, I am surprisingly satisfied.First off....I'm 6 foot and 175 lbs. My shoe size varies between 10.5 and 11 USA. My foot is slightly wide, with good arches. I got these shoes in a size 11 and they fit great. But not at first.....for the first 4-5 wearings they felt tight around the middle of my foot. At first I was disappointed and felt like they were not going to be a good fit. But after about a week of wearing them, they broke in just fine, and the fit now is great. I attribute the tight feeling to the plastic side braces that the shoestrings lace through: if you lace them overly tight, that will contribute to the uncomfortable feeling.My experience: I have been running at least 3X a week for over 40 years. I've weightlifted and/or cross trained on a regular basis for over 30 years. I have been a personal trainer in the past (certified by ACE). I've run one of the toughest marathons in the world (Big Sur International Marathon), although I consider myself an average runner. I've used everything from cheap $40.00 Big 5 shoes for running to $130.00 Brooks. I've never bought a pair of shoes specifically for weight training or cross-fit workouts; I've always used running shoes for that.Here's how I wear them:- running 1-2 times a week. My average run is around 2.5 miles, but I've run up to 6 miles in them and they performed well. I would not recommend wearing these for regular runs longer than 3 miles because that's not what they are built for. I run mostly on pavement in California (moderate weather), although I just did a 6 mile run on trails in preparation for a 10K race later this month. I feel like that was pushing the shoe to its limit, but it did fine.- stationary biking.- weight workouts. I do squats, standing barbell curls and overhead presses and these shoes are stable and don't shift. Of course you need to adjust the tightness of the laces depending on what you're doing and that's the cool thing about these - you can loosen them up a bit for non-critical exercises like stationary biking or tighten them up for running or squats.- kettle bell swings: again, they are stable and flexible.- burpees: this particular exercise really tests the stability, flexibility and shock-absorption of the shoe. If you've never done a burpee, I suggest Googling it to see what the movements are. In this exercise the shoe is subjected to squats, kick-outs where I land on the toes as I do a push-up, then they flex as I bring my feet back under me and jump up into the air, forcing them to not only be stable in launching me up but in absorbing my return to earth.I work out in these shoes 6 days a week. The photo shows them as of today, nearly 6 weeks into daily use. I typically run a couple days a week, do burpees 2x a week, weight lift 2-3 times a week, kettle bell swing 2x a week and do moderate cardio such as stationary bike 1-2 times a week.I didn't buy these to replace running shoes; I got them to use as short-distance runners and gym shoes. You shouldn't get these if you are doing multiple runs of more than 3 miles in a week - they aren't going to give the performance and protection you need for serious running. But for gym work, cross fit training and shorter runs, they are great and can replace expensive running shoes.You should note that the plastic shoe lace-ups/brackets on the side of the shoe have 3 positions. The position closest to your toes is the least secure/loosest fitting style. Each hole you lace going back towards your heel tightens the shoe's grip on your foot. I use the middle lace hole for running and burpees and the stability is fine. I lace it all the way to the back hole for squats to make sure the shoe doesn't slip.I've noted some reviewers say the "sock" collar around the ankle opening is loose. I can say yes, it doesn't fit flush to your ankle when laced up, but that doesn't mean it slips! My foot is stable even if the sock appears to be loose-fitting. It isn't overly warm or hot, either (I was worried about that when I first got them).Again, if you're a serious runner I'd invest in good running shoes and use these for the gym. But if you're a casual runner of shorter distances and fit in weight training and/or cross-fit training, these shoes do a great job.I'll close by saying that in the last 20 years or so I've gotten wiser and have spent more money on running shoes, and with these shoes I've gotten my first shoe specially designed for cross-training also. I am happy with the performance of the shoes so far. I've never had a serious running injury, partially out of luck but largely because as my joints have gotten older I've used better shoes. Good luck and good health to you!For reference I'm a size 7.5(shoe) 160lb male. I really like these shoes and I needed some new ones mostly for weight lifting an light running. The first thing that stood out to me is that in the picture the shoe seems a little "pointier" which I feel adds to the aesthetic and makes these look pretty cool/unique, but when they arrived the first thing I noticed was that my shoe came to a pretty "blunt" end. I guess not the fault of the manufacturer but this made the shoe look a little "bulkier" up top, which I didn't like personally. Other than that, I decided to run around a local track with these on and while they are definitely comfortable, they are also very easy to dirty (to be expected I guess) and not too easy to clean, I've been using these pretty much every day for a while now and I actually quite like them though despite my initial gripe on it's appearance in my size.I generally like the fit and feel of these shoes for various types of work outs. The incorporated tongue (the tongue is actually one with the shoe) can make it hard to slip into the shoe without loosening the laces all the way to the bottom. Not a huge issue, but also a bit of a pain. Once on, the shoes function well with little slop, which is the reason for the design. I’d buy them again.The left shoe was not well made. As you can see from the picture, you can see through the left shoe.I've only used these in the gym once thus far but can report that they are the most comfortable training pair that I've had to date. It's marketed as a training shoe that's good for running and I would say that is an appropriate way to market it. It has the flexibility for a running shoe, but the metcon element mid foot does make a noticeable difference if you're used to full Nike Frees (or in my case, Ultra Boost). That said, off the treadmill it is brilliant. If you don't intend to only be on the treadmill and want to do some lifting and circuits, these are a good bet.The shoe was tighter to be expected but the worst part was the shoe coming with an ink alarm still attached to the shoe! Extreme inconvenience considering it took over a week to get here and I live in Europe. Now, will have to send back and wait another few weeks....These are great all around athletic shoes. Lots of heel support. I am a big guy (6'4", size 13s) and had a plantar fasciitis strain and these shoes were great for my feet because they have almost a zero drop heel, but lots of heel support. not sure how good these are for running/walking exercises, but I haven't had any issues wearing them around town and in the gym. Just bought my second pair!My bf wanted these for a black sneaker, but told me that he jumped down off of something and landed hard on his feet, and feels like one of the sneaker soles got damaged. So, overall was a good sneaker/purchase until that happened. He still wears them but would wear them slot more often if that hadn’t happened. It squeaks now sometimes.Size is too small n unfit, quality feels like a 1st copy shoes even the box is fake, dont buy... Just hate it, bought at 3300 only but not worth more than 1000Don’t buy this product, no proper fitting and no comfort at all.Habe mir letztes Jahr schon ein Paar in einer anderen Farbe geholt und ich liebe diesen Schuh einfach. Gemütlich und felexibelLove this shoe sad they changed it :(Best shoe ever. Hoops and lifting !
