Craft Endurance Trail Performance Review

Piggybacking off of the success of the road-focused Endur Distance, Craft is adding a new, trail-ready version to their PRO line with the Craft Endurance Trail. This shoe has many features we like but as with most trail shoes, there are some caveats.

Craft Endurance Trail

Price: $160

Weight: Men’s 11.8 oz, Women’s 10.1 oz

Drop: 9mm (27mm forefoot, 36mm heel)

Sizing: True to size

• Rundown: A go-to trail shoe for comfort or speed. The Craft Endurance Trail is a great option for anyone wanting a performance shoe without the $200 price tag.

Midsole

Sam: As the trail footwear world seems to increasingly move towards more neutral drops and away from aggressive road geometry, the Craft Endurance Trail’s midsole gives runners a race-ready stack that is built to focus propulsion to the forefoot. With a 9mm drop, this is a shoe that really wants to run and excels at higher speeds. The Endurance Trail is the newest model for Craft’s Trail line, and it emphasizes their commitment to performance.

Craft’s new Px Foam, a single foaming agent that is 20% lighter than traditional EVA foam, makes up the midsole of the Endurance Trail. This foam is particularly responsive and light. For runners looking to go fast, you’ll find this shoe gives a good energy return while maintaining a soft and bouncy ride. The Px Foam midsole provides a good amount of shock resistance, making the Endurance Trail a little more stable in the heel than one would expect for such an aggressive drop.

Typically, you would expect a shoe with such a lightweight and responsive foam to break down relatively quickly. After roughly 70 miles in the shoe, I haven’t noticed any lack of energy return. The nature of the Px Foam coupled with the big drop almost gives this midsole the feel of a plated racer. I found that the bounce mimics the “snap” you receive from other carbon trail shoes, without the hefty price tag.

Drew: The Px Foam midsole of the Craft Endurance Trail is smooth, protective, and bouncy. Px Foam is a little heavy for a road shoe but it pays dividends on the trail as the extra density helps mute the rocks and roots.

Typically, I prefer less drop than 9mm but I think the drop geometry works really well with the design of the midsole and results in a rocker that feels propulsive and fun. The energy return alone puts it in the top tier of trail shoes but everything else the midsole offers makes it a complete package.

Upper

Sam: The Craft Endurance Trail Upper is a single-layer mesh that form fits your foot and is fairly breathable. Craft has added some TPU overlays near the pain points of the foot to protect from rocks and other debris you’ll run into on the trail. The tightly knit mesh layer is one piece, so you don’t run into any nagging or tears at the seams like you might with other trail uppers. The lacing system allows for a nice heel lock and the soft flexibility of the tongue ensures you don’t get any rub near the front of your ankle.

Drew: The engineered mesh is fairly basic but the upper is comfortable while protective in all the right places with the toe and heel guards. The gusseted tongue is helpful both to prevent tongue slip and improve lockdown. If you’re a normal or narrow footer you will have plenty of room in this upper. Craft makes some of the most wide foot friendly uppers in the trail shoe industry. You don’t have to avoid this shoe if your foot is narrow but you’ll want to wear thicker socks.

Outsole

Sam: In the words of Craft Pro David Laney, “We basically took the Endur Distance and slapped a trail outsole on it.” The rubber outsole follows a two-piece (forefoot and heel) rubber compound with a fairly dense, squared lug pattern on the bottom. They do not list the official lug depth on their site, but I would pin it right around 3 to 3.5mm (think your basic Salomon Sense Ride).

For a shoe made to be responsive, I love the two-piece outsole as it allows for more flexibility in the toe. I found the rubber to be sticky enough and showed good promise on wet rock and wood. Because of the road origins of the shoe, I used this a lot as a straight-out-of-the-door, road-to-trail option. The outsole has held up fine over the 70 miles of mixed road/trail and has not shown any signs of deterioration. The Craft Endurance Trail is built for almost all types of terrain, but I wouldn’t classify this outsole as burly enough to handle your more technical and vertical trails.

Drew: The outsole of the Craft Endurance Trail gripped everything I threw at it including some dicey wet-to-dry to mud-to-dry transitions that often reveal traction issues. I was also impressed that the Endurance Trail packs so much rubber but still feels very flexible. The flex groove built into the forefoot and the two-piece construction really pays off in terms of making the shoe feel much more nimble than I thought it would be.

Is the Craft Endurance Trail wide foot friendly?

Sam: I consider my feet to be on the wider side and I found that the Craft Endurance Trail actually gets roomier as you move into the forefoot. The mesh upper also allows for some stretch so you don’t feel like your foot is crammed into the shoe.

Drew: The Craft Endurance Trail is as wide foot friendly as a trail shoe can be, especially in the forefoot. It provides plenty of room for toe splay as you speed around corners.

Is the Craft Endurance Trail worth $160?

Sam: Yes. The Craft Endurance Trail is a shoe that will perform at almost any distance for a runner and can be that jack-of-most-trades in your shoe quiver. The durability of the outsole coupled with the cushion of Craft’s Px Foam makes this a perfectly fine option for longer mileage days. The responsiveness and energy return of the midsole also makes it an ideal race day or shorter distance, maximum effort shoe for those not looking to venture into the $200s for a carbon-plated shoe.

Drew: A good portion of our favorite trail shoes are in the $150-170 range. That’s the going rate for a high-end trail shoe with all the bells and whistles except a carbon plate. The Craft Endurance Trail is priced correctly.

Cons

Sam: I couldn’t find much that I was upset with about this shoe, however an aggressive 9mm drop automatically makes it not for everyone. With a higher heel stack at 36mm, at times the shoe feels unstable at high speeds, especially if you’re entering more technical terrain where foot precision is a must. I took the shoe on a couple of muddier runs and found that the dense lug pattern didn’t shed mud very well, so I would not recommend this shoe for wet Spring days. This could be particular to me, but I experienced some pressure on the top of my foot while running in the Craft Endurance Trail. I would assume this is due to the 9mm drop that I’m not used to. Overall, the downside of this shoe is that you won’t have the stability of a lower-stack option on your technical terrain.

Drew: Sam nailed it. Stability can be hit or miss. I wish the midsole came up a little higher and cupped the foot, especially in the midfoot and heel. The wide base is great but unless you’re locked in TIGHT your foot may threaten to slide off the lateral edge on slanted terrain or sharp corners. With the wide foot friendly upper you need to make sure you nail the sizing of the Craft Endurance Trail. You don’t want any excess space bc if your foot gets wonky in this shoe it could result in a sprained ankle.

Craft Endurance Trail Summary

The Craft Endurance Trail was a very pleasant surprise. This shoe offers the softness and cushion of other long-distance options like the Jordan Tatum 1 or Salomon Ultra Glide but adds a responsiveness and energy return that isn’t present in those other shoes.

Although it feels like this shoe is built to move fast and will perform well at higher speeds, the versatility of the Px Foam midsole will make it a good option for any experience level looking to have added comfort. The bouncy ride makes this shoe a fun choice for your less technical singletrack days and it will perform for almost any number of miles.

The road geometry makes the Endurance Trail a perfect choice for runners who like to go straight from their doorstep to the trailhead. It’s a jack-of-most-trades option and a shoe that many trail runners or hikers will benefit from adding to their rotation.

Jordan One Take 4 Review 2023

Here is the summary of the Jordan One Take 4 review. For a detailed review, continue reading!

Best for ankle support & Guards

Jordan One Take 4 is an extremely lightweight shoe. The stability and support of the shoe are very reliable. Traction is above average; it’s nothing less than what a hooper should expect from a good brand shoe. The cushion and materials are average. Overall it’s a supportive shoe with a good performance profile.

Pros

• Extremely lightweight
• Phenomenal traction
• Excellent stability
• Breathable Ripstop upper
• Great aesthetics
• Balanced cushion

Cons

• Low impact protection
• No Torsional rigidity

Table of Contents

Unboxing & Detail Jordan One Take 4 review

Jordan One Take 4 is Russell Westbrook’s signature sneaker. It’s the takedown model from Jordan that is marketed at an entry-level sneaker market. The tech is not top-level here, and the material lacks fluff like their top-line sneaker Air Jordan 37.

That does not mean it’s an underperforming model. It’s very budget-friendly, and its aesthetics are better than many top basketball sneakers.

Russell Westbrook, who wears a 0 (zero) number in NBA, as zero reminds him that he is looking forward to a new journey after he is gone through something. Zero is a threshold to a new beginning.

Hence his signature sneakers possess all the hallmarks of excellent sneakers, but what’s different and NOT available in the takedown model Jordan One Take 4? Let’s find out in a detailed performance review.

Detailed Jordan One Take 4 review

1. Traction:

Jordan One Take 4’s outsole compound is a traditional herringbone which has excellent traction. Russell Westbrook’s budget Jordan shoes traction works as amazing as premium shoes here.

The classic herringbone is in two different colors on the outsole and has a jump man logo on the heel. The rubber compound gives you plenty of bite on a hard stop and lateral cuts.

Its traction is consistent on outdoors as well as an indoor basketball court. The rubber coming up on the material to a significant point adds value to its durability. It’s a good aspect for toe draggers because the material will not break down quickly and will wear down soon.

It picks up very little dust when on the dusty basketball court, which is easy to clean for a great performance consistently. Overall its traction is right to the level of Jordan Luka 1.

2. Cushion:

Jordan One Take 4’s cushion is a full-length EVA with a forefoot Zoom Air unit. The EVA foam is not very responsive, and since it lacks another layer of tech-packed foam in the heel, it does not feel plush or bouncy there.

As an average-build guy, you will get a subtle responsiveness in the heel and low-impact protection. But if you are a bigger guy, you will not get good impact protection in Jordan One Take 4.

Big guys build need extra material in the heel, so if they press down hard, they don’t feel any joint pain and discomfort.

Unfortunately, Jordan One Take 4 lacks impact protection and bounce. But it’s comfortable in the forefoot with the Zoom Air unit.

If you are someone who appreciates a lot of court feel and likes a lot of nimble lightweight movements, also don’t mind that if the sneaker has low impaction protection, then you would like Jordan One Take 4.

3. Material:

Westbrook’s Jordan takedown sneaker has used average quality material. It could have been better at 100 dollars, but apparently, it’s not.

The forefoot area is covered in a square Ripstop mesh that’s very thin. Mesh runs through the end of the lateral side of the shoe. While the medial side is covered in synthetic leather. Leather is not one of the top quality materials that we had in the past Jordans in the 90s.

Ankle areas have average padding. However, I don’t know why the tongue is not padded at all. Synthetic leather covers the back area with a Jumpman logo.

The material feels comfortable and nice on the feet. The forefoot feels a bit roomier. But it conformed to my feet nicely.

4. Support:

Jordan One Take 4 provides decent ankle protection with the TPU heel counter and soft padding in the heel. That makes the heel part snug and locked down in place.

Tow extra holes near the shoe collars give you the option to tie down the laces more snugly and tight for customized ankle protection.

The laces are integrated with the strips that go in the material on the forefoot area and improve lockdown.

Side caging with the EVA foam wraps the shoe for lateral support. Moreover, the Jordan One Take 4 is a wide shoe. Hence it will give ample stability and support.

However, the small and highly flexible midfoot shank plate does not give torsional rigidity. So if you are a flat feet player or have tendinitis, then it’s not a good option.

Other than that, the Jordan One take 4 is a supportive shoe.

5. Fit:

The Jordan One Tke 4 is a nice fitting shoe. I would say its comfortable but roamier shoe in the tow box. Which I liked. The fit is a subjective quality, so I like it slightly loose in the toe box.

Moreover, the lace line integrates with the material through the lace loop that goes into the material. So that makes fit better.

However, if you like a snug fit, just like gloves, then prepare yourself to be disappointed or buy half size down than the actual size. Because there is an extra space in the toe box.

It’s perfect in true to size fit, and wide footers should be good in a half size up than their actual size.

6. Looks / Appearance/ Colorways:

Jordan One Take 4 is a very cool sneaker. I loved the looks in this latest Jordan sneaker. The use of mesh and synthetic leather gives a very trendy look. It’s lightweight and looks beautiful so it will be great as a lifestyle sneaker too.

It’s currently available in 3 colorways, Black/White/Light Liquid Lime, Black/White/Dark Concord, Rattan/Phantom/Orange Trance/Black, on Nike’s flagship store.

I highly recommend you buy the nike ja 1 for its aesthetics and best traction and for being a budget sneaker with the Jordan brand.

7. Outdoor/Durability:

Jordan One Take 4 has a durable outsole. Its rubber compounds are thick and widely separated. These are excellent materials for outdoor basketball sneakers for their grip on outdoor surfaces and minimum dust pickup.

The mesh Ripstop covers tha upper with the outsole rubber coming to the toe area. That makes it durable for toe drags.

Jordan One Take 4 is good as an outdoor basketball shoe for its amazing durability and traction.

8. Breathability/Ventilation:

Jordan One Take 4 has a breathable Ripstop upper. That is a see-through material that covers the top as well as the lateral sides of the sneaker.

It keeps the ample air flow around the feet. The feet won’t feel soggy and sweaty at the end of a hot game day.

Hence, it’s one hundred percent breathable shoe.

9. User Review

Jordan has maintained a strong fan base all these years. From when we only had Jordan basketball shoes in the market other than Converse, people appreciate every sneaker because the nostalgia has been successful in keeping them hooked up. This Jordan One Take 4 has also received a 4 out of 5 rating from users.

10. Expert Review

1-r/BBallShoes

There is great traction and you get an extremely lightweight shoe. It gives ample stability and arch support. But, it provides mediocre lockdown and durability.”

2-The Sole Drop

“ I don’t like the overall silhouette. Its traction is so good, I liked the cushion and materials too. It’s the fit that I disliked. I didn’t like how they stiffened it on the forefoot. But if that was not here, then it could be a top-tier performer.”

3-Baller

“Russell Westbrook plays 77% more in this budget model sneaker than his actual signature sneaker Why Not Zer0.5. It’s a verified choice of athletes.”

4-Shoeware

“It gives good durability and impact protection. These are super light and sticky and traction is been my favorite aspect of the shoe. The impact protection is also above average so these are great for outdoors too.”

Reebok Floatride Energy 5 Performance Review

The Reebok Floatride Energy 4 was one of our favorite budget shoes of 2022. Can the Reebok Floatride Energy 5 deliver the same or better performance for the same low price of $110? We’re about to find out.

Reebok Floatride Energy 5

Release Date: March 31, 2023

Price: $110

Drop: 8mm

Sizing: True to size

• Rundown: At $110, the Reebok Floatride Energy 5 delivers plenty of value.

Midsole

Drew: Just like the Floatride Energy 4, the Reebok Floatride Energy 5 started out a little firmer than normal, but broke in well. I wouldn’t say there’s a lot of Floatride underfoot, which is how Reebok can get the Energy line to such a competitive price point. But that’s also the beauty of Floatride, you don’t need very much to get a solid cushioning experience. Think of it as firmer than Boost but still providing a nice bounce and very good impact protection.

Chris: Overall the cushioning is decent, especially at this price point. I like to mix in some treadmill runs throughout the week and I felt like the midsole did not perform well. The Floatride foam just felt too soft on the treadmill with no energy return.

The midsole was definitely a lot more responsive on the road. For me there was a very subtle rocker, providing a smooth midfoot to toe-off transition. This made it a good easy day shoe for me.

Upper

Drew: I think the Reebok Floatride Energy 5’s upper is a downgrade from the Floatride Energy 4 though it also improves by ditching the awful pull tabs and slippy tongue. The tongue is now gusseted (no slip!) and relatively thin but well-padded. Also well-padded is a newly sculpted heel.

But the overall upper build of traditional engineered mesh just isn’t as cool looking or as comfortable as last year’s speed shift upper. It’s just kind of average in terms of its comfort and fit.

Chris: I haven’t had much experience with the Floatride series, but the upper like Drew mentioned seemed average. The fit felt a bit narrow for me but didn’t seem to be a significant issue on my easy runs with the shoe.

Outsole

Drew: The Reebok Floatride Energy 5’s traction pattern is relatively similar to last year’s version but tweaked slightly. The oval nubs are still there but now extend for the entire outsole, not just the midfoot and forefoot. You can also visibly see the new x-shaped shank plate at the midfoot.

In practice, nothing really changes. The grip’s still solid though not top-end. It’s more than enough for the price point.

Chris: The tread/outsole pattern didn’t cause any slipping issues and after a few runs didn’t seem to take on any significant wear.

Is the Reebok Floatride Energy 5 wide foot friendly?

Drew: The Reebok Floatride Energy 5 runs true to size but is pretty narrow through the midfoot. I’d recommend wide footers look elsewhere as I’m not sure going up in size would make enough difference in the width.

Chris: No. As mentioned previously and from Drew’s comment above, one of the first things I noticed was the narrow fit. Wide footers should probably stay away.

Is the Reebok Floatride Energy 5 worth $110?

Drew: Yes, easily. For $110 you get solid traction, a well-cushioned midsole that lasts, a serviceable upper, and a smooth rocker shape. The Reebok Floatride Energy 5 earns a place on our Best Budget Running Shoes list.

Chris: Yes. Not many other shoes at this price point will give you the reliability of the Reebok Floatride Energy 5. I would definitely recommend this shoe for someone looking to get into running who may not be willing to invest in something too expensive.

Cons

Drew: All I’ve got is a slight downgrade in the upper quality and I’m not sure what the new shank plate brings to the table. I’d rather them soften up the Floatride or make it bouncier versus adding that plate. Maybe next year?

Chris: I was hoping the midsole felt a bit more responsive on the treadmill and for the fit to not be so narrow.

Reebok Floatride Energy 5 Summary

The Reebok Floatride Energy 5 is a solid budget running shoe. For $110, it delivers value and is a very good shoe for those who don’t want to spend a bunch on their JA 1 but still want a modern running experience.

 

Air Jordan 37 Review 2023

Here is the summary of the Air Jordan 37 Review . For a detailed review, continue reading!

Our Verdict:

Best for Centers and Heavy Players

Air Jordan 37 is the most awaited NBA signature sneaker of the year. Many players like to have more premium material than just mesh. But Jordans are boldly making it for enhanced comfort and stamina for their players. Overall, the cushion, support, and traction are very reliable. Any big dude with nimble footwork would love to play in them.

Pros

• Very responsive
• Nicely engineered cushion for a balanced court feel and impact protection
• Solid traction
• Torsional support
• High impact protection
• Good for flat feet players
• Super breathability

Cons

• • Lack supportive features
  • Expensive

Detailed Air Jordan 37 Review
Finally, the much-anticipated basketball shoe, the Air Jordan 1, is here. As always, I simply loved the stylish box with a pull-out drawer-like cover.The first thing that captured my attention after the Jump-man logo on the top are the lines on the side of the box. Two straight lines and then three straight lines.It represents Nike’s most sustainable cushioning foam in Air Jordan 37, Formula 23. It’s more than just cushioning, as Nike claims. It assists talented movers in the crash landing, loading, and launching.

Let’s unravel the design’s mystery and how it feels on the basketball court.

You can check our top 10 recommendations for Best Basketball Shoes For Jumping here.

What’s Exciting About Air Jordan 37

Air Jordan is the most popular sneaker, and its popularity has remained the same over the years. As a hooper, I anticipated that Nike would pull out new design tweaks in brand-new Jordans.

So I can say upfront that there isn’t much about design that changed from previous models. It still has the same see-through mesh.

But I expect that Air Jordan 37 will be a better sneaker in traction and cushioning as we know that Jordans has an impressive track record of delivering performance hoop shoes each year. So stick with me and read the full performance review of the Air Jordan 37 for detailed insight.

1. Traction

Nike has altered the traditional herringbone pattern in the Air Jordan 37. Now we have a thick rubber pattern with different spiral-like shapes on the outsole.

With that being said, the traction is good. It could have been better. The reason is I experienced that outsole started sliding after some time.

It picks up dust and is not the best option for dusty basketball courts.

However, it gives good traction and sudden reliable stops once you feel comfortable in them.

For me, it’s good traction. But despite the sky-high expectations, it delivers average performance.

2. Cushion

Nike has applied a good amount of engineering in making cushions for the Air Jordan 37. It has a full-length Zoom Strobel unit and two Zoom Units stacked in the forefoot. The heel part has Formula 23 foam.

With its slight curve shape, it will help you move faster. As I said, the engineering helps you make high jumps with the super-premium Carbon fiber plate in the midfoot.

It stores the potential energy and releases it for high jumps. The double-stacked Zoom units are very responsive and give great impact protection on rebounds.

Moreover, the heel part is caged with hard plastic. It securely cages the heel area and provides extra safety for a crash landing.

For me, cushioning just exceeded my expectations. Any big player, wide foot player would enjoy playing in it. It is very bouncy, with a responsive cushion that gives maximum impact protection.

3. Material

Upper material is mostly mesh. It’s not much changed from the Air Jordan 36. They used the Lenoweave upper material.

You can see through the material. It’s very thin and soft. It takes an initial break-in time. But then, the step-in comfort is crazy. It’s nicely padded from the heel part. Moreover, two ankle pads on both sides give extra comfort and softness.

The material is mesh, so it does not look as premium as Suede or Leather. But in terms of comfort, the exoskeleton-style modern mesh upper is amazing.

4. Support

The Air Jordan 37 does not have lateral outriggers for stability. Because the hoopers who make a lot of side-to-side moves might trip in the shoe; moreover, the Air Jordan 37 lacks thick padding in the high collars to protect the ankle area.

The only thing that improves support is the carbon fiber shank plate that gives torsional rigidity.

For me, it’s an average support setup.

5. Fit

Air Jordan 37 runs true-to-size. Even with the true-to-size pair, you will feel a wiggle space in the toe box. The lack of padding under forefoot material resulted in providing insufficient fit and lockdown.

So I don’t think that going down half a size would help you cover the empty spaces in the toe box.

The heel lockdown is amazing and keeps the foot in place no matter what.

6. Looks / Appearance/ Colorways

Air Jordan 37 has so far released 6 colorways on its official page. These are Beyond Borders, Hare, Jason Tatum, Raptors, Satou Sabally, Oreo, and Hot Punch.

The design and aesthetics are average. It lacks luster and any premium touch.

However, the Jordan 37 has a retro touch of Air Jordan 32 and Air Jordan 7 in the silhouette.

7. Outdoor/Durability

Air Jordan 37 has thick outsole grooves. They would be a great option for outdoor courts. The rubbers are not going to fuse and become flat. So it’s a good shoe in terms of durability.

So if you are planning to wear them on outdoor basketball courts, they are really a good choice. (after Puma MB.02 or Luka 1 with the same Formula 23 foam, which is better).

So durability and outdoor use are will be perfectly great with Air Jordan 37.

8. Breathability/Ventilation

There is no doubt that Breathability is phenomenal. It is crazy and one of the highlight features after the crazy cushioning in the Air Jordan 37.

It is for the players who like to play in the blazing sun on outdoor courts. The show will allow extra airflow around the feet.

9. User Review

The most anticipated Jordan shoe of the year is immensely popular and loved by users. It has received a rating of 4.8 out of 5 from the users on the official Nike online store.

10. Expert Review

BBall Shoes/ Reddit

“It is one of Jordan’s most breathable shoes having a propulsive Zoom unit and Carbon Firbre shank. Also one of the most durable shoes for outdoors. However, the outsole picks up dust, and there are concerns about the strength and quality of the upper.”

Sole Brothers

“Material is very minimal, traction is good, and it gives solid compression. It feels pretty good on my fee. Overall, I enjoyed some days of them, but the other day I did not. It’s good for a maximum bounce on the forefoot.”

Kicks Contest World

“Despite great comfort and cushioning, the Air Jordan 37 lacks good traction and subpar safety features. It looks like they copied Air Jordan 7 so much that they copied aesthetics and traction performance. Lockdown and stability are another disappointment.”

Tommy Liu

“Overall, Jordan 37 has some decent performance, but considering all the aspects, I don’t think they are worth the price. Cushioning is really good for vertical jumps. The materials are really bad. Durability is another concern.”

On Cloudsurfer Performance Review: Goodbye Speedboard

The On Cloudsurfer has been around for about seven years, but the 2023 version changes everything. Gone are On’s Speedboard plate and typical cloud geometry. Instead, the midsole features CloudTec Phase, a digitally constructed midsole geometry based on scanning thousands of runners.

For On Running, switching up the midsole technology is a significant risk…they’re super popular among the masses. But, the reception is more lukewarm among competitive runners. Is the On Cloudsurfer finally a shoe that everyone will love? Let’s find out.

On Cloudsurfer

Release Date: March 23, 2023

Price: $160

Weight: Men’s 8.64oz, Women’s 7.23oz

Drop: 10mm

Sizing: True to size

• • Rundown: The On Cloudsurfer is probably On’s best pure running shoe yet…but the disjointed feel of the midsole may not work for some people.

Midsole

The new CloudTec Phase midsole is the star feature of the On Cloudsurfer and the main marketing message behind the shoe. The On website and press release are littered with language like following:

In CloudTec Phase, the computer-generated Clouds seamlessly collapse like dominos when your foot lands. The result? Supreme, enhanced cushioning, and a softer, smoother transfer from heel to toe.

Which, sounds absolutely fantastic. I did feel like the Clouds collapsed like dominos and did find the heel of the On Cloudsurfer to be the softest On running shoe I’ve ever worn. What I didn’t like, however, was that the heel and forefoot felt like different shoes.

The heel of the On Cloudsurfer felt as soft and plush as many of the best road running shoes on the market. On the other hand, the forefoot felt like a completely different foam. It was strangely firm underfoot and a big switch from what was used in the heel (although it’s the same foam). The combination of the two together in one shoe felt disjointed and uneven.

Whether you like the CloudTech Phase midsole on the On Cloudsurfer will depend on 1) where you land and 2) your preference for cushioning. For example, if you’re a heavy heel striker who loves soft, plush foams, you’ll likely think the Cloudsurfer is great. But I think most midfoot strikers like myself will leave their runs unsatisfied because the Cloudsurfer can’t really decide what it wants to be.

Upper

As usual, On’s engineered mesh upper looks and feels premium. It’s also noteworthy that the looks didn’t suffer as On upped the amount of recycled polyester. I’m always a fan of including more recycled materials when it doesn’t affect the end product’s wearability.

The upper is, again as usual for On, soft and comfortable. The On Cloudsurfer has plenty of padding at the heel and in the tongue but keeps the rest of the shoe light on the bulk. So, even with the extra padding, the Clousurfer still feels light and airy.

Outsole

The On Cloudsurfer’s outsole has a large patch of rubber with diamond-shaped inlets at the forefoot and a smaller one at the back of the heel. It doesn’t look like much, but the grip was solid and the traction didn’t show any signs of wear during my testing. I think this outsole will last the life of the shoe and you’ll be happy with the grip on multiple surfaces.

Is the On Cloudsurfer wide foot friendly?

The Nike Ja 1 is fairly wide foot friendly. The last is on the wider side which will satisfy a fair amount of people. I’d still recommend most wide footers go up a half size to be safe. Everyone else can go true to size.

Is the On Cloudsurfer worth $160?

I mean, $150-160 is about the right price point for a shoe with the On Cloudsurfer’s stack and cushioning technology. Do I think there are better neutral cushioned running shoes for the same price? Yes. But, this one isn’t overpriced by any means.

Cons

We covered the biggest con in the midsole section…the disjointed feel of the cushioning from heel to forefoot. If you’re not a midfoot striker, the difference in feel might not bug you. Well that and some forefoot strikers might want a little more squish. Otherwise, there’s nothing else to complain about.

On Cloudsurfer Summary

The On Cloudsurfer shows me On Running is dedicated to making shoes competitive runners love to wear. In eschewing the speedboard, On is showing us they have no sacred cows and are willing to do what it takes to make awesome running shoes. And while the On Cloudsurfer doesn’t nail the midsole feel, it’s a shoe a bunch of people are going to enjoy.